A PEEBLES mum is picking up the pace after her student son was diagnosed with a rare debilitating health condition.

Carol Dow, who turned 55 this week, pulled on her trainers after her 18-year-old son, Greg Scobie, was forced to quit his medical course in London because of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.

PoTS is an abnormality in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system.

It brings on headaches, fatigue, palpitations, sweating, nausea, fainting and dizziness due to an increased heart rate.

Since returning to his Peebles home medication has helped ease Greg's symptoms.

Mum Carol hopes to raise awareness of the rare condition as well as funds into its research by completing her very first 10K.

She told us: "Our own GP in Peebles has only ever encountered one other case of PoTS, it is so rare.

"Since Greg has started medication he has good days and bad days - sometimes he can't get out of bed at all - but it is helping.

"In an effort to raise awareness, and funds, for the PoTS charity I started running.

"I've been running round Peebles for the past two months in my PoTS vest."

Carol has entered the Glasgow 10k for later this year.

And she's confident of reaching the finishing line, having stepped up her training runs to 7kms already.

Greg had been studying nursing at Kings College in London before being struck down by the condition.

Following his diagnosis earlier this year it was mutually agreed that his health wouldn't allow for long shifts on the wards.

But he has now been accepted by St Andrew's to study a less physically demanding Earth Sciences degree.

Carol added: "PoTS is so varied we don't know if Greg will ever get better - some people grow out of it eventually while others don't.

"The medication affects blood pressure so Greg has to have his monitored three times each day. PoTS also means he has to drink a lot which means he's always having to go into pubs and restaurants to ask if he can use the toilet when he's out.

"We hope that my run will highlight what PoTS is and give people a better understanding of what Greg is going through."

Carol will line up on the Glasgow 10k starting line on Sunday, October 2.

Her fundraising page is mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/runningforpots