Jura and I are running our first ever half marathon on December 1st. It's 21.1km for each of us in the heat and humidity of Cambodia. 

We received many messages of concern when Typhoon Haiyan struck South East Asia earlier this month. The storm had lost much of its power by the time it reached Vietnam and certainly in Hanoi, there was little damage.

Many thousands of people in the Philippines were not so fortunate. According to latest figures, the typhoon killed almost four thousand people there, with over a thousand more still missing. Half a million people lost their homes. 

The Disasters Emergency Committee have launched a special appeal to support relief efforts there - providing food, clean water and shelter to those in need. So if the photos and footage you have seen on the news since have made an impact and you want to help, please make a donation via this page.