Many of you will know that I've been doing a fair bit of running over the past year. It all started a few years back with a few Race for Life 5K's. In 2011 I decided to up the stakes and try a 10K, which went well - I did it in 53 minutes - it was a lovely run around Regents Park with my fellow runners - Tom and Ellie. Then we really got into it and signed up for a half marathon, which was the Run to the Beat one in Greenwich in September. I found that quite difficult (having just spent the two weeks prior drinking rum and slobbing about on beaches in the Domincan Republic). Anyway I managed it - in two hours and two minutes. Damn those last two minutes! The photo here is of me just after I finished the race. And now it's the big one: on April 15th I will attempt to run the Brighton marathon (ohbloodyhellwhatwasIthinking...). I'm aiming for sub-4 hours too. Sigh. Training has gone well so far - I ran 9 miles today. But that's still a far cry from 26 miles. (ohbloodyhellagain). 

Anyway, I'm hoping to raise a decent amount of money for The Avenues Youth Project. It's a fantastic local charity based in the Queens Park area of Westminster. It's one of the most deprived areas in the country, and one which experiences the greatest wealth and health inequalities: life expectancy from one end of Edgware Road (Park Lane) to the other end (Queens Park) drops by 12 years in men. With the rising challenges facing young people now a days (unemployment, vastly increased university fees, lack of inner-city places to socialize with other young people), along with the funding cuts, most keenly felt by small local charities like this - I can't think of a charity I'd rather run for. The Avenues really is owned and led by the young people it serves. Any funding you donate wont get eaten up by inflated overheads or administrative costs - you genuinely will be making a difference. Check out their website for more info on what they do and how they operate. 

I didn't fundraise for the 10K or the half marathon in 2011 because I knew I was aiming to achieve the marathon, and didn't want to come round with a begging bowl three times in a year. But the time has now come with the marathon around the corner. This will be a mega achievement for me (if I actually manage to do it!) and knowing I'm helping to sustain youth work at the Avenues will help motivate me along the long road ahead with training. So please, please, show your support for me in getting through this scarily daunting (but very exciting) task, and your support for young people by donating all you can afford to The Avenues. 

Thanks loads,

Ange x

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