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Mike Tomlinson takes a sip of coffee as he considers the question carefully.

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"How have I coped? I don't think I have really.

"Sometimes the mind plays tricks on you doesn't it? There have been times when I thought I was coping really well, then it hit me that I wasn't at all.

"When I have been doing well, I've sort of been testing myself, thinking about things and remembering things that I probably shouldn't think about.

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"Then I find myself back at square one. It's really stupid and not at all grown up of me.

"There are always trigger points. When Jane was in hospital I always used to miss her after 8.30pm because that's when we would sit down together and I thought those would be my lowest points... when she should be there.

"It's actually been when I've been driving to work at 7.30 in the morning that I've missed her most. I'll be driving along and then think 'What am I doing?' or 'What's the point?'"

In the 12 months since Jane passed away in St Gemma's Hospice, Mike has kept himself busy.

He's crammed in the London Marathon, repeated Jane's John O'Groats to Lands End cycle ride, organised the city's biggest run – the Leeds 10k – and launched a public battle against the drugs postcode lottery which he believes robbed his wife of a chance to prolong her life.

He is justifiably proud of those achievements – particularly the Leeds 10k, which this year attracted 12,000 runners – although he still questions where he has found the strength.

Perhaps some of Jane's courage has rubbed off? "I don't think so," he said, "I certainly don't feel very courageous. Jane would have had a laugh at that.

"It has been a very busy year. Doing all that stuff probably masked my thoughts for quite a long time after Jane died. The problem comes when you stop and you discover that you haven't moved on with your life like you thought you had."

There are, inevitably, some things of which Mike says he is not so proud – such as going out drinking with friends, albeit once a week, when he felt he should be at home.

His parenting skills also come in for some criticism, though it is hard to imagine a closer father-and-son relationship than the one shared by Mike and his 11-year-old son Steven.

"I have not been the best parent I could have been in the past year. I could have been there more for Steven and I could have been there more for (daughters) Suzanne and Becca, too. I'm fallible, I know that.

"The kids have all been brilliant. Becca has spent a lot of time with Steven, a lot.

"Losing your partner is not like being divorced. You don't have anyone else to lean on, it's all on you.

"Steven and I are really close, though. We're going to the football and to rock concerts a lot. I'm trying to keep him busy. I still take him to the theatre and things like that – stuff his mum would have done with him. With us being two lads together it's easy to slip into bad habits."

So what does the future hold? Quite a lot, it seems.
Mike has a third book out this week – How Good Is That? – which tells the story of Jane's epic ride across America and her return when she found her cancer was all but untreatable. The book chronicles Jane's final moments, including tender scenes where she heartbreakingly leaves notes for her husband and family... including instructions on how to use the washer.

"The book was hard going at times. Not the writing and deadlines, but having to write about difficult times. Jane wrote her bits but I had to pull it all together. I hope it's a good read."

With the book now published, Mike will turn his attention to the Leeds 10k Run for All. He already has plans to make the event bigger.

Next year's event will have a 15,000 capacity and by 2010 it is hoped that will rise to 20,000.

Mike also plans to channel a lot of the money into a major research project in Jane's name.

Along with the run, it will be another extraordinary legacy, left by a remarkable woman.