Story
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">I have always wanted to run a marathon. For me, its the ultimate running goal. </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">26.2 miles is a seriously long way. After watching a lot of friends complete the Virgin London Marathon in 2010 (and having played with the idea for about 4 years) I have finally entered one. </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">The furthest I have run before is 16 miles, so this is a huge challenge for me: </span><strong><span style="color: #0000ff;">If I can make it to the finish line, in one piece, I'll be happy. </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">If I can do that in under 4 hours 30 mins, I'll be ecstatic.</span></strong></p>
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<p><span style="color: #ff1493;"><strong>I will be updating my page as much as possible, but you can follow my training here at </strong></span><a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/runningfairy#ref=tophd"><span style="color: #ff1493;"><strong>Dailymile</strong></span></a><span style="color: #ff1493;"><strong>. </strong>The races I'm entered for are as follows:</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">26-09-10: <strong>Run To The</strong> <strong>Beat Half Marathon</strong> - (13.1 miles) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">: TIME: 2:16</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">20-02-11: <strong>Race Your Pace Half Marathon </strong>- (13.1 miles)</span><span style="color: #ff1493;"> </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">: TIME: 2:00:29 - WOO!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">06-03-11: <strong>Silverstone Half Marathon</strong> - (13.1 miles) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">: TIME: 1:59:40 - SUB 2! :)</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">13-03-11: <strong>Surrey Spitfire 20 </strong>- (20 miles) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">: TIME: 3:20:36</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">27-03-11: <strong>Wholefoods Kingston Breakfast Run</strong> - (16 miles) </span><span style="color: #0000ff;">: TIME: 2:32:10</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;">10-04-11: <strong>Brighton Marathon</strong> - (26.2 miles)</span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Running for charity is an even bigger commitment. </span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">After seeing what <strong><a href="http://www.shootingstar.org.uk/">Shooting Star Children's Hospice</a></strong> are doing first-hand, I knew I wanted to help, as <strong>they receive no other funding whatsoever</strong> aside from charitable donations. Before I met Zoe's mum, Britt, I thought hospices were places where people go to die when the medical profession were unable to do any more. Shooting Star could not be more different; it is a place centered around fun and activities for the child in a safe and medically equiped environment, as well as offering invaluable support and respite for parents of those children who have life-threatening or life-limiting conditions. It is a very positive place, who's tagline is absolutely true: <strong>Enhancing quality of life, when every moment counts</strong>. </span></p>
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<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Shooting Star also has an outreach support programme where nurses and carers are able to visit families in their own homes, essential support when dealing with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions. In the heart-breaking situation when a child is terminally ill, Shooting Star help to make the child as physically comfortable as possible and provide a number of complimentary therapies, for both the child and the families, as well as emotional support and counselling. After seeing a close friend lose her baby, and the effect it has on a family to lose a child, I can see how services such as counselling are absolutely invaluable and I wish I'd known about the help available from the charity at the time.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">I hope to make more people aware of <a href="http://www.shootingstar.org.uk/">Shooting Star Children's Hospice</a>, the services it provides and how to gain access to it, should someone, their friends or family be unfortunate enough to find themselves in such a difficult time, when they need it most.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff1493;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;">I appreciate raising money in such cash-strapped times is hard but if you can spare anything<em> (one less bottle of wine this week?!)</em> I will be so grateful and it sincerely <strong>WILL</strong> make such a difference to this charity and the families helped out by them.</span></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color: #a9a9a9;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</span></strong></em></p>
<p><em><span style="color: #a9a9a9;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and <strong>totally secure</strong>. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money <strong>directly to the charity</strong> 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.</span></em></p>
<p><em><strong><span style="color: #d3d3d3;"><span style="color: #a9a9a9;">So please dig deep and donate now</span>.</span></strong></em></p>