I’m doing the Great North Run on Sunday 10th September! (I did say that I would be back for another race, I just didn’t know it would be so soon!)

After being unsuccessful in securing an entry through the ballot in January this year, I had shelved my GNR plans for this year and set my sights on next year instead and focused on the Great Manchester Run 10K in May. However, I have now been fortunate enough to get a charity place for this year so I will be taking on the full 13.1 miles of the world’s biggest half marathon.

This is my greatest challenge yet – whilst I had run  any a 10K over the years before my first Great Manchester Run, I have never run a half marathon. My training is well underway, but I will take any tips and advice that anyone might have! Ideally, there would have been more time to prepare and I know I won’t be fast, but my main goal is to get to the finish line in one piece.

I am once again fundraising in aid of Burning Nights CRPS Support, a fantastic charity working towards a better future for everyone affected by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Every penny will help in raising awareness, educating healthcare and the public, and supporting people living with CRPS, their loved ones and caregivers.

It is an honour to be a member of Team Burning Nights and be part of the mission to bring together the CRPS community to ensure that those living with this debilitating condition are not alone. One of the greatest obstacles in the diagnosis and treatment of CRPS is the lack of awareness and understanding of the condition, even within the medical profession. In some cases, it can take years to receive a diagnosis, which only prolongs the time that a person is living with chronic pain without even a name to put to what they are going through.

I will be using the same fundraising page that I used for the Great Manchester Run, so that all of my fundraising across the year is in one place. I hope to be able to raise the same amount again that I did for the 10K and for that reason I have now upped my fundraising target to £1000 (which includes the £500+ already raised!)

I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has already supported my fundraising this year. Whether or not you have given before, please consider donating to this wonderful charity. If you missed the chance to donate to my page for the last one, now is the time!

I know that times are tough, but raising awareness is as important as raising funds. So, if you can’t afford to donate right now, please help out and share so that we can reach more people and get people talking! Any and all help is appreciated.

Let’s do this!