I think that decision has paid off. I did a 2-mile “trial run” on Sunday and felt much better. There was the occasional twinge from my original injury (a pulled muscle) initially, but once I got going, it disappeared.

So on Monday I decided to restart my training for the Great North Run 2009. I’m using a deliberately slow, easy training program in order to gradually build up my strength again – I’m definitely not going to risk letting this injury happen again.

Since then I’ve run three marathons, done the Leeds 10K and even completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks in under 12 hours. I think that’s quite an amazing achievement. However, this anniversary has gone by almost unmarked because that Three Peaks attempt left me with an injury which has stopped me from running for the last four weeks, which I’ve been really unhappy about.

It’s getting better now though, but I won’t be able to run Leeds this year (though I will be able to walk it – hopefully) and my plans to set a PB in this years’ Great North Run are also under threat.

I can’t wait to start running again and when I do, I’ll allow myself to reflect on my achievements. At the moment though, this part of my life is on hold.

I’ve been in near-continuous training for nearly eighteen months now, with the odd few weeks resting here and there after each marathon. So after Paris I wanted to really relax and recover and not actually train for anything. I’m not saying I don’t want to go running anymore – I just didn’t want to start training for another event so soon.

Unfortunately my Three Peaks attempt has put paid to that somewhat. It’s only four weeks away and requires it’s own level of training (walking the equivalent of a marathon over three of Yorkshire’s highest peaks). However, I’ve already committed to it and I don’t intend to renege on this promise.

If I started training for Dublin now, that would give me (roughly) six months to train. Considering that I’ve run several marathons before I think this is more than enough time for me. In fact, I’m even willing to gamble and not start marathon training until the end of May. Training for the Leeds 10K (on June 21st) will be in full swing by then anyway, so I hope I’ll be more rested and be back into that competitive running frame of mind by then.

I think this is a good point to update you with what my running-related plans are for this year. Training is well under way for the Paris Marathon, which I’ve been accepted into.

After that, there’s the Leeds 10k in June, which I’ve also applied for. I don’t know if I’ve got in yet, but since I ran last year I’m not worried about not getting a place.

Then there’s a gap over the rest of summer until September, when I hope to be running in the Great North Run. This is the world’s largest half-marathon, so places are assigned via a ballot system.

Finally, my last major run of 2009 will the Dublin Marathon (again). I really enjoyed running it last year, so I applied for this years’ run almost as soon as entries opened.

Unfortunately, I managed to pick up a cold between getting on the plane over there at the end of my holiday and getting off over here. I was seriously annoyed, but I’ve got over the worst of it now. Nevertheless, I didn’t want it to get in the way of my Paris Marathon training, so on Saturday I went out for my first run of 2009.

The usual advice is not to run whilst ill, however, it can actually be beneficial to do a short run if you have a cold, because it helps the clear the airways (Disclaimer: Don’t go running if you have a cold with a fever or chesty cough). There was a lot of sniffling going on, which was annoying, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact I didn’t need to put too much effort in, nor did I feel really tired by the end of it. Probably the opposite in fact.

I was worried I might have lost a lot of fitness over Christmas, but it looks like I needn’t have bothered, as those three weeks of training before my Christmas holiday appeared to have paid off.

With this new strategy, I managed to cover a lot of ground in a short time, up until I reached North Street and the bridge over the Inner Ring Road. There was a steady incline here, with deceptive flat sections, which led into further climbs. Being less than a kilometre away from the finish line, I was overtaken by enthusiasm and pushed ahead instead of pacing myself. This exhausted me as the route entered the city centre again. I made several last pushes, only to discover the route continuing round another corner.

Once the route turned onto the Headrow again, I knew for sure that the end was close and that it was basically a straight line to the finish. I tried again for another last final push but I had exhausted myself so much, and given myself blisters by pushing too hard in the final kilometre, that I had little left to give. Nevertheless, I managed to run across the finish line, recording a time of 01:01:23.

From the outset it was obvious that the Edinburgh Marathon and the Leeds 10k were very different events. That may sound obvious, but the conditions, the amount of people and the distance were all very different. The number of people gathered in Millennium Square, where the red-tagged runners assembled, was overwhelming. There were, apparently, approximately 11,000 competitors – just 2,000 less than took part in Edinburgh.

After a quick toilet break, I hurriedly made my way to the pen exit. I had already missed leaving when the runners in the sub-60 minute category had been told to leave the pens, so I had to weave through the long line of competitors in the “walkers” category, trying to get as far ahead as I possibly could. The column of people eventually ground to a halt outside the City Hall, where everyone waited for about ten minutes – though as usual before a race, it felt longer.

Around the corner from where I was standing, there was the sound of various horns, which was followed by a Mexican wave and some cheering – all of this indicated the start of the race. So everyone shuffled forward onto the Headrow. As I passed the start line, I started my stopwatch and began running. This pace was promptly interrupted by heavy people traffic who were passing through a narrow section of the Headrow. After that, the rest of the Headrow was downhill and I slipped into a kind of rhythm.

What first drew my attention was how many people there were and how crowded the street was. There were runners spilling out all over the road, some even running on the pavement, dodging spectators or running behind them. The first corner led us onto Vicar lane, then onto Kirkgate and New Market Street, passing some familiar Leeds locations. From there the course turned back up towards City Hall, onto Great George Street and then Wade Lane, leading us out of the city centre.

There was a steady climb up Wade Lane, so I took it easy until it flattened on the bridge that crosses the Inner Ring Road. After that it descended quite rapidly. I took the opportunity to make some easy progress by galloping down the hill with huge strides, overtaking several hundred people. As I was approaching the turn onto Oatland Road, the wail of ambulance sirens could be heard. At first I didn’t think that an ambulance would attempt to make it ways down a route clogged with thousands of runners, but when I looked behind myself, there it was threading itself through. Just as I was turning the corner onto Meanwood Road, I saw the ambulance stop at the top of Oatland Road.

From this point on until the race entered the city centre again in about 5km, the route followed Meanwood Road.

So the focus has switched to my next fundraising event: the Leeds 10k. I applied for this before I applied for the London Marathon and before I had even heard of the Edinburgh Marathon (I ran in Edinburgh because I couldn’t get into London).

This means that there is a three-week training window between the marathon and the 10k, which is not ideal. I think it should be fairly easy going, however, as I’ve done several 10k training runs for the marathon, so I know I can easily complete the distance.

After Leeds? Well, I felt so good after Edinburgh and generally enjoyed the experience so much that I decided I wanted to run another marathon as soon as was reasonably possible. I didn’t want to wait another year for the next Edinburgh marathon and the London marathon is still a good nine months away, with no guarantee I’ll get in.

So I decided to run in the Dublin marathon. I never even knew Dublin had a marathon until I collected my race pack at the Edinburgh Marathon Expo. Entry is guaranteed and the event is aimed at beginners and improvers, so I think this would be a good opportunity to try and beat my PB (personal best) by shaving an hour off it – I aim to complete it in under 5h 30m.

Well, it’s always good to have something to work towards isn’t it?