With thanks to Jennifer for this great report. As we know she’s never one for fuss or fanfare, we can consider ourselves doubly honoured that she has shared her experience with us. Congrats Jennifer on a great achievement.
I actually can’t believe I am writing a Marathon report!!! I remember reading Heather Harold’s last year and shedding a tear at my kitchen table, thinking how does someone run a marathon! I started this year off wanting to run a Half Marathon. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a very patient person (!) so to wait around for the Dublin Race Series wasn’t going to happen. My running buddy, Aoife Hyland had registered for Trim 10 mile so I decided to join with her and then we would go on to do the Bohermeen HM. Once we did that, that was me done .. until Aoife decided that she was going to do the Race Series and as she had done the HM with me earlier in the year, I said I would do this with her.
Then, the Aug Bank Holiday, I decided feck this, if I am ever going to do the Marathon, this is the year to do it. My husband Kevin had done the last 2 yrs and had decided to give it a break so this was my year!! I didn’t want to do it alone so I twisted my other half’s arm (Aoife that is) to do it with me. We set about doing the training, with help from Mick and Alan. We stuck to the plan, swapping days here and there but putting in the correct mileage every week. Looking back, we did every mile together, there wasn’t one run either of us had to do on our own… it came to the point that we were actually finishing each other sentences, scary! We had some great runs and some crappy ones, our first 16 miler was a shocker but having spoken to others and getting some great advice from the lads we kept going. We figured out that you do have your bad long runs but the next one is always better.
We got to the start line as two very nervous, excited newbies, taking advice wherever we could get it. Running up through town, the park and Castleknock was great, the support was amazing and very welcome, even if Roisin Bell nearly caused us to keel over with the laughter! We were doing well and enjoying it, at mile 12, my thighs started to hurt which took me by surprise as I had never had pain there before, thought it would go but it never really did. There were stages I was thinking to myself, oh God, what have I done, will I be able to do this? But I just kept repeating the mantra ‘trust the training!’ Myself and Aoife parted ways at around mile 17, I knew I just had to get to mile 20 as my sister Pauline (fellow Dunboyne AC er) would be there, she had agreed to run a few miles with us. Meeting her gave me a 2nd wind…that is until mile 23 and then I hit the wall, I had to walk for around 50 metres and I got going again. I was so looking forward to running up Mount Street, it was what it was all about, I had been there for Kevin the two previous years and remember feeling very emotional so I really wanted to enjoy it and enjoy it I did.
For those contemplating a marathon in the near or distant future, I would say go for it, you will be surprised what you can do….and the sense of achievement is well worth it!!!!
