Time again to dive head first into all the feedback you have sent me over the last month. Much of it has to do with my triathlon attempt in August. Mostly you guys have been on hand to offer me some handy tips, and I'm thankful for all the advice you've been able to give me.

Jon in Seattle wrote in to say I should go for a swimming lesson. Jon's on to something here I think - swimming is the weakest discipline for most triathletes and I'm no different. Consider your advice taken, Jon, I'll be going for a lesson and will write about the experience on the Get Fit pages. Hopefully mastering that front crawl will boost my time by a good few minutes.

Lesley, meanwhile, got in touch to tell me to eat peanut butter! "It's great for energy and as it is full of protein you will stay full up until lunch time." Thanks Lesley, though you are preaching to the converted. I couldn't eat more peanut butter if I tried and I actually think it is one of the best foods for people training for an event like a triathlon. Yes it's full of fat but you offset this when you train and it does give you a satisfying energy kick.

I was also delighted to hear from Carrie. In response to our feature on the merits of a full English breakfast, she said: "I have just read your article and thought hooray its about time someone stood up to all these people. I am sick and tired of people telling us this food and that food is bad for us.  Does anyone think about the people that need food like this?  My son has Cystic Fibrosis and i can't tell you how hard it is to buy food for him.  People with Cystic Fibrosis need a very high fat diet, but of course when you go to the supermarket everything is low fat and healthy eating."

Sorry to hear you're having a hard time shopping for your son, Carrie, and you really do raise an interesting point about people who perhaps need high levels of fat.

Jessa meanwhile contacted me to say that I should not be so hasty to slag off The Cabbage Diet (I can't actually remember when I did but I must have done at some point). Concentrating on one food starves your body of vital nutrients, I argued, but Jessa (rightly as it turns out) pointed out that the Cabbage Diet involves "eating a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy. The cabbage soup itself is not just cabbage. But a mixture of healthy vegetables."

Okay Jessa, if you say so. I'd still rather we all went for the balanced diet and regular exercise routine, mind you...

Until next time...

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It is just three months now until the London triathlon, and instead of getting fitter, I feel as if my fitness is fading faster than support for the Labour party. Following my ridiculous bout of measles, I had to take more than two weeks off from training.

Yesterday was my first day back and at the end of a normally easy 10k along the Thames, I felt as if I was dead on my feet. I have always been astonished at how quickly fitness recedes the moment you stop training.

I'm also a bit worried about not having done enough swimming or cycling, not to mention how quickly the race is coming about!

But I guess three months is enough time to get in shape for the big race on August 10 - but I'm really going to have to hit the roads and the swimming pool to avoid it all ending in disaster.

But at least you'll get a a good laugh if it does...

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Firstly, why haven't I blogged for so long? The answer is a nasty virus which may or may not have been measles. Obviously, this was not good for my fitness and I feel as if I have been set back two weeks. Still, at least I am no longer covered head to toe in little red spots...

Maybe Wii Fit will ride to my rescue. The long awaited game is released tomorrow and we managed to get hold of a preview copy. My homepage colleague Dom took it home for a week, and tomorrow you will be able to read a fantastic feature on his experience getting to grips with the title. Dom's not in bad shape at all but he has had a nasty back injury so it will be interesting to read what he thought of it. Be sure to check the site tomorrow to find out.

I couldn't resist having a go myself. I'm not a gamer but I love the Wii. If you haven't tried it, it's a ridiculous amount of fun. Wii Fit is no different. I went for a run in the park, did some step aerobics and bounced footballs off my head. Or rather my Mii character did. A truly innovative product.

So what do the experts think of it? Ed Beesley, a personal trainer who is also our fitness expert, thinks it's ace. "It's a great idea. If it gets kids and families moving, then it's fantastic.

"Some people have said to me, 'Is this what it has come to? Sitting crammed into a small space playing games to keep fit?' Maybe, but in the meantime its great."

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...to everyone running in the London Marathon on Sunday. I am truly jealous (I know, that does make me sound mad), especially if this is your first time. You are in for a real treat, one of the most thrilling of your life, even if it doesn't feel like that at the moment!

My top top top last minute tips are:

• write the name on the front of your shirt. Trust me, do it and the crowds will shout your name like you're one of the Beatles.
• don't worry if you don't get a good night's sleep on saturday, the adrenaline will pull you through.
• Eat a hearty plate of pasta at around 5pm the day before the race and a light breakfast three hours before on Sunday morning.
• Make the most of the water stations round the course - even if you don't feel thirsty (fat chance).
• Listen to our essential marathon podcast, part of our 2008 London Marathon special.
• Finally - enjoy yourself!

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The London Marathon is only six days away, and today's papers are full of stories about some of the amazing people taking part. I was struck by one in particular - the superlatively named Bernie Hollywood, who is in the middle of a world record attempt to complete 35 marathons in 22 days.

In total Bernie will run over 926 miles from John O'Groats to Lands End and then complete the London Marathon, with only a camper van as his support vehicle and accommodation.

Bernie will reach Land's End this Friday and hopes to raise £100,000 for Barnardo's. In the past he has raised over three quarters of a million pounds for UK charities by completing other challenges. Anybody wishing to support Bernie can donate via his webpage or read his daily blog.

And then there is the force of nature that is Pierre Jean "Buster" Martin, at 101 the UK's oldest employee (he works for Pimlico Plumbers in London). Buster (pictured below) has already completed a 10k and a half marathon and if he makes it round the 26.2 mile course he will be the oldest marathon participant in the world.

Good luck to both of them, and anyone else who is taking part in the London Marathon this weekend. 

And don't forget to visit our guide to the race and listen to our marathon podcast.

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The London Marathon takes place on April 13 (like Easter it's come early this year) and I'm very sorry that I'm not taking part in it. My last London Marathon was 2006, when I recorded my personal best, and I'd love to be lining up to take part again this year, but as you know I've decided to concentrate on my first triathlon.

The London Marathon is dear to the hearts of many of us here at MSN, as there are quite a few members of the team who have managed to complete the course. Which is why later this week we will be launching our very own section celebrating the upcoming race. Our London Marathon site will be focused on the run-up to the event and will be packed with lots of tips on how to get through the last couple of weeks before the race, as well as sound advice for the day itself and lots of fun stuff like galleries of the best (and worst) fancy-dress costumes.

We've also just recorded a London Marathon podcast, for which we called in our fitness expert Ed Beesley and Runner's World writer Alison Hamlett. It was great fun, and we each shared our experiences of the race and named our number one top tip to help get you through it.

You can find our celebration of the world's greatest race right here.

Paula Radcliffe might be giving it a miss this year, but we certainly won't be.

How often should you replace a pair of running shoes? I must admit that until recently I had no idea, despite the fact that I've worn out many pairs in my time. One thing that is clear, however, is that for my triathlon effort my current pair just won't do. Won't do at all.

They've been good to me, though. A pair of New Balance 1060s, they carried me round the London Marathon course in 2006 and I wore them throughout the majority of my training. But when you consider that runners should be replaced around every 600 miles, there was no way I could keep using them.

In fact, there was a good chance I could even do myself a mischief, as they would no longer offer me the support and cushioning I need to stay injury-free. 

So when I was offered the chance to go for a GAIT assessment at Harrods in London's Knightsbridge, I jumped at the chance. ASICS, it turns out, are offering this service free to runners across the UK in partnership with Dartfish gait analysis software.

GAIT analyses human locomotion to help athletes run more effectively and to avoid injury. It also tells you what type of running shoe you need. For example, if like 70% of runners you overpronate (rolling the foot inward when you run) and this can lead to serious injury if you kit yourself up with the wrong shoe.

The process involves running on a treadmill while your technique is recorded and analysed by a specialist. As with everything else in life, I turned out to be distinctly average - I too overpronate and would need a shoe that allowed for this. After trying on a few pairs, in the end I went for ASIC's Gel DS Trainer 13 (pictured), a really comfortable shoe that felt much lighter than my last two pairs of New Balance - the only complaint I had about them.

I took them for their first run today, a 10k jog along the Thames at lunchtime, and early reports are that they feel great. There are a lot of excellent shoes out there though, and we'll be running a feature next week on how GAIT assessments work and why finding the right shoe is an essential component of any training regime. We'll also talk a bit about the technology involved in shoes like my new pair of ASICS. We'll also recommend some of our favourite shoes on the market, so you can get going.

To find out more about the ASICS/Dartfish GAIT assessments, go to www.techtours.co.uk/

Thanks to Alice at Brand Nation for arranging my GAIT assessment.

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I said a week or so ago that I'm a low-tech fitness freak (although if you have read my postings on my experience so far with a heart rate monitor you will know all that is about to change), and now I'd like to further point out my unsuitability for this role by saying that I have very little knowledge of fitness supplements. Well, I didn't have until around five or six months ago, when I decided to start using them.

When training for the London Marathon in 2005 and 2006 I didn't touch a glucose gel or hydration drink, even though everyone around me seemed to be wolfing them down. And on those occasions when I've tried to beef up a bit by focusing on weight training, I never thought protein shakes were for me.

A few months on, though, and my eyes have been well and truly opened. While you should never rely on any supplement to accelerate progression, my experiences so far have shown me how they can help you along the way. I'll be posting a full feature in our Get Fit section in the next week or so but until then I'd like to recommend Maximuscle's Viper and Viper bars for energy, Recovermax for, not surprisingly, recovery (this really is ace stuff - no more stiff muscles after those long sessions), their Promax, which is a great protein shake.

I've tried out lots of different products over the last few months and will be writing about them and how they've helped my training in full detail in my article. And I also recognise that your aims may be different from mine (you may be looking to bulk up, for example) so I'll make sure there is lots of info on the best products according to fitness goal.

Until then...

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My first session with the Polar RS800G3, the 'daddy' of heart rate monitors yesterday, and while I will come to write lots more on this fitness gadget, early reports are that I love it already. I'm not the best when it comes to reading user manuals and learning to use gizmos properly, but I decided that this required serious attention and sat down at the weekend to learn everything I could on how to use it. And boy am I glad I did.

I've already learned how to pre-load my workout plan on to the device from my laptop, meaning it knows what I want to do before I set out on a run. It was also refreshing to know exactly what I had achieved and how far I had run during the session - something I had only previously experienced with a treadmill (BORING!).

But the best bit? Attaching the infrared sensor to my computer and watching it talk to the monitor. Calories burned, average heart rate, pace and distance all then appeared in a graph right there in front of me, allowing me to follow my progress as I train for the triathlon. It even allows me to record how I felt on the day, how I slept the night previously, and other useful info. Magic.

However, I still have lots to learn and doubt I have even come close to figuring out how everything works. Watch this space.

PS - For the record, my 10k runs are taking me around 50 minutes - not good enough. 
 

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As you can probably guess from the title of this post, I have just returned from a short break in the states. To be more precise, I spent a few days in New York, perhaps the greatest city on earth, before hopping on a short flight to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 'city of bridges' (below) is not a place I ever thought I would end up, but I'm certainly glad I did. I was there for a friend's wedding, and I'll just say one thing about it - Sienna Miller was utterly wrong when she referred to it as 'Shittsburgh'.

The place is awesome - great shopping and wonderful people. The only thing I find difficult about America is the food - I just can't adjust to the portion sizes. Note to self after a week away: only order a starter. No wonder the country has such a problem with obesity. And the really scary things is, we aren't that far behind.

What the Americans do do so well, however, is gyms. While in the UK we are stuck with incredibly ordinary yet inexplicably expensive gyms (mine, which will remain nameless, has changing rooms that can only be described as revolting), our friends across the pond have at their disposal gyms that are on a totally different level to ours. The equipment, atmosphere, customer service, cost - it's all better.

For example, both the gyms I was taken to (one in NYC, one in Pittsburgh), were ten times better than anything I have ever used in the UK. They had everything I could possibly want - and they were nowhere near as busy. Many of our gyms make their money from unused memberships and tying up as many people as possible to year long contracts (you should never let them do this to you - argue your way out of it or go elsewhere if they refuse to back down) and as a result busy hours can be quite unbearable, and customer service goes right out the window.

In the US I found I looked forward to going to the gym, whereas I dread the experience in this country. With such facilities at their disposal, it's a wonder everyone is so overweight. It is, however, no surprise we are heading the same way.

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For someone who does a lot of exercise and claims to be a fitness blogger, I've always been a pretty low-tech sportsmen. Watches, pedometers and other gizmos have never been something I've really gone in for. Until now.

My attempt at the London Triathlon in August is something so completely new to me that I feel as if I need to broaden my horizons and try new things. Training for three disciplines and having separate goals for each and keeping up with the progress of my training is going to require more analysis and preparation than I'm used to.

So when my colleague, MSN Money's Content Manager Ellen Cresswell, who is herself is in the middle of a pretty impressive fitness drive, told me that her heart rate monitor had "changed her life", I decided that the time had come to embrace sporting gadgetry.

So I decided to try one out for myself. I'm told that the Polar RS800G3 (pictured) is the 'daddy' of heart rate monitors and is regarded as the complete training system for runners.

But what does a heart rate monitor, like the RS800G3, do? Well, a heart rate monitor is a way of measuring the intensity of your workout and allowing you to train at the ideal pace for your body. It also collects data so you can gauge your level of performance and measure progress. Almost like a training partner, but one that won't fall behind you or fail to turn up for a training run. Exciting stuff, and I can't believe I've waited this long to try one.

It involves wearing a belt round your chest, which transmits data to a receiver on your wrist. The RS800G3 also comes with a GPS device which allows further analysis of your performance and even knows when you are running over certain terrains. I can also upload my personal info to my laptop so I can plan and monitor my training.

It's all very hi-tech, and I'd be lying if I said I know how it all works. But one thing's for sure, I'm going to find out, and you will be able to chart my progress and what I think of it right here on this page.

Find out more about the RS800G3

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So, in a fit of madness, I've just signed up for the London Triathlon in August. Myself and two other MSN UK colleagues will line up on the day to attempt the 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. As far as competitions are concerned, this represents my biggest challenge yet. In my mind, marathons and half-marathons are much less daunting. I can go out and run forever, but the thought of having to swim (in the Thames!) then cycle then run brings me out in a cold sweat.

My swimming technique sucks. Thankfully I have six months to prepare and I'm going to have to put in some serious time in the pool. And I'll have to do some outdoor swimming to get used to diving into freezing cold water. Plus there are no lengths when you are swimming in open water - so no stopping at the shallow end when you need a breather.

It has also dawned on me that I am going to need to buy lots of equipment, including a bike, new running shoes and, of course, a wetsuit. By sheer coincidence I was today invited to go along to the launch of Speedo's new LZR RACER suit, which lots of famous swimmers will be wearing at this years Olympics in Beijing. Speedo, which is now celebrating its 80th anniversary, has put a lot of work into this piece of slippery kit, and the result, I have to say, is nothing short of space-age breathtaking.

A procession of renowned international swimmers were paraded out to model the suit, and they looked incredible. Swimming, it seems, gives you an incredible figure, and the hugging suit only made these guys look even more impressive.

The suit (as modelled here by all conquering Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the 2004 Olympics) has been independently proven to reduce passive drag by 10% than other suits and is made from ultra lightweight material. Basically, it looks as if it has been painted on, which I presume was the look they were going for. I may not be able to cut through water, but these guys look as if they could cut through anything.

Two words, want one. Not that it would do much good, obviously.

Exercise is great, but it's even better when you can raise money for good causes while you run, skip, jump or, in this case, walk.

The health charity Walk the Walk, responsible for the famous midnight Moonwalks in London and Edinburgh which have raised huge amounts of cash for various cancer charities, has just announced the launch of a fourth power walking challenge to its annual calendar of events.

The SunWalk Newcastle follows in the footsteps of its sister event in Bristol, where thousands of men, women and children pound the pavements during the day to raise money for breast cancer charities.

The events, which dare competitors to complete a 5km, 10km or half marathon walk, also aim to encourage people to eat healthily and take regular exercise.

Nina Barough, the founder of Walk the Walk, says: "The SunWalk has been very successful in getting all generations in a family to take on a goal together and have the joint ambition of getting fitter in 2008. We're aiming to raise £250,000 in Newcastle. It's a big target but I know we can do it."

I can't praise the Walk the Walk events enough. I've done the London Marathon twice, raising money for charities on both occasions, but the beauty of these challenges is that they are much less daunting and much more accessible. But the rewards for the ever-worthy charities are just as good.

The SunWalk Newcastle takes place on Sunday 6 September, so if you fancy giving it a go, or want to take part in any of the other Walk the Walk events, go to www.walkthewalk.org for more information.

Oh, and did I mention that those taking part traditionally don spectacularly decorated bras?

Good luck!

The excellent Men's Health magazine has in each of its issues a round up of the most startlingly obvious health research (smoking makes it harder to breath, heroin is bad for you, that sort of thing) from around the globe. Called 'Ministry of the bleedin' obvious', it never fails to raise a laugh.

I was reminded of it today when I read this on the BBC website. Apparently exercising prevents premature ageing. WOW! Thanks for that. I never would have guessed it looking at some of the people I know who live sedentary lifestyles and comparing them to, say, Roger Federer.

Next week - large quantities of cake make you fat.

Anyway, I'm off to the gym to make myself look younger. We know have one of these in our home:

Half an hour of that a night should add 5 years on at least...

I've heard of some outlandish sporting activities in my time, but few more Brass Eye-esque than a new craze apparently 'sweeping' (their words, not mine) the beautiful area of Clearwater in Florida.

Ka-Yoga, a combination of kayaking and yoga (I'm not making this up) involves paddling to a secluded spot and unwinding with some gentle Hatha yoga. Sounds lovely. But I wonder if it will catch on in the UK. While Floridians are able to relax to the gentle sounds of the sea and the sight of dolphins splashing about in the bay, I can't quite picture it on the Thames or on a choppy Scottish Loch. Nice idea, though...

Music is, as I'm sure you'll all agree, an essential part of any workout. Of course you can exercise without tunes playing in your ear, but it makes the sessions in the gym or outdoors seem a lot harder and, pivotally, a lot longer.

There is nothing quite like your favourite song to help you through the last few miles of your training run or exercise session. I even noticed lots of people taking part in the London Marathon while listening to their MP3 player. So much for the match-day atmosphere - all they needed to traverse the 26.2 mile course was a blast of Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger'.

The livelier the music the better. There is no point listening to Radiohead or something equally as drab - it's all about raising your energy levels. I'm currently trying out some music by Total Fitness Music - they've composed an album of tunes which have been specifically designed to aid your workouts. The tracks belong to different genres but each of them are set to a different tempo, or beats per minute, depending on the your level of workout.

I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I've loaded my iPod with the stuff and I'm going to try it out all this week and over the weekend and I'll let you know what I think. If anyone has given Total Fitness Music a go already, please let me know what you think!