Late one night, sometime in early in 2017 I did something (arguably) really, really stupid. 

I was researching ways that I could raise money for research projects concerning Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or M.E., the condition my Mum has had severely for 13 years.

Before I knew it, I'd signed up for a task of epic proportions.

It was only the next morning, when I read the email confirming my place in the skating contingent of the 2017 Berlin Marathon, that I began to comprehend what I'd done...

Yep. Each year in Berlin, the course opens a day prior to the running marathon, for those who wish to complete it... on inline skates.

How hard can it be... right?

The months since then have been quite a blur, and now August has rolled around (no pun intended!) it's time for me to get my skates on!

A month or so to go, training is in full swing and I hope to keep you all up to date on my progress in the final push to Berlin!

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If you can afford to sling a few quid my way, I'd be very grateful. If you know me, you probably know I'm not a sporty person at all (!!) but this is a cause that means a lot to me. People with M.E often face a hopeless existence, with no chance of treatment or a cure. No one should have to suffer the way my mum has and biomedical research is so underfunded that every penny really counts.

ME is a condition twice as prevalent as MS. If you want to know more about the condition, here's a rundown from the fab ME Association: http://www.meassociation.org.uk/about/the-symptoms-and-diagnosis-of-mecfs/

... a bit about the shit people with ME have had to deal with: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4790904/amp/Why-doctors-patients-war-M-E.html

Or if you're too millennial to read an article, this trailer for an upcoming documentary that I was part of crowdfunding offers an insight: http://www.unrest.film/trailer/

Or if you've got a few more minutes, a great Ted talk: https://youtu.be/Fb3yp4uJhq0