What I'm doing it all for.
Halfway through my fourth week of training since "that-week-which-shall-not-be-repeated", and the miles are adding up at a satisfying rate and I'm feeling fitter than ever. Last week saw 46.5 miles completed altogether, managing 12 and 18 of them on consecutive days without anything hurting or tiring out more than it should! Sunday will see my last race before Loch Ness - the Forfar 10K and so I'm saving my speed run for that day ;)
It's now five and a half weeks till the marathon so I'm really knuckling down to get those donations in! It all comes down to a fantastic charity I found during my studies in hypnotherapy a couple of years ago. During my course I became interested in a disorder called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and its effects on everyday life.
Some people know nothing of the disorder, and some who do relate it only to the Armed Forces. While a lot of PTSD sufferers are soldiers, the disorder can develop as a result of any traumatic incident/s where the brain cannot process and "store" what has happened - or is happening - in its usual way. This causes a whole host of problems, including flashbacks, nightmares and uncharacteristic behaviours which can make leading a normal, everyday life near impossible. It can happen to anyone.
Of course, soldiers are more likely to be exposed to traumatic incidents and so PTSD is, sadly, a common result for many. What makes the situation more sad is the fact our government, having sent men and women out to fight for our country, have not the funding to deal with the aftermath. And so, in 2012, the number of soldiers and veterans to commit suicide was more than the number to die fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period.
This is just one statistic and is certainly not a new problem, as you will find if you visit Combat Stress's website. Combat Stress is a veteran's mental health charity, concerning themselves with the after care of those suffering the mental effects of war since May 1919, just after World War One.
Without the work and support of the specialists, therapists and employees at Combat Stress, many thousands of soldiers and veterans would have lost their lives, not on the battlefield but here, at home.
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/
If you consider, just a ten minute phone conversation with one of Combat Stress' Helpline Operators could save one soldier's life. Ten minutes is probably the equivalent of £2 pay for the operator taking the call. £2 is the cost of a cup of coffee, an hour's parking, a bus ticket, a sandwich.....a person's life.
This is the reason so many Combat Stress supporters push themselves through months of hard, hard training to do things much tougher than my marathon - for your donations! Because without those donations we would be letting our soldiers down.
It might not be much in the face of some of the challenges taken on by other supporters, but that 26.2 miles next month will be the biggest thing I've ever trained for and completed, and so I am looking for your donations to keep me going, just like the amazing supporters you've seen before me :)
It's now five and a half weeks till the marathon so I'm really knuckling down to get those donations in! It all comes down to a fantastic charity I found during my studies in hypnotherapy a couple of years ago. During my course I became interested in a disorder called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and its effects on everyday life.
Some people know nothing of the disorder, and some who do relate it only to the Armed Forces. While a lot of PTSD sufferers are soldiers, the disorder can develop as a result of any traumatic incident/s where the brain cannot process and "store" what has happened - or is happening - in its usual way. This causes a whole host of problems, including flashbacks, nightmares and uncharacteristic behaviours which can make leading a normal, everyday life near impossible. It can happen to anyone.
Of course, soldiers are more likely to be exposed to traumatic incidents and so PTSD is, sadly, a common result for many. What makes the situation more sad is the fact our government, having sent men and women out to fight for our country, have not the funding to deal with the aftermath. And so, in 2012, the number of soldiers and veterans to commit suicide was more than the number to die fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan over the same period.
This is just one statistic and is certainly not a new problem, as you will find if you visit Combat Stress's website. Combat Stress is a veteran's mental health charity, concerning themselves with the after care of those suffering the mental effects of war since May 1919, just after World War One.
Without the work and support of the specialists, therapists and employees at Combat Stress, many thousands of soldiers and veterans would have lost their lives, not on the battlefield but here, at home.
http://www.combatstress.org.uk/
If you consider, just a ten minute phone conversation with one of Combat Stress' Helpline Operators could save one soldier's life. Ten minutes is probably the equivalent of £2 pay for the operator taking the call. £2 is the cost of a cup of coffee, an hour's parking, a bus ticket, a sandwich.....a person's life.
This is the reason so many Combat Stress supporters push themselves through months of hard, hard training to do things much tougher than my marathon - for your donations! Because without those donations we would be letting our soldiers down.
It might not be much in the face of some of the challenges taken on by other supporters, but that 26.2 miles next month will be the biggest thing I've ever trained for and completed, and so I am looking for your donations to keep me going, just like the amazing supporters you've seen before me :)
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