You remember back at the beginning of January when I set off on a hilly 8 mile run? Well, six weeks down the lines after twice weekly short runs, hills sprints, cross training and increasingly longer weekend runs I should have been bounding round that like a gazelle on steroids. Alas, no. The training schedule has taken something of a back seat in recent weeks and those hills have become my own personal nemesis. February has seen me venture out only a couple of times, and even then not for very far. This was clearly a huge mistake, but here are the lessons I have learned:

• Making everyone you meet listen to your excuses (the rain! the snow! the hangover!) does not increase your lung capacity.

• Running upstairs to get back in to bed a bit quicker is no substitute for hill sprints.

• Rest days are important - but you do not need ten in a row.

• Thinking about doing a workout DVD is not cross training.

• Carb loading (hello chips and cupcakes) is only required when actually running the next day.

Tomorrow is a new day though and with the pain in my quads to remind me of the perils of under-training I am officially back on it.

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