This is me. I am a writer, recently ex-smoker, unfit and I weigh 13.5 st (85kg) which at 5ft 8in, gives me a BMI of 28.4. What this means in real terms is that I’m a few chocolate cakes shy of obesity. Before I had kids, I worked in a bar which is a pretty physical job and so I never really had to worry about an exercise programme, Now my work is sedentary and the weight just keeps creeping up. My dad was only one year older than I am now when he had his first heart attack. Something has to change.

 The problem is, like many overweight women, I am embarrassed about my lack of fitness and generally avoid situations where it will become apparent. There is a genuine fear of people pointing and laughing at my wobbly arse as I struggle to run 2k on a treadmill. I am also trapped in the cycle of feeling low about my weight, then turning to the biscuit tin to make myself feel better (which it momentarily does). It doesn’t help that a number of the hardcore fitness crowd make offensive statements about people like me which make us feel to ashamed to be in the same room as them, let alone clad in lycra.

Then three things happened. The first was meeting an acquaintance with my baby daughter and her statement that ‘I thought you were pregnant but didn’t want to say cos you’ve always been a big girl’. When did I become a ‘Big Girl’ and why did that bother me so much? The next two things were more positive. A friend completed the 2015 marathon and her enthusiasm was infectious. When I jokingly suggested joining her next time, she didn’t laugh – she encouraged me. The final thing to happen was watching the video 'This Girl Can'. It was a watershed moment for me. I am going to be one of these women, jiggling my way past the judgment and all the way to achieving one of my dreams – completing the London Marathon in 2016 and writing about my experiences to encourage others to do the same. You can read all about my journey at www.abiggirlsmarathon.com

So why Shelter? I decided from the start that I would like to raise money for a homelessness charity and there are several reasons for this. The first is personal - I have first hand experience of those enduring the privations, stress and indignity of homelessness. It is not a situation that anyone actively chooses to find themselves in and yet the numbers are growing. The second is awareness raising. Almost everyone knows somebody with cancer and as a result (and quite rightly) cancer charities receive an awful lot of support. Many people choose to keep their precarious housing situation quiet because it leads to the inevitable judgments (fueled by the media) that they are somehow feckless and deserving of their situation and are often conflated with those that suffer addiction problems. Finally on the subject of addiction problems, isn't it time that we looked past this to the human being underneath? The statistics clearly show that the vast majority of street drinkers and drug users were at some point a member of a state institution whether as a child in care or a member of the armed forces. Both of these groups have been badly let down by the state and deserve the representation and support that any other citizen in this country enjoys. 

So why specifically Shelter? I chose this charity in particular because they support all aspects of homelessness from rough sleeping through to families fleeing domestic violence. They use funds to both lobby the government for changes to the systems that perpetuate the problem and they provide practical support for those that find themselves without a home. They have both a helpline and are embedded at some local councils where they provide free advice to those in need. This service is needed now more than ever since the shutdown of many CAB centres. If you would like to find out more about Shelter and the amazing work that they do, you can find them at www.shelter.org.uk

So come on, what are you waiting for? It's got to be worth a few quid just to see my cherry red face pass the finish line surely??

Update... so 10kilos lighter and with 100s of kilometers under my belt,  I'm now ready and raring to go - wish me luck and I'll see you at the finish line! 

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