There's one thing that having a hobby does and that’s make it easier for the rellies to buy you stuff for Christmas.

Not for me socks and odd ornaments – oh no, my cup runneth over with exercise goodies.

From new tights and tops to gloves and trainers, I got them all.

I was really hankering after a new Fitbit but apparently Santa Claus wasn’t listening to my hints as he felt the one he got me last year was ample.

However, by far the best present was my pair of running underpants.

I’m sorry to bring this up, don’t splutter into your cereal, but they really do exist.

Called Runderwear (I know, I know), they claim their seamless technology can boost your prowess and save you from uncomfortable feelings while out on a run.

These are undergarments of Bridget Jones proportions.

Opening the package on Christmas morning, I have to confess, felt a little bit of a letdown.

It’s also a bit weird getting them from the husband (has the love really gone now?) but he redeemed himself by saying the cats had chosen them.

That’s okay then.

It’s all my friend Christine’s fault anyway.

She pointed them out to me on Facebook a couple of months ago and I responded ironically “oh, a piece of kit I never knew I needed, but I really want them” which has been followed by endless ads popping up on my computer screen for them, tempting me.

Talk about pressure – which I so far have resisted as they are not cheap (I do like the six pairs for a fiver deal at Matalan – is that too much information?).

We were talking about it at running club and I said for the price, they had better make me run faster.

But, dear reader, I shall never scoff again. I’m now wondering how I ever managed without them and am saving up the pennies for another pair as I’m wondering how many washes my single pair will last for.

I’ve managed to test them regularly over Christmas and New Year too – a full fortnight off work gave me plenty of opportunity to go out and pound the pavements.

I did Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and New Year’s Eve in Cockermouth, a few treadmill workouts and the 5k route at Watchtree Nature Reserve, near Carlisle.

I knocked a full minute off my Watchtree time, which wasn’t bad going as I couldn’t really feel my toes in the new trainers the husband had bought me.

I think I’d done them up a bit too tight but it could be that they are a different type of trainer and don’t work properly. I’m too scared to tell him as I also know they weren’t cheap.

“Thanks for the trainers, sweetheart, but they’re rubbish.” Guess he knows now.

On New Year’s Eve, Austen made us do 5.2 miles around Brigham and Papcastle.

None of us wanted to, but at the end we were glad we did. We’ve got a 10k coming up in a couple of weeks, so it’s good training.

Bullied by Dianne, I’ve also signed up for a hiking marathon for charity in June.

I don’t know why either. Dianne assures me it will be ‘fun’.

So 2017 is certainly going to be exercise packed for me – I just need to sign up for that half-marathon at the end of the year. Cripes.