Post-marathon recoveries are tricky things to get right. After London in April, I abandoned the sport for a fortnight, then ran 30 miles in the following three days. My body was all at sea. There was an illustration of how not to recover after a marathon. After the Lakeland Trails Marathon  in July, I was running sections of the Bob Graham route two days later. Nor was that – essentially, more punishment – an ideal ‘recovery’.

Not one to learn from my mistakes, I am about to repeat the errors of history. Following the Beachy Head Marathon on Saturday, I had not run for more than 48 hours until today, when I stepped out in a new pair of Adidas Supernova Glide 2 (replacing a now-retired, triple-marathon and rather smelly pair of New Balance MR759SR) for a four-mile trot around Tooting Bec Common. So far, so sensible.

Tomorrow, however, and the next day, and the day after that, will test my post-marathon recovery. I plan  to cycle close to 200 miles over those three days, crossing Wales from Swansea to Chester, with – weather-permitting – an on-foot detour up CadairIdris in a Heights of Madness-style assault a distinct possibility too. The weather forecast, particularly for Thursday, is grim. Foolhardy maybe, but it is harder to do nothing.