A challenge of two unequal halves

There is the opening four-and-a-half-month foray; running through the gritty winter races over long distances in the lead up to April 22nd and the Flora London Marathon.

And then there is post-London; the remaining seven or so months of races the length and breadth of the country leading up to the finale in Derbyshire on New Year's Eve.

I just can't wait for the April 23rd to arrive. I want to get there fit and having survived the marathon. Once that major hurdle has been overcome then I will be able to breathe much easier.

You are so anxious that your body is set in the most perfect position, both health and fitness-wise, that any slight ache and strain or minor sniffle become exagerated ten-fold.

I've had a phlegmy chest for the past two weeks which I've not been able to shake off properly. My knee has ached a little from time to time - i wonder if it is psychocematic.

But now with one week to go, I just want the get the marathon done without any injury, out of the way and then to be able to focus on the rest of the challenge.

This weekend I had my final run before the marathon when I headed for Flitwick in Bedfordshire for the Flitwick 10km race. It was there that I met up with my oldest friend, Kevin. We were best man at each other's weddings and have known each other since we were at primary school in South Ruislip in West London.

In recent year, we have not seen a great deal of each other - the last time was Kevin's 40th birthday four-and-a-half years ago. Kevin hated sport at school - all except sailing, and he was a dab hand in his Mirror dinghy.

He would do anything to get out of cross country or any PE, in fact. And yet here is a man who, in the middle age, has discovered the joys of sport and running.

Kevin has completed a marathon and a short-sprint triathlon. He's not the fastest of runners, but he sticks at it, and so he drove down from his home near Milton Keynes for the race.

Fog enveloped the start when I arrived at race headquarters, but this soon burnt off to provide a bristling sunny day.

The Flitwick 10km is a surprisingly hilly affair. Seven testing hills along the route which goes through this little town, skirts the M1 and heads along pleasant wooded lanes before returning to Flitwick.

I decided to stick with Kevin for a gentle, measured run. No heroics here. We started off a little quick, and by the second hill Kevin was feeling it a bit; short of breath and not chatting at all. I was pointing out the various bits of totty at this time, but he wasn't the slightest bit interested.

But by 5km, Kev was in the groove and we were hitting a kilometre every five minutes - almost a 40 seconds slower than I am used to, but good training for a marathon where my race pace could well slip to this rate later on in the event.

We arrived back in Flitwick just ducking under the 52 minutes mark. Not bad running on an extremely hot day and around a challenging Bedfordshire course.

And that's it running-wise. I've decided to rest up for the rest of the week and forgo my usual Monday and Wednesday pre-marathon run-outs. I've decided to totally rest up for Sunday.

On Monday I'm having my legs waxed in aid of Hampshire Autistic Society for a Wax & Go. I've already raised £1,200 in sponsorship from friends and work colleagues which I'm thrilled about.

I'm also due to be featured on television on Friday evening on BBC South Today's regional programme at 6.30pm. I had reporter Tony Husband do a couple of bits of filming with me in recent weeks - one on a run I did with the round the world sailor, Dee Caffari, and then the other week he came with a cameraman to my home to interview me and film my sons Ross and Micah.

So it is all systems go for the London Marathon. I'm edgy about it all. I've got the miles in my legs, but as I always describe the marathon - it's like taking your car over 26 miles of speed bumps and hoping everything stays intact at the end. I hope my rear end doesn't get damaged!