I AM still on a high after my recent run and determined to keep up the training. I hope to take part in the Ely Runners New Year s Eve 10k in Little Downham and I say hope because I still feel a bit unsure about my ability and I have a very slow running

I AM still on a high after my recent run and determined to keep up the training. I hope to take part in the Ely Runners New Year's Eve 10k in Little Downham and I say 'hope' because I still feel a bit unsure about my ability and I have a very slow running pace. This is a race for more serious runners and although I am prepared to come in last I don't want to get to the finish line and find everyone has packed up and gone home!

Anyway I am feeling quite fit and ready to take on a challenge so when my son Aaron took me to London on Friday I was chomping at the bit to climb to the top of St Paul's Cathedral. 'What's a few steps' I thought compared to running for an hour and a bit? Well, if you've never attempted this momentous climb let me tell you there are in fact 528 steps and for some reason it takes an enormous amount of strength to walk in a circular motion along the winding path to the top. We stopped off at the Whispering Gallery which is breath-takingly beautiful and then made the ascent to the top. The last part seems never-ending and it felt like I had concrete boots on. Every step was painful. The only consolation was that Aaron is a fit young man of 28 who plays football and golf and he was struggling too so I didn't feel too old and decrepit. The view from the top, however, is magnificent and well worth every painful step. A bit like life I guess: you have to take painful steps to enjoy the good bits!