Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Having suffered from depression myself in the past, I'm raising funds for West Kent Mind to support the invaluable work they do helping people in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and Sevenoaks to live well, stay well and thrive.

I know from personal experience how devastating mental health challenges can be, both for individuals and those who love them. Running has previously proved invaluable to my own mental and physical health. So, after being told I would never run again, it seems fitting to dedicate my return to running to West Kent Mind.

I suffered from depression a couple of times as a young adult, and then had long-term postnatal depression, exacerbated by failing to deal properly with the emotional toll of a couple of miscarriages. This continued almost up to early onset perimenopause, which came with its own problems.

I decided to run the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon in 2014 after I realised I had become very unfit. It was a bold commitment for someone who had never run further than to catch a bus, but running proved a salvation for my mental health. The time outside and the ability to clear my head properly brought me space and strength I had never managed to achieve before.

I completely caught the running bug, and over the next three years went on to run the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon a second time and four marathons.

But all that came to a halt when I had some injuries and then experienced severe pain in my hip in 2020, which was diagnosed as acute osteoarthritis due to hip dysplasia. My consultant told me that I needed a new hip - and that I would never run again.

Unfortunately, complications from the operation meant that he was right. My operated leg ended up 1.4cm longer than my other leg, which meant I wasn’t able to run because it caused problems in my back. I must be the only person to have prayed their other hip would go quickly to be able to try and correct some of the leg-length difference with a second hip replacement.

It may sound strange, but I was really pleased when I recognised the telltale symptoms that indicated osteoarthritis due to hip dysplasia at the beginning of last year. I saw an excellent surgeon and we discussed how he might offset my leg-length discrepancy. I’m over the moon that he managed to halve it, which has made all the difference to my quality of life.

I decided to try the Couch to 5k programme. I didn't think I would make it through the first minute! Despite having run four marathons in the past, after seven years of no cardio-vascular exercise, getting back into running has proved really tough. I know I won't be able to come anywhere near the times I achieved before, but at this stage, I will be grateful just to finish the course - especially given how hilly it is!

Running after a seven-year gap and two hip replacements is HARD. But it is also lifting me in a way that nothing else has ever done. I hope that by completing the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon I will be able to raise some much-needed funds for West Kent Mind to help lift people in their hour of need.

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Thank you for your support.

Siobhan