Uncovered: the first marathon runner’s fitness programme. Remember Pheidippides? He was the Greek soldier who ran more than 20 miles to Athens to announce that the Persian army had been surprisingly defeated in the Battle of Marathon, thus giving birth to the marathon craze.

Now a significant new archaeological find reveals, for the first time, the diary of his preparations — bound to be of interest to runners in training for the Flora London Marathon and to anyone else whose imagination has been captured by this fabled test of human endurance.

Hekatombion 4 Fantastic — I’ve got a place. My confirmation tablet and official high-visibility running tunic came through from the organisers this morning. My race number: 00001. That’s got to be a good omen. Better get training, then.

Hekatombion 5 As everyone will tell you, the most important first step for any long-distance runner is making sure you have the right sandals. So this morning I visited Eucles the shoemaker, who got me up on the running machine and had a look at my stride pattern. By his reckoning I’m a high-arched pronator with a mildly exaggerated heel strike, which sounds awful, but apparently it’s normal enough.

Anyway, he recommended a pair of lightweight construction sandals in 100 per cent goatex, with a unique, gel-injected mid-sole and all-weather calf straps. Thirty-five drachmas! Zeus on a bike! But I bought them anyway, of course. It would have seemed foolish not to.

Went for a gentle, loosening jog in the hills. Didn’t feel too bad, considering. The new sandals help.

Hekatombion 9 I’m up to 35 minutes already. Would never have thought it possible. Some aches and pains, obviously, but I’m feeling really positive, and that’s the main thing. So much of distance running is in the mind.

Metageitnion 16 Obviously, if I’m going to go to all this effort, I might as well use it to benefit others. After much reflection, I’ve decided to run in support of Argos, a charity that offers deprived Athenian kids the chance of a once-in-a-lifetime catalogue shopping trip on the island of Ithaca. I’m now busy whipping up sponsorship from my friends. So far I’ve managed to raise three fish and a flask of olive oil. It’s going well.

Nevertheless, people have suggested that it might boost the fundraising aspect if I ran in some sort of novelty outfit. Someone has said it would be amusing if I climbed inside a specially adapted earthenware pot. Various others are urging me to carry a statue or drag a fishing net. Nikolos the carpenter is offering me three drachmas if I go as Postman Papadopoulos. And he says he’ll increase it to eight drachmas if I go as any one of the Tellytubboi — Tinky Winkos, Dipsos, La Los or Pos.

I see where they’re all coming from. At the same time, without wishing to be a party-pooper, I think that this time, what with it being the first, it would be sensible if I just concentrated on getting round. The fancy-dress stuff can wait for future marathons, assuming it catches on.

Metageitnion 24 Managed an hour last night, which is good, but the last 15 minutes or so were a real struggle and this morning my knees feel as if they’ve been chewed by next door’s dog. I also appear to have a blister that is only slightly smaller than the foot to which it is attached. So much for goatex. If I bump into that Eucles, he’ll be wearing these sandals, and not on his feet.

Boedromion 5 Having grown increasingly disappointed with my inability to push on beyond the 12-mile mark, I’ve signed up with Heracleides the personal fitness trainer. He’s 32 drachmas an hour, which I can’t really afford, but I don’t see any way around it. He spoke to me about the problem of hitting the wall. I said I didn’t think there were any walls between Marathon and Athens, it being mostly hills, and that, the way I saw it, I was much more in danger of hitting the tree, or, worse, hitting the encampment of Persian soldiers in hiding.

But Heracleides explained that hitting the wall was a figurative expression describing the overwhelming fatigue a runner can experience when, having exhausted the limited supplies of glycogen in the muscles, the body begins burning stored fat for energy. He said that the best way to circumvent this in a race situation was by taking on board intensively rehydrating sports drinks, such as Lucozados.

I hope someone will remember to organise drink stations on the day.

Boedromion 27 Out early this morning and going along nicely, two miles into a medium-paced 16-miler, when I trod on a snake and required life-saving medical treatment. These interruptions to the schedule are so frustrating. Mind you, I covered the two miles from the snake back to Androcles the apothecary in under 11 minutes — a personal best over that distance and very encouraging. Cost of serum, tetanus shot and five-day course of antibiotics, seven drachmas.

Pyanepsion 6 I’m constantly touched by the enthusiasm and encouragement of other people regarding my challenge. I’ll bump into people and they’ll always have something encouraging to say, such as “How’s the training going?” or “You must be completely out of your head”. I was walking through the town only today when Stavros the baker excitedly ushered me into his shop and proudly gestured to the counter. He’s only gone and baked me an energy bar.

Essentially, it’s oats and dried fruit, bound together with honey and bitumen — perfect for carbo-loading on the move. Unfortunately, it’s two feet thick and weighs 35lb. Still, it was a kind thought. And only five drachmas.

Pyanepsion 14 Now I’ve gone and done my ankle falling into a thyme bush. It’s going to be six treatments from Perspex the osteopath, at 44 drachmas per treatment. People say running is cheaper than the gym, but they’re plain wrong. I should never have cancelled my Esportos membership.

Maimakterion 3 Back on track and, fingers crossed, managing to stick with the programme. As Heracleides advises, I’m listening to the feedback from my body. I’m also adopting a strategy of positive visualisation while I run and remembering that, if it was easy it wouldn’t be an achievement to be proud of. And, if all else fails, I imagine the Persians are coming after me with big swords, which seems to do the trick.

But I have to confess, the biggest challenge is overcoming the boredom. I was at a particularly low ebb the other night, after a long workout, and, in despair, I said to Heracleides: “Will training for long-distance running ever be even the slightest bit interesting?” He shook his head sadly and said: “Only when someone invents the iPod.”

Maimakterion 19 Two days to go. Went to see my old friend Patros the teacher. Explained to him what I was doing and mentioned some of my anxieties about energy depletion. Asked him if, on the day, he would be prepared to meet me halfway along the route with a banana. He said he would be delighted to help.

As I was leaving, though, he said: “By the way, what’s a banana?” What, indeed. If the worst comes to the worst, I’m just going to have to go into someone’s garden and nick some oranges.

— Disclaimer: legend has it that, shortly after reaching Athens, Pheidippides collapsed from exhaustion and died. This newspaper accepts no liability for the health and safety of anyone adhering to the above programme.