We have heard every excuse in the book, and have made quite a few ourselves to get out of training. Let's face the facts, the only person you are kidding is yourself. Most of the excuses people make are simply because they cannot be bothered. Bad weather, a bad day at work, no time, the dog ate my trainers...the list is never ending!

The best way to beat those tiresome excuses is simply to get into a routine and stick to it. Getting into that routine can be difficult especially when you need to fit running in around everything else in your busy life. Look at your schedule and decide when you can fit your training in.

The trick is just to get out there for at least 3 weeks, no matter what the weather is like or how tired you are! After then, your routine will get much easier. Of course, it is a great deal easier if you are training with a friend. Lets say you're having a bad day and don't fancy getting out in the cold but with a training partner to encourage you to come along, you might just go, and vice versa!

Be realistic with your training. Knowing your goals and limits is critical to success. Don't overload yourself to begin with as you will quickly get bored. Build your training up gradually according to your plan, increasing a little each week. This will mean you are much less likely to burn out and give up, than if you go hell for leather right from the beginning.

Have a few mottos to help keep you going. The old classic 'no pain no gain' always works, 'the extra mile is all between your ears', and 'JUST DO IT!' A bad training session is better than no training session, so don't think about it, get the gym short's on and start training.