As many of you will know I am not a natural runner, before lockdown I had never ran 5km, I am impatient with slow progress and my funny little feet don't enjoy the concrete pounding, but here I am about to start training for the London Marathon.

I knew going into this I wanted to run for a heart charity for it to be strong enough motivation to push me through a winter of training and I was lucky enough to secure a place on #TeamHRUK (not just for their initials 😏). Heart Research UK fund research and education  into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart diseases. Something far too many of us have experience of within our families.

20 years ago my stepdad suffered a fatal cardiac arrest whilst we were walking in the Lake District. My sister and I had to leave mum delivering CPR to meet an advanced doctor at the road and walk them back up - ahead of Keswick MRT arriving. John was only 54 and lived a healthy active life including being a jogger himself. We remember John throughout our lives and particularly during our trips to the Lakes, and I will think of him throughout my training and I am sure on the day of the marathon. Through my work I complete regular CPR and AED training and I am very grateful for those sessions. However I know too well that the key is medical research to deliver treatment and cures.

Every 3 years I go to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for scans and measurements on my own heart for known issues identified when I was a baby. This year, just after my 30th birthday they identified a hole they hadn't seen before (a small PFO which is very common and shouldn't affect me except preventing a career in deep-sea diving…). This hole will have been there since birth however it is only with clearer imaging they were able to identify and measure it. I am also grateful that other loved ones with heart conditions such as angina, arrhythmias and hypertension are lucky to have benefit from previous cardiac research and live healthy lives with medication and care. 

The London Marathon is the largest annual fundraising event in the world, so along with learning how to run for 5 hours I need to contribute to those donations. If any of you want to support a cause this year I’d really appreciate if you’d consider HRUK through my page. Any amount would be hugely appreciated and of course all goes to make a big difference 🫀

So I have downloaded a plan and I have some pushy friends who will keep me accountable but ultimately it’s my legs that need to get moving! 🏃🏼‍♀️let’s go…