Right.

Picture it. Me, after unknown quantities of wine, high pitched and yakking rubbish and panicking about turning 40 this year. 'I can't be 40, I still have a baby tooth' and 'I can't be 40, I've still not grown above 5 feet tall'.

Such trivial yakking. Those of you who know me in real life will identify with my constant yakkity yak. I then received a message which broke my heart. My friend Jules, who married her soul mate, her true love, in June last year had lost her husband Mark to a brain tumour. 16 weeks they had as man and wife. 16. Mark dedicated a lot of his time working for Macmillan and the great work they did. It is not my place to bang on about how wonderful he was, that's Jules' as posted here. http://www.iamjules.com/2012/11/saying-goodbye-to-mark.html?m=1

It's my place to MAKE SHITLOADS OF MONEY IN HIS MEMORY so this is where you come in. I didn't know what to do to help. And then (bearing in mind I was hammered) thought ha! I will run 26.2 miles on my 40th birthday. 

Those of you that have met me, know I'm no beanstalk (4ft11.5 actually, but an inch of that might be my hair and tiptoes) and I have as my Mam says 'boobs that require scaffolding to keep them from dragging on the ground' so I'm perhaps not your typical running physique. There's also the fact I HATE IT. I DETEST IT. It's dull, I haven't time as I work away a lot, and I'd rather be drinking wine or yakking. Aside - have you tried yakking after five miles? You sound like a broken accordion after a 100 foot elephant has sat on it. With having such short legs, I'm sure that I run twice the distance of a non-midget. And imagine Mo Farrar with 34E breasts? I bet that would have slowed the bugger down in the Olympics, waggling about.

I did consider bare foot running a la Zola Budd, but I live in Newcastle and didn't fancy missing the race because I had half a broon ale bottle wedged in my big toe.

So there you go. If everyone I know gives a quid I will have at least £19. But £100 would mean that the Macmillan support line would be able to help people affected by cancer claim £2691 in the benefits they are entitled to. Hell, £918 would pay for a Macmillan nurse for a whole week.

Please sponsor me. I imagine with your help I may well win it. Granted I ran 10 miles this morning and nearly coughed up a lung but it's still early days... I have till May 26th. *gulps*

MOVE OVER STEVE CRAM. THERE'S A NEW GEORDIE RUNNER IN TOWN.

Love, 

Claire x

PS. Running has not helped my fat leg situation. They are still canny fat.