Way too much riding on The Big Em and M Challenge for me to pull out

Like everyone else, I’ve been glued to the telly as the cyclists, the rowers, the swimmers, the sailors, the canoeists, athletes, the gymnasts, the equestrians, the shooting team and the tennis players have done the country proud.

But there’s a downside.

I’ve spent so much time watching the Games that I haven’t kayaked in weeks and I’ve only been walking for an hour a day and swimming a few times a week – if that.

Having an excuse to put my feet up and toast our champions seemed a good idea at the time. Only now I’m regretting it because it’s finally sinking in just how far 30 miles is when you’re on foot and it’s cold and rainy, which it probably will be if next May is anything like this one.

After working up to two or three hours of exercise every day, I’m now feeling out of sorts and back into the vicious cycle of the less you do, the less you want to do. Throw in an unexpectedly heavy workload for August, complete with early starts and late finishes, and that’s my training regime in shreds.

My state of lethargy is now such that unless I do something to change the situation, I won’t be walking one mile, let alone 30 and instead of eating healthily I’ll be slipping back into the habit of drinking copious amounts of coffee and eating greasy fried egg sandwiches smothered in tomato ketchup.

So it’s time for drastic measures which, coincidentally, coincide with my beloved, battered iPhone dying a week after I mentioned I was off to the shops to by a new one.

Still, it’s probably for the best as I’ll finally be able to rely on technology to get me I want to download a gps sport tracking app and my old phone was so damaged that downloading anything became an impossibility. It had got to the point where I could make phone calls, send texts and read emails but that was about that.

I’ll buy my new smartphone tomorrow and the first app I’m planning to add is Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro because I’m less likely to shirk my walks if I’m accountable online.

Given that the whole world will be able to see me plodding along on a 10km walk means I’ll be that much more determined to succeed. And me being competitive, I just know I’ll be wanting to sneak in more walks than I normally would.

More importantly, though, it will prove to Ms Sceptical and her friends that I’m not a quitter.

What those people doubting me have forgotten is that this isn’t any old charity walk. This isn’t about me wanting to get fit and deciding to raise money for a good cause at the same time. This is extremely personal for me.

Pulling on my hiking boots and covering 30 miles in aid of Winston’s Wish goes to the core of me coming to terms with my brother’s suicide and walking – literally and metaphorically – to the other side.

In addition, there is way too much riding on The Big Em and M Challenge for me to pull out – I’m now at £985 and am about to go all out to get the outstanding £1,015 to hit my fundraising total.

I’m well aware that it’s not going to be easy – I never thought it would be – but that’s all part of the challenge. I can’t think of anything better than pushing myself physically and mentally all the while helping bereaved children.

Winston’s Wish needs to raise £1.7 million a year to help the children it does but even then the number the charity can reach out to is limited. Professional support needs to kick in days after a death in the family and it should be automatic because the sooner children and teenagers get help, the more likely they are to survive the trauma.

Watching the Olympic heroes this week has been inspiring. Not just because they’ve brought home more medals than we ever expected, but because they’ve proved just what you at you can achieve when you’ve set your mind on something and slogged away for years to get there.

In my case, I may have mere months rather than years and I’ve also got to get fit around the day job but then again, I’m not aiming to pick up a gold medal.

I may well get blisters and I’ve heard the horror stories about toenails turning black. I hope that doesn’t happen to me and I hope I don’t twist an ankle, forcing me to hobble the rest of the way. But as long as I’ve finished long before the helpers pack up for the night, then I’ll be satisfied.

I’ve always achieved everything I’ve ever wanted so, even though the doubters are out there, I know I’m going to cross the finish line victorious. Nothing is going to stop me.

And, thanks to so many generous people – many of whom are strangers – it will be with £2,000 in my online pocket to boot.

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