Story
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">+++UPDATE+++</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The first target was to get round the <strong>Bath Half Marathon</strong> in one piece, the second was to not stop for a break along the way and the third was to try and do it in the best realistic time I had in my head.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Well, it was a hard slog in the sun, but I got there in the end and achieved all three, with a 'sprint' finish - these things are all relative - helping me squeak just inside the two hours 40 minute mark, so I'm pretty chuffed all told.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">And the aches and pains are all worth it when weighed against your amazing kindness in donating to the <strong>William Budd Ward</strong>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">I've been blown away by your generosity, which provided massive motivation when the body started to hurt out there, and have now doubled the initial target to £3,000.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Thank you ever so much.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">It appears to me that these days you're supposed to do something mega outlandish when it's for charity, like rollerblading down the north face of Everest blindfolded in an effort to support a project for short-sighted lemurs in the Madagascan highlands!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">So I'm bucking the trend and going local with something much closer to home, and much closer to my heart.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">On <span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Sunday 11 March</strong></span> I will be doing the <span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Bath Half Marathon</strong></span> in aid of the <span style="color: #000000;"><strong>William Budd Ward</strong></span>, which is the Haematology and Oncology ward at Bath's Royal United Hospital. </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Since moving to Bath in 2007, the remarkable staff who work there have put up with me more than any sane person should have to as I've spent a fair bit of time coming and going, having been diagnosed with leukaemia in 2008 and relapsing for the first time in 2009. A rough estimate puts it at about 200 days as an in-patient and I'd like to raise some money in order to provide the ward with extra funds to help make the stays of long-term patients in a similar position to me as comfortable as possible. All donations will be passed on to Forever Friends, which is the hospital's charitable trust, and they will be directed towards the William Budd Ward from there.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;">Having only ever run for a bus before, training for this has been a step into the unknown and my plodding progress was hit when I relapsed a second time at the beginning of 2012. I seem to be getting slightly slower with each passing week, but as I'm still able to maintain some forward momentum I have decided to carry on with plans to give this half-marathon malarkey a crack as illness has yet to intervene. Hopefully I'll still have some forward momentum by the end of it!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Thanks for taking the time to visit this page, spare a thought for me on Sunday and I'll let you know how it goes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;">+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted e-mails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to Forever Friends and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it's the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p>