I used to be quite good at running, I even thought of myself as a runner. In 2014 I ran the Oxford Half Marathon, intending it to be a springboard to a lifetime of distance running. 

And then I just... stopped.

Now, even trying to run a 5k is painful and leaves me frustrated. "How did I let myself become so out of shape?" I ask myself, before sitting back on the sofa and not running again for a month.

What I'm trying to say is, this is going to be a challenge. It isn't a "please sponsor me to do something I was probably going to do anyway" request.

For a start, it's January. I'm going to be running in the cold, in the dark, and probably in the rain. The only thing that's going to get me out of the door every day in the most depressing month of the year is knowing that it's for something worthwhile. Something bigger than my fragile ego, love of warm sofa's, and desire to be free of shin splints.

Sure, you're doing something crazy. But why should I donate towards Oxfordshire Mind?

Apparently 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. And yet there's still a stigma attached to admitting when we or our loved one are struggling, employers are nervous about recruiting people with a history of mental health problems, and mental health services are under-resourced.

Services like the ones that Oxfordshire Mind offer can make a massive difference to somebody's life. The 1:1 CBT I received though Talking Space quite literally changed my life, giving me the tools I need to get myself out of spirals of anxiety and depression. It's not a quick fix or a magic wand, but it helps. A lot.