Eddie Izzard is my new hero. What a guy!! I have spent my non running hours this week catching up on his magnificent achievements in iplayer. I don’t know what others think, but I have spent the last nine months training and worrying about one marathon and now I feel such a woos! If someone had told me that anyone could run 43 marathons in 51 days I would have been staggered but, Eddie Izzard – I had to see it with my own eyes!

I met Scott Welch the former British Heavyweight Champion at an event in October and he reassured me that running marathons is all in the mind. He should know having completed the 250-mile Marathon des Sables in the Sahara. I wasn’t going to argue with him seeing as I have never run one before (and the fact he’s an ex heavyweight boxer!) but having seen Eddie, it has to be true.

Another inspiration for me is the nearly £1500 I have raised for St Barnabas Hospice. I can’t believe how generous people are, especially with the economy being as it is. There is no way that I am going to back out or not complete the race as I couldn’t suffer the ignominy of inviting people to pay up anyway – I’d never live it down even though I am sure my kind friends will still donate.

So here is my strategy; keep the training up; eat the right things; plenty of sleep before the race; look after my injured leg and, if all else fails do an ‘Eddie’ and get round on 99s, Callipos, vodka and beer!!