womensrunninguk.co.uk MARCH 2017 11
cancer research and treatment centre in
Manchester. I went with him to most of
his appointments. I was terrified of seeing
him in pain, scared and hooked up to drips
on a bleak hospital ward. It wasn’t like that
at all. It was comfortable, the staff were
friendly, and we ended up having a right
laugh sometimes. There was a kind of ‘blitz
spirit’ among patients. Maybe this was
because everybody was truly in it together,
maybe it was because of the unique spirit of
Manchester and the other Mancunians also
having treatment there. But I really believe
it is because The Christie is an extremely
special place.
When someone you love receives
a terminal cancer diagnosis, your world
crumbles and you very quickly learn to live
in the moment, because you have no control
over your future. What the team at The
Christie taught us was that, while tomorrow
could not be guaranteed, today could at least
be OK.
So fast forward from that first frosty
run and, six months after losing Dad,
myself and most of my family – including
Dad’s two brothers and two sisters and a
handful of cousins – ran our first 10K, the
Great Manchester Run, both in his memory
and for The Christie. We were so pleased
that something positive could come from
something so tragic.
More and more races followed as I well
and truly got the bug. A weekly parkrun and
the odd 10K became several, then a few half-
marathons, some 10-milers, even a 20-mile
race in March 2016. As a family, we were
doing great things, raising lots of money
for The Christie, and my mental wellbeing
started to improve as well.
Running helped me rediscover the
joy in life. An ex-journalist and wannabe
copywriter, I started writing again, starting
my own running blog under the moniker
‘therunnerbird’. I discovered how much I
love being active and added Pilates and spin
into my regime. Of course, some days are
still a struggle, as I’ve been left with anxiety
issues, but I now recognise those triggers
and know that heading out for a run will help
enormously. I have learned a lot about what
it is to be pushed to the very limit of what
you can take emotionally, so when it came
to pushing myself physically it was like a
huge release.
I don’t remember one day waking up and
feeling OK, but gradually I rediscovered what
it felt like to be happy again. You know when
FIND OUT MORE
FOR MORE ON LOUISE’S STORY, VISIT HER FUNDRAISING PAGE,
JUSTGIVING.COM/FUNDRAISING/RUNNERBIRD, OR HER BLOG,
MEDIUM.COM/RUNNERBIRD.you have a really, really good run where your
heart sings and everything around you is
bursting with colour and light? Every single
run is like that for me. Of course, I’ve had the
odd injury and frustrating times, but I am so
grateful for what running has given me that I
can’t ever see myself giving up.
Running hasn’t just been my saviour.
It’s saved my family, too. Most of us are
still running and I plan to keep it going with
my son, also. Alexander ran the Mini Great
Manchester Run, aged three, in memory of
his Grandi in 2016 and now goes to a local
Kids Run Free club – he wants shiny medals
like his mummy has! My cousin Emily ran
the 2016 London Marathon for the same
fantastic cause. I went to watch her race in
London and, when I saw her with her medaland my dad’s name on her back, I thought, “I
have got to do this too.”
So my next goal? Well, I didn’t get a ballot
place for London, so am bursting with pride
and excitement that The Christie offered
me one of their 2017 Golden Bond places.
I am well into my training plan at the minute
and loving it. The Christie is such an amazing
place and I will always, always support them
and raise funds for them, for the rest of my
life. We’ve raised almost £6,000 in my dad’s
memory so far and our plan is to just keep
going. Keep running.Louise was inspired
to run the London
Marathon after
seeing her cousin
take part last yearPost-race joy:
running has played
a crucial role in
Louise's recovery
from depressionLouise and
family take
on the Great
Manchester
Run together