The Run Up to The Great North Run - Laura
As we get closer to the great north run people will be preparing for the half marathon. As part of our run up to The Great North Run series we are speaking to people as they prepare. We spoke to Laura who is running for the very first time in memory of her dad and to raise awareness of liver disease.
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00:00 It's something, obviously living in South Shields, it's something I've always thought,
00:03 could I do that? And always gone, no, absolutely not. My dad was diagnosed with liver disease in
00:10 September of 2020 and we knew unfortunately that he was going to pass away from liver disease.
00:16 When it was detected it was too late. So I said to him, when we were caring for him, I said,
00:21 do you think I could ever raise money and run the Great North Run? And without even missing a beat,
00:27 he said, no chance. So I think once he passed away, I just thought, it's got to be done,
00:32 hasn't it? He could have said to me, oh, like, maybe you'll win the lottery one day and no chance,
00:36 and I would have tried that instead. But no, he's kind of sort of just planted that seed for me. And
00:42 I think, what a better way to raise money for the British Liver Trust. You have to keep telling
00:47 yourself you can do it despite the fatigue and the aches and the pains and stuff. I think in that way
00:52 it's kind of helped me to process the grief a little bit as well. And also my dad didn't complain
00:59 throughout all his symptoms, horrible symptoms of liver disease. He didn't complain, he didn't,
01:04 he struggled, but he kept it all and he was just, you know, really strong throughout it all. So that
01:10 helps me channel it into this. And it's just really special. It's just something really special
01:16 to remember him by and know that I've got so much support around me, like the fundraising's been
01:21 amazing. So it's just something that's helping me channel the grief in a positive way really,
01:29 and that's what I want to do. My body wasn't in the best shape and, you know, my fitness was all
01:34 over the place that when I went to the gym in January, all I could manage was a walk on the
01:38 treadmill. And I've just built it up really slowly, really, really slowly and gradually. And now I'm
01:46 sort of able to say I can run 10 miles, which someone said to me, get to 10 miles and the crowd
01:53 will get you through the rest. They'll get you through the other three. So that's it now I've
01:57 done the 10 miles. I've just got to do the extra three with the crowd and some jelly babies maybe
02:02 as well to get thrown in. But yeah, the training's been going well. It's still not something,
02:08 people talk about the bug, the running bug. It's not being hit by the bug. I'm not going to lie.
02:14 It's something that I don't love to do. I don't jump out of bed and do it. But when I'm doing it,
02:20 the feeling's great. And when I've finished, even better. And I just think I can't believe I've done
02:25 that. It's such a sense of like achievement. But yeah, I'm not sure whether my running shoes will
02:32 be used as much afterwards. I'm not going to lie. We'll see. We'll see how it goes. I might get
02:37 addicted on the day. I don't know. You've got to have that, I guess, strong mind to keep telling
02:44 yourself, keep willing yourself to do it and keep celebrating the little milestones along the way.
02:50 I'm really not a runner. I'll even say that now, even when I've done it, I'm really, really not a
02:56 runner. But it's made me realise that you can put genuinely anything that you put your mind to,