One step at a time

I collect numbers – race numbers. It’s something I’ve done on and off throughout my running years. A stack of them piled in my utility room reminds me of the l races I took part in during the past year and the memories associated with them, the challenge of the road, the camaraderie of cross-country and the novelty of taking part in my first indoor race in 19 years at the Track & Field Live event in the Athlone International Arena last December.

I particularly relish trips away for races, and the sense of adventure this brings. In 2023 I had three enjoyable short breaks in Kinsale, Waterford and Isle of Man while competing in a ten mile race and two half marathons respectively. I hope to repeat this trio of events this year having already completed the Kinsale 10 Mile on Sunday 25 February.

This year’s Kinsale 10 Mile organised by Riverstick Kinsale AC was a sell-out and on the day 927 athletes from across Ireland braved very difficult weather conditions with relentless winds and heavy rain for much of the race. I was very happy to finish in 58th position in a time of 1 hour 6 minutes 58 seconds.

I have a particular liking for running in Cork, and for taking time to connect with family and friends there. I had previously taken part in the Ballycotton 10 Mile Race – running a number of times with my Dad, this was a famous 10 mile race in the east Cork fishing village which was held for many years – the fortieth and final edition took place in 2017.

It was cold, wet and miserable in Kinsale as I prepared myself for the 12 noon race start. After collecting my race number in Kinsale Community School I tried to stay dry for a while before undertaking my pre-race routine which usually consists of delayering out of my training gear, doing my warm up drills and getting mentally focused for running the race.

I was trying hard to garner all my positivity to ‘do this’ race but it wasn’t happening this time as the clock was ticking closer to the start. I was anxious and cold as I stepped in and out the car and had a psychological battle as to whether I would run at all. The thought of running the kilometre distance to the start line even seemed too much.

Thankfully my inner resilience and strength kicked in and prompted me to focus on the thrill of competing, the adrenalin running brings and the positive endorphins I would feel at the finish. So I settled on running and keeping warm at the same time by staying in my wind repellent training gear for added protection from the elements.

The sense of camaraderie was immense as 1,000 runners gathered outside Kinsale Community School for the race briefing prior to the start. It was nice to be greeted by a former member of the UL athletics squad and race organiser, whom I ran with at college, at the finish; and to be asked by a photographer to stand in for a photo with the 6th female finisher.

I was especially struck by the amount of volunteers and how they made it all possible:- The mother and daughter who were at the registration desk and gave me my number; the students allocating the t-shirts, those giving out water and bananas at the finish. Athletics clubs like Riverstick Kinsale AC across the country put in trojan work to make events like these and make a real difference in the local communities they serve.

In the aftermath of the race I was very uplifted by the many kind messages of congratulations from those fellow athletes in the Adult Group of my own running club and those who commented online after seeing a finish line photo shared by Pop Up Races. I also reflected on ‘Life is for Living’, my entry for the Our Vision Our Voice art exhibition, which took place last Autumn.

For this exhibition I prepared a collage of magazine cuttings focused on wellness, healing and making healthy changes for life. Two of the extracts I was particularly struck by were:- ‘There’s scientific proof that treating yourself after exercise will make you much more likely to do it’ and ‘Running has fantastic health benefits including helping to reduce blood pressure, burn calories and boost your mood’.

I really like giving back to the running community which has given me so much. I feel blessed to have encountered and be connected with so many wonderful people that I have met through my involvement in athletics over many years as an athlete, coach and official and look forward, God willing, to many more happy running days to come.