Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In April 2025 I will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon.

I have chosen to do this because of Run Talk Run, a volunteer-led weekly 5K run. RTR is a global community running group, for all abilities, that is free to attend. It is a partner organisation of Sport in Mind. This is NOT why I wanted to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon (a half marathon was never on my radar and I'm still coming to terms with that!) but I was asked if I would like to support Sport in Mind, and I said yes.

I love sports and am very competitive, but I am not confident in my ability. In my mind, I'm never quite good enough! Over the last few years, I have been running on Monday evenings with the RTR running group in the local village of Oakley. Over this time I have learned how to 'run AND talk'! I have discovered that it's OK to run a little bit slower and that doing so helps to improve pace. I have grown in confidence in my running ability. The Run Talk Run philosophy 'free from judgment or competition' has also helped me to consider myself a 'runner' because I can run! The nagging doubts (I'm not in the right shape, I can't breathe properly, I'm too slow, I hurt after, I'm not as fast as 'real' runners, I had to walk a bit etc.) are less prevalent. Finally (and perhaps most importantly) I now enjoy running in a group, I have got to know some great people and made new friends - including Ben (our wonderful run leader) who also happens to work with Sport in Mind.

Sport in Mind uses the power of physical activity to help improve the lives of people suffering from mental health problems. I can't do them justice in this little space, so here's the link: https://www.sportinmind.org/who-we-are.

Please support me in my efforts: I need encouragement to keep going and I also need to raise some hard cash for a fabulous cause which I will do with an event or two and through sponsorship via this JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them 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.