As we thankfully seem to finally be off the dreaded coronacoaster it seems only right I get back to my challenges.  Lockdown taught me a number of things, including the fact my cooking repertoire is exceptionally limited, but more importantly it emphasised for me the joy of connecting with friends and family, as well as the restorative powers of the great outdoors. So this challenge is trying to celebrate both of these; I'm aiming to do a half marathon a month, in a different English county each time. 

What this means in reality is:

•  48 half marathons in 4 years
• Umpteen blisters
• A lot of time in Yorkshire - turns out its split
  into 4 counties
• c.50 tubes of Pringles based on the current run
  rate

For this challenge I'm supporting @thechoirwithnoname, a small UK charity running choirs involving homeless and marginalised people. For me exercise and music make such a powerful combination hence wanting to have a musical element to this challenge. Davina McCall  once described music 'as a mood altering drug, it gives you permission to feel' and I tend to agree, particularly when out running - this can be in different forms - complete euphoria or at the other end of scale serious waterworks (just to clarify, I mean tears not other forms of water). I'm probably putting anyone off who might have been tempted to join me on a run as conscious I could come across as a complete emotional nutter, but hopefully some of you can positively relate to these visceral feelings. 

For many lockdown was exceptionally isolating and lonely which made the mission of the charity even more compelling to me - to empower as many homeless and marginalised people as possible to showcase their talents, build personal resilience and positive, joyful singing communities. They are a family where a conventional one may not exist; a place to belong for people who find themselves isolated and without a vital support network.