Mile 8: Walk In My Shoes

Walk In My Shoes
St Stephen’s Green Dublin
Friday 12th April 2013

The Walk In My Shoes event on Friday was the perfect recovery from last weekends Connemara half marathon. A gentle stroll around St Stephen’s Green ending back at Grafton Street was lead by a flash mob of Mary Lowe and the voices from Corus Choir.

The fundraiser set up by St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation is all about creating awareness and communication of mental health issues. The theme of the event came from a remark by a young patient about how it feels to suffer from difficulties with mental health. “It particularly supports 18-25 year olds so they can get access to the proper care and attention they need,” said Caroline Sherlock, fundraising manager. The pleasant sunny day was in stark contrast to last year’s torrential rain and the idea to get people out in funky, mismatched footwear and enjoy a short walk together was great fun for all those taking part as well as the many onlookers around this busy city centre location. “It gets people to start talking which is so important for wellbeing,” said Sarah Surgenor, Communications Manager at St Patrick’s University Hospital. Among those taking part were one hundred TY (transition year) students from nearby Loreto On The Green. “We try to promote wellness in a broader sense throughout the curriculum and emphasise the importance of exercise and nutrition among the students,” said TY co-ordinator Jeanne Barrett. “The girls are all delighted to be taking part here today.”
While bad knees for Brent Pope means he is unable to train at the level he used to enjoy as an international rugby player, model Alison Canavan was keen to promote the benefits of exercise no matter what level you are at. “People might think that exercise is about weight and forget about the wellbeing. For me it is about wellbeing and I think that this can be under valued at times,” she said.
Small steps cover great distances and with a donation of €2 per person for this event and other similar fringe events going on around the country, the organizers were delighted with the turnout and the commitment from everyone taking part.

Mile 7: Connemara Half Marathon

Connemara Half Marathon
Sunday 7th April 2013

My first time to Connemara and my first road trip with 16 of my new running buddies from DSD AC. A weekend which tested our social and personal skills as much as our running abilities over the half marathon course. The logistics of this event for the organizers and clubs like ourselves requires enormous planning and a committed personal investment. A lot of the planning and guess work had been ironed out for our group months in advance by our coach, team leader and schedule planner extraordinaire Declan Ryan including the pasta party the night before which was full of humour and horror stories of the devils mother and the hell of the west which eagerly awaited us.
“It’s like childbirth, you forget how hard it is,” joked my team mate Pauline Robertson (46) who ran a really impressive time of 1:41 on this her second attempt.
After being bussed out to the starting point in Leenane with only one road home, this run is not for the half hearted or the unprepared. Just over 24 hours after we left Dublin in convoy, we were lining up to run our own race, starting with a killer hill within the first few minutes and continuing on for about a mile. Cold but dry and windy weather conditions and water stations every three miles or so were a god send and support even in such remoteness was outstanding. Miles two to nine passed by quite smoothly as some of the ultra runners started to catch up with us, and then hell itself appeared from miles nine to eleven. Walk and run for many of us was the only way up and over this immovable obstacle. “Don’t forget to look up and enjoy the view,” was the advice from our race director Ray O’Connor as the payback for all the pain finally came in the last two miles downhill with clear views of the finish area and the sounds of the tannoy.
“Running with the club has made a huge difference to my running,” said another team mate Marcella Flood (45) who joined DSD only last year and came home in a very strong time of 1:57 on her Connemara debut.

A well deserved medal and finishers t-shirt, followed by soup and sandwiches are part of the deal and although a little pricey at €70 per head, the experience is well worth it. If you plan on doing this event for the first time, be prepared. Read the information carefully, chat to people who have already done it and give yourself plenty of time to relax and enjoy such an awesome achievement. A really tough event, respect to all who took part. Hard is the new black for this season me thinks!