I'm not running to be the fastest (there's not even an outside chance i would be!), or even to necessarily complete the course if I don't feel like I can, I'm running to enjoy the wilds of Wales in all their year round beauty and to attempt to wind back the years on the clock that chemotherapy may have taken away (whilst also saving my life!).

I have been running (maybe jogging) since my primary chemotherapy treatment finished in 2022, but slowly, and with lots of interruptions and breaks and starting again due to surgery and ongoing chemotherapy delays amongst other things.

I finished my last chemotherapy appointment on April 10th 2023. I thought that a year later, 10k wouldn't be much of a challenge, but I've realised as I slowly repair and do more research that chemotherapy has taken its toll on my body in more ways than I perhaps realised when I was in treatment.

It turns out that chemotherapy whilst saving your life, can also age you by ten years and have a major impact on V02 max levels which are linked to your overall health and longevity.

I got a new health watch a few weeks ago and I was shocked at how bad it told me my V02 max was - in the red and a great big 'POOR'. So my main focus now is not so much completing my 10k (although i'm going to try), its improving my V02 max from the red zone of 31 to something much healthier.

While I try and complete the 10k and repair my body, I wanted to try and raise some funds for the important work that the Wye and Usk Foundation does to protect the River Wye which has been in a very poor state of health and desperately needs our support.