Struggling... but looking good.

First of all hello, I'm Tom and I'll be attempting the Great North Run with the guys on behalf of the NRAS.

First decent run out of the way this morning. Not great. 1hr 11 over 7.1 miles. Hardly chariots of fire but working out a few niggles and sporting injuries (don't laugh) along the way so I'm sure that will improve. That said, underneath my well crafted exterior (crafted in the pub I might add) is an athlete trying to get out.

Having done a half marathon before I have a bit of experience but sadly I haven't kept up the training. With some graft I'll hopefully be under two hours and with it lots of sponsorship for the cause so please give generously.

Now the secret to taking on any challenge beyond actually completing it is getting in the right state of mind. I'm not the short of person who just throws on a pair of shorts and goes for a jog. You see running is all in the head.

The best way to do this is to pop down to your local running shop and spend as much money as you can afford on the best gear you can get your hands. Just nod knowingly and smile at the guy in the shop as he talks "gait analysis" and "pacing strategies" whilst you hand over your card in return for the latest compression technology has to offer. If you don't know what that is, neither do I. But you can pretend you do. It's something to do with the material in your running kit.

The actual impact of the this equipment on your time will be negligible (see my time above). The only thing that can affect your time is a solid work ethic and talent. I possess neither. But thats not the point.

You FEEL like a runner. And thats half the battle. The other half is beating Laura.

And we all love beating Laura Mumford.