THE 25 miles clocked up this week felt a lot easier than last week. I must be the only man in the county who is happy that it’s not been too hot! It has really made a difference both while out on the road and for a speedy recovery in between runs.

Due to other commitments, I’ve had to try running at different times of day this week. Normally I am only able to fit my run in before work at around midday, but I have had both early-morning runs and late-evening runs so far. Early mornings are fine once I have cleared away the cob-webs, but evenings are not for me. Mentally I am fine, but physically I have given too much throughout the day to make it really effective or to give a good account of myself.

I met up with my three colleagues who are also entered for Berlin this weekend and have been given the job of choosing our team shirts to wear for the big day. I think the shirt itself is going to be fairly boring, but by the time we have had our logo and names plastered all over them, it should be a bit more interesting!

Weekly Tip from the Top.

As promised last week, I’m going to talk a little bit about kit/clothing and unusual ailments, with my five top tips.

1: Visit your local specialist running shop (there is one in Holt Heath), where they film you running on a treadmill and analyse your gait. They are able to recommend a shoe that is suitable for your level of ‘pronation’ (rolling of the foot on impact).

2: While you are there, buy some running socks (non-cotton). They provide extra cushion on the points of the foot that have greater impact and eliminate blisters.

3: Water bottle (obvious).

4: Buy some shorts that don’t rub! They will probably have the seam/stitching on the outside, so they don’t affect your skin. This can be the same for tops too.

5: Vaseline/Super Glide/Chaffe cream. It is inevitable that at some point you may suffer from some sort of rubbing or chaffing. Joggers often find areas affected include inside thighs (what I’ve always referred to as my ‘under carriage’), inner buttocks (mental image?), armpits, nipples and around the outside of the feet. The products identified above should sort out the lot! Super Glide is my favourite and I can only hope that my running may one day be described as such!

Next week I’ll be back with my all-time top 10 music tracks to run to.

Please visit www.indianoceanrace.com to view the official website of the world record attempt, to meet Guy and Andrew and to make a donation if you so choose.