After last year's Great South Run warm up it is now full steam ahead for the New York Marathon in November!

I turn 40 in November 2011, and earlier in the month on 6 November, my dad's birthday, I am running in the ING New York Marathon.

To help me focus on acheiving my goal, I am running to raise money for the British Lung Foundation.

My father was diagnosed with fibrosis of the lung a couple of years ago. It took much of the first year to find the right combination of treatment to arrest the decline in his health. He has his good days, and he has his bad days.

He is in constant discomfort, is only able to walk short distances with the aid of oxygen, suffers from sciatica, osteoporosis, bruising and swelling.

It breaks my heart to see him struggle & to be dependant not only on my mum as his full-time carer, but also on drugs, oxygen, a walking frame & regular infusions.

Currently there is no effective treatment to battle this disease, probably because the origin of lung fibrosis is not known, and may vary from patient to patient. For now, supplemental oxygen, drug treatments, and lung transplants seem to be the only remedy to prolong life. The average survival rate for this disease is five to seven years after diagnosis.

I hope to raise funds to help continue the research in to the causes, and development of a long-term cure. Not relying solely on treatment for living with and managing the disease.

My Great South Run challenge raised over £1000! I can't begin to put into words how much this meant to me. I had no clue how many people would support my cause & efforts when I started out.

So may be I can do a bit after all?

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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Many thanks for your donations, help and support.

Phil