Finishing the race

Almost a week later, my legs are just about getting back to normal so it’s probably time to document my second Dublin marathon. In some ways there is not much to say: I finished, 13 minutes quicker than last year; it was a glorious autumn day, perfect running conditions; I had a great time; I walked like a zombie after it. My knee was fine in the end – it was my back that knackered me, but it was a familiar pain I could cope with. For the record my time was 5.20.18. 

However we all know that marathons are about more than just running and times. They are about goals and ambitions, pushing yourself, achievement, satisfaction, disappointment, pain, happiness. For me it was all those things and more. The discipline of having a goal and a training plan is very good for me: it keeps me on the straight and narrow. It gives a structure to my life.  I find I love getting up early on a Saturday morning and running around in circles with my training group. I miss it already. The camaraderie and friendship of that gang of women this year was amazing and really enhanced the whole experience.  And when my father died, running and the group kept things feeling normal, even though things weren’t. 

I started running properly nearly 6 years ago now. I remember about 5 or 6 weeks into my first training plan thinking ‘I feel good’. I then realised I hadn’t felt good in a long time; in fact I think I had been depressed and burnt out for a long time. From that day on, I was hooked. The mental health benefits of running are the main reason I continue with it and I’m not giving up now. In fact, I’m booking my place in next year’s marathon already (that’s another story). 

All year I knew things were uncertain with my dad, and that it could derail my plans. However when the worst actually happened, I found that I really wanted to keep training and do the marathon. At Dad’s funeral mass one of the readings was from St Paul: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ Scripture doesn’t generally mean much to me, but these lines seared into my brain and became my motivation. We chose that reading because it so applied to my father, both in the way he lived his life when in good health, and how he dealt with his illness and dementia. Those lines kept me going so many times, along with his memory.  I finished the race Dad.