Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

UPDATE - I MANAGED TO SHAVE 10 MINUTES OFF MY PREVIOUS TIME AND COMPLETE IN 2 HRS 15 MINS - OUR WOMEN'S TEAM CAME 5TH OUT OF 8 COMPETING WOMEN'S TEAMS DURING THE DAY!!! COLD START TO THE RUN - LEGS AND FEET SUFFERING DURING 1ST 2 MILES DUE TO SOME TENDON STRAIN BUT AFTER WARMING UP STARTED TO FEEL GREAT AND REALLY ENJOYED THE REST OF THE RUN - QUITE WARM AND MUGGY DURING THE REST OF THE MORNING, BUT LOTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS AT THE WATER STATIONS. REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE BEATEN MY PREVIOUS TIME AND TO HAVE FINISHED WELL - FEEL A BIT STIFF, BUT NO SIGNIFICANT ACHES OR PAINS! WAS ASKED LOADS ABOUT MY SHOES - FELT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDING OUT LEAFLETS OR SOMETHING - LOTS OF INTEREST FROM OTHER RUNNERS ABOUT RUNNING IN A BAREFOOT STYLE.

This is the second year I've run with the Lifespace team and I'm really looking forward to doing the half marathon again - it's such an incredible feeling to be running with over 3000 other people who are all committed to raising awareness of the things they really care about - just reading the messages of hope and inspiration on all the different T-shirts is pretty amazing! I'm proud to be running for Lifespace, because I know what a great job they do with young people at risk of exclusion in our local high schools - helping them to be heard and understood, to learn skills to deal with what life chucks their way, and to learn how to become more of the person they want to be. Since its inception, Lifespace has been going from strength to strength, working with a growing number of schools across the area, and recently being awarded the Warwickshire Award for Involvement at Silver Level recognising good practice in the participation of young people in service design and delivery.

And for those of you who may be wondering about the footwear! Since I got back into running a couple of years ago, I've been keen to sustain a style that keeps me injury free - having suffered from really bad knee trouble a long time ago, I was keen not to have this recur! I stumbled across (excuse the pun) an approach called Chi Running , which advocates a 'barefoot' running style that really makes you listen to your body, and not rely on the technical wizardry of 'professional' running shoes to compensate for weaknesses which you can actually learn to strengthen yourself. I haven't suffered with knee trouble since, and I'm now taking the Chi Running style a step further (excuse another pun) by wearing Vibram Five Fingers, basically a strong but thin rubber footglove that protects your feet from getting cut, but doesn't actually cushion them in any way - you could say the next best thing to actually going barefoot. It really makes you run with a lot more awareness I can tell you!

Anyway - back to the whole point of why I'm  running - to keep going Lifespace needs to bring in additional funds to what it can get through grants - so anything you are able to give really helps make a difference. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for Lifespace.

So please dig deep and donate now!