Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page for the Norwich Half Marathon.

Early October 2010 and something possessed me to go on an an eight and a half mile run.  Maybe it was love, maybe it was rejection, maybe it was purely frustration with the local economy and the false nature of so many people in today's world?  I decided after the initial run that I would like to do something positive for charity and soon got myself in to a training pattern which had me in pretty good condition in the lead up to the race.  The race was then postponed due to bad weather and I went to see the whole of the East Anglian Derby at Carrow Road, which Norwich won 4-1 :)

Now after clocking up over 170 miles in training so far and having my ego, as well as my arms & legs bruised in the process, I find myself having to try and motivate myself to pick up the tempo once more as the clock ticks down to the re-arranged race date of 13th March 2011.

During training for the initial race I have done the full
13.1 mile distance in 1 hour 45 mins.  Can I get back to that level of fitness, or even improve on it before March 13th?  I think that it it is going to be really difficult and I could do with all the support on offer as I look to beat my personal best on the day.

I am running for two different charities and so I was hoping that people could give equally to both?

My first charity is Diabetes UK.  Living with type 1 diabetes myself for the last 21 years, I would very much like to see advancements made in the blood monitoring equipment that so many diabetics find are a real hinderance towards them having excellent control and leading as normal a life as possible.  I would also like to see further advancements made towards finding the miracle cure for diabetes that they were talking about all those years ago when I was first diagnosed.  Obviously running long distances with this condition makes it even more of a test for me and that is why I feel that I should give something back to this charity for each run that I do.  I am also considering growing some mad March Hair, or wearing a wig for the run if this helps me pick up an extra sponsor or two!

My second charity is the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  Another charity that drastically needs funds to support further research towards a cure and making the lives of those who have it as comfortable and fulfilling as possible until this is done.  This charity is close to me as a special friend to me has a younger brother who has been very ill with it.
I have been really touched by the courage and strength of the young people who have to live with this condition and who know that unless a cure is found that they are fighting a courageous battle throughout an ultimately limited life.  I think that we could all learn something from such individuals.

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 (equally) to both of the above charities for me now.