Be careful what you wish for -- because you might just get it.

A few months back I entered the ballot for the Great North Run, the world's biggest half marathon.

I've just been told I've secured a place in the race -- but now I can't decide whether to take it.

It's not the distance that bothers me -- it's the question of whether I want to spend a weekend on Tyneside, running through overcrowded streets and staying in a hotel which has been marked up exorbitantly for the race.

Then again, it could be the race of a lifetime.

Any suggestions are welcome.