Q: You have had an amazing career in Athletics, recognised not only with your receiving the "sports personality of the year - 2004" but being Honoured in the Queens New Years Honours with a Damehood. What's life been like for you since?

ANSWER:

Well.. ....where do I start? It's been absolutely manic, non-stop ever since I decided to retire from competition. I guess I have been really lucky, as many opportunities you would not normally get have come my way. For example, earlier this year I was invited to Number 10 Downing Street where I met Barrack and Michelle Obama. I sat next to the president's wife at dinner and we chatted about all sorts of things. I have been to Buckingham Palace on a few occasions now, I carried the Olympic Flame on the last leg around London before the Beijing Games.... so many things! I also keep really busy with my On Camp With Kelly Programme through which I mentor 50 elite young middle distance runners. And of course my charity, the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust keeps me really busy. So....my life is really varied, which after the routine of training is really nice.

Q: Our members are all active runners and joggers of varying abilities, we all know its hard to keep motivated when you are training - Where do you get your motivation for training from and what advice would you give to our members?

ANSWER:

I have always enjoyed being active, so I like keeping myself in shape though I have to admit the motivation is not as strong as it once was. I always found it motivating to have a clear goal that I was aiming for, which made the training more than manageable as it was broken down into chunks. And if that wasn't enough, and I didn't feel like a session that was planned, I would think about my opponents and know that they wouldn't miss training and if I wanted to beat them, neither could I!

Q: If you could pick any celebrity to go for a run with as a Jogging Buddy who would that be and why?

ANSWER:

Hmmm, interesting question. Well, I'd be happy to run with Simon Cowell so that I could to persuade him to give me judging slot on Britain's Got talent. I love that show! Or maybe with Kelly Hoppen because I love her design books and then I'd pick her brains to get inspiration for a room at home that I don't know what to do with!

Q: Many of our members will be gearing up their training to take part in a range of Spring Running events, some even running a marathon or half marathon for the first time. What advice would you offer them for their preparations?

ANSWER:

Hopefully, most of the hard work will have been done over the winter, the training will have gone well and it's now a matter of tailoring the final preparations. They need to keep to their schedule, not make any sudden changes to routines. They also need to make sure they stay healthy, eating well with a good amount of rest: don't over train as this is when you are mostly likely to get tired and pick an injury or a bug. That's certainly what I will be saying to the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon Runners who I will be doing a master class with in a couple of weeks because they have signed up to run for my charity.

Q: The runners on JoggingBuddy are keen fundraisers, I know that you now have set up the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, tell us a little about the Trust and how they might be able to help.

ANSWER:

I set up my charity in July 2008 to make a difference to young people in disadvantaged communities using sports stars as inspirational role models and mentors.

Uniquely, all of the charities' activities are delivered by world class athletes, most of whom are Olympians, Paralympians, World and Commonwealth Champions. They work directly with young people encouraging them to find and believe in their own potential through a series of innovative projects.

We have already delivered projects for young people In East London, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Bognor Regis and have projects developing in Reading, Aberdeen, Surrey, Hull, Bristol and Kent this year.

We have launched virtual running club which people who want to support my charity can join. We want people up and down the country to get their kit on and get running to raise much needed funds for our work with young people.

In return, runners receive a range of benefits. Anyone can gain Bronze, Silver or Gold membership of the Runners Club, depending on how much money they commit to raise, starting with #200 for Bronze Level runners.

So whether you are a complete beginner, a rising star, or a seasoned veteran, we want to hear from you! Contact my team if you already have your own place in any running event and would like to join Kelly's Charity Runners and run for the DKH Legacy Trust. We'll offer you full fundraising support and training advice. So come on... join my team!

For more information go to: http://www.dkhlegacytrust.org/dkh-p-gettinginvolved.htm