Brief update of my training in the last week (all on the treadmill):

Sat 13th: Six miles. Pushed it a mile further than the new schedule as I felt progress with my knee was good and needed to get more miles in.

Mon 15th: Four miles. A bit braindead after the first day of my PRINCE2 training, so the run helped with the study later on.

Tue 16th: Used the air walker for about 45 minutes whilst watching a dire second half of the Marseille/Liverpool match. Not exactly inspirational, but job done on both counts. Sandwiched between five hours of study. Fun night.

Wed 17th: On a high after the exam result, I went for eight miles and nailed them. Enjoyed watching Arsenal and Utd struggle in Europe whilst I ran.

Thurs 18th: Juggling time. I had to fit in five miles before cramming for the Friday exam. That would have been enough, but my girlfriend decided that tonight was the night she was coming down to see me, arriving between me stepping off my treamill and hitting the books.

Sat 20th: The BIG one. I went for 10 miles. Double figures. Furthest I would have gone for 10 years. Not exactly inspired from from an expected Davis Cup defeat for Britain, a predicted (by me) Ryder Cup loss to USA and an awful 0-0 v Stoke at home, I started off my quest early evening. The omens weren’t good when my treadmill started making a thump-thump noise, and then my lower left leg started to really hurt. Should I plod on, hoping pain will subside? No, I stopped after two miles and readjusted my laces so they weren’t as tight. It got better. A mile later, I did the same to my right shoe. Despite being put off with some dodgy 80s tunes being played by girlfriend who’d commandeered the stereo, I focused and ate up the miles. Consuming a GU energy gel after 5 miles, I was ready for more. At 8.5 miles, I celebrated surpassing my previous best this year. Come on – nearly there! Right leg numbing, calves aching, sweat everywhere, my feet took me into double figures and onto glory.

33 miles of going nowhere. Another week on the ‘mill beckons, before I test my knees and risk the great outdoors.

I can almost taste it now…

The Liverpool players knew they had been lucky to survive the Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege last night. Once again they put me through torture in Europe!

Part of me wasn’t too bothered if we’d gone out, strangely enough. The rationale was that a) if that’s the way we’re going to play then we’re going to struggle against the top sides and b) if we did go out we could concentrate on winning what I really want: the Premier League. But now that we’ve made it, that’s all gone out the window – bring ‘em on!!! We’re going to get better and going out the CL would have disastrous for our income, morale, manager…not to mention all the Utd taunts we’d get in a couple of weeks. No, thank you Dirk Kuyt. Let’s go for everything now, but for goodness sake let’s pass it around like we’ve played together before!!

So my focus is back on domestic footy after the distractions of Olympics and Euro 2008. This is where it all starts, although there’ll be a brief pause while we hold our head in disbelief, no doubt, at a close 1-0 over Andorra next week. Probably thanks to an own goal, too.

Of course, my true main focus is the marathon. I successfully completed two miles on the ‘mill last last night at pretty much a canter. No problems with general fitness, and knees felt ok, if still a little weak. Half an hour on a cross-trainer tonight also gave me a little more confidence. Saturday I’ll have to go out on the streets, up and down a little, so will have to see how that goes. The key right now to avoid problems is slow. Get the time in, but don’t worry about pace; right now, speed is my enemy, time is my friend.

I’ve had a week of my morning quad exercises, so this means it’s time for the ankle weights to come on to make things difficult again. When I say weights, I really mean two socks with a load of coins in, but they will do. A week later, I’ll add more. Brings a new meaning to piling on the pounds…