Last year I stood by the side of a road in Sale cheering for runners: friends I was there to hand drinks to, people I didn’t know, some I recognised but hadn’t met.

I waved my sign, told them they looked awesome and shouted my head off for a good few hours as runners went past me at mile 10 and 16 of the Greater Manchester Marathon. I had a great time, and I hope I made a few weary runners smile. I’d run the race the year before, and it was nice to return as a spectator.

Once my friends had passed me the second time I headed back to the tram stop to travel back to the finish. Only the queue was almost as long as the procession of runners streaming past. I had my trainers on so I started walking, and I made it back to Old Trafford in time to catch Phil finishing.

This year I was due to do the same. I’d mastered the bagging of the best cheering spot last year, I thought up another motivational sign and I was ready to put my running shoes on and head back to the finish on foot – maybe this year I’d get a PB. Or I could run alongside my friends for those last 10 miles, hand them sweets and cheer them up through those tough miles. Yes, this was a better plan.

And then I got an email from the Manchester Marathon saying that there was still time to enter. So I signed up to run the whole thing. See you in April Manchester.