For the first 25 years of my life, my running ability was next to zero. In fact, one of my most embarrassing life events was collapsing during the 800 metre race at school in front of all of my class mates! Tragically in August 2019, my Dad passed away from advanced heart failure, after a 20 year battle with heart related problems. Just 10 days later, my daughter Liv was born and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through, having just lost my dad and becoming a new mum, all within a few days of one another. To complicate things, I also developed sepsis while I was giving birth, and I had a very difficult few months of physical recovery. There were some moments where I was too weak to even get out of bed or climb the stairs. 

By March 2020, I was feeling very low, both physically and mentally. I decided to take up running to try to lift my mood, and to improve my physical fitness. For the first few weeks, I could not run for more than a few minutes at a time, but I stayed consistent, and improved rapidly. Running helped me physically, but has helped my mental health more than anything else. It has lifted my spirits, helped me to grieve, and has helped me to move forward with my life. I have now completed 5k and 10k races, as well as two half marathons, and I am looking forward to the next big challenge of running a full marathon on 3rd October 2021. I know my Dad would be so proud of me for doing this, as he always wanted his daughters to be physically healthy, which was something he did not have in the latter stages of his life. And that's why I am fundraising for the British Heart Foundation - so that people who suffer from heart related illnesses can be treated and cured, and can spend more time with their loved ones. Thank you very much for reading! I look forward to updating you with my training as the months progress!