In September, I'll be running four half marathons, over four consecutive Sundays; Richmond on the 6th, the Great North Run on the 13th, Reigate on the 20th, and, finally, Windsor, on the 27th, which also happens to be my birthday. Happy birthday to me!

The last time I undertook this sort of physical challenge was in 2010, when I ran the London Marathon. Five years, and two children on, the idea of running further any than 10k is daunting. The prospect of a summer spent in training, and my-most-miles-ever-in-a-month in September is terrifying/exhilarating by turn. 

But I'm not just doing this for larks. My friend, Harriet's brother, William, took his own life in January last year, aged just 25. Harriet is undertaking the monumental challenge of trekking to Everest base camp, in November this year, in celebration of Will's life, and to raise money for Rethink Mental Illness, a small but vital charity which helped Will when he was alive. You can read more about Harriet's plans here www.justgiving.com/wilburandme  and more about William, and his and Harriet's family, here william.chubb.muchloved.com 

I will be running my four half marathons to help Harriet raise money for Rethink. The charity directly supports almost 60,000 people every year, across England, to get through crises, to live independently, and to rebuild their lives. Their work relies almost entirely on donations and fundraising, and any sponsorship will go directly to them, to help fund their essential work. You can read more here www.rethink.org

One in four people will be affected by a mental health problem in their lifetime. William was one of four children. I am one of five children. Look at your own family, your friendship groups, your colleagues. Chances are, someone you know is dealing with mental health issues. Rethink look to open up conversations about conditions such as bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, and anxiety- conditions which tend to thrive on secrecy and isolation. I want to undertake this challenge for William, who I never met, but whose spirit lives on in my wonderful friend and her family, who live William's loss every day. And I want to do it for other friends, whose lives have also been affected by mental illness.

I hope/plan to blog about my training, and the challenges involved with getting fit for 52.4 miles when your body says "no" at 6, and you have two toddlers and a full time job. It's going to be GREAT (scared face). I'll be Facebooking/ Instagramming the bejesus out of my progress, so apologies in advance!

It's five years since I've asked for sponsorship, and so I figure I am well placed to tap you all up- and I'm all about value, as I'm running 4 x races, and yet you only need sponsor me once! Any amount, even just pennies, will be so, so appreciated.

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.

And if you want to give me the best birthday present, just click on the Donate button- it's the red one at the top of the page, you can't miss it :-)

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.

Katie x