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Training’s been going well for the half marathon at the end of May. Five weeks in now and the first 10k run last Saturday felt like a milestone.

Of course, it ramps up for the next four weeks before tapering off in the last few days before the run itself which, if you’ve put in the miles during a gruelling 10-week training programme, is almost enjoyable. Almost.

The expert staff at the specialist running shop were helpful with gait adjustment and the running shoes they sold feel like you’re floating on air - well, sort of, they don’t do the running for you, but a good pair of trainers always helps.

After a little while the three training runs a week start to become a habit and what felt like a gruelling 5k in week one is almost like a day off in week five.

Training is starting to ramp up for daughter #1 first half marathon.

This isn’t me, of course, but daughter #1, who will be pounding the streets of Manchester later this spring in her debut half marathon for a very worthy cause, more of which later.

I’m afraid yours truly’s running days are behind me. What with a glass back, wonky hips, creaky knees and a complete and utter lack of inclination, about 10 years behind me.

Daughter #1, however, is 23, fit as a flea and has caught the running bug something bad. She says it’s much cheaper than the gym and is over and done with a lot quicker, even squeezing in shorter training runs during lunch breaks.

Put it this way, she knocked out 10k in just over an hour last week, which I could just about manage these days on one of those electric scooters you see lying around in Liverpool and Manchester.

She’s doing the Great Manchester Run on May 21, raising money for the charity PAPYRUS Prevention Of Young Suicide and at the time of writing has raised a tidy sum from friends and family but is still some way short of her target. If you’ve enjoyed reading this column down the years (Est 2006 when daughter #1 was seven and her little sister was four, seems like a very long time ago now) then I’d appreciate it if you’d make a small donation on her fundraising page by clicking the link below. She’s at the business end of the training schedule now and reaching her fundraising target would put a spring in her step. https://greatmanchesterrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/amy-gardner?fbclid=PAAaYKJ-bhA5LerGQ17BKfQ5xN6f93avA0iz3z8i3ZXv2yCFfByMa401rTsPE

To read more Who’s The Daddy click here

Who's The Daddy: ​Running for a good cause makes the pain easier

Who's The Daddy: Running for a good cause makes the pain easier