Since I published the training programme back in November, designed to get those new to running to be able to complete the half marathon by March, a number of new runners have written to me expressing their willingness to take up my challenge and have found the courage to begin.

With the (crafty) idea that seeing their name in the sports pages of The Times might continue to motivate them to keep up the training, here are some brief details on a few of them... ladies first.

Anna Grech wrote to me very recently. A proud mother of five, and a grandmother of one, in her early-50s, Anna had never run before starting the training programme when it appeared in this paper some weeks ago.

She explains that she was always a very active person and would often come to The Strand admiring and cheering on those runners who had taken part in past HMs. Anna proudly explains that although the training was not easy the first week, fitting around her busy schedule as a working mother, she is now able to run for one hour non-stop.

Anna recently joined the Ladies Running Club and is gearing herself up to continue preparing for the HM, along with the "very encouraging" help of the club members.

Marjoe Muscat had been active in football, tennis and volleyball when younger but in her mid-30s a busy work schedule has now made her day-to-day life much more sedentary.

Before taking up jogging, Marjoe had managed to retain some fitness playing the odd tennis match.

Bruno Cassar wrote to say that seeing the training programme in this paper was what he finally needed to take the plunge.

Now in his late-40s, Bruno had never quite managed the discipline required for half marathon training. However, he has been encouraged to find that if he keeps to the schedule then he wakens up the following morning without sore muscles and puts this down to having been reasonably fit through regular tennis and long walks.

Bruno is sticking carefully to the programme, although he knows his personality well enough to realise that he will soon wish to add in more days training and increase the pace.

For now, caution seems best.

Michael Schembri has been a regular member of a gym for many years. Although his gym training did include regular cardio work, mainly on the treadmill, in all that time he had never run outdoors.

Michael has been discovering the joy of doing so in recent weeks as he prepares for the HM and confidently states that he will run in the open air much more regularly in future.

Pierre Borg wrote to me stating that he would like to take up the challenge of preparing for the HM.

He is doing his best to train five times per week and his workouts consist of 25 minutes of running with some additional weight training. On Sundays, Pierre can run for up to one hour non-stop.

While weight training does have value in improving all-round general fitness, it is accepted that it is not required for HM training.

Indeed, it is very likely that most East Africans (that part of the world from which most top marathon runners come) have never lifted a weight or seen the inside of a gym in their lives.

As most runners accept, the best training for running is simply running.

While offering my continuing encouragement to those who have written to me, if you have recently decided to prepare for this year's HM with little or no running background, please drop me a line to the email below and let me know a little about yourself including what motivated you to begin and how you have found the training so far.

I hope to write another article closer to the race detailing how our new fellow runners are getting on in their preparation for the big day.

Route maps

A number of you have been regularly asking for them, so I am happy to report that the new routes for both the HM and Marathon should be posted on the marathon website early next week.

The most common reason for asking has been the stated wish to "try out parts of the route" in training. This may not be such a good idea and is not something the marathon committee would recommend.

The routes have had to be changed mainly due to traffic problems in particular areas; most specifically where the runners have to cross the traffic (such as in Marsa and at Msida) as well as danger spots elsewhere.

It is not possible to close the road entirely to traffic, not on an island hailed as the second-most traffic dense country in the world.

Let me be even more clear. Parts of the new routes go down the Mriehel By-Pass as they did in 2006. This is not only a very busy trunk road, but is also a two-lane highway which almost encourages faster driving. The MMOC do not recommend that anyone train along this stretch of road.

On race day the conditions will be totally different with one lane being entirely closed to traffic, coned off and reserved only for runners, but that is not the case on any other day of the year.

We would hate for any tragic accident to occur to any runner, so please, do not use the HM or marathon routes for training.

Besides, whenever I hear this request I always point out that if the runner concerned won a free flight and free entry to the New York Marathon, would he or she feel the need to go two weeks before the race to try out the route? I think not.

Always be careful and stay safe to best enjoy your running.

johnwalsh42195@yahoo.it