Rebekah Lyles

Progress is made

Sometimes I do not want to go and run. Ok…a lot of the times I do not want to go for a run. Especially after 3 days of 20,000 steps of walking around a very hilly theme park. But I know if I am to meet my goal of raising funds for this amazing charity and meeting my goal of running a half marathon in under 2 hours, then I need to do my training run. And sometimes…the results can be surprising. Today I had to run 7 miles. Year I ran a 10km (6.23miles) in 1 hour 10 min and was really happy with that. Today I ran 10km in less then 1 hour 5 minutes…a few minutes from my PB. Yay! Despite me grumbling about running…the plan is working. Progress can be seen…and I don’t feel as tired afterwards. 

Finding my pace

Yesterday I decided to go for a short run. It was suppose to be a rest day but I have a few busy days next week so I figured I’d get something in while I could. I ran 2 miles at my goal pace! That’s a full minute per mile faster than what I typically run! Now, could I sustain it for much longer, probably not, but it feels good knowing that progress is being made. Any progress is good…

The Beginning

I first heard of Combat Stress at the Running Show back in January 2024. Growing up as an Army Brat, I was intrigued and looked them up. I think asked a friend who is active duty about them. She said “they do good work”. By then all charity places were full for any of the events that I could participate in for the year. So I told myself, “If I am still thinking about this charity in several months, then I’ll raise money for them in 2025.” And here we are. This very important charity has been on my mind almost constantly since January. That’s 7 months. 

Support my challenge

This year I will be taking on the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise vital funds for life-changing mental health treatment for veterans.

Combat Stress is the UK's leading charity for veterans' mental health. For over a century, they've helped former servicemen and servicewomen deal with issues like trauma, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Today, they provide support to veterans from every service and every conflict.

I’m taking on vital steps towards ensuring veterans can get the support they need.

Thank you so much for your support.