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Break 4 The Border 2025

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  After finishing the Feile 10K, I decided that I wanted another challenge. Then someone suggested to me about the break 4 the border event. The race stood out, because it was a Born 2 Run event, which I have always wanted to do. It was also the inaugural event, so I would be taking part in history. Unfortunately, training was disrupted for a week, because of illness. Training stayed mostly the same during this period. I would do a 60 minute run on Monday. On Tuesday I would do intervals. The final week of training was difficult as I was suffering from burnout, and had minor ankle and calf pain. (Image Description: Me before I got onto the bus to the start line) Unlike most of my races, there was a journey to the start line. To get to the start line I had to get a bus from Carlingford. The bus stopped at the wrong place. So, when I departed from the bus, I had to travel for about a kilometre to reach the start line. Along the way I would alternate between jogging and walking. When ...
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Feile 10K

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Introduction After a disappointing performance at the Lisburn 10K, the Feile 10K was the comeback that was needed.  Signing Up After the Lisburn 10K I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My right ankle felt like it was made out of Weetabix and the left side of my hip was acting like it was 50 years older. Therefore, to keep myself motivated I knew I needed to sign up to race, so I can have a goal.  Training With my ankle and hip being sore, I couldn’t follow my normal training plan. I would do a 20-30 minutes run a couple times a week to test the body. However, most of my training consisted of going on the exercise bike and strength and conditioning. It wasn’t till the start of July when I was able to go back to regular running. After doing the Killarney House parkrun, I decided to take heart rate training more seriously. When doing easy and long distance runs I tried to keep my heart rate below 150bpm. This allowed me to increase my running time for my Wednesday run. Every w...
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Newry City 10K 2025

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  After weeks of consistent training, there was only one way to test the results. Run a good 10K. The road to Newry really started after a disappointing performance at the Portadown 10K in March. After dealing with a knee injury and getting the flu just a week before, this meant that I went into the race without any training or full recovery from illness. Therefore, my only concern was actually getting the race done.  After that race I was determined to break my 5k and 10K PB. The weeks after the Portadown 10K were very successful as I was able to consistently train. At the end of April I also did the Belfast City Marathon Relay to test my endurance over a longer distance. During the week leading up to the Newry City 10K I decided to taper, so I cut 10 minutes from my two 60 minute runs and shortened my tempo run to just 20 minutes. On the morning of the race, I did my usual 2 mile warm up and strides. My race plan was to follow the sub 40 minute pacer as that was close to my ...
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Running The Belfast Marathon Relay 2025 With Team AG Wilson

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  Last year I participated in the Belfast City Marathon Relay with AG Wilson and ran the 3rd and 4th leg which totaled about 9 miles which was the longest distance I had ever ran. It was an enjoyable experience, so when the opportunity to run the relay in 2025 came up, I had to take it.  The months leading up to the marathon included an injury and a fight with the flu, but then turned into a period of consistent training and my joint fastest 5k time. So, going into the relay I was feeling good. The main goal from the relay was to test my fitness to see if I was ready for the 10K as  I planned to do a couple of 10Ks over the next couple of months. I arrived on the train to Grand Central and met up with the other members of Team AG Wilson. Then I caught a train to York Street Station with the other members who were doing leg 5. After waiting a while I then decided to do a warm up - It was difficult to find a good warm up spot as the area was very crowded. I did manage to fi...
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Why Running in the Winter is Hard

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  Introduction Running in the winter is a challenging experience for most runners but also an exciting period because of the new year. Every year I have always found the winter period the hardest which causes me to run less and run slower. Here are my reasons why running is hard during the winter and some recommendations to make it easier. (Image description: Me at a cross country event in icy conditions) 1. The weather Probably everybody’s least favourite reason for running is the weather. Personally, the cold weather tires me out before I even start running. The cold weather also makes my hands ache more than my legs or feet. Therefore, I waste a lot of time holding back on running, because I know it is going to be difficult. Icy conditions put me at risk of falling and if they are really bad could force me not to run at all and stay inside and ride my exercise bike ( which is boring and the bike is broken). During the winter, running gloves and an underlayer are a must, or else ...
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Volunteering at Parkrun

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  As a parkrunner , volunteering is a great way to give back to the communit y. For me volunteering is as big a journey as running p arkruns . You get to talk to people you don’t normall y talk to, and you get to see your favourite course at a different angle. Anyways, this is my experience of volunteering at Park run.   (Image description: Me with my parkrunner of the month shirt. I got it in a month where I volunteered regularly. I might fit into it someday)  So, for the first year at Parkrun I did not volunteer at all , the idea of not running for one week put me off from volunteering.  My mum would always remind me to volunteer, but I still wouldn’t do it.   However, on the same week I was running the Portadown 10K, I decided to volunteer as a way to give back to the community and get something off my bucket list. A benefit of being a volunteer that week was partly the number pick up for the Portadown 10K was at City Park . Kill two birds with one...
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