‘Are you enjoying your holiday, mummy?’ asks my eight year old over FaceTime. ‘Yes!’ I tell her. ‘I’ve done two runs, an hour of core exercise and a 1km swim. It’s just an easy day today as it’s the long run tomorrow ...’

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have considered that a holiday five years ago, back in the dim distant past before I did Coach-to-5K and embraced the zeal of the convert. But here I am - for the second year in a row - in the Algarve, at former London Marathon winner Mike Gratton’s 2:09 training camp. If your idea of a good holiday is sunshine, a lot of running, a lot of recovery (freezing swimming pool ice baths) and some great company, then it is sheer heaven. And the lovely thing about this running blog is - of course - there are plenty of you who will indeed think that sounds marvellous, and not mutter about padded cells. Unless my mum is reading, of course.

I’ve had several conversations recently about how all runners tend to look at anyone faster than them - and there’s always someone faster - and think “It’s easy for them” or “Bet they never wake up and just can’t be bothered”. Yet talking to runners like the lovely Jenny Spink (here training with her coach, the legendary Bruce Tulloh) or in London last week to Tina Muir, you realise that actually, everyone is the same. We all have days when we just can’t be bothered, when the idea of another run is daunting. When the tempo run we’ve been dreading looms. Everyone works hard, everyone has mental battles.

But when you swear you can actually feel your Vitamin D levels rising in the Portuguese sunshine, when post-run hydration can be supplemented with oranges straight off the trees, and everyone around you is - whatever their pace - a true runner, it’s hard to feel daunted and fearful. Instead you remember why you run - and do another one. Then have a cold glass of beer.

However in the heat of the Portuguese day - I’m writing this post-long run on Sunday afternoon - I’m saving the coldest, tastiest glass of beer for Philip for breaking his half marathon PB. BTL regulars, you are on fire at the moment. Over to you.