Let me start with, I am not a runner. What I'm pledging to do, may be a usual month for some of you, but it will be a huge challenge for me. Starting on the 1st, I hope to have run 100km by March 31st.

Like many, I have struggled with my mental health during the pandemic. I find running hard, I wouldn't even say I enjoy it, but what I do get from it (when I drag myself out) is a time to clear my head, returning to home with a feeling of being able to cope a little better. The charity I work for run iGive, where part or all of your fundraising can go to another humanitarian cause aside from INTO Giving, and they will top it up by 20%. I have chosen to split my fundraising with REFUGE, a charity that supports victims of domestic abuse and violence.  During the pandemic, reports of domestic violence have increased. I have chosen to run for REFUGE because, however hard I have found things recently, I am grateful that I have always felt safe in my own home. 

The other half of my fundraising will go to INTO Giving, providing education for kids across the globe where otherwise there may not be that opportunity. We focus, although not exclusively, on girls and refugee children. I want my two children to grow up in a world where education and the safety of a classroom is a right, and not a privilege of the more fortunate. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I can't promise I'm going to enjoy the challenge but I can promise I'll try my best to get it done! 

Izzy xx