Shelly's Virgin London Marathon 2017

[p]Hello and thank you for visiting my page![/p][p][b][span=color: #ff0000;]I did it! On Sunday 23rd April 2017, I ran the Virgin Money London Marathon in a time of 4:11:04. [/span][/b][/p][p]I took on this challenge to not only challenge myself but to raise funds for a cause that is close to my heart, [url=http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org]Alzheimer's Research. [/url][/p][p][b]Did you know that over 850,000 people live with Dementia in the UK and that number is rapidly rising... [/b][/p] [p]Dad was diagnosed with this terrible disease around 8 years ago. It really does take away your life and your dignity.  And not only your life but also that of your loved ones too.  My Stepmum who is his full time carer, has devoted her life to caring for him, but she has suffered not only the loss of her husband as he was, but of her own life and freedom too - because of this terrible disease.  By supporting me in my quest to run this marathon, you can help.[/p][p]At £24 billion each year, dementia costs the UK economy more than cancer and heart disease combined but over two thirds of the care for Dementia patients is paid for by themselves or their family.   Below are a few stats:[/p] [ul][li]£20 pays for 1 hour of pioneering dementia research.[/li][li]£100 could provide the tools for scientists to map 10,000 genes in minute detail, identifying targets for the development of new treatments.[/li][li]£500 will cover the cost of a sensitive brain scan for a patient involved in a research study, tracking the effectiveness of new drug treatments, improving diagnosis and better understanding how diseases like Alzheimer’s wreak their havoc in the brain.[/li][li]£1000 will pay for reagents, unique chemicals that are crucial for successfully growing cells in a laboratory ready for disease study.[/li][li]£2500 will allow researchers to buy synthetically made amyloid, to better understand this hallmark Alzheimer’s protein in the lab.[/li][/ul] [p]Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and donations will be quickly processed and passed to charities. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on a charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for this. [/p] [p]I really appreciate all your support, a Marathon is going to be a mean feat for me, distance running is not my favourite pastime so your donations and support will keep me motivated to keep running!  The worst is over in terms of dark months and with the marathon now only a matter of weeks away, I only have a few more long runs to go before I will need to start tapering!  Its gone so quickly. [/p] [p]You can follow my progress on my [url=http://www.lifestyleaware.co.uk/blog/]blog[/url] which I update at the end of each month with an account of my training journey highs and lows and my progress. [/p][p]If you want to know more about what Alzheimers and Dementia actually are, then watch this short animated [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobxLbPhrMc]video[/url] which explains in really simple terms.[/p] [p]On behalf of my family and I, wholeheartedly THANK YOU for your support, I have been overwhemed at how suppoortive everyone has been, and not just in monetary terms, although every penny counts.  It means a lot - so from the bottom of my heart thank you![/p] [p]Shelly xx[/p]