And now, the end is near…

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Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

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15 days to go till the big Miles for Smiles fund-raising 10k run in Dubai. It’s time to get serious.

The training regime has been seriously disrupted by two weeks of travel – a week in Cannes followed by a quick flit to Asia to watch the mighty All Blacks beat the Aussies in Hong Kong, and to view facilities for next year’s Trinity Forum in Macau.

Talking of Macau, my hotel – the perfectly adequate but less than 5-star Sintra (above) – lacked a gym, I discovered upon arrival. Not what I needed after losing days of vital preparation to Cannes and long haul flights.

What to do? The packed streets of Macau were hardly appropriate for an outdoor jog, espeically considering that the Sintra is in the heart of the business and shopping area. Given that the room was heavily carpeted and therefore relatively noise proof, there was only one thing for it…

Now the average room at the Sintra measures 11 large paces from the front door to the window. So in true trooper style, The Moodie Report’s training regime took on a surreal new dimension with a 20-minute work-out spent running from one end of a third floor hotel room to another.

Apart from the odd near miss with the television and the end of my bed, it worked perfectly. After 20 minutes a perfectly decent sweat had worked itself up on the Moodie dome, and I believe I acheived a personal best on my very last 11-stride lap of 2.5 seconds.

[Pictured: The Sintra Deluxe Running Track]

So no excuses will be tolerated from anyone in the field who says they have been too busy travelling to train. There is always a way.

Now, back on terra firma, it’s time for the ultimate test. As per the textbook advice I am going to try a 10k trial run tomorrow, exactly a fortnight before the big race. I have driven the distance in my car and a terrifyingly long way it is too. If you don’t see any stories on The Moodie Report.com for a day or two, you’ll know I’m still out there. Tomorrow will surely tell me if I have it in me to finish 10k in the Dubai heat come 22 November.

[Footnote: I’ve now reached £4,300 in sponsorship, enough to fund over 30 children’s cleft operations. I’ve not been actively soliciting sponsorship so far but now I am – I want to reach £5,000. If you can help, you’ll not only put a smile on my face but, more importantly, a little child’s. Please visit www.JustGiving.com/MartinMoodie].