I started running at school. Nothing serious, but I always did OK in the school cross country and the long distance running races at sports day. I wasn’t especially quick but I could keep going when lots of others went out fast and then had to stop.

Running a marathon was always something I fancied as a one off. One of those things you do just to say you did it.

My first one was in Edinburgh and then that was it, I had the bug.

I’ve said before that I don’t especially enjoy running as it can be quite boring, and given the time and the option I’d always choose the gym over going for a run. However, running a marathon creates a totally different feeling all together, one I love.

When you talk to people about running a marathon they always reference the London Marathon. I’ve done 17 marathons now and London isn’t one of them. I’ve applied a few times but got fed up not getting in through the ballot so went elsewhere.

To date in have completed full marathons in a range of countries, including:

• England
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales
• France
• Switzerland
• Denmark
• Czech Republic

It a nice way to see a city because you see things you would never see as a regular tourist on a city break.

Having children has halted this a little so I’ve stayed closer to home to keep them ticking along, but once the children are older hopefully I can resume my running around the world.

There are a few specific ones I’d love to do at some point including: New York; Loch Ness; Shangri-La and Nagano but any I can tick of the list are a bonus!

If you are thinking of doing the same have a look at this Marathon Guide, this is really helpful as it has links to marathons all over the world with dates. Each entry method is slightly different, so if you are entering marathons in other countries, make sure you understand everything and nothing important is lost in translation.