The only difference betwen jogging and running is the speed and the extent to which you push yourself. Once you are familiar with the effect of exercise and you understand your limitations you can start to push yourself in different ways to improve.

Join a Club and train with others because people who have been running for a while have a vast amount of knowledge. Take direction from a coach. You dont have to be world class to have a coach but coaches will expect you to take your training serriously to become the best that you can be.

Enter races. No matter how hard you think you work in a training session you will always try harder in a race and the man with the watch at the end will give you concrete confirmation of your improvement. There are lots of races all over the CSW area covering different distances and different terrains but always check that the organisers have a UK Athletics permit which is a race "kitemark". Check the County Association web site at www.warwickshirecountyaa.co.uk for details of the Warwickshire Road Race League - a collection of races through the summer.

Its time to think about spending a little more on your kit. Always use a specialist sports shop. Take your current trainers along because a specialist can tell you quite a lot about your running and your shoe needs by looking at their wear. Some shops have gait analysis equipment which is particularly useful.

The Endurance Academy aims to help those who want to be the best they can but to link into the Academy you will need to join a Club and a coaching group which is affiliated to us.