Well.... of course it had to be purple!!!

As many of you will know last year was the first year that I ran the Great North Run & whilst I was pleased that I finished, I couldn't help feeling there were people doing so much more by running in aid of a charity......including the 2 guys dressed as Push-Me-Pull-You!

Last year was also the first time that I took part in a Triathlon (I blame Phil & Kristina!) - The Sun City Sprint Tri. At the end of that Tri I felt so good that I decided this year I would do the Olympic distance triathlon. I mean its only twice the distance of the sprint triathlon and for good measure why not do the one that has the biggest hills in the UK (as if the distance wasn't enough!) so I signed up for Keswick Triathlon.......hmmmm

In fact....signing up became something of an addiction during the dark cold depths of winter, and somehow I seem to have entered (or myself & Dave have entered!!) numerous events this year:
     1. 23rd May - Keswick Triathlon: 750m swim (in Derwent water), 35km bike & 8km run  Completed
     All done in 3hrs 31minutes!!
     2. 20th June - Great East Swim: 1mile swim in Alton Lake.... - DNF :-(
     New!! 25th July - Teeside Triathlon: 400m swim, 28km cycle & 15km run..... Complete - 1hr 50mins :-)
     3. 15th August - Cambridge Triathlon: 1.5km swim (in Mepal lake!), 40km bike & 10km run - Complete - 3hrs 11min :-)
     4. 19th September - Great North Run: 13.1 miles....in the NORTH!
And maybe more - who knows!!

So why waste all that effort I say, so I'd like to raise money for a charity & the one I chose is MIND.

Why MIND?
When I was 9 my mum, Heather, committed suicide. She had been depressed for a number of years and seemed to get better for a while. But then I remember her sitting for hours staring at nothing & one day she was taken into hospital, to give her a break.....she never came home.

This has had a profound affect on me & not just me - it affected all of her family & friends. Suicide has an impact that stays with the survivors all their lives, it never goes away & for me will always taint so many aspects of what I do, both the happiest & saddest moments in my life seem to be a time to remind me of the loss.

Can you imagine being in such a position, to feel so terrible that the only way out is death?  For me, thankfully, this is somewhere I have never been - but I know people that are living with this now & who continue to struggle every single day with depression. Because it is a battle, a fight every single day, not to give up, to keep going. It is also a hidden disease, a disease that has as many social stigma's attached to it as facets of the disease itself.

So I want to do something to raise money for a charity that works with people who are suffering with depression & MIND do this, but they also work with people with all types of mental health issues. They provide phone-lines, counselling, support & research into the cause, they work to make a difference. So please help - anything you can give would be appreciated. I've set a target of £500 but who knows - the skies the limit :-)

So I'll be adding a blog & pictures from all the events as we go through....with the results..... but you know - surviving is good!!...okay finishing is better but you cant have everything!!