Update (22nd Feb 2016):

So... I did it. 

Everything about the race was incredible; my fellow runners, the supporters, the volunteers, the musicians, Barcelona itself... But most of all, feeling closer than ever to my dad. I had a cry whilst running down Gran Via, approaching the 5km mark... 'Over The Rainbow' came on my shuffle and it took me back to my dad's funeral. Then out of nowhere, a guy from Gloucester who was dressed up as Superman ran with me which helped me 'snap' out of my moment.

So considering I had a knee injury and wasn't allowed to run for almost 4 weeks until race day, and I ran 2km to the race from my hotel (silly and long story!), and I had a loo stop at 15km, I think coming in at 2hr42 is OK! (The maximum time given was 2hr45!) 

To every single one of you who has donated and, or supported me and Core - I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart, because without your support I couldn't have done it. The money raised so far is truly overwhelming, the fact that I conquered those 21.1km can change the life of at least one person means more than the world to me. 

One more person out there doesn't need to suffer the way my dad, uncle and cousin did, and their loved ones won't need to go through the heartbreak we went through when these awful diseases took them away from us. You guys are amazing and I am incredibly touched. 

Love and light xxx

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I wouldn't consider myself as a super active person, if at all. I pretty much came 2nd to last in Cross Country every time… PE was certainly not my forte at school. So why have I chosen to run 13.1 miles? In autumn 2012, my cousin who was just 24, lost his short but painful and aggressive battle to stomach cancer. And just 3 months after losing my dad to liver cancer, my uncle lost his life to pancreatic cancer.

The initial symptoms of stomach cancer are easily mistaken for less serious conditions such as indigestion and heartburn. A tumour in the pancreas doesn't usually cause any symptoms, and a cure is only possible for a tiny minority of people with liver cancer as it produces very little symptoms and many people are not diagnosed until it is well advanced. The main thing that these cancers have in common is that the symptoms are often vague. They can lay dormant for a great deal of time, resulting the body to become a cancerous breeding ground. Symptoms don't tend to appear until the cancer is at an advanced stage; a stage where it is difficult to treat and in many cases incurable - just like my cousin, dad and uncle who had no chance of survival by the time they were diagnosed.

The thought that there are people right now who are going through the same suffering they went through, and the worlds of their loved ones turned upside down just like ours, pains me with sadness and heartbreak. If my challenge can change or improve at least the lives of ONE family, that is all that matters to me. After losing my dad, I was incredibly shocked at the statistics of survival rates of liver cancer and cancers of the digestive system. When a disease like this hits so close to home I knew I wanted to do something. By raising awareness and supporting scientific research and medicinal developments, maybe that father will get the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle, or that 79 year old grandmother will get to celebrate her 80th with her family, or that big brother will get to see his baby sister graduate.

I've chosen to raise money for a charity called Core. They fund research across all areas of digestive (gut, liver and pancreas) diseases and disorders - these areas receive less funding than others and are the primary reason that Core exists. If you would like to know more please feel free to visit their website: http://www.corecharity.org.uk/what-we-do

Losing my dad has been the hardest and most painful thing in my life. There are no words that could ever describe the magnitude of emotions that crippled me when the doctor told us his diagnosis; "liver cancer", and that he only had "weeks to live". Unfortunately it was significantly less than "weeks". In less than 48 hours from his diagnosis I watched the strongest, most loving, caring, thoughtful and selfless man I've ever known deteriorate before my eyes. I only had those very few hours to tell my dad everything I've ever wanted to say, to reassure my dad that everything - whatever that meant at the time - was going to be OK, those final hours to say my last ever goodbye. He passed away peacefully at 5am on Sunday 15th February 2015 with my mum, my sister and me by his side.

Straightaway I looked into fundraising and decided to set myself a challenge; a marathon. I joined the gym soon after and since then I've been having regular personal training sessions with my PT, Gareth. Getting my fitness levels up has been a serious challenge in itself. The days where I've been unable to walk the stairs, sit down, turn around in bed, sneeze, laugh... I'll never forget! There have been some gruelling moments and a couple of hissy fits (sorry Gareth!), but by reminding myself why I'm doing this and thinking about my cousin, my dad and my uncle during those final 20 seconds on the treadmill or those final 3 reps on the leg press motivates me to preserver, knowing it will be all worth it in the end.

This summer I signed up for the Barcelona Half Marathon (Mitja Marato De Barcelona, edreamsmitjabarcelona.com) which takes place on Sunday 14th February 2016 - exactly one year after my dad's death. Barcelona was one of the places he always wanted to go ever since the Olympics in 1992. He finally paid Barcelona a grand visit in 2010 on a family holiday (unfortunately I was interning in China at the time so I wasn’t able to make it) and it lived up to everything he'd imagined - although, a better portfolio of Chinese restaurants would've been ideal to curb his rice addiction...

I spent this Valentines Day with the first man I ever loved, I couldn't think of anywhere else or anything else I'd rather do than to spend next Valentines Day in my dad's memory and legacy. With the marathon just around the corner I've been building up to regular runs - come at me autumn/winter weather! Your support and donations will motivate me to go through the final and toughest part of my training as well as on the marathon day itself. I'll be clocking up 13.1 miles (21.1km) across the streets of Barcelona, hopefully finishing in one piece and within 2 hours 30 minutes.

So please dig deep; shake that plastic Halifax house, pull out the sofa cushions, break that piggy bank, swap a Pret lunch for a Pot Noodle (J/K)... You get my drift!

Big, huge love. xxx