How can you not feel inspired after the British Olympic gold rush?

I'M sitting by the computer, towel draped round my shoulders, sweating like a weightwatcher in a cream cake shop at the end of a brisk six-mile early morning run along the seafront. Straight eight minute miles all the way in lovely cool conditions and a far cry from the junk I was running on Thursday evening.

The Olympic Games is inspiring and after one of the greatest weekends ever of British sport it puts into perspective the quality of those achievements against our own mere mortal abilities.

Everyone may feel Bradley Wiggins is a shoe-in for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, but what about Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Greg Rutherford, Victoria Pendleton, any of the rowers, and dare I suggest it, Andy Murray?

I don't get the super sulk that is Andy Murray so it's hard to warm to the sour Scot. But his demolition of Roger Federer on Sunday was phenomenal coming just a month after the most soul-destroying of Wimbledon final defeats.

It was interesting to hear Andy speak after the Olympic tennis final how he had been inspired by the gold medal-winning feats of other British athletes, notably Mo Farah. "I do 400m repetitions in my training and when I'm completely fresh I can run it in 57 seconds. Mo's last lap after 9,600m was 53 seconds. It's just unbelieveable fitness."

I was thinking about those comments on my run this morning. My eight minute miling along a deserted sea front at 6am, respectable as it was for a well past his best fortysomething, sits light years away from the fitness of these Olympians.

I was watching the women's 10,000m final the other night when the runners were clocking close to three minutes every kilometre around the track. My best 10km time is 40 minutes, I've never ducked under the runners' holy grail of sub-40 which in a club race puts you easily into the top 100 - that puts into perspective just how fast these guys are. Untouchable!

And in 400m repetitions on the track, I'm doing well if I can get below 70 seconds! The Olympians' running is on another planet.

There was so much good to come out of the weekend's carnival of joy. The one moment which got me was when Katherine Copeland and partner Sophie Hosking won the women's lightweight double sculls. The faces of joy, amazement and sheer pleasure after their years of punishing training and hard work were simply wonderful. I felt genuine tears of joy sharing their joy - and I had never heard of them before Saturday morning.

The flurry of gold medals has injected a much-needed feelgood factor to the country, so let's hope that the Government realises that sport is a force for good and not a political football - not only in terms of producing Olympic medallists but for the health of the nation. The sooner governments of any persuasion start to take school sport seriously with much-needed funding, creating a curriculum which puts physical education among the core subjects, so much the better.

On Facebook last night and in the wake of the British Olympic gold rush, several friends posted the following message carrying an image of Jess Ennis: "Dear British Media, Please can we have more of these types of celebrities and less of the Jordans and BB contestants so our children can grow up with more positive role models."

Fine words indeed, but it's a little naive. Our media culture is driven by demand and though it would be lovely if we kicked the pampered celebs into touch, you can be sure that celebrity mags such as Hello and Ok! will be selling shedloads this week, that Towie and Big Brother will enjoy steady TV ratings and celebrity-dominated newspapers such as the red tops will lead the market.

The media may set agendas but it is the public which drives demand and the rather naive posting, as laudable as it is, was like suggesting that from tomorrow everyone boycotts chocolate because it's damages your teeth. It ain't going to happen.

But what can happen is that we seize this moment, feel inspired and realise how sport can truly be a force for good. It doesn't matter how good or bad you're at sport, just give it a go.

Like me right now, I feel knackered, I'm ready for a bath before work, but that glorious run along the seafront has set me up perfectly for the day.