Mum in Training

So where do I start..?? Things have been progressing nicely with the running. I did have a wee tooty bit of a hiccup a while back when I started getting a niggle in my left knee but of course I kept running until I was literally hobbling home afterwards. Not the most sensible of options. Trust me when I say that hobbling around with a very active 2 year old is not fun!!! I took a look at a few things and after getting some good solid advice from Dan here at work, I realised that my Asics Gel Zone’s, as good as they were to get me started just weren’t going to cut the mustard with the bigger miles. I decided I needed an upgrade and I treated myself to a new pair of Asics GT 2000. If you are thinking of upgrading and you’re looking at the GT2000 then I would recommend going half a size up in them as they run just a little smaller than normal sizes. As with any new trainer it took me a few runs to get used to these but once I did, the extra cushioning and gel felt really good and I got comfortable running in them very quickly.

Away I went in my new GT 2000’s and after a bit of physio and strengthening on the auld knee’s I was flying again (not literally of course). I managed to do a 10k one morning although I have to say I didn’t enjoy it as I was carrying a bit of a cold so I found it a bit tough,I honestly think my nose ran faster than me. We generally run around 6.5/7km 3 times a week and I fit in a bit of cross training on 2 of the nights that I’m not running (remember my friend Sean T.?? – Insanity, truly well named) and if we can we will squeeze a longer run in at the weekend to get over the 8km. Juggling family life, work and training can be tough at times. Trying to fit it all in and create a good balance is challenging to say the least. When you train and run all week sometimes even the mention of a run at the weekend is somewhat frowned upon by the little people!! My firstborn gets a bit annoyed and she’s quite good at letting me know! So sometimes I do pull it back a bit and take the weekend off. As I said, it’s all about creating a balance and I’m not going to be trying out for the Irish team anytime soon so a bit of timetable shuffling around sometimes is very necessary. I do try and get most of my runs and cross training in during the week when the two monsters angels are at their most heavenly ie sleeping. This ensures that I am spending good quality time with them. In the darker months this can be difficult as I prefer running in daylight so sometimes I do go out earlier. I do feel that it is good for kids to see this though as they will grow up thinking that keeping fit is perfectly normal and they will hopefully incorporate it into their lives.

You have probably noticed when I talk about my runs I sometimes say ‘”we”! I am referring to my two besties who have been keeping me going on this journey and who have been running by my side from Day One. My Runamigo’s, as they are affectionately known are Edel and Catherine. We know we are getting older when we now meet up for our runs more than we meet up to go on a night out!!! Edel already has a few marathons under her belt and Catherine is also a seasoned runner and recently completed the Galway half marathon so I’m in good company. We keep each other going and we push each other on. I would recommend if you are thinking of taking up running that you either join a group (lots of local Fit For Life and Couch to 5k groups out there) or form your own wee group. It really does help and it motivates you as you won’t want to let people down.

February has been a good month running wise and I achieved something that this time last year, I would never have believed! On a bit of a whim I signed up to the Glenmore 10 Mile at the beginning of the month. It wasn’t until after I registered that I was like “What the hell have I done?? What was I thinking???” The best part of it was when I told Millie (my daughter) that I was doing the race the first thing she said “are you going to win, I really want you to win mammy” I then had to try and explain to her that it wasn’t about the winning it was the taking part but try telling that to a 5 year old! I told her that I wouldn’t win but I would still get a medal at the end and her response to this was “but if you win do you get a trophy?” I think that I really wasn’t getting through to her

Anyway race day came and I shook off the by now usual nerves. I had a master plan though! I just took it slow and steady… Remember the tortoise! Before I knew it I was at the 8 mile mark, only two to go. I had told my husband to bring the two kids to the finish line and to take his time as I would be in around the two hour, if not two and a half hour mark. I felt good, I felt strong, all my running and cross training was very evident when I got the finish line and I could see 1hour 53 minutes on the clock. That feeling that I got just cannot be replicated. I felt so proud to finish well below my estimated time and to see the three smiling faces of my wee family waiting there for me just made me want to burst.

So my little piece of advice this month is ‘Go for it’, don’t get inside your own head and think you can’t do something, give yourself a shake and do it! “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”.