My, my, what a week its been! Hugely busy at work, moved flat and most importantly, I ticked off another resolution! Last Sunday I took part in the British 10K London Run, along with my friend Tanya.

We both ran on behalf of our charities of choice, myself for Epilepsy Research UK, and Tanya for the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. A huge thank you to everyone that sponsored us, it is greatly appreciated by both us and the causes we chose.

And what a fun day it was! Nearly 30,000 people ran the race, and countless others were lining the streets, cheering on friends, colleagues, or anybody else that happened to go past.

We met up on Sunday morning at Embankment, at the ungodly hour of 8am. Luckily this gave us plenty of time to drop off our bags, take some "before" shots at Trafalgar Square. Couldn't quite figure out if we were excited or terrified...quite possibly both.

The good folks at Epilepsy Research provided me with name letters, which proved to be a massive confidence booster. Nothing like having complete strangers cheering your name totally out of the blue!

The Mall started to fill up pretty quick as everyone arrived, and we were soon queueing for everything: bag drop off, toilets, the start. The event certainly lived up to the theme of Britishness! And in true stiff-upper-lipped style, we were treated to a rousing series of patriotic tunes blaring from the loudspeakers...before being deflated by the announcement that the first lot to start had already finished while we were waiting.

While waiting, we had plenty of time to get to know our fellow runners. I must admit I was shocked by how serious so many of them took the whole thing: carefully balancing hydration, taking slow-release energy gels and attaching GPS timers to their expensive, comfortable trainers. Then a guy in a chicken suit walked past and I suddenly felt better about my "have breakfast and leave the flat" preparation (at least I'd been going to the gym lately).

I was quite surprised by the number of people who'd taken the "bananas for energy" approach to heart, and turned up with huge bunches of the things. Doing a quick mental calculation, I figured there were 26,000 people running, several thousand banana skins...and thus the potential for a series of unfortunate, yet hilarious accidents en-route.

But then we got to the start, and we were all away! And I'm very pleased to say I finished within my target time of 1 hour, completing the course in abut 58 minutes! I also learned a valuable lesson: after pacing oneself for 9.9 kilometers, do not, under any circumstances, start sprinting for all you're worth when you see the finish. Doubling up with a wave of nausea is not the nicest way to start your cool-down.

Tanya, too, was hugely pleased with her time, finishing in around 1hr 5 mins, a good 10 mins faster than she was aiming for!

The "after shot", still buzzing a bit

After the race, I went to meet up with some of the other people who'd run for Epilepsy Research, and a lovely bunch of folks they were too:

So there we go! A fantastic day out, and possibly something to repeat next year. Not only that, but I was able to help out a cause I really care about. Speaking of which, there's still time to sponsor me, and with the handy JustGiving site, it couldn't be easier!

Your donations will go towards funding research into the causes, treatment and prevention of Epilepsy, a debilitating condition which affects 1 in 200 adults and children.

[Sponsor Tom at JustGiving]

Tanya's page will also be accepting donations for the near future, and all the money she raises will go towards reuniting lost dogs and cats with their owners, and providing them with the best of care until suitable homes can be found.

That's 4.5 resolutions down, and 5.5 to go. I'd better hurry!