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In June I read a Facebook post that LookUK needed 2 runners for the London Marathon. I asked a friend if I should go for it, to which I got a one word text - YES!!! I thought they’d be inundated with eager runners but to my surprise (and shock and horror!) I got a place. Cue panicked reading about marathon training, learning about tempo runs (!?), nutrition, hydration and working out how to fit all the training runs in around family life with 2 young children, working full time and the biggest dog in the world. 

Over the weeks the distances have increased but pretty quickly I was running the distance of a marathon a week. 3 months down the line I’ve completed my longest training run of 20 miles in around 4 hours and now it’s time to taper down to (fingers crossed!) stay injury free for the big day itself - Sunday 3 October.

I have 3 aims:

1) to finish (apparently 99% of people who start the marathon finish it. I really REALLY hope I’m not in that 1%!)

2) to finish in under 6 hours (that’s a blinking long time to be running, eek!)

3) to try really hard to finish at around the 5 hour mark (that’s still a blinking long time to be running)

I feel stronger physically and mentally than I ever have before but the thought of those extra 6 miles on the day is slightly terrifying, as is the thought of running non-stop for such a long time. I’m pretty sure that when (if…?) I cross that finishing line I’ll be a wibbly, wobbly, sobbing wreck! But I’m running for an amazing charity and thinking about all the young people with vision impairment and their families that LookUK support will keep me going.

LookUK and the work they do is really close to my heart. As a teacher of vision impairment I work day in, day out with children and young people who face so many barriers, not only to accessing activities at school, but socially too. LookUK work to reduce and remove these barriers, providing Peer Mentors to support the social and emotional well-being of young people with vision impairment. If you’re the only kid with VI at your secondary school, with a trolley-load of assistive technology and different equipment to take around school with you, being able to chat with someone who’s been through it is invaluable. Knowing there’s someone else out there who had to use a jangle bell ball in PE or also hated using their long cane to get around makes it feel that bit easier. LookUK also run lots of social groups, which really reduce the potential risk of isolation especially through the Covid lockdowns. These include music, cookery and health and fitness groups, as well as groups to chat about different things - moving to secondary school, starting uni - big transition points for all young people but with added complications if you have a VI.

LookUK don’t just support the young people with VI, they provide invaluable support for parents and carers, with regular online support groups. VI is a low-incidence disability so if you have a child with VI, especially a severe vision impairment, you may not know anyone else in that situation. As a parent I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t go to my friends, with the same lived experience, and seek their advice and support.  LookUK and their network of parent/carers build this community for my families. Another amazing LookUK service is their parent/carer Braille class which teaches them Braille so they are then able to help their children. For anyone who hasn’t had a go at learning Braille it’s a complicated code, with many similar signs and lots of rules about how to use them. Without support like LookUKs Braille group many parent/carers wouldn’t be able to read with their child or help them with school work. 

I really don’t like asking for donations, especially when everyone’s had such a rough 18 months, but if you do have a little something going spare please consider donating to help LookUK continue to provide the amazing support for families living with vision impairment across the country. They’re a small charity so every donation counts. Thanks for taking the time to read my monster post. If you see me out running give me a wave. 

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