Was running fun? No way, but I will keep going

Just nine weeks ago, Maeve Quigley pulled on her trainers to undertake the challenge of running the Dublin VHI Women’s Mini Marathon. She’s been sharing her journey to fitness in a searingly honest column about the aches, pains and inconvenience of making fitness her friend. But how did the big day go on Sunday?

AS you might remember, last week I was feeling all the bumps in the road. So ahead of Sunday I decided to invest in some of the correct gear, to get me in the right mindset for the Mini Marathon day. I hobbled down to my nearest sports store offering the service, Elvery’s Intersport on Henry Street, and was helped by a very proficient assistant called Karl, who told me I was overpronating and needed to get it sorted to save my knees.

I got special insoles moulded to suit my personal shape and was ready to go. Or was I? As I mentioned it would help for the run on Sunday, Karl looked a wee bit perturbed at my tardiness and advised me to try and wear the insoles in beforehand.

So I tried them and they did indeed save my knees, but my ankles and calf muscles found it tough to adapt. I was considerably slower — hard to do when you are already going at tortoise pace — and was finding the runs more exhausting.

It was also scorching hot all week and I’m not a creature that enjoys too much heat. So as the day of the run approached, my anxiety levels were reaching an all-time high.

Picking up my number on the Friday, I managed to spy Karl operating a pop-up store, and he advised me to wear the insoles all day on Saturday. He said if they stopped hurting by Saturday night to keep them in.

So that’s what I did. Sunday was sunny and sweltering hot so despite being prepared, it was still going to be tough. After having to wait for an hour before setting off, the anxiety about not running fast enough saw me bolting away at a pace that was too fast for me with a team of more experienced runners. In the searing sunshine I soon realised my mistake — but I kept going.

I was feeling the heat and the pressure of the day and then I saw the sign with ‘2km’ on it. I almost burst into tears. Surely I had run more than that? Surely I didn’t have to do the same distance another four times? There had to be some mistake.

It was at that point that I had to have a word with myself. If I had to walk for part of it, then so be it — after all, I was still a couple of weeks behind in the training anyway so there was no point in stressing. So what if people were walking as fast as my running place? As long as I wasn’t getting carted off by St John’s Ambulance in the middle of it all, I would make it to the end, regardless of what time it took me. So around 4km I got my mojo back and proceeded to run with walking breaks the rest of the way. The fact that the sun went in for a good part of it also helped.

I got to the finish line in one hour 36 minutes which is a full hour before my personal estimate at the beginning. And considering that nine weeks ago I couldn’t run for a bus, it’s a decent achievement.

People keep saying ‘You must have had great craic.’ No. I did not. It was hellish but I am glad I managed to finish and also that I managed to raise money for a cause close to my heart.

But it proves that with the right training plan, anyone can do this.

However, if I was to do it again, I would start training a lot earlier. But I think even if I had been on time with the training plan, I still would have struggled. If you are young and fit and looking for a running challenge then maybe it would have worked in the 12 weeks but I definitely would have benefitted with a bit more time to work up to the 10k.

Also, get the right gear before you start. People always say: ‘Running costs nothing,’ which strictly speaking is true. But you need to fork out a few quid to get the right trainers for your feet, or to buy the moulded insoles. Otherwise you will definitely be spending your cash on a physio.

Getting the right footwear for my gait — and also proper running tops and bottoms designed for the weather — does actually make things easier, and in hindsight I would have bought some of the specialist gear sooner, had I known how much better it would make me feel.

I would also make sure that you have a training plan to follow and a goal to aim for — all my previous attempts with an app seem a bit futile now that I have followed a proper plan.

I am probably never going to be totally in love with running but I will keep it up now that I have come this far. And if I can do this — anyone can.