IF YOU have not started training for this year’s Oxford Half Marathon, or could use some top tips and professional pointers, keep reading.

Experts from the Up and Running shop in Headington will be leading free practice jogs along the route and giving a presentation on preparation for the 13-mile run.

The professional talk on Monday, October 1, will include training advice, injury prevention and motivational tips, and will be followed by a Q and A session where people can voice any individual concerns.

The half marathon itself, supported by the Oxford Mail, is on October 14.

Up and Running manager Scott Greenhalgh said: “The big issue is people doing it for the first time.

“People get over-panicked about the amount of training they do.

“There is a fine line. People need to get enough training to get up cardio vascular fitness and to harden up cartilage, but too much training will results in strains.

“A lot of people leave it too late in the day, in which case you are better off resting and leaving yourself fresh on the day.”

Mr Greenhalgh and his colleagues will be holding a six-mile practice run this Thursday, and a nine-mile one on Thursday, September 27, both following part of the route.

Both runs start at 7pm at the Iffley Road Sports Ground.

Mr Greenhalgh added: “Oxford sits in a dip, so to get the 13 mile distance you need to run into town and out again.

“It is reasonably flat along the top and the bottom, with slopes in between, so you need to train for flats as well as up hill and down hill.”

This year runners will set off from Grenoble Road near the Kassam Stadium and run through the Mini plant and down Iffley Road to pass through the city centre and return to the Kassam Stadium.

Last year’s 2,000 runners raised over £20,000 for Helen & Douglas House , which is the chosen charity again this year, although runners are welcome to raise sponsorship for an additional cause if they choose.

  • To join the training runs and book a place on the preparation talk, email Scott Greenhalgh at oxford@upandrunning.co.uk .
  • Click here to sign up for the race