“Train for a autumn marathon, it’ll be much easier than training for a spring marathon. You’ll have longer days, warmer weather, less rain. It’ll be a doddle compared to the winter London froze over.” What idiot said this? Oh yeah, that’s right – it was me.

I’m an idiot. Actually, scrap that – the person that schedules marathons is an idiot. The choice is between freezing your bajangos off all winter only to get to the start of your spring race and find it’s not a day for running 26.2 miles but a day for slapping on the sunscream, sucking on an ice-lolly and moving as little as possible. OR, sweating so much throught the summer as you try to run from one patch of shade to the next that people mistake you for Aquaman (see pic), then getting to your autumn race and finding it’s chucking it down. Both scenarios are stupid.

I think the expression on my face here says it all. If you hadn’t guessed it, I’m over training in the heat now. 12 miles through central London (yes, that’s Buckingham Palace) in the blazing heat – despite setting off at 9am – were enough to confirm that I’m not built for summer and I’m not built for getting up at 8am on a Sunday. But it’s time to stop being a whiney little wuss, suck it up and do it anyway. That sub-4 marathon won’t run itself.