This is personal. This year I am running both the London Marathon and the London Royal Parks Half Marathon.

In 2016 I had a ballot place for the London Marathon. With hindsight I wasn’t training in the most sensible way, fixated on time, rather than building up miles gradually. One day my leg gave way; two days later I woke up with double vision, tingling in my face, pain under my eye, loss of all dexterity in my right hand, extreme fatigue… this list goes on. 

The first MRI was enough for the neurologist to suspect Multiple Sclerosis, the second MRI confirmed it was RRMS (relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis), and I was in the middle of an attack, or relapse. I’d unknowingly had MS for several years, so whilst the training certainly hadn’t given me MS, it had most probably contributed to this attack, which enabled me to receive a diagnosis very quickly, many people wait years for this.

MS means multiple scars (a horrid name!), it affects your brain and spinal cord. Myelin protects the nerves in the central nervous system, and ensures that messages travel between the brain and the rest of the body. In MS, the immune system mistakes myelin for a foreign body and attacks it. This damages the myelin and strips the nerve fibres leaving scars known as lesions.

This damage disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres – they can slow down, become distorted, or not get through at all. Over time the damage can worsen, and the actual nerves get damaged resulting in permanent disability (What is MS).

MS affects almost three times as many women as men, and most are likely to be diagnosed in their thirties or forties.

The MS Society has provided me and my close family with a huge amount of support. The 24hr helpline was used many times in those early days coming to terms with having a potentially life altering condition. Most of the research we did on treatment plans came from the up-to-date information MS society provided. The society connected me to others with MS for advice and support. Without this I could not have navigated, or advocated, my way.

To cut a long story short, 6 months from my first MRI, I was at Kings, patient number 29 in Europe receiving round one of a trial immunotherapy drug, followed by round two a year later. I’ve had to make changes, and who knows what will happen the in future, but I’ve been incredibly lucky; my MS has been stable since 2016. There are many who are not as lucky. It’s a cruel disease that can strip you slowly, or quickly, creep up and stop you in your tracks. It doesn’t get the awareness it deserves.

The MS society supports research and trials and gives hope to the 130,000 plus people living with MS that one day there will be a cure. 

Why train for a marathon when there is a risk it could trigger a relapse? It’s something I’ve pondered a lot, and I don’t have one single straightforward answer. Perhaps it’s that stubborn streak in me, to prove to myself I can, to show my children that mummy runs too. Of course, I want to raise awareness, to use my experience for the greater good. Perhaps I just want to finish what I started 9 years ago.

I couldn’t do this without my amazing support team; my husband Thom, acting as trainer, motivator and physio, four year old Ozzy wannabe running partner (asks every time I go out!), and 20 month Lori who may yet give the gift of a full night’s sleep.

Any donation (plus gift aid) you can spare, will be very gratefully received, and will go towards an amazing charity. Please follow my training progress and updates on Strava! 

Thank you.