Am I ready for the London Marathon?

Imagine being in this mass of runners, here passing Tower Bridge in last year's Virgin Money London Marathon. Picture by Bob Martin for Virgin Media London Marathon (Image: ©Virgin Money London Marathon)

It's not very often that you can say there are almost certainly 39,999 other people feeling the same as me today.

Maybe not exactly the same, I can't imagine Sir Mo Farah, Eliud Kipchoge or Jo Pavey wondering if their far too big charity top is going to flap about and rub, if wedging a bit of sticking plaster under a super-sore toe nail is going to make much difference, how they're going to carry their snacks or if they'll get anywhere near the finish.

But with a couple of days to go, I'm sure a huge chunk of us charity-fundraising first-time Virgin London Marathon Runners are feeling the same.

I can't wait to stand among them at the start on Sunday; I can almost taste the excitement, the nerves and the adrenaline already.

I won't be the only runner worrying their charity top is too big and they've only trained in the cold. Picture Rob Silver (Image: Archant)

We'll all have been focusing on Sunday for months, finding the training and the charity fundraising consuming our minds. We'll have overcome our embarrassment at asking for money and pestered everyone we can think of to get us to our £2000 charity target.

Hopefully everyone will have had similar ultra supportive family and friends like mine and raised the money. My team have got me to the start line with donations for Unique, the rare chromosome support charity, and a huge amount of positive wishes. They've been there when I've muttered - a lot - about being an athlete/sore toes/ankles/headaches/being hungry/nervous/over excited/the cold/the heat. I know the other 39,999 runners on Sunday have had a similar few months.

It's already an almost overwhelming emotional buzz to know that at the start we'll all be jostling about, fidgeting, tying and re-tying our trainers, adjusting our undies, wondering whether to have a drink, having yet another nervous wee. We'll all be as ready as we are going to be, worrying that all our training has been in the cold and how do we run in the expected heat but determined to make everyone proud and finish.

Hopefully not everyone will have had my dreams when I trip over a water bottle and have to hop, get lost, run the wrong way, lose my number or turn up on the wrong day.

My recurring dream about the girls getting trampled or separated from Rob means that they're having their first ever sleep over without Number One daughter Sunny and are now staying with Grandma (thanks Ma) and not coming at all. I've promised to wave like a made thing at every camera so they might see me on TV.

So if you see anyone hopping, lost and wearing a flappy top – cheer them on, please cheer everyone. It's been a long journey.