Obituary: Nike Air Zooms

These Nike Air Zoom trainers were the first pair of running shoes I ever owned. I bought them from Niketown at Oxford Circus in London at the beginning of April 2005. Since then, they have taken me safely through over 500 miles of training.

I knew as soon as I put them on that they were the shoes for me. The one thing that I wanted (as a new and slightly 'reluctant' runner) was a pair of shoes that were lightweight - lifting my legs to run was going to be hard enough without a bulky pair of trainers on the end of them - but the Nikes were as light as a feather. Putting them on gave me a spring in my step and I actually felt like I wanted to run!

These trainers have taken me all over London, through Hyde Park, Green Park, St James Park and Regents Park, across Highbury Fields and around Finsbury and Clissold Park, more times between DfES and my flat than I can remember and on just about every street in W9 and N7. They know the tracks of Windsor Great Park and the sea front in Lowestoft. Their finest hour (or 2hrs 4mins) was taking me around the Windsor Half Marathon - my first significant distance run and the preface to this marathon attempt.

They have never let me down. They have seen me at my best and my worst. They have been faithful friends and I will miss them.