From not being able to run for one minute to taking on a half marathon and training for the London Marathon 2027.
I'm a plus-size girl, and running had never even crossed my mind as something I could do. Then, in April, I watched the London Marathon and decided to do something a little crazy: apply for a place myself.
I knew I wanted to run for a meaningful reason. Doing it in memory of my amazing brother Anthony, while raising money for Mind, felt like the right reason to take on such a huge challenge.
After that, in May, I started Couch to 5K. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever put my mind to. I couldn't even run for one minute, so I knew this was going to be no easy task.
I didn't even know whether I'd get a place in the London Marathon, but I knew I had to start preparing just in case that small chance became a reality.
In July, the email arrived to confirm I'd been accepted. I had a mixture of “What on earth have I done?” and absolute excitement! At that point, I still couldn't run 5K and could manage around 10 - 15 minutes of running in one go.
But now it was official. I had to keep going.
I'm now running up to 15K, and I've booked a half marathon for 1 November. If someone had told me this time last year that I'd be running a half marathon, I would have laughed in their face!
Running has genuinely changed my life. I love it, it's become a massive part of who I am, and I've never felt so fit and healthy. I'm not the fastest runner, but that doesn't matter. My main goal is to complete the marathon in memory of Ant and support this incredible charity.
Every run counts. These are some of the training milestones and personal bests that show how far I've come.
I'm not aiming to be the fastest. I'm aiming to cross that finish line, raise awareness of mental health, and help Mind support people who need somewhere to turn.
Support my fundraising