Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm hoping to raise money for Mind, as well as raise awareness of people's mental health, by running over 40 miles in the 40 days leading up to my 40th birthday.  I want to do this with as many people as possible.

I've never been one to take much notice of my mental health.  I knew I had to take care of it but I never really thought too much about it.  I've always been pretty happy, living every day trying to make others laugh and raise spirits.  I would have the odd outburst of emotions but I knew that, in the main, I was in a "normal" place.

This was until the results of the past year took a hold of me.  I realised that I wasn't as in control as I thought. Back in October 2020, I had a moment where I just crumbled in to tears after dropping my boy at nursery.  It wasn't that one singular thing, but an accumulation of so many things that had built up over a period of time.  I cried all the way home and continued when I was home.  It was this that made me say to myself "I'm not ok".

I decided to record a video the next day after I'd been for a run (my fitness was one of the things getting to me) to post on my Twitter.  I wanted to show others that, no matter how people may seem, they may not be showing the full story.  I found it hugely therapeutic just to get so much off of my chest.  It turns out that so many others were feeling the same and after seeing my video, they also took the time to talk about their own struggles.

I decided to make my run and rambles a regular occurrence.  I started a Twitter account called @ColleyWobblesMH and used it to talk about how I was feeling each week. The connections I've made with those I know and even those that I didn't know but now do, has been incredible.  I have a focus each week, I talk about my feelings with others doing the same and I get out and run.  All of this has provided me with a platform and an opportunity to speak openly about my feelings.

My #40Before40 is an opportunity for me to take on a challenge. Starting on Friday 9th April and ending on Tuesday 18th May (the day before my birthday), I will attempt to run over 40 miles in those 40 days. 40 miles in 40 days may not seem a lot, but for someone that may only run 6 miles a week, this is a challenge.  The added part is that I want to run as many of those miles as I can with others.  Whether this be side by side or on the phone, I want to highlight the benefits that both physical activity and talking can have on your mental health.

I will be using my @ColleyWobblesMH account to show my progress, as well as using the hashtags #40Before40 and #ColleysWobbles.

I'm not asking for massive donations as I know that this last year has taken it's toll.  However, if you can give something, whatever the amount, it will make a massive 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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you again for taking the time to read through my story.  Here's to my #40Before40!

Adam