I’ve made a few bad decisions in my life - mostly involving the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and too much Chenin Blanc - but I really nailed an entry in my Bumper Book Of Bad Ideas late last year when I signed up for the Edinburgh marathon.

Training has - so far - been horrendous as I’ve been slogging away along the towpaths of Hertfordshire, running not unlike Forrest Gump before the calipers came off. Put it this way, I was so slow on today’s training run that Niall took to social media to check that no-one had fallen in the canal. 

While running is great for my physical and mental health, it’s also a selfish hobby. The real hero here is my incredible husband who is managing solo with our children while I put the miles in.

So I’d love to turn the whole sorry, selfish endeavour into A Good Thing by using it to raise a stack of cash for Adoption UK, an amazing charity that’s especially close to my family’s heart. 

If you could spare me a quid or two - the price of a pint or a Starbucks or a grab bag of Maltesers - you would honestly be doing a brilliant, brilliant thing and I’d be really grateful. 

See you at the finish line.

Nick xx