And so it begins... 

2500 years after Pheidippides ran all the way from Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of the Persians by the Greeks, a father and daughter from the great Thames Valley in England's green and pleasant land, or 'Broken Britain' as you know it today, decided that they would rather like to take on this ultimate endurance challenge. 

The arena in which these two young hopefuls will test their mettle and push their bodies to the limit will be the London Marathon, on the 22nd April 2012. As of today they have 189 days in which to prepare themselves. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can follow the twists and turns, highs and lows of their progress as it happens. Pheidippides never had the chance to tweet live updates on the battle of Marathon - but then, if he had, he wouldn't have had to run all the way to bloody Athens, died of exhaustion, and set the stage for the world's most famous fitness test. But I digress...  

And so back to the present. On a sunny morning in October, Rosie Carr and her father Steve took their marathon legs for a spin at the Dulwich 10k. Rosie had prepared by eating balanced carbohydrates, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest (with the odd glass of Shiraz thrown in for good measure, lest I paint Rosie in an overly ascetic light); Steve, however, had taken a less sensible but more red blooded approach, possibly harking back to the Dionysian pleasures our man in ancient Greece might have enjoyed after the victory over the Persians, had he lived. May the Gods bless him. But I digress... 

Steve's week consisted of dancing, singing, swilling red wine and gorging on roast meats until the early hours, before rising at dawn to deliver a barrage of informative and compelling presentations, and flying home to Blighty just hours before the race... Will he dare to laugh in the face of the Gods in this way come Marathon day? Friends, stay tuned to their blog to find out. 

Until next time...

The team's first outing: no blood, few tears, but plenty of sweat!