Still going and the good news is that it is ‘taper’ time! That means that I get to reduce my weekly mileage considerably so that my legs get the best chance possible to recover from all the strain that has been placed upon them in the last 12 weeks.

I completed my 18-mile training run on Saturday without any major discomfort. My legs were up to it, although I’m a bit stiff now as a result (Monday now). For the record, it took me 3hrs 21mins. Hope this helps a bit for those of you entering the sweepstake.

Only 3 weeks to go now. Very exciting. I received all the race information in the post at the weekend and was surprised to see that at the finish line the showers are uni-sex. Hope they are not too cold.

I picked up our team uniforms today. With a little help from A-Star printing in Hanley Swan, we have had our nicknames translated into German and printed on the front of them, so I shall henceforth be known as ‘Trompete’.

Weekly Tip from the Top (half) Race day preparations. 5 tips to getting it right on the day: 1 Have all your kit laid out the night before (including race number pinned to shirt).

2 Set your alarm!

3 Slow-release carbohydrate for breakfast (e.g. porridge with banana).

4 Hydrate, but don’t over-hydrate in the hour before the start (otherwise you will keep having to find a convenient tree before kick-off!).

5 “What you focus on is what you get.” Picture the race that you want to run and implement your plan.

Next week I’ll be back and talking about the trip to 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.