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Hello and thank you for visiting my online fundraising page.    <a href="http://basno.com/x8dwfvtv?ref=email&amp;iid=x8dwfvtv&amp;pid=1898"><img src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/com.basno.storage/instances/x8dwfvtv.png?ref=email&amp;iid=x8dwfvtv&amp;pid=1898" alt="" width="107"></a> Well, I completed the New York Marathon!  We had a great race and finished in 5 hours 20 minutes (and 33 seconds!), not a fast time at all but included several photo stops(!), numerous drinks stops and laterally quite a few stretching stops! New York is by far the best marathon I've ever taken part in - the crowds and atmosphere were incredible.  Thank you to everyone who has supported me and SAMH in this endeavour.  There's still plenty of time to make a donation if you haven't already done so - this page will be "open" for some time to come!  Mental health awareness is very close to my heart following a dear friend's own battle with depression.  That's why on the 6th of November 2011 I will be running the New York Marathon in aid of SAMH (The Scottish Association for Mental Health). SAMH is Scotland’s leading mental health charity. In Scotland 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem and each day 2 people die by suicide. SAMH works to support people with mental health problems and to fight the stigma associated with mental health illness.  To find out more about SAMH and the terrific work they do please visit <a href="http://www.samh.org.uk">www.samh.org.uk</a> As my training progresses I'll be adding to the gallery of photos and videos so why not save my page to your favourites and come back every so often to see how Í'm doing!  I know it's tough times out there so whatever you can give large or small to help towards my fundraising target will be hugely appreciated (and will help tremendously to motivate me during those long training runs!).  If you're a UK tax payer then please remember to Gift Aid your donation so that SAMH can reclaim the tax - it makes a big difference! One other way you can help is by forwarding the web address of my fundraising page on to your contacts or to anyone you think might be interested in sponsoring me. <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/june-pennykid">www.justgiving.com/june-pennykid</a> Thanks so much for your support.  Best wishes, June p.s. 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 SAMH 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. Training Update - 22nd August 2011 It's now only 11 weeks until the big day and the training is going well (albeit it's a little challenging after a busy day at work!).  The Sunday runs are now up to 1hour 45 mins (as of yesterday!) with a 2 hour run planned for next Sunday!  On the 4th of September I'm going to be running the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in Glasgow as part of my training for the big one - I'm not looking for a great time, just to get round the course comfortably and without any niggles in my knees!!!  Will post a photo or two here after the race so keep watching this space! Training Update - 5th September 2011 I ran the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon yesterday which was great training for the big day.  Unfortunately my usual knee problem reared its head at the 11 mile mark so it was a rather uncomfortable 2 miles to the finish line!  Despite a rather rainy summer, yesterday was very warm and not the best conditions for running 13 miles!  It's now only 2 months until the big day and plenty of long Sunday runs to come...I'm off to get my bag of frozen peas! Training Update - 27th September 2011 It's now a mere 5 and a half weeks until the marathon and only another 3 long runs until the training really starts to taper off (where does the time go!).  My runner's knee is still proving hugely frustrating and is somewhat hampering my long training runs.  I'm just hoping that physio, lots of stretching and strengthening exercises will make the difference!  Did a 17 mile run at the weekend although spent the last 4 miles walking/jogging on account of the knee pain!  I've just booked a post-marathon "Extreme Sports Massage" for the evening of marathon day - and whilst ordinarily I'd look forward to such a relaxing treat, my aching legs and copious amounts of lactic acid will no doubt ensure that it'll be far from relaxing!  Training Update - 12th October 2011 One long run to go before the big one!  It's now just 3 weeks until I fly out to NY for the marathon and the tapering in the training will be starting soon.  I've got a 20 mile run planned for this Saturday (and a carb-fuelled evening planned for Friday!).  The training is going well and my knee problems are improving - albeit slowly!  Physio yesterday involved dry needling in my legs and glutes - not particularly pleasant but will hopefully help!  Update - 27th October 2011 It's now a mere 10 days until the marathon so the training is tapering off nicely.  We held a fundraising evening at Crabtree & Evelyn in Edinburgh on Tuesday night, which was lovely and C&E were great hosts.  Thank you to everyone who came along - hope you had a great time.  I'll post a final update here after the marathon!  Update - 15th November 2011 Well, I completed the New York Marathon!  We had a great race and finished in 5 hours 20 minutes (and 33 seconds!), not a fast time at all but included several photo stops(!), numerous drinks stops and laterally quite a few stretching stops! New York is by far the best marathon I've ever taken part in - the crowds and atmosphere were incredible.  Thank you to everyone who has supported me and SAMH in this endeavour.  There's still plenty of time to make a donation if you haven't already done so - this page will be "open" for some time to come.

June's New York Marathon Challenge!

June's New York Marathon Challenge!

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