IT’S THE OUTDOOR LIFE FOR ME

My gym membership is paid, I tried the online classes but with little success during lockdown. Now the doors are open again, my mindset has shifted. For in the world of lockdown, I took to the roads again - or at least the paths of my local park. For the last two years I’ve done the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon and trained and trained. In fact, I had already started for this year when lockdown happened.

Even so, I decided to keep going - well, actually I went back to the very beginning to see if I could do something to get my speed up.

A previous conversation with my personal trainer at the gym ended with the words: ‘Some of us just weren’t built for running’ and well, I’m not. But I’m still doing it, very slowly and at least three times a week.

I don’t think I’m ever going to make it to the 30 minute 5kms, no matter how hard I try. So I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m definitely a tortoise and there won’t be a hare made of me any time soon.

But being outside for that half hour is one of the things that gives me joy, particularly in these times when working for home has meant being confined to the same four walls from morning to night.

The one thing I did miss about my gym was swimming but after a few false starts, I finally took the plunge last weekend. Not in my local pool but in the icy waters of the Irish sea.

‘I don’t know how you do it,’ said a man in a wetsuit as I swam past.

‘It is freezing,’ were the only words I could get out as the heart-stopping cold gnawed at my very insides.

But a few minutes after, I was embracing the chill, delighting in the wild joy that Ireland can offer.

And best of all, there’s no membership fee, sessions are completely free and social distancing is not a problem.

It could be a different story when the winter hits in, but for now I’ve signed on for full membership of nature’s facilities.

I’ll keep that indoor gym membership though, just in case.