In 2014, about a year after Lena was diagnosed with dementia, I decided to start running. Back in my schooldays, I’d been a pretty decent county-level runner — but the 40-year break had left me 40 lbs overweight and maxing out after 40 seconds of jogging. It wasn’t that I actually wanted to run. I just knew that if I was going to be a good carer, I needed to sharpen up — physically and mentally.  And, people said, that’s what running did for you.

At first it was hell, but with the help of the Couch to 5K programme (highly recommended if you’re starting out), it wasn’t too long before I could manage 30 minutes, slowly but without stopping. As I began to run a little further, a little faster, I rediscovered my sense of achievement. That was so important after dementia had entered our lives, promising nothing other than a slow decline. I rediscovered my ribs too as I began to shed all the extra weight, with careful calorie control as well as running.

By 2016, I felt in the best shape of my life. Jogging was behind me now and I was racing. I ran the Manchester Mile event and finished in 5 minutes 47 – less than a minute slower than my time as a 16-year-old. I was delighted to find that veteran runners could compete in age-graded competition: I might not be able to beat Mo Farah, but I could hold my own against others in my 65 – 70 age-group. That sense of achievement again, buoying me up as dementia tried to drag me down, making me, I’m quite sure, a better carer.

Let’s be honest — I was too competitive, trained too hard, and at the end of 2017, I put myself out of action. Long-term! I was thrilled to be selected for the England V65-70 team to run the Chester Marathon, and finished first in the age-group. A week later I ran the Manchester Half Marathon, finishing in a decent time but with achilles injuries in both heels.

Since then, I haven’t been competing. It took several months to recover, and as Lena’s health declined there was less time for training. But I’ve managed to keep running, and every time I do, it feels like I’ve been recharged. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have managed the stress and fatigue of being a full-time carer for so many years without the boost that running has given me.

And now I am planning to race again. Well the organisers of May’s Great Manchester 10K run call it a race anyway, even if I only manage to jog the course. But this time I won’t be aiming to win my age-group. Instead, for the first time, I’ll be fundraising for St Ann’s Hospice, as a way of saying thank you for the stellar support their team has given us for the past 6 months, helping Lena to stay where she wanted to be, at home with those who love her, till the end.

If you wish to donate or to follow my campaign, click on this link to my fundraising page. Thank you.