Hi Folks, I will be running the Edinburgh Half Marathon on the 26th of May with my two Friends Matthew Poskitt and Ross Thomson. I have always been into my long distance running and have been in training for the half Marathon since August 2023. I am aiming to reach £300 for the Mental Health Foundation.

My two friends I am running the half marathon with have also chosen their charities, are fundraising and in training. Matthew has also chosen the Mental Health Foundation and Ross has chosen the MS Society. Please check their fundraising pages out also and share them to help them achieve the target for their chosen charities whilst we train towards the half marathon.

I have decided to choose the Mental Health Foundation as my chosen charity for the Half Marathon. The Mental Health Foundation is a charity really close to my heart and has really helped and worked with me daily for over the last 2 years with my own mental health. If it wasn’t for there additional support on top of the NHS, friends and family I’m not sure I would be here today and feeling back to my true self more everyday.

The Mental Health Foundation do a lot of work for people daily from community programmes in your area, online support and research studies. They put a lot of time and work in to make a real difference in people’s life daily from just simple conversations and to generally offering advice and support. I will always be grateful for the help they have given me to get myself to where I am today. The Mental Health Foundation have a huge impact on Mental Health in the United Kingdom and without the foundation we would lose more people to mental health battles everyday.

My mental Health has a real strong connection with running. Running has been one of my biggest enjoyments and escapes from everything going on in my mind the last two years. When I’m out running I’m only focusing on my pace, breathing, heart rate and most importantly what tune is on!

When my mind feels like it’s at 100mph or I’ve had a tough day I now know my solution is which is to get out and go a run and I know I will feel better. Running is a fix and escape where I feel better mentally. I have continued to enjoy running more whilst getting fitter at the same time.

I love running and since I started training through RunWright Coaching in July 2023 I have been feeling the fittest I’ve felt in years by following the training plan provided. The structured plan focuses on the individuals needs to achieve their goals within running and has pushed me on to train towards this half marathon more. Runwright has been a great support throughout the training programme daily and I highly recommend their services.

Overall, by signing up for the half marathon I can combine the Foundation and the running together and I now have a target, motivation and date set for my training to get the best time possible whilst doing it with my friends and their chosen charities. Most importantly, I am doing it for a good cause.

1 in 4 people in the United Kingdom suffer from Mental Health. You are not alone, Mental health is just as important as physical health. I tried the approach of your a man you’ll get through it and it doesn’t work, reaching out for help or opening up can be the hardest thing to do but it’s the best thing to do. Once you break that barrier you’ll only start to feel better and the help will be there more over time through services just like the Mental Health Foundation don’t think you are ever alone. It does get better no matter how low you feel, or what the situation is over time. Time is the biggest healer and life will get better again.

The Mental Health Foundation continue to change and saves people’s lives daily and without their help in people’s life’s people wouldn’t be able to improve and work on their self and achieve the smallest of things to the highest of things, they help change people and save lives. By donating to the Mental Health Foundation, they can continue there outstanding work on people suffering with Mental Health problems in the United Kingdom and continue to make a huge impact in people’s life’s.

Any donation would mean the world to me going into this half marathon and would help the foundation to continue their exceptional work. A share of the post or even if you’ve taken time out of your day to read this is amazing. Thank you.

Roll on the 26th of May!

Mental Health Foundation Website Link

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us