Reporter HELEN PRIEST is writing a weekly column as she trains for this year's Race for Life, raising money for Cancer Research UK, at Witton Park, Blackburn, on June 25.

A GENEROUS offer to run with an honorary member of the Darwen Dashers could be just the thing I need.

My plans to tell a few white lies in this piece were thwarted by two individuals (colleague Vanessa and my Mum) who threatened to expose my dietary habits to Telegraph readers. I'm prone to the odd sausage roll -- it's like smoking, it's very hard to go cold turkey.

But Maureen Roberts, of the Dashers, has given me a lifeline and I'll be taking part in a Darwen Tower run in the not-so-distant future.

I can boast four visits to the gym in the last week-and-a-half- but in all honesty it's not as much as I would have liked. Ideally, I'd be going to the gym three times a week and staying for longer than an hour.

One of my biggest problems is that I find gyms very dull and slightly demoralising, unless you have the perfect body and a golden tan. I spend half the time making sure my face doesn't look too red.

It's difficult when everyone around you seems to maintain their energetic golden glow when they exercise. Am I the only one that turns beetroot red?

On top of the gym, my diet has improved considerably. With the Race For Life's fitness instructor, Gwen Sankster, on board, the plan is to eat at least one piece of fruit a day and less fatty foods in general. I've had five apples this week but I must confess to cancelling out the fruity goodness with a meat pie and sausage roll.

Not both in one day of course, but over the span of one week. Although it's not the best thing in the world, I have to say that there have been weeks where I've visited the bakery every day. A painful past I don't want to dwell on.

Hopefully I will have a fitness plan drawn up by next week with the help of Gwen. I'm running 3km quite easily at the moment in just under 20 minutes. That actually sounds quite slow when you think about it. That's one kilometre in just less than seven minutes. Evidently I need to speed up. I'm currently attempting to build up my endurance by taking long walks to the Tower with my accomplished guide, Vanessa, who will also be running the Race For Life.

I'm looking to do a run (could turn out to be a fast walk) to the top in the third week of May.