25 October: From Misery to Happiness Today

Today's update: Weather outlook: slight improvment, with a first pulse of rain due to move through in the the early hours and the second not due until evening. Aches/pains: left calf still complaining.

My run today wouldn't even be worthy of a mention had it not been the least comfortable 3 miles I can remember running for months. Tired, achey and fed up just about sums up how I feel at the end of it.

So, it comes as something of a relief to get an artificial injection of energy courtesy of Craig and Charlie Reid, the Proclaimers, at Llandudno in the evening. Crazily, it's the first time I've set foot in Wales since the Spring. Sadly, there's a support act - some misguided up-themselves youths who haven't got a good song or musician amongst them. The audience go crazy and applaud everything wildly, and I begin to wish I was as drunk as everyone else seems to be. At 9 o'clock, though, the least-up-themselves-band-in-the-whole-wide-world come on stage and deliver a cracking set filled with testosterone, strong scottish accents, political ranting and big glasses. God knows how they get percieved as some sort of cuddly novelty act with strange accents - Rolf Harris they are not. The North Wales theatre is a great venue, but a bit incongruous for the energetic show tonight. Last time we saw the band it was in the village hall in Portree on Skye, full of kids out of their minds on cheap cider, and it was a top night out. Even with the posh seats, it's still good tonight and a reminded that energy is not such a scarce commodity when you put your mind to it.

I've only got one part of the race left to think about now - the part where runners are dumped at the bottom of the big hill, past the turn for the Llanberis route up Snowdon. There will be no sprint finish. There may barely be a finish at all - it's just over a mile to the line, and it will, come what may, be painful. But, it will be a Celebration. It will probably be pissing it down, but I'm going to make sure I forget about everything except enjoying the countdown to the line. I'm on my way, oh yes.