I was lucky enough to get a public ballot space in the 2018 London marathon, when I got pregnant I deferred the place to 2019. I gave birth via emergency c-section in October so gave myself the challenge to go from being unable to get out of bed 6 months ago to being fit to run 26 miles for the first time. 

Becoming a mum has been a wonderful, exciting, scary, hilarious, exhausting, thrilling, challenging experience.  I consider myself to be a resilient person who tackles everything front on and I was shocked with how difficult at times I found the big life shift. My husband and I have had incredible support from brilliant friends and amazing family for which we are eternally grateful. For some people they need a bit more than that.

Around 10% of mums and dads will experience perinatal mental health problems. This means for most of us it will either affect us directly or someone that we know. Acacia can be a real lifeline in providing much needed mental health support across Birmingham for these families, providing therapy groups, peer support and specialist support just for dads as well as crèche facilities to enable parents to access their services  

At times (usually 5k into a long run) I feel like I have taken on a challenge which is too big to conquer. Any sponsorship will give me added incentive to get out the door for the training runs and get through the last few miles on the 28th April. Thank you!