If you know me, you'll very likely know these two things about me:

1. My family are very important to me

2. I do not run

Seriously - when was the last time you saw me run? Can you even imagine me running?! I suspect you're thinking "never"...then laughing at the thought.

However, if my dad can go through three years (at the time of writing - October 2017) of dealing with multiple Myeloma with such courage, humour and without ever complaining (well, other than about the fact he's no longer 6'2", but we're happy to let him off with that one!) then it'd be really pathetic of me to not do something out-with my comfort zone to try to raise some money and awareness for Myeloma UK. I will warn you: it's not going to be pretty...and, unlike Dad, I'll probably complain!

Myeloma UK is a brilliant Edinburgh-based charity which provides outstanding resources and support to those affected and their families, but it remains a cancer that isn't commonly known of. 

I'd really appreciate any donations of any size to help me get towards my target. In order to get there I'm going to be running 175k in various events in Scotland in 2018. It started off as the Great Scottish Run 10k; then became 120k; and now it's up at 175k between 13th January and 30th September so who knows - the target could increase again, and I may need new legs by the end of 2018! 

Events I'm taking part in are:

January between 1st & 31st: Virtual Runner New Year New Unicorn Challenge (setting myself a target of 15k) - COMPLETED!

January 13th: Great Edinburgh Winter Run 5k COMPLETED!

February between 1st & 28th: Virtual Runner Love Running Challenge for Myeloma UK, minimum of 10k over the month (setting myself a 35k target - see more info at www.virtualrunneruk.com/love-running-challenge/ ) COMPLETED!

March 11th: Resolution Run 5k, Glasgow WITHDREW :(   I had a fall in the snow at the start of the month and sprained my ankle - I had it checked over and was told not to run in this event.  An additional 5k has been added to my Virtual Runner target for this month. 

March: Virtual Runner Jungle Run 15k COMPLETED!

April 21st: Run Balmoral Conoco Phillips 5k COMPLETED!

April: RAF Centenary Virtual Run 15k COMPLETED!

May 20th: BHGE 10k Running Festival, Aberdeen COMPLETED!

June: Virtual Runner Challenge (15k commitment). Unfortunately I'm on holiday when the Glasgow Great Women's 10k is on, so I've committed to 15k Virtual Runner instead COMPLETED!

July: 21 Miles for Myeloma Challenge (https://www.myeloma.org.uk/get-involved/muk-calendar-events/21-miles-for-myeloma-challenge/) As I don't have any events in July, I'm taking part in this challenge organised by Myeloma UK instead.  21 miles is 33.8k, so let's round that up to 35k for July! COMPLETED!

August 26th: Great Aberdeen Run 10k COMPLETED!

September: Virtual Runner Rock Your Run Challenge (10k commitment).  My ankle isn't up to two 10ks in a week, so instead of the Musselburgh 10k on the 23rd I'm taking part in a virtual run earlier in the month instead.  Got to be on top form for the Great Scottish Run! COMPLETED!

September 30th: Great Scottish Run 10k, Glasgow COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!!

The events above add up to 180k, so unless I break a limb along the way I *should* end up hitting target!  If for any reason I'm unable to take part in an event I'll be taking part in timed Parkruns in Aberdeen and Glasgow and Virtual Runner events instead to make sure I smash my target! You can see more about Parkrun here:  www.parkrun.org.uk and Virtual Runner here: www.virtualrunner.com

I'll need to train heavily for this as I'm an absolute beginner, and I promise I will be running as opposed to going for a lovely stroll!

If you'd like to know more about this great cause please visit the Myeloma UK website (www.myeloma.org.uk), or just drop me a line.  

Oh and if you do donate, thank you thank you thank you (and remember to hit the Gift Aid button 😉)

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.