Several years ago my dad was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid due to Graves' disease. He was thankfully treated and has made a full recovery. Prior to that, both my grandmothers suffered with thyroid issues.
After becoming very poorly in 2011 to the point I was at risk of coma, I was diagnosed with an underactive, well inactive, thyroid. We are the thyroid issues family! The thyroxine I take literally keeps me alive, and developing a greater understanding of that little butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck is very important to me.
Once on a steady level of treatment, and seeing how my dad, who was a very good runner, was struggling to get back to fitness, I challenged him to complete a half-marathon in our home village. So despite never having run more than about half a mile, I began training for my very first half-marathon. We both completed the Freckleton half marathon in 2014, with my dad after finishing the run, coming to find me and run the last 2 miles with me.
The GNR 2026 will be my 5th and probably final half-marathon. Emma Brook