I have a cunning plan...

By my reckoning, I've got 28 weeks and 2 days until it's game time.

I think last year I had about 16 weeks or so, so the extra time means I'm obviously hoping to be better prepared this time around.

The extra time also means I'll have to do a lot more running, which I'm sure some people will appreciate aint exactly my idea of fun.

But needs must, so if I want to do better this time around, and get this monkey off my back, it needs me to knuckle down and get the training going.

So, looking at my tweaked schedule I've gotta try a 6 miler on Sun, and try to get in three 5-milers and an 8 next week.

Now, this might seem a lot, but I need to be getting my body back used to regular running, so it knows when it's got to do funky stuff like make my legs work again after a 17-miler further down the line.

The basic rule is the more I run, even when legs ache, the easier it'll be later on.

Now that's not to say I need to run every day, as rest is also important to prevent injury and general self-hatred beyond the normal parameters. But it does mean that just because I ache, I can't skip it.

Sounds wonderful doesn't it? So the first stage of my training, which I'll go into more detail later, is to just get my body used to the demands of running again.

Sadly, I know from last time that this isn't the most fun part, but I also know that once I'm used to it, it is easier. I'm viewing it as like ripping a plaster off a hairy leg (which I also have to do at the mo!).

It's not nice, but it's necessary, so I'll crack on.