One's alp is another's ant hill

Every man has his own personal mountain - it's just that some are giant alps which make others look like ant hills, writes blogger

.

I just about managed to scale my Everest yesterday when I responded to the first smell of fresh cut grass of 2007 by digging out the running shoes and heading off on my customary jogging route.

Having spent the long sprautumn months largely hibernating from exercise this was something of a struggle.

And as always I had to balance the benefits of health and fitness against the humiliation of dragging my carcass along a busy route into the city used by many of my work colleagues.

Sadly my ungainly trudge did not go unspotted as I arrived at work today only for our internet editor to ask if I had "enjoyed my run."

"Enjoy" would never be the correct term for my effort - neither for that matter would "run" - but with the summer holidays looming as large as the love handles desperate measures are needed to shake off the winter stodge.

As slow and painful as my progress was I still felt that exhilirating little burst of adrenaline and achievement when I arrived back at my front door after my stock three miles.

Perspective is never far away though and a couple of hours later my endeavour was given its proper colour when I visited Wednesbury Boxing Academy to film some of the fighters preparing for a night at Dudley Town Hall later this month.

Light-welterweight, Dean Harrison, told me about his training schedule.

Roughly it goes something like this - get up at 5am, go for seven-mile run, go to work at 8am, finish work at 5pm, get to the gym for six, do two or three hours training then back home to bed before starting the whole cycle off again the next day.

Now that puts the 'c' in commitment.

It also puts the 'p' in 'paperweight' which is undoubtedly my weight category in the world of exercise.