With less than a month to go before the Children's Mutual Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon, our beginner runners are starting to get the inevitable jogging jitters.

Our eager candidates are pounding the pavements of West Kent to get those vital miles under their belts before the event on February 28.

Thankfully all seems to be going smoothly for the volunteers, who are not only pushing their physical and mental barriers but raising money for various charities as well.

And the Courier's very own Jessica Thompson is also taking part.

Adrian Connolly, 43, is the director of The Spire Hospital in Fordcombe and has reached 11 miles in his training runs.

He said: "I am still training and still alive. I have increased my runs now to at least two a week."

Mr Connolly has been running around his home town of Faversham as well as routes from work into Tunbridge Wells.

"The only thing I would say is not to be put off by the first 20 minutes.

"The first 20 minutes is always really tough and then you get into your stride and feel a lot better," he said.

The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre is the chosen organisation that Mr Connolly will raise money for. He can be sponsored by visiting www.justgiving.com/Adrian-Connolly

Bill Bullen, 70, has been wrestling injuries throughout his training but it looks like he is coming out on top.

The Southborough resident said: "I have got up to about eight miles now. I have had problems with thigh muscles and little things like that but they seem to be getting better."

Sevenoaks resident Nathan King is taking it all in his stride. He said: "I got up to ten miles at the weekend which is good but I am still feeling a bit sore now.

"I did pretty much collapse outside my house when I got back – as I live on a main road I thought I had better get up before I stop traffic."

He advised sticking to the same pace throughout runs to avoid running out of fuel.

Edenbridge resident Ruth Atkin said she is "really nervous" about the big day but is doing a lot of training to make sure she is prepared.

She said: "It's going well, I got up to 8.5 miles before the snow hit and I went out and did six miles on Tuesday and I am running every other day. I hit a bit of a brick wall thinking that I really wasn't enjoying it anymore but on Tuesday I really enjoyed it."

Miss Atkin said she recommends music on a run including the Bourne Ultimatum soundtracks and a new running CD produced by the Ministry of Sound.

Want to find out more @about the race, including training and nutritional advice? Visit www. thisiskent.co.uk/halfmarathon