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While watching the 2017 Great North Run, I decided I
needed to do something that would both challenge me physically and mentally.

Having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a few years ago,
I knew whatever I choose to do physically could only help me control this awful disease that had ultimately contributed to my father’s early death. Dad had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his late 60’s. He had a leg amputated because he had developed gangrene in it. The operation to remove his leg in my opinion also accelerated the onset of dementia.

So I sat through the Great North Run watching people and listening as they told their stories and I quickly realised how lucky I was with my life. It was truly inspiring to see and listen to some of the runners who in many cases were a lot older than I was, some of them starting out to run whilst in their 70’s or 80’s. Other's had suffered illness or amputations and were doing this run to prove something to themselves. 

I have always dreamed of one day running the London Marathon
but I have always been too lazy to do the training required in order to achieve such a challenge, and to be honest I am not built for running. Or that is one of the long list of excuses I have used over the years to justify why I haven’t done a challenge of that nature before.

Well 2018 is going to be different, no more excuses at the
age of 61 I have signed up for the Great North Run in September. I am going to be running with Gemma my daughter which will make it all the more special. This will be probably the hardest challenge either of us have taken on, not least because of the amount of training we will have to do in order to complete it. But we are both determined, not to mention a little stubborn when we want to be.

We will need lots of morale support though so please cheer us on if you see us out running on cold wet days. If you can spare a few pounds as well that would be great as any money I raise will go towards Diabetes UK. Gemma is running for a children’s cancer charity.