Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

It is time to remind you all that after quite a few years of trying I have finally managed to get myself an entry into the London Marathon this year (Sunday April 22nd2012). I was originally included to take part in last year’s race (2011)and at  the end of January 2011 I was at half distance (reasonably comfortably) but then in early February I sustained a back injury which turned out to be very persistent and hugely uncomfortable. I had regular sessions with my physio but to no avail and unfortunately I had to pull out in early March. However, the good news is that my place has been secured to compete in this year’s race instead and true to say I am both very excited and hugely nervous about taking part, but will be putting my all into completing the course and in the best time that I can manage.

My daughter Emily has ataxia which is a neurological condition that causes problems with walking, speech and co-ordination. The name ataxia means "lack of order" because it gradually makes you lose control of your body. ataxia is progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, until you become dependent on othere for all your needs.

Ataxia UK is the national charity for people affected by ataxia and their dedicated services help people every step of the way, providing information, events, welfare grants, adice and local support. Emily and I recently attended Ataxia UK's national conference where we met some lovely and hugely inspiring people, and were able to benefit from the experience of others which was simply great.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to take part in the 2011 London Marathon taking place on Sunday 17th April 2011and will be using the event to raise money for Ataxia UK. This will be my first marathon and I am very nervous, but really excited at the same time at the prospect of taking part in this famous race. I haven't (yet) set a personal goal in terms of a time but my training programme has started and I will update you as I progress and think about what my target time will be. I have, as advised, invested in a new pair of "proper" running shoes and a compliment of shorts/training shirts etc, all bought from the Marathon Store in Covent Garden. "All the gear and no idea" is the thought that springs to mind, but I really am determined to complete the race in the best time that I can.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity 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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thank you all so much on behalf of Emily and all other ataxia sufferers for your kind donation.

An update on where I am at with my training for the London Marathon and I’m afraid the news isn’t great. By the end of January I was at half distance (reasonably comfortably) but then in early February I sustained a back injury that has resulted in an onset of Sciatica which has turned out to be very persistent and hugely uncomfortable. I have been having regular sessions with my physio and have been keeping up general fitness levels in the gym on static, non impact machines. During the course of the last week and a half, I have begun to try and run again on the road and the first time I managed just over 1.5 miles before the injury kicked in, and on Friday of last week I managed 5 miles but then literally spent all of the rest of the day and all day on Saturday hardly able to move. I saw my physio again on Tuesday and was advised that it is extremely unlikely that I will be race ready by the 17 April. To say that I am hugely frustrated with this is a massive understatement, however all is not lost. I have been in contact with Ataxia UK, and I am delighted to say that they have agreed that my entry can roll over into next year’s race so that I will be finally able to not only  fulfil a longstanding ambition, but also to collect on the sponsorship monies that you have so kindly pledged. All of this is far from ideal, but I sincerely hope that I can rely on your continued support for my efforts to raise as much as possible for this very worthwhile cause (albeit a year later than anticipated). In the meantime, I will carry on with my training regime and hope to get back into the running as soon as is possible.

As promised an update on how the training is going, and so far so good and this morning I completed a 13.56 mile training run in 2 hours 5 minutes so feeling pretty good about that although it’s true to say that the “old joints” are aching a bit right now. All in all though I’m pleased with progress made so far. Another update in a week or two but in the meantime don’t forget to get your donations registered