ONLY three days to go now and suddenly, after all these months of half-hearted preparations, I am starting to feel nervous.

Why oh why didn’t I do more to prepare for the Great North Run on Sunday?

How will it feel to prove myself to be the unfittest blob in the North East?

Just how embarrassing is it to be forced to relieve one’s bladder on a street in front of hundreds of people, plus TV Cameras?

Come on now Duncan, get a grip, it’s the taking part that counts, not the winning.

I will count getting to the finish line as an achievement, but really it’s daft to feel this worked up about it because there are millions of people each day who go through much tougher trials and challenges than my Sunday jog.

This will probably be my last update before the big day (I heard that sigh of relief you cynical reader you) so I thought I’d give you an overview of what I’ve actually done, all in aid of the run and my chosen charity Oxfam.

According to my great Nokia X6 app, I have completed 38 workouts since I first decided to go ahead with this challenge.

Overall, I have traversed (that’s a mixture of running, walking and complaining) 136 miles and it has taken me 27 hours 47minutes (the maths was almost as hard going as the exercise).

But for every hour spent sweating, there have been countless more spent on the sofa, feeling slightly guilty about my sloth-like lack of enthusiasm and motivation as I wolf down another packet of Wotsits.

So ultimately, if it doesn’t go well, I’ve only got myself to blame, Conversely, if it does go well, it’s not really me who will be able to take the credit but rather all those who have helped me, including my regular running partners Angelina, the co-ordinator of the Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership (shameless name dropping), and Paul, the husband of my girlfriend’s mother.

I also went for a run with my brother Richard, a disaster due to his lithe athleticism and probably not an experience to be repeated.

Plus there are my not-often polite but always supportive (if yelling abuse and setting ridiculous challenges can be called that) colleagues, in particular Chris, who if nothing else taught me a great position for stretching my calf muscle, a common point of pain.

I would also like to thank those people who have sponsored me online, in particular David Brothers for being the very first person to donate and my lovely lass Stacey for her very generous donation.

Away from the web, big thanks also go to Mercury Moya, who dashed after me in the rain at Stanhope Show to hand over a tenner, Graham Tomazko, a martial arts instructor from Crook for his pledge and my colleague Helen, for digging deep.

Thanks also to Rob and the other runners for the Tony Blair Sports Foundation who have offered to take me under their wing on the day and put me at the front of the crowd with all the celebrities.

It’s not too late to sponsor me, don’t forget the money will not only be a motivation to me but also a huge help to Oxfam, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/runduncanrun And I’ll see you on the other side (hopefully just of the finishing tape rather than in any paranormal sense).