It’s all coming back to me. The cold, dark evenings, the mornings after the night before, and the tactical crossing of the road to avoid getting jumped on by an over-enthusiastic dog.

Yes, marathon training has begun in earnest – about 18 months after I failed to cross the finish line in London I have decided to give it another go.

When I woke up in a St John Ambulance tent during the 2013 London Marathon, I was asked by one of the medics if I would ever run a marathon again. The answer ‘no’ was instant and sincere.

But that was then, and when I was given the opportunity to get a charity place for April 2015 for the voluntary organisation that helped me in my time of need, I wasn’t going to pass it up.

This time I know what to expect. The painful miles, the injury scares, and the sacrifices are all to come, but that only makes me more determined to succeed.

It’s time to look forward, not back. And if the winter is a bit milder this time around, well that’s just a bonus.