In a few weeks me and Leila will be hitting the hills around Cardiff to run our first ultra marathon.

It doesn't matter how fast we go, how long it takes, it's going to be an epic achievement, and someone best have a bottle of bubbles at the finishing line! 

For years the idea of being able to run three miles, let alone 30, would have felt impossible.

Having had ulcerative colitis since I was a teenager, I've had big periods of my life where leaving the bathroom, let alone the house, was a struggle. But I was terrified of surgery, and thought, while it would save my life, it would also be the end of my world.

I now have a stoma, and far from being the end, it has given me my freedom, my health, and my life back. I spend most of my free time running, hiking, jogging and crawling, up mountains, along trails for miles, just for fun.

I may not be the fastest of runners, but I bloody love it, and my stoma doesn't stop me from getting out there, and getting lost, for hours and hours. 

Sometimes I really can't believe how far I can push my body, especially when I think that I once came so close to death, and lost so much strength I couldn't walk without help.

I want to show anyone who is facing stoma surgery, that anything is possible, and I can't wait to see just what I can achieve now that i have put this horrible illness behind me.

Bag, what bag!