January 1st, and the first day of training for this Summer’s IAUM European Championships.

Having signed up for the tetradecathlon a few days ago, it’s all begun to feel a bit more real, and just as ridiculous as ever.

At home for Hogmanay, I took a run up in the forestry tracks in my native Black Isle. Just over 9km in an hour-long outing, it was my first ever run in the snow. There was just a sprinkling, so it was a little short of the winter wonderland the Black Isle can become; but at 3°c, the air was cold enough to bite at the lungs.

Over the coming months, I’ll be training in athletics at Heathside Athletics Club in London, so I’m looking forward to getting a bit of clean air before heading back to the big smoke.