I suck at running.

The furthest I'd ran before I began training for this was 5k... about 7 years ago. However, I'm battling the shin splints and pushing myself to tackle the impossible (for me) and take part in the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon on 2nd October in aid of 2 charities of great importance to me: The Air Ambulance Service (UK) and Help In Suffering (India).

The funds need to be split over 2 separate fundraising pages but I'd like to raise equal amounts if possible - if you'd like to donate and you don't have a particular preference for which charity you'd like to support - please choose the page with the lowest number of donations to help even them up.

You can follow my training progress on the fundraising pages or on twitter: @jbookworm

Read on for more info about the charities I'm running for...

Help In Suffering (HIS)
In September 2015, my friend, Alice, and I were stranded in India after having been let down by our planned placement provider. Thankfully, Jack and the staff at HIS were able to take us in and provide us with some fantastic experience with their animal birth control (ABC) clinic.

Based in Jaipur, the charity runs a number of projects in the local community catering for many different species. Their ABC programme has been a major factor in rabies control in the area - there has been no reported cases of rabies in humans in Jaipur since 2002!
http://www.his-india.in
Text "HISJ92 £1" to 70070

The Air Ambulance Service

On 12th March 2011, I had an almost-fatal riding accident. Crushed by a horse, I broke 12 ribs, punctured one lung and the other collapsed. Suffocating from the inside, the Air Ambulance crew saved my life by operating on site and arriving at the scene with such speed. I also broke my collar bone and suffered damage to the sciatic nerve, reducing the movement of my left foot.

The Air Ambulance is NOT part of the NHS or government funded in any way. They rely entirely on charitable donations from the public.

https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk