When I originally signed up to the 100 miles in March challenge, it was mainly to support my wonderful old team and to fundraise in aid of the 1 in 5 people in the UK who are diagnosed with a lung condition in their lifetime. That’s a new diagnosis every minute.

I have since realised that I am a ‘one’ of ‘one in five’. I’ve regaled many of you with the stories of my latent tuberculosis diagnosis and how this meant I couldn’t drink or eat cheese for 3 months whilst on a very long & strong course of antibiotics.

More seriously, this is a diagnosis I have to live with for the rest of my life. Every time I develop a cough that lingers for more than 10 days, I have to go and get checked out by my GP. Only last month I was in hospital for a chest x-ray just to make sure that everything was okay.

More recently, I’ve been struggling with some post-viral breathlessness. Read: since I had a cold in December, I’m getting breathless even just walking around the house. It’s given me just a small insight into what it’s like to struggle to breath – it’s terrifying, debilitating and, quite frankly, embarrassing. I don’t know how I’d cope if I had to live with this forever.

But I do know that A+LUK are the only charity in the UK fighting for everyone’s right to breathe. That’s why I’m taking on this challenge – to cover 100 miles in March – to do my bit in raising some vital & much-needed funds for my fantastic charity.

To add insult to injury – I’m challenging myself to run 29 of those miles in a nod to 2024 being my 29^th year. So, by my maths, that’s an ultra-marathon…albeit very much at a ‘Grace pace’. I’ll then cut myself some slack and just walk (!) the other 71 miles.

I have quite the love-hate relationship with running. So I’m hoping this challenge will kickstart our off-again, on-again romance whilst helping me to get over this rather limiting breathlessness.

So if you’ve made it here – thank you for reading this rather self- indulgent post. And if you too believe that no one should have to struggle to breathe, then please sponsor me to intentionally cause myself to struggle for breath over and over in the month of March… You know what I mean!

My ever supportive parents have kicked my fundraising off with a very generous donation of £25 which is more than enough to fund one of our exceptionally talented nurses to answer a helpline call (it actually only costs £22 - what a bargain!) and help someone in need. But just £15 could fund an hour of our life-saving research.

Whatever you can give would make all the difference – and I’d be so grateful. What’s more, I’ll have one more name to curse under my breath as holding me accountable to actually finishing this challenge as I plod round those 100 miles.

Thank you in advance!