(I’m training for the Bath Half Marathon in March, which I’m running to raise funds for Mind: if you’d like to sponsor me you can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/richardsandford/)

So far, things seem to going pretty well: gentle 8k on New Year’s Day to say goodbye to my hangover, followed by an even gentler 3k the following evening to try and shake out a bit of a dodgy right knee. I was a little worried about the knee, to be honest, thought it might be karma for feeling so smug when I signed up, but gave it a rest yesterday and (touch wood) it seems ok after today’s 8k. Which is more than I was when I realised 8k isn’t even halfway round the full distance. Will be trying to convert fear into motivation this week.

Gym tomorrow, for a change of scenery, then some shorter distances at speed before a longer run at the weekend.