Having spoken to the Project Trail guys and got to know a little bit about them, I’m excited to be working with a real mix of experience and ambitions within the group. Training for the Gower Half will be different for all four, but meeting the challenges of their lives, locations and abilities to create personal training plans for everyone will be a good experience for me too. I just hope they enjoy hill sessions.

They say that if you can get addicted to something as “boring” as running, you shouldn’t try anything exciting like sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. But I say that running is exciting – particularly the kind offered by Project Trail.

You might think that a fast road runner can simply slip on a pair of trail shoes and magically become the next Joss Naylor. In reality, it’s rarely that simple. Many’s the time, you see quick roadies tackle the trail and suddenly become like Bambi on ice – long, thin legs sliding all over the place.

Getting your body ready for the different stresses of trail running is a brilliant thing as it will make you a stronger runner across all terrains, building up leg and core muscles that will prevent injury, build strength and prolong your running career. The softer, varied terrain will force you use your muscles work in different ways, causing less damage than the repetitive pounding of feet on concrete.

Nigh on every top road runner looks the same: long legs, low body fat and the upper-body of a five-year-old child. Now, I’m not saying that I’m particularly blessed with Stallone-style guns, but trail runners come in a variety of shapes and sizes, especially at the ultra distance. Strength plays such a big part in the hills and the mountains that being light is not always the best way to go.

Part of my training for the UTMB this year has involced regular strength and conditioning work with Charley Radcliffe, someone who specialises in mountain athletics and has had me swinging kettlebells, squatting and sprinting around a car park in Chamonix. I’m already feeling the benefits.

Trail running doesn’t just reward a different physique; it also rewards a different mindset. If you’re a fan of hitting exact splits every mile, then you may be a little bit disappointed to hit that bog at mile two, but if you embrace the challenges of the trail you can use this to your advantage.

Rather than thinking about how hard each step is, trying to keep a set pace for the next 400m and hitting tarmac again and again, your brain will be working overtime to process all the information ahead of you: where are tree roots? Will that rock move? Is that badger going to charge at me? If constantly trying to avoid smashing your face in sounds like a stressful activity, it actually keeps you occupied while your body is at its limits – a pleasant distraction from the monotony of the asphalt. “Easier on the mind will translate to easier on the legs” is how top UK trail ultrarunner Paul Navesey puts it.

I’ll be honest: you won’t find me stopping to smell the flowers, eat berries and pen a sonnet to nature during a race. In training, however, I often find myself staring in awe at some of the scenery around me. And you don’t have to travel too far to find some great off-road routes; there are trails all over the UK in a huge, crisscrossed network. Either check online, dust off your maps or just go out and explore. The spirit of adventure lives within all of us. While going off the beaten track may slow down your data for Strava, the rewards for the mind and body make it more than worthwhile.

You’ll become fitter, stronger and happier, simply by jumping in a few puddles or flying down some single track in the woods. So what are you waiting for?

Robbie Britton is a Team GB 24hr runner and Profeet ambassador. He will be the dedicated coach of Project Trail.