My wonderful Dad is now suffering from late-stage Alzheimers.  He has been a quiet and steady inspiration to me throughout my life, and he has taught me many valuable lessons.  He is a Doctor, a consultant in pathology and microbiology, a Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps and latterly he worked for the NHS; he has devoted his life to public service.  The most important lesson he shared with me is his deep love of the outdoors.  He introduced me to the Lake District at an early age and my childhood memories are shaped by our family holidays scrambling around the fells and mucking around in the rivers and lakes.  Trainers and cagouls were the extent of our technical kit, so my memories include him fishing my trainers out of muddy bogs and being soaked to the bone in a waterproof that wasn't actually waterproof.  I suspect the resilience this built still helps me every day, especially in my military career.  Dad was also a great x-country runner and even as dementia took hold, he would still escape for a run and somehow he would always find his way home.  As the disease continued its relentless march, I would often find our repeated conversations were always about running.

My favourite memory from the Lakes is a route Dad and I used to do together.  He used to insist on setting off first and Mum wasn't allowed to let me go for another 30 minutes.  I then had to chase up the fells to catch him up.  On this route from Borrowdale to Grasmere, I would then meet numerous other fell walkers who would stop and ask if I was "Piglet" (my family nickname) - they'd just seen and spoken to Dad and they'd heard all about his daughter and her exploits.  They'd say they could tell how proud he was of me.  He was never able to tell me that himself, but I think this was his own subtle way of sharing his feelings.  These memories are the inspiration for this fundraising effort.

Wainwright's Coast to Coast route starts in St Bees on the West coast of England, and crosses the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the Yorkshire Moors, finishing in Robin Hood's Bay on the East coast.  The route traces many of the fells where Dad and I used to wander, most importantly, our route from Borrowdale to Grasmere.

I have never run this far - 192 miles is a long way!  I have been training since January and will be doing two events as part of my training to see how I am getting on:  the Highland Fling in April (53 miles along the West Highland Way) and the Lakeland 50 in July.

I am planning to do the event in early Sep 19, and as my training progresses, I will refine the exact plan.  But I hope to do the route within 4 days.

I set out to raise just £10 for every mile I run, this feels like a tiny contribution to tackling this cruel disease.  Thanks to my sponsors generosity, I have now increased my fundraising target three times!  It's too late now for my Father; but with his medical background, I know he will value this investment in medical research.  I know this event is going to be physically and mentally exhausting, and I will appreciate all your support in sticking to the training and on the event itself, but there are two things that I know will keep me motivated:

1.  My Father would be so proud to see me running across the fells of the Lake District, and the Dales and Moors of Yorkshire and;

2.  Every mile I run might just help another family from enduring the distress of this cruel disease.

Alzheimer’s Society is transforming the landscape of dementia forever.  Until the day we find a cure, we will create a society where those affected by dementia are supported and accepted, able to live in their community without fear or prejudice.