I’ve decided to do 24 half marathons in 24 consecutive days for Mind - my first will take place on the 1st December, and my final will be on Christmas Eve. 

I’ve struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember, being diagnosed with bipolar, anxiety and OCD. This year has been particularly hard for me - in January, I was considered a risk to myself & got Sectioned, spending the majority of the next 3 months in hospital. It was the hardest thing I’ve gone through - especially the first 3 weeks, where the ward was shut down due to positive covid cases. I couldn’t leave my room, and was terrified to say the least. 

Thankfully, Mind were there to help. I spent hours on their website, reading over my rights, what I could expect going forward, different treatment options etc. I read the stories of others, and instantly felt less alone.

Whilst I’ve remained out of hospital since April, I’ve still had a really hard time since then. In August, my mood took another crash, and since then, I’ve really struggled with anxiety and depression. 

It has made leaving the house really hard - which means doing this challenge is going to be difficult to say the least! However, I’m determined to complete it - raising money for a great charity, and saying ‘screw you’ to my mental illness in the process. 

My half marathons will consist of a mix of walking, jogging and running. Some days, I may do half in the morning & half later on in the day. If the weather is too dangerous to go out in, I’ll complete that day’s on a treadmill. I’ll post a pic on here every day as proof.