Right...well this mad old bat has decided that at aged 50, having enjoyed a glass of wine and smoked most of her life, is to run the 2011 London 10k run on July 10^th !

So far I have done no training what so ever, but I did come second in the 600yd race in my final year at boarding school in 1978 and ran the Glasgow half marathon in 1998, so as you can see, I have quite an impressive running history and a certificate to prove it.

I have bought a sports bra and some running shoes, and thankfully found my 1980s Jane Fonda work out lycra kit in an aid to do my bit for recycling, but this has caused huge embarrassment to my children, which in my eyes is excellent news !!

I am running for the British Stammering Association,(BSA) because my stammer has totally shaped my life and also because my interview was in the same BSA magazine as Colin Firths`( don’t laugh … I’m being serious here )

Smoking and drinking got me through not being able to express the real “me” inside, so stopping this abuse of my body and abusing it in a more positive way can only be good, but HUGELY life changing…a bit like throwing away ones crutches and learning to walk all over again.

A chance meeting in January, a nagging daughter, a free NHS quit smoking campaign, and the success of “The Kings Speech” which brought stammering into the open, made me  brave and proud to be a stammerer or stutterer; that is why I am doing it and for all the above I am thankful.

So….if you give me some money, I will start my training, takes pictures of me in Lycra and do a video for YouTube (obviously later selling the rights to ITV as an exclusive !!)……….AND RUN THE RACE !!!!!

Who am I ?? No one special; just a woman with a passion for “now”.

Thank you all so very much,

Mary xx

www.carmasutra.com

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