I am an amateur runner taking on The Plusnet Marathon (20th October 2013) in aid of the RSPCA to raise £400+ for this worthy cause, which will be my first ever MARATHON!

Well, I never thought I would be a runner and if someone had said 10 years ago I would be entering a MARATHON, I would have laughed them out of the room!

It all started at uni, Leeds uni during my PhD, when I took part in a colleagues' exercise study (6 weeks on the exercise bike, 3 times a week for between 30-40 minutes a session) plus VO2 max tests to see if it improved from the exercise regimes. Anyway, from then, it started a health and exercise kick in me and I started doing the 5k ParkRun on a Saturday morning before going to Hope Pastures to muck out.

From there, me and my friend took on the Jane Tomlinson Run for all Yorkshire 10k series of runs over the summer of 2011 (10k at Hull, Leeds and York). My first race outside of the ParkRun was a 5k during a conference in Florida. The first 10k in the Yorkshire series was in Hull 36 hours after I returned from Florida so my first 10k was a jetlagged one!

Since then I have completed the Leeds half marathon in May 2012 and more recently the Humber Bridge half marathon in June 2013. It looks like I will do the Redcar half at the end of September before the York marathon.

Running has become a big part of my life and it has and continues to me the world of good, both health and weight-wise and gives me time out from everything when there is me and my Owl City and related play list pounding the miles over track and trail.

I chose and it chose me, to run for the RSPCA, as I am an animal lover, often rescuing animals such as Harvey the were rabbit of Ballyeaston from my NI days, as well as pet sitting for friends when they are away and helping out at Hope Pastures in Leeds, and the RSPCA does a fantastic job for something that is close to me heart.

"The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - the UK's largest animal welfare charity. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome hundreds of thousands of animals each year in England and Wales. We offer advice on caring for all animals and campaign to change laws that will protect them, which we will enforce through prosecution."

No donation is too small and I appreciate anything you can sponsor me for this event and this worthy cause. If anyone wants an Indian Head Massage or a Reflexology treatment for a dontation to my fundraising then please let me know and we can arrange a time. I also have some archery target hats available to buy again for a fundraising donation and I will be organising some other things too.

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