As i sit down to write my story for this justgiving page I'm wondering why i'm planning to run the 13.1 miles of the Edinburgh Half Marathon.  We all have our new years resolutions to get fitter etc and this year I felt I needed something to aim for and so I signed up for the Edinburgh Half Marathon as my personal challenge.  I have been running a bit for the past few years but only about 3 miles so I've some training ahead of me!  In the light of the recent media awareness of pancreatic cancer, and the realisation that it's no different now than it was 18 years ago, I've decided to use it as an opportunity to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. My niece turned 18 last year. She is the only grandchild my Dad met before he died 18 years ago.  He died of pancreatic cancer within 5 months of diagnosis.  He was a very driven man, full of life and energy.  He was always up for a laugh and a challenge.  To see him shrink with cancer was very sad. Memories of the suddenness and hopelessness of it all was brought back this year with the news of high profile celeb deaths from the same disease.  It seems all the more important to help raise funds to raise awareness of symptoms and help find a cure.  In addition, your sponsorship will help give me some motivation to keep training and manage to run 13.1 miles - which just now seems bonkers.  Knowing that people have sponsored me will help get me out in the wind, sleet and rain to get myself fit enough to run all the way.  And hopefully it will also prompt some of you to come support me on the day - some friendly faces along the way will certainly help keep me going!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.