What have I done??

So, a couple of weeks ago I had a terrible sleepless night. I tossed and turned in bed but couldn't settle. Eventually I took myself down to the sofa and turned on the news whilst browsing the internet (I know, not exactly the best way to encourage sleep).

Anyway, it struck me that we are consistently flooded with all kinds of negativity. Humans being systematically vile to each other through a variety of different ways, war, terrorism, bullying, trolling to name a few.

By the time I got up to get ready for work I had registered to sponsor a child in Burundi through Food for the Hungry. Not to make myself feel better, but to try and lift the cloud of gloom that had somehow enveloped me overnight by doing something positive for someone else. 

I then started to think about what else I could be doing to try and make a difference both to my own psyche and in terms of 'giving back'.

I have always struggled with my weight, it's an internal battle that I never seem to win. I go to the gym, get fed up, stop, eat like a beast, gain weight and so it goes. I wanted to find a physical challenge that would act as motivational tool for me to finally win this battle, or at least find a way to sensibly manage it.

I have (until last year) always done the Cancer Research UK Race for Life but I felt needed something more extreme... 

Enter Race to the Stones... A 100km ultra marathon undertaken over 2 days. This will take some training! Myself and my friend Nick have registered and will be doing this on behalf of Birmingham Children's Hospital and Epilepsy Action.

I know running for charity is commonplace but this is genuinely a huge challenge for me. I am not in great shape and always seem to self sabotage. 

I am going to be using blipfoto to chart my training, progress and ups and downs that will no doubt ensue as I work towards this challenge.

My posts going forward won't be so self absorbed or lengthy I promise!

281 days to go! It's on.

PS I can't claim credit for today's photo.