Some people love it, some people hate it, some people do it to keep fit, to socialise, for charity or do it for a bit of me time. 

Running for me is a bit of all of these. I put on my shiny white trainers and turned up to my first Parkrun 10 months ago. It wasn’t easy, a bit self conscious, a newbie among all these runners, it was hard, I wanted to give in, my breathing and pacing was all over the place but I completed it and went back week after week determined to get fitter and stronger. Parkrun #36 complete and I’ve not felt as strong or as fit in a long time. I’ve met so many lovely, supportive and encouraging people in this other community I didn’t know existed.

After joining the Selby Striders, gradually increasing the miles, it was time to step up a gear....running my first half marathon. I was lucky enough to get a place on the Selby Hands of Hope, Great North Run Team. A local charity in its 10th year who many of you will know and will have possibly benefited from the fantastic work they do. They help, support and provide for people, groups and organisations in our local town and district. At times, instantly changing lives for the better.

On 8th September, I’ll be in Newcastle, in the white pen ready to run 13.1 miles for them. I’ve been training hard in baking hot sun and in downpours...which was fun for the first few minutes only! I’ve got through shin splints and a injury that floored me...thank you friends and family for listening to me go on about it! If you’ve got 5 more minutes and would like to know a bit more about SHOH, head over to their Facebook page, there’s a great little film on there celebrating their 10 years of fundraising,  achieving and surpassing the £1 million mark. 

SHOH and myself would be so grateful for any donation you could kindly make. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.