Each week, John has been giving tips on how to train and prepare for a half marathon.

With less than two weeks to go before the big day on Sunday, April 27, here are his latest.

* I hope everyone’s training is going well and you are not suffering from any injuries or niggles. For those of you who are having slight problems with your legs, or just need a change from running, a good alternative is to use an X-trainer at your local gym.

They cause no impact on the legs and are often used by runners who want to continue training while carrying an injury that would be made worse by running.

* There are plenty of websites dedicated to running where people can share experiences or advice about any aspect of running.

These sites often contain tools to allow runners to plan routes and to log training, as well as having lots of forums about many different topics.

Two popular running sites are www.runnersworld.co.uk and www.fetcheveryone.com .