Lisa & Paula and the Paris half marathon

To mark the 15 years since Lisa and I ran the Brighton marathon together and the 6th anniversary of my husband's spinal cord injury, we will be running the Paris half marathon in March 2025 and raising funds for BackUp. I have done very little exercise in the last 5-6 years and absolutely NO running. But the wonderful Lisa has agreed to help me train - I know I couldn't do it without her! 
For those of you who may not know, my husband Chris had a mountain bike accident in Feb 2019 that left him paralysed. Our lives changed that day, and it has been a difficult time for everyone. However, things are on the up, and we are beginning to get our lives back together. Although I am terrified at the enormity of this challenge, it's not as huge as the one Chris faced! I'm ready, it's time, I can do this!

LISA's story
I started running in 2009 after feeling very unfit, body conscious, and anxious. I had signed up for a 5k charity run in June of that year, so this was the time to start training. I did a warm-up in my living room and set off. At the first lamp post, I thought about calling a taxi to take me home, but I persevered and got around the block by walking and running. I needed help and motivation!
Paula was running 3 x per week, and she gave me lots of encouragement. I did the 5k and then signed up for a 10k - runner's high! We ran that together and made plans to run a half marathon before my 40th birthday - so in Feb 2010, we did! Then, shock and horror, Paula announced that Brighton was going to have its very own marathon and "it would be churlish not to," so we did that, too!
Paula turned me from a 5k runner to a marathon runner in just 13 months. Running has become a massive part of my life, and I am now a Running Fitness coach for my club.
I was very excited when Paula asked me to run with her in Paris and fundraise for BackUp, a charity that has offered much support and advice to Paula, Chris, and their family. You've got this!