At the tender age of 17 I landed my first job in the Radiotherapy (Oncology) Department at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle as a clerk typist. Little did I know that in the years to follow I would be accompanying one of my closest friends, diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently my Dad, with lung cancer, for their chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately my Dad passed away on Christmas Eve 2004.

In February 2016 after hearing colleagues at the Infirmary talk about Couch to 5K my pal Jo & I decided we would sign up. I got in touch with Vanessa Strickland at Runmums. This came with a lot of trepidation but we were starting off in the dark so nobody could see us! Unfortunately in week 3 Jo fell into a rabbit hole. That was the end of her running career. This was a decider for me do I stop or carry on - I chose the latter. Determination kicked in, bearing in mind I couldn't even run for the bus, and with my husband's help & the weekly Runmums session I completed my first 5km in June 2016.

By this time the bug had kicked in. 10km race completed in December 2016. The group was so supportive and talk then ensued about what races to do the following year. I went along with the crowd putting my name forward for the ballot for The Great North Run, not for one minute thinking I'd get through or maybe secretly hoping I wouldn't 😳. I was, however, one of the chosen ones 👍.

Great North Run, Newcastle, 10th September 2017 - my Dad's birthday. This one's for you Dad!! Xx