Oh baby

It's been a good 24 hours.

Since yesterday afternoon, several very good friends have added around £800 to my appeal fund - taking the current total to more than £1,400. It's incredible.

Also, last night my sister Gwen - Sebastian's mum - called to say The Chronicle back in Coleraine had run the story of me doing the Marathon on the front page, complete with full details of how people can donate. For this I am eternally grateful to Chronicle editor John Fillis - a top man. If you have logged on to this site after reading the Chronicle story, I hope you too will send me a few pennies.

And then, at lunchtime today, my wife Vanessa and I went to the Leeds General Infirmary for the 20-week scan of our first baby, due at the end of June. Unsurprisingly, that was fairly incredible too - have a look at the pic and decide for yourself. (I'm assured it IS a baby - really - and that its head's on the right).

Reality will kick back in again in a few minutes when I go out for another training run. However, given the support I am receiving and the amount of money coming in, it doesn't seem such a big effort.

And once the Marathon is run and the cash handed over to the charities, I can turn my attention to impending fatherhood - an even scarier proposition.

PS I'm heading away tomorrow for a few days but will be back on Sunday in time for a two-hour run. I'll check in again here after that - if I can get up the stairs.