I'm not sure I fully understood just how far 26.2 miles actually is, when I said I would run the marathon.

So many people have run it; you end up feeling like it's not that much of an achievement.

After beginning my training, I have now decided three things.

1. 26.2 miles is a bloody long way.

2. If I finish the New York Marathon, it will be one of the finest achievements of my life (alongside such highlights as finishing Nelson Mandela's epic autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and the day I was quiet for more than half an hour.) 3. 26.2 miles is a bloody long way.

I'm looking forward to it though. I've spoken to quite a few people who have done marathons and they all say it's a great atmosphere and a fantastic day. There's an added bonus that I get to go to New York, which is, despite what some people may say about Sydney, clearly the greatest city in the world.

I'm training with my girlfriend Catherine, since she's going to run the race too come November. It's actually not bad having someone there alongside you, especially when you get into that second hour and you can talk to someone about why your shins feel like they are going to come out of the front of your legs.

We'll be running for Marie Curie Cancer Care. I think you can sum up the work they do by saying they make a very hard time just a little bit easier.

You can read more about Marie Curie Cancer Care by clicking here.

If you've had support from Marie Curie, why not leave a message below explaining how fantastic they are. It'll be better coming from you!

When we decided to run the marathon, we wanted to choose a charity that we hadn't benefited from so we didn't feel that we were simply repaying a debt of gratitude. We just wanted to support a really good charity. Thankfully, nobody in my family has received care from Marie Curie Cancer Care. Hopefully, nobody I know ever will, but there are people who need that help and support and I think that the work the charity does would be invaluable in that situation.

Myself and Catherine are hoping to raise £5,000 between us. Which is a ridiculous amount of money when you say it all in one go, so I prefer to tell people we are raising a lot of 50 pence's. That doesn't seem so bad. Especially when you think that if everyone reading this kindly donates 50p we'll easily make our target and what can you get with 50p anyway?

I will tell you

  • Half a bag for life at Tesco
  • A used ticket stub from an obscure Champions League game on ebay.
  • One third of a Jamaican Ugli fruit.

Need I go on?

Seriously, if you can spare a bit, please sponsor me by clicking here now.

It's for a great cause and you'll get a mention in my blog if you do (How can you resist such an enticing offer!?). I'd recommend doing it right now if you're going to, otherwise you might forget, and then I know you'll feel really disappointed!