If you don’t know my personal story, then please check out the “About” section, where I talk about my battle with anxiety and depression, and how running has helped changed my outlook on life. I was lucky in the sense that I had a supportive family unit and close friends to talk to, and who ultimately got me the help I needed, but not everyone is as lucky. I believe that everyone should have someone to talk to and I’m hoping to show that a negative mental health diagnosis is not the end of the world.
A few days ago I got THE email…
Against all odds, my first marathon is going to be London 2018! The dream has came true!
I have been allocated a charity place with Mind to run the London Marathon on April 22nd 2018. Just reading the email turned my legs to jelly!
“Thank you so much for applying for a place in the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon in support of Mind. We have reviewed your application and are absolutely delighted to offer you a place in the 2018 team!”
I had to sit down in disbelief… and then the reality set in… thoughts turned to the training that lies ahead and the hard work I need to also put into my fundraising efforts. It’s going to be a monumental challenge – I can’t even run 10k non-stop yet and the last couple of weeks have been almost complete write offs since spraining my foot, but now I have no excuses because I know that every kilometre / mile counts.
I’ve managed to book a hotel room for me and my fiancé so now that just leaves the transport to and from London, and also from the hotel to the starting area to sort. I’ve booked my first Half Marathon which is in October as part of my training plan, and that will be my first event with my fiancé, as he isn’t able to put the time in to break the 10km barrier at the moment and has no interest in running a marathon.
Time to sit down and work out my plan as I have 9 weeks until the Birmingham Half Marathon. I also need to test my current gear for longer distances and make sure that race day won’t be too uncomfortable, plus check what energy gels and drinks sit well with my stomach. The fun of being a runner!
Throughout the next 8 months I’ll be keeping a log of all my training, events and other fundraising activities for you all to follow. I’ll be looking for sponsors (people who can donate items for me to raffle, or corporate sponsorships where I can advertise your services on my blog and via a training t-shirt), so please get in touch if this is something you think you can help with. Alternatively, if you are able to offer a donation, even the smallest amount will make a huge difference to me, then please follow this link or click on the button below. Thank you so much if you are able to sponsor me or donate, it means more than words can say and I hope that I can make a difference to the lives of so many people who are affected by mental illness.
(P.S. if you have any fundraising tips, please get in touch!)
