Six months after breaking my shoulder and just three months after being cleared to run again, I’ve made the entirely sensible decision to take on three half marathons in five weeks.

I’m doing it to raise money for Amnesty International, and particularly because I want to support the vital work they are doing to defend human rights, document abuses and demand accountability in Gaza.

I’m fully aware this falls into the slightly dubious fundraising category of “please sponsor me to do something I actually quite enjoy doing.” Nobody has forced me into this. There will be no abseiling, sitting in a bath of beans or other activity I’d otherwise avoid at all costs. I’m basically asking you to give money while I indulge my increasingly questionable midlife running obsession.

But it’s a cause I care deeply about, so I’m quite happy to swallow my pride, pass the begging bowl around and ask for your support.

Three half marathons. Five weeks. 63.3 kilometres. One recently reconstructed-ish shoulder.

Anything you can spare would be massively appreciated — and will go towards work that matters considerably more than whether I finally manage to run one of these bloody things in under 1:40!