Sangeeta Bhabra: Race for Life Diary Entry 1

I have two pairs of trainers. One is a trendy pair that I wear with my jeans when my style statement is ‘teenager’. The other pair - the pair I fear - still look brand new even though they were bought in the days of Mr Motivator. I’m not what you call ‘naturally sporty’ so when I was asked to think about taking part in the ‘Race for Life’ earlier this year - I suddenly found a sprinting ability I didn’t know I had… I couldn’t get out of that office fast enough.

Four months on - in the interests of telly and belly - I’m all signed up to take part. Adrian our planning editor is an absolute love. He said ‘Sangers you don’t have to run it… lots of women walk it too’. That was it. I now have visions of me turning into Beyonce by the Summer whilst raising money for a very good cause - the only problem is I haven’t started training yet.

I am quite grateful to Sarah from ITV Local - who came up with the idea for my first blog. Because when this goes up - my commitment to running the three miles (sounds better than 5 km) is OFFICIAL. So - the venue: Mote Park in Maidstone. The Date June the 8th.

I’ve even got a training partner who is running the race on the same day. Her name is Deborah Puxty. She is about my age, has survived bowel cancer and this is her third race. And the best thing about her - she’s a real laugh. You must watch our Rocky style warm up session - and if my star jumps don’t make you laugh (is that the correct term?) my leggings, shorts and woolly hat ensemble should make you smile.

I’ll update you soon and any advice (fashion or otherwise) gratefully received x

Has the Olympics been tarnished by politics?

For weeks now Meridian and Thames Valley have been following local athletes as they train hard for the Beijing Olympics. We have seen synchronised swimming in Hampshire, hockey in Berkshire, judo in Surrey and much, much more. It’s always very exciting to see what talent we have in the region – there seems to be an Olympic athlete around every corner!

However as the protests continue to follow the Olympic torch as it travels the globe you have to fight hard to remember what the Olympic meaning actually is. Is it just another sporting event encouraging tourism and development? Is it designed to make money? Is it reserved for sporting superiors alone? Or does it unite people in a worldwide event?

Politics aside it’s still important to remember the remarkable people throughout our region and the world that make the event possible. Whether you are for or against the 2008 Olympics you can’t deny that running the 100m in about 10 seconds is no easy feat. Hard determination, skill and dedication are driving the best of our athletes to the games this year. We wish them all the luck in the world and look forward to sharing the celebrations when they return.

Meet the region’s Olympic athletes in our special Beijing channel.