THE little niggle that I’ve been feeling in my left ankle has now flared up and led to a sore lower back too.

Things have eased up after a visit to Everyone Active’s physio, Kate Gower, who worked wonders with a little ultrasound and some subtle manipulation of the ligaments around the joint.

This has meant that I missed my 1st training session in 18 months and I’m feeling sorry for myself! Rest has really helped and I even managed a gentle three miles this morning.

Next week I’m on holiday in France, so I’ll have a couple of runs there, but nothing extreme. When I’m back, I’ll be gearing up for two more long runs, before tapering ahead of the big day in five or six weeks' time.

Did you know: one in four people that enter a marathon, never make the start line due to injury? If all four of us make it, we’ll already be ahead of the field.

Weekly Tip from the Top (half).

Match your fuel expenditure with intake. If you are burning up to 3000 calories in a long running session, you’ll need to replace that energy, or you will lose weight (don’t if you want to lose weight). Ideally, this is done soon after exercise, when the body is more readily able to re-fuel its carbohydrate stores.

Consider taking a sports drink (eg Lucozade) if you are running for more than an hour. This will give you a little boost on the road and replace some of the expended energy.

Ensure that you have enough protein after your workout to help repair any torn muscle fibres (this is what has happened to your body when it feels a little bit sore the day after exercise, along with an accumulation of lactic acid). To remove lactic acid from stiff muscles, try some simple mobility exercises... literally just get those parts moving.

Next week I’ll be writing about an old rivalry that will be re-kindled in Berlin.

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.