GYM bunny Lisa Bates is extending her activities to the open road and confesses she is nervous at the prospect of her first road race.

Lisa, 38, general manager of the St Albans Chamber of Commerce, is running in the London 10K on May 31.

The mother of two said: “I consider myself fit. I am always working out at the gym doing circuit training and spinning classes but I decided I needed to give myself a different type of challenge.

“But I must admit I find it gruelling. I don’t know how people run without using an iPod. It’s so boring. The beautiful scenery around London should help. I will also just have to keep thinking about raising the money for a good cause.”

That cause is the St Albans-based charity the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (NACC) for which she has already raised �1,000 but is hoping to reach �1,500.

Lisa moved to live in Marshalswick in 1997 and has been a member of the Nuffield Health Club (formerly Cannon’s) since her arrival. Her two children Alfie, 14, and Mary, 11, will be at the London 10K to cheer her on.

Anyone who wants to sponsor her can do so online at http://www.justgiving.com/Lisa Bates2010