Pod training to the fore at Drogheda & District
MUHAMMAD Ali once said ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count.’ They were wise words indeed from a great champion.
Closer to home, they’re being put into action by the members and committee of Drogheda & District AC.
Overnight, life changed utterly for Irish society, with the coronavirus dictating our every move over the past couple of months and for the foreseeable future.
Thankfully, the challenge of running one of Ireland’s largest athletic clubs during the lockdown has been helped by the willingness of its members to embrace change.
Gone for the time being are the days of toeing the line with your opponent and shaking their hand before trying to run them into the ground over the next few miles. The welcome post-race cup of tea and biscuit have also gone by the wayside.
Now, it’s all about virtual racing, thanks to the wonders of Google maps and Garmin watches, and D&D athletes are now running solo Mile and 5K time trials against the watch. As many local 5K races are run to raise much-needed funds for charities, this helps to keep their income stream alive and also supports local race-timing companies who collate the results and send out the medals. Yes, there are medals for the winners.
The easing of the lockdown so that four people can now train together - while observing social distancing rules of course - has meant that Drogheda & District could reopen their grounds at Newtownstalaban.
Training in pods of four is the new norm and is working well for the junior members who are relishing a return to action.
To meet the contact tracing requirements of the sport’s governing body, Athletics Ireland, everyone in attendance must log in with their mobile phone before the session begins, with no exceptions.
Like most things in life, timing can be crucial. Some of the club’s Masters athletes who were due to take part in the postponed European Masters Championships later in the year will now have to move into a new five-year age category, which may help or indeed hinder them in their quest to win a coveted medal.
Meanwhile, other athletes who are recovering from injury can now relax and rehabilitate with no deadlines to meet and lay the ground for a successful winter season should normal racing return.
If anything, the lockdown has shown the deep love and need that Irish people have for sport and the huge role it plays in our society, and many people yearn for the day they can look forward to collecting this paper and reading all about the weekend’s matches.
Given the huge increase in physical activity since the enforced lockdown began, it’s quite likely that many people will migrate from walking to running and now’s a good time to consider joining your local running club.