A 6ft 2 and wide, I’m not build for speed. Over the last three years I piled on the weight, mostly as a result of early mornings and not giving a damn – and danishes. I went from 13 to 17 stone. So once I stopped getting up early, I was thinking (only thinking!) I should do something about it.
Then in the cold, dark days after Christmas, I got a call from the lovely folks at the Rock’n’Roll Dublin Half Marathon, who wanted to know if I’d be interested in running. I had heard of this run before (from the year before) and it sounded great, with live music all along the route. They have them all over the world, including San Diego, Madrid, Liverpool and Las Vegas. This was January, and the run is on August 7th, the Sunday of the bank holiday weekend, so loads of time to get ready.
But half a marathon? That’s 21.0975 kilometres! That’s the same distance between the GPO and Bray! I checked! And no Dart! No chance, but thanks for the call.
But hang on, they have a 10k run too! Ah crap. Okay, I’m in. I need something to train for.
So I started training right away with the couch to 5k app on my phone. It starts you off nice and slow and you only do little jogs, but then week-by-week you build that up to 5k, which I know is only half what I’m going for, but it’s a start. You should know: I have NEVER run any proper distance in my life.
So I was just about finished the 5k plan and feeling great about it when… I got sick. I’ve had this chest infection for the last few weeks that I’ve only just managed to shake, and (any excuse) I’ve been out of action. So, I’m heading back out this weekend.
That’s so sexy. If you’re interested in running, take a look at the website or click here:
And while you’re there, take a look at the voting for Rock’n’Roll Idol competition, where one person from the Dublin run will be sent over to the big Las Vegas event in November. Amazing. You can read about each of the Irish finalists and vote for your favourite every week here:
If you are running, I’ll see you in August. If I’m still alive in August. Good luck!