Way back in January 2020 (before the world went to hell) I gave a winter talk about my love of hill running and mental health (https://youtu.be/LeS-2QIVFD8). The reason I gave the talk was to raise money for my London Marathon in support of SAMH. Due to the pandemic, this was cancelled and then delayed. After 12 months of not running much at all, I have finally gotten back into a regular training routine (although a sore foot is causing me problems right now).

I have flipped and flopped about what route I would run (hilly or flat). And as the date approaches, I have realized a few things;

1) I am not fit enough to try and run a quick (for me) flat marathon
2) running a flat marathon by myself is boring and tedious
3) running with friends is much more enjoyable
4) I really don't care about my time

So my plan is to run a 26.2 mile modified anti-clockwise Pentland Skyline via Swanston starting and finishing at my house. In order to ensure I make it around, I am definitely planning a social pace (walking up hills). I am inviting friends to run along with me to make it as enjoyable as possible. Because one of the reasons I love running is being out in the hills with friends.

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In order to have some certainty in these uncertain times, I have decided to run the 2021 Virtual London Marathon instead of the physical marathon. The date is the same (Oct 3) but I will be running a route in Edinburgh instead of travelling to London.

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I like running but I have never run a road marathon. A member of my running club said "if you only run one road marathon you should run the London Marathon". And if I am going to run a road marathon I should raise some money for charity along the way.

The charity I am supporting is SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).

We all have mental health, just as we have physical health, and it’s important that we take the time to look after it.

Please help me raise money and spread the word about the importance of supporting mental health in Scotland and around the world.