This is a dilemma that I have found myself in the past few years and only now nearly 4 years down the track have I finally figured out that no matter how hard I try or how many times my mind tries to tell me otherwise, unless I run in some obscure race over some obscure distance it is unlikely that I will run another PB. 

I can’t really pick out my last true race, it seems so long ago. I supppose the London Marathon 2005 was my last PB (2:29.01) and even then I thought I should’ve gone quicker…surely there was time left to do this in the future. So I trained like I was going to run in the Olympics or World Championships, I ran 100mile weeks and 3 sessions a week trying to keep up with Great athletes Benita Johnson and Craig Mottram. I went to altitude for my holidays, while the kids were still at school, Saint Moritz, Falls Creek, Ballarat, Flagstaff…….surely some of these magical places would rub off on me and I would get out there for one last Hurrah. The Beijing Olympics loomed in the distance and what a dream it would have been to run into an Olympic stadium at the end of an Olympic marathon but it wasn’t to be. Athens 2004 would remain as my final run for Ireland on the track and what an emotional race that was for me all part of my Olympic roller coaster carreer.

After years of putting in the miles and the hard efforts the injuries started to take a toll on my body, it was like putting a cake in the oven everytime I went to race. Even though all the ingredients were there they can’t have been mixed right or maybe the key ingredient “REST” never really got a look in and the cake always came out a bit flat and not the result I was looking for. It has been said and I absolutely agree the reward isn’t always what you get but what you put in, this is so true I enjoyed every long run every session, pushing my body to the limit but eventually it is difficult to explain to your friends and family and you realise it is time to take a step backwards and take a look at the big picture, there were too many pieces of the jigsaw missing, time to move on to the next stage of my life. 

I still like to go for a run most days but realise that I must think of it as fitness, enjoyment, a great start to everyday. I tell myself this everytime I get myself back up running to an hour, but then the sessions start creeping in, a few hill reps here and there and then the dreaming begins……

Earlier this year I was in Dublin for the Great Ireland Run, I wasn’t running at the time apart from a jog around in the kids race and even that was a few day spre-mature…..but I couldn’t resist it. I had just swam a mile in one of the few 50m swimming pools in Ireland and mentioned this in passing. Next thing you know I was signed up for the Great North swim, a mile race in lake Windermere, a beautiful spot in the Lake District. Later I found out that swim wouldn’t take place until September, and by that time I was back up running a lot more than I was swimming so a crash course in swimming began in September, so that I could at least go the distance. Earlier in the year I had run just under 40minutes for 10km so figured under 40minutes for the mile would be just fine. I was pretty nervous beforehand, not really about the swim but about this little time barrier that I had announced at the start of the race. I got around without being kicked or splashed too much and climbed out of the lake and ran across the line in a speedy (for me) 32minutes…..within minutes of finishing I was talking about crashing through the 30minute barrier…..PB’s were back on my mind again.

I am still running more than I am swimming but using my new found swimming challenge as something to give me a break from running everyday and feel like I am doing something good for myself. I am planning to run in the Great Australia run on November 29th in Melbourne, but the day before that I will run with my kids in the family fun run over 2km, we have been training once a week for this with some kids after school .

On Tuesdays and Thursday’s I have been at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in the fantastic open air 50m pool. I am in the water before the sun is up and it is the best part of the day for me to see the sun rising and spot some hot-air balloons in the distance while ploughing through the water.

The Great Australia Run is the big challenge though, last year I was out injured so walked around in just under 2 hours, this year I would like to get under an hour for the 15km, but a mini target within that goal is under 40 minutes for 10Km then push on to the finis. The hardest part will be getting to the start line and not leaving everything in the parks on the daily run. It won’t be a PB but it will be mission accomplished if I cross that finish line under an hour .