Hard as it may be to believe, I am planning to run the Edinburgh half marathon on Sunday 29 May ... in person! I did ask several members of the PE Department whether they would consider acting as a body double for me but - for reasons only known to themselves - they thought that people would see through that ruse!

To date, my only experience of running was when I did a couple of cross country runs at school over forty years ago - yes, I am that old! - but that didn't end well as I got into trouble for falling into a river when I tried to take a short-cut!

So, the challenge of running 13.1094 miles without getting thrown into the 'Sweeper Bus' for being too slow is not without its anxieties for me, especially as I've been dogged with injuries ever since my training started in January after Santa had brought me running shoes for Christmas!

The pain and embarrassment will be worth it, though, as not only do I get to prove to myself that 'mind over matter' can actually work, there will also be benefit for the DofE Charity which runs a brilliant award programme for young people and also makes it possible for many to participate who would not otherwise be able to benefit from the opportunities, experiences and training that the Scheme provides.