This Christmas didn’t bring the kind of shoes I might normally wish for. Instead, I received my first pair of running spikes. I was at once elated, and terrified.

Having barely set foot on a running track before, the prospect of training heavily in a new sport for 20 months feels daunting to say the least.

This Christmas holiday, I’ve been in two minds as to whether I should be pre-training, in light of imminently being grouped together with two dozen experienced athletes; or whether I should enjoy the calm before the storm.