Running has never been my forte, my friends & family will tell you that in a snap; in fact, fitness never really has been either. Towards the back end of 2019 I decided to take the plunge and start being consistent, going to the gym, eating better & for lack of a better word: not going cold turkey into all of this. It was hard initially, a visit to Lancaster Infirmary because of fluid on my lungs was a hurdle to take, constant pain from previous injuries and wobbling and hobbling back home after sessions at the gym, just to not be able to lift a box over my head the next day. As of writing this in early January 2020, I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere, I've lost 10 kilograms since October 2019 and feel the strongest I've ever been. So, what next? 

Once again, late last year I found myself wanting to do something good for the world, to give myself a target, to be better - my situation at home involves my partner, Anne-Marie, who struggles severely with Endometriosis, even after an operation to 'attempt' to help the pain of this condition, still has pain on a daily basis. This has been going on since she first developed the condition and doctors told her, that it was just the normal and to "get on with it", it's a severely unheard of and underfunded condition which has potential to affect the 49% population of women worldwide, you can find more information on here: https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/understanding-endometriosis. With this in mind, I made a decision to run a half-marathon, in the Howgills on May 10 of this year, a realistic target I think, with the help of my amazing boss Rin Colombi (an enthusiastic runner himself having completed the Lakeland 100 & several other events previously), Joe Robinson (the owner of Coreworx Gym in Kendal, if you are struggling with fitness, this man is one of the best), Rachael Horn (my personal trainer at Coreworx, another amazing trainer, who is once again, recommended by me!) & of course Anne-Marie, my partner through everything, and somebody I hope these donations will help in the long term, of course everyone else out there too who has encouraged me, friends & family; as many Ken Bruce listeners will recognise, "anyone who knows me" 

For anyone that struggles with this condition I encourage you to join a support group or speak out now into this new decade, you can find information on Endometriosis UK as linked above, or for people in my local area (Cumbria) contact Elaine Remy at Endometriosis UK Cumbria. I've got to give huge thanks to Elaine for starting the Cumbria group & bringing together both Men and Women to understanding more about this condition & combating it further with both conventional and unconventional methods. Any money, no matter big or small that you pledge to this JustGiving campaign will go directly to Endometriosis UK & help raise more awareness about the condition and hopefully, finding solutions and answers to questions nationwide in the UK, especially at a time like the present, when the NHS has enough on it's plate.