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Our reasons for running this year are probably three fold I’d say. I being Suzy 😘 Designated setterupper and lead fundraiser by the looks of it 🙄

First and foremost is our running for the YMCA. We were introduced to the YMCA by our good friend Donna, the gym manager at North Tyneside. The YMCA give stacks to our community in terms of supporting vulnerable young people - whether that be education and training, youth activities, to offering supported living accommodation to name just a few ways they help. They do this by offering a number of services to the community (such as their gym and cafe) to sustain this support as well as fundraising through events such as this and it’s for that reason we are fundraising for them. Take a look yourself 🤗 https://ymcanorthtyneside.org 

Secondly, a goal! Paul signed up in January 2020 for the Great North Run to get fit! As there’s no show without Punch, as soon as I found out I was on it as well. The aim was to get healthy. Then lockdown happened and all we got was an alcohol problem and a fat backside! Ok so they were both fairly sizeable before that but lockdown certainly didn’t help matters. Looking back now, I don’t think we were in the right mental place anyway. We were over the moon  the day we found out the GNR 2020 was cancelled as not only had we not trained but we’d gone out of our way to become unhealthier and unfitter! The goal was there in the background somewhere  - we just weren’t ready for it. 

Third and finally - WE’RE NOW READY! Ish! 😂 New Years Eve of 2020/2021 saw a quite deep conversation between Paul and I where it was apparent how deeply unhappy we were with ourselves. And we hadn’t helped each other AT ALL because every bit of weight gain over the last twelve years were all linked to amazing experiences we’d had. In our eyes, the other hadn’t changed a bit and we loved each other, loved life and loved it to the max. However, clothes were becoming an issue in that nothing fit and health was becoming an issue in that we felt bloated and full and massive! Not helped at all by Covid messing with our heads. From new year we together began getting healthy - changing our lifestyle - knocking the drink on the head (or certainly as much as we had been knocking back) and tracking our losses both by weighing and measuring ourselves. We managed accidentally to do a dry January paired with reducing portions, eating healthy and upping our step count. It really was going to be our time this time. It was happening. The weight started falling off at a significant but healthy rate. It does slow down at times but I can honestly say that we have changed our habits and outlook and our journey really has been a lifestyle change. We’ve got a decent amount of healthy competition between us but I can hand on heart say we are each other’s biggest (no pun intended) cheerleader. I’m so bloody proud of him. We’re bloody proud of each other. We stand today, after 8 months, at having lost 8 STONE between us; Paul at an incredible 5 stone and me a respected 3. For that reason alone, running (or shuffling) is obviously easier. The goal has become a reality. 

This will be Paul’s FIRST Great North Run - apt really being the 40th GNR and he’s convinced he’s still celebrating his 40th and will get a medal to confirm it 😂 For me it’s a 4th but no less daunting, having done my previous ones when I was on the lighter side. Paul has been awesome in getting up and rocking couch to 5K and to date we’ve rocked out a 10k. So the ‘training’ is going well. 

We’ve paired up for you to get your hands in your pockets and get sponsoring - seems silly for us to both be canvassing most of the same people - joint fundraising is as far as it goes though; there’ll be nee joint facebooks from us so rest easy 😂 So - whether it’s for the YMCA, whether it’s for us as individuals or whether you’re supporting us a couple - thank you ☺️