Unless you test yourself, you stagnate. Unless you try to go way beyond what you've been able to do before, you won't develop and grow. When you go for it 100%, when you don't have the fear of 'what if I fail,' that's when you learn. That's when you're really living.

You must have a training routine so that what you do happens automatically. If I got up in the morning and thought about going for a run there would often be a number of possible arguments against it. The thing is to get out and run. Later you can wonder whether you should have or not.

Most of us don't know how good we could be until we train systematically on a balanced program for about three years. There will be improvement in the first year and even greater improvement in the second, but the third year's results are likely to be quite marked. You tend to jump ahead at that stage and then maintain a steady rate of improvement.

If you keep a training log, be sure to record not just your mileage, but also the weather, your mood, your diet, whatever you can think of. Over time, you'll learn how these factors affect your performance.

Faced with deep winter, the unfortunate question becomes, how bad do the jim-jams have to get to drive us out there where we can do the actual running? All you want is a nice relaxing run, and the atmospherics insist on turning it into the next thing to a polar expedition. Deep winter may not always present the most salutary conditions for runners, but think of it this way: change is what keeps us fresh too. Go for a run, change your life. Sometimes it can work better in February than it does in June.

Flexibility is an often-overlooked component of fitness. Just be sure to stretch after you run --not before, when your muscles are cold. Keep it gentle, and stretch just to the point of discomfort.

Have trouble getting up for morning runs? Lay out your running gear on the bedroom floor the night before. Then move your alarm clock across the room, so you'll have to get out of bed to turn it off.

I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving. It's not about speed and gold medals. It's about refusing to be stopped. You might find that one particular direction proves difficult, but there are many directions on a compass. Infinite, in fact. As long as you keep searching, you'll find your way.

Before lacing up your running shoes, ask yourself: What is the purpose of this workout? If you can't answer that question, why bother doing the run? If you want to get fitter and faster, having a goal for the day – and sticking to it – will develop the physiological systems that make you stronger. Without it, you risk doing too much, too little, or just enough to stay in a workout rut.

Be aware that your form changes on a treadmill. You tense up, shorten your stride, and react to the belt's movement by picking up and putting down your feet rather than pushing off as you would outdoors. To encourage proper push-off and compensate for the lack of wind resistance, raise the incline to two or three percent and lean slightly forward from the ankles.

There is a time to run and there is a time to rest. It is the true test of the runner to get them both right.

I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain – and you've got to work your way through the pain. Lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and' 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond.

Running is an addictive activity. You feel so good, you never want to let it slide. Yet running, like many other pursuits, can be carried too far - from habit to obsession. When running is no longer a joy and a release from the pressures of the world, but a manic pursuit, then family, friends and your job are likely to suffer. The best advice I can give to avoid this sad state of affairs is to first, be aware of the early warning signs: recurring injuries, depression, loss of motivation, irritability, fixation - and make necessary course corrections. Secondly, try to keep things balanced and in harmony, and let running enhance, not rule your life.

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early one's training begins, it is probably the last lesson we learn thoroughly.

Sporting success rests, in part, with having the mental fortitude necessary to overcome our fears, pain and discomfort. But how does one develop that strength? Is it innate, or can it be learned? I believe it is the latter. We can all train our brains to be as strong as our bodies. It sounds simple, but it's so easy to forget. If we let our head drop, our heart drops with it. Keep your head up, and your body is capable of amazing feats.

Never take your running friends for granted. Every once in a while thank them for being there and sharing all those runs and races with you. The best time to do this would be during a run. If you're new to running find a running club and develop that special friendship of sweat, pain, joy and miles.

While the primary goal for first-time marathon runners is just to reach the finish line, most second-timers (and beyond) aim for something more—to beat their first marathon time. But what should you target? One way to determine a realistic new marathon time goal is to base it on your performance in a 5-K, 10-K, or half-marathon tune-up race; plug your time into a prediction calculator to see what your marathon time could be. This is no guarantee, but it could be one helpful guideline to use in the goal-setting process.

Explore your limits and get to know yourself. You'll never feel more real than after the hardest workout, the longest run, the toughest week, or the best race of your life. Constantly make your own standards tougher.

It's wrong to believe that you need a certain physical body type to run. All body types can run. The people who succeed are not the ones who have the longest legs or the leanest torsos. The champions are the one who understand how to harness the power of the brain. Determination. Discipline. Organization. Time management. Friendship-making. These skills are what it takes to succeed in running. You have to want it, you have to plan for it, you have to fit it into a busy day, you have to be mentally tough, you have to use others to help you. The hard part isn't getting your body in shape. The hard part is getting your mind in shape.

 'No pain, no gain' does not mean that pain systematically equals gain. It's easy to go hard. It's hard to go smart.