Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

At the turn of the year after threatening for years I finally ran out of excuses and registered to run the Great North Run 2011.   It was cold and snowing outside and it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Given the fact that I'd never ran before and didn't consider myself 'built for running' I thought I'd better start training early ... very early!  So some 8 months before the race of my life I took my first tentative strides on a dark winter's night - and I got the shock of my life! Running for 5 minutes without stopping and collapsing in a heap for breath was an almighty struggle - my target of running 13.1 miles in 2hrs 30mins seemed impossible.  I feared I'd bitten off more than I could chew.

 

However, you'll be pleased to know I persevered and somehow managed to keep on plodding - and gradually increasing the mileage combined with Weightwatchers I'm glad to say the transformation is almost complete. I've lost almost 3.5 stone and can run for 2 hours without stopping, no mean feat given where I was starting from.

 

Beside the personal challenge in getting fit and hopefully getting my first ever medal in anything (with the exception of a runners up medal in a scout football competition), there's one other even more important reason for running this year.  And that is to support the amazing work of St. Oswald's Hospice, based in Newcastle upon Tyne.  St. Oswald's do amazing work and do so almost entirely through the support of charitable giving - making no charges for the crucial services they provide to people during their greatest hours of need.  

 

I've witnessed first hand the difference the dedicated and caring people who work in places such as St. Oswald's make to people's lives and how important it is that they can continue to do so.  Please please please - give whatever you can to support and spur me on, but more importantly to support this most worthy charity.

 

And if anyone fancies coming along to encourage me along the way on the day - it'd be great to see some familiar faces - mine might not be so good to look at however!

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

So please dig deep and donate now.