Jodie's Story!

As many of you who know me will be aware, I have avoided sport most of my life. I HATED it and would do anything to avoid any type of sporting activity (except watching rugby)! I was every gym teacher's nightmare and tried all sorts of tricks at school -  the best was hiding behind the cricket pavilion during cross-country and rejoining the group on the last lap!  Even now - over 10 years later -  if I am in Edinburgh and drive past Goldenacre playing grounds, it brings back feelings of fear and dread!

A few years ago, to justify my daily intake of chocolate, I started going to the gym and became a bit of a gym bunny...and have since been hooked on running. I don't have much free time, so I have to try and fit runs in whenever I can.

I wanted to run a marathon before I turn 30, as I know it will be the biggest thing I have ever achieved like this, especially considering most of those 30 years have been spent avoiding sport! The Marathon takes place just 4 days before my 30th, so the timing could not be better!

The Scottish SPCA is Scotland's leading animal welfare charity. All my life I have had an overwhelming compassion for animals and this has been my favourite charity since I was a little girl. I became vegetarian at a very young age and also very affected by hearing stories of animal cruelty and abuse, and was therefore determined to do whatever I could do to help for the rest of my life. 

The Scottish SPCA encourages kindness to animals, aims to prevent cruelty through education, investigates abuse, rescues animals in distress, and find animals new homes. THEY RECEIVE NO GOVERNMENT OR LOTTERY FUNDING AND RELY SOLELY ON PUBLIC DONATIONS. This is why they need our help.

Please give whatever you can  - every donation, no matter how small, will help. EVERY PENNY COUNTS! I will be eternally grateful for any amount - even £1 helps me towards my target to help the SSPCA.

And if you hear anyone run past you in London muttering "think of the animals, think of the animals", it's probably just me training for the biggest challenge of my life! 

Thank you to everyone for supporting me. Especially my wonderful partner Tim who has to actually live with me and put up with me through the next few months of torture, a.k.a. training! (good luck to him too!)

And thank YOU for taking the time to read this.

Jodie xxx

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