IT is not too late to train for the Swindon Half Marathon on October 17. Mike Buss a personal trainer, world endurance record holder and a former Army physical training instructor will be here each week to give advice and motivation leading up to the day.

Some of you will be already fully prepared but for some the training may not have gone as well as you thought, maybe this is due to lack of time to train, or just lost sight of your goal, perhaps you need that little extra bit of motivation.

But whatever stage you are at prepared or not believe me, there is still hope, and it's not to late to get back on track.

Over the coming weeks I will guide you to a successful half-marathon. For some of you this may well be your first half marathon, or even your first ever race. You will do it nothing is impossible.

I will look into diet, nutrition supplements and where your training schedules should be for the beginner and the vet club runner.

I will start with nutritional supplements, gels, isotonic drinks, power bars and creatine.

If you are going to take them you need to train with them now, as turning up to a race and taking them for the first time may well have an adverse effect.

The obvious is an isotonic drink. This could be Lucozade, SIS, Poweraide among many other brands. These are great to keep you going over the course.

Gels are also very good. Try SIS gel packs. I've used these in the past and believe me 10 minutes after taking one on my first world record, I felt like I was just about to start the race, it was like a turbo charger.

Creatine isn't just for the pros, though it is expensive but in my opinion well worth the money.

You can get hold of these products from most chemists, health food stores or specialist sports shops.

Even without exercise we should be drinking about 1.5 litres of water per day.

Sip, don't guzzle, or you will become prone to a stitch. Fluid such as water will help keep your core-body temperature from rising, the higher your core temp, the more fatigued you will become and it only takes a couple of degrees rise to become dangerous a recent example of this is Paula Radcliffe.

Stay away from fizzy drinks, alcohol, and even squash as these drinks help to dehydrate you.

Thirst is one of the final signs of de-hydration. By then it may be too late out on the course. So get used to drinking now and if you're going to use supplements, experiment sooner rather than later.

l For inquiries on personal training or more information on this article or any other health & fitness advice, you can contact Mike Buss on: 07981 295 927 or email: activelifeuk@hotmail.com