I took up running in 2009 to try and lose weight. It didn’t work but I ended up loving the sport anyway. Despite having completed over 25 marathons and a handful of ultras I’m still a terrible runner and brutally slow.
Having said that, I see 2021 and early 2022 as the pinnacle of my running, to-date. The Kerry Way Ultra Lite in 2021 was the first time I’d ever finished a race “mid-pack”. I PRed my Half Marathon on a hilly training run a few months later. Everything seemed to be going brilliantly. I did a bunch of very long runs in 2022 which I loved and thought I was ready for the full Kerry Way Ultra. Unfortunately I ended up DNFing at around 155km which I should be proud of but it still rankles.
And that was the beginning of everything going a bit pear shaped for me in running. Whilst I’ve had various injuries over the years and a constant niggle with my IT band on my hip, overall I’ve been very lucky. But a double whammy of Covid in quick succession in 2022 was the start of me losing fitness and taking my foot off the pedal. I attempted the Dublin City Marathon at the end of 2022 and it was a mess. At one point I thought I was going to pass out.
And things continued to get worse. 2023 was an absolute car-crash for me.
- Waterville Trail Running Festival Ultra - Timed-Out after two loops (88km)
- Beara Way Ultra - Timed-Out after 58km
- Kerry Way Ultra attempt 2 - Timed-Out after 78km
In all of the above I was too slow, suffered badly from the heat and had various leg issues.
I haven’t written about the second KWU until now because it really messed with my head. I got some sort of heat exhaustion very early on and could barely walk, let alone run. It’s the worst I’ve ever felt in any race. I do wonder if I had some sort of virus too as my reaction to the heat was completely out of proportion to the actual temperature. No amount of dunking in streams helped and my heart rate kept racing if I even tried a light jog. I had a permanent headache for the entire time.
I thought that was rock bottom but I was wrong. I got hit with another double whammy of Covid in quick succession at the end of the year which buried my fitness even more.
I started trying to ramp up training again this February and my body responded by giving me plantar fasciitis in my right heel. To top things off nicely, I fell on a training run for WTF and tore something in my knee. Of course I ignored it and let it get worse.
My plan for 2024 was to replay 2023 but this time finish everything. How’s that going, you ask?
- WTF 2024 - Timed-Out after one loop
- Beara Way Ultra 2024 - DNS
- Kerry Way Ultra attempt 3 - I’ll tell you in 3 weeks
The tear near my knee and the plantar eventually landed me in with the physio in May, after WTF was a total shit-show. Unsurprisingly he just said “stop”. I needed to rest and let the tear recover, do rehab exercises and get shockwave therapy in my heel.
Hence the DNS at Beara. It was the correct call.
I bought a bike and started just walking and cycling and it seemed to work. Once the pain was gone, I slowly started training on the trails again and really began enjoying things again. Far too slow but generally feeling good and able to deal with the plantar.
4 weeks ago I had my most successful run, just doing a chunk of Old Kenmare Road and Lord Brandon’s. It was my fastest trail outing in well over a year. But coming down the steep slope near Kenmare, my knee started complaining badly. I pretended it wasn’t happening. The following weekend I did a bit of The Beara Way around Allihies and I could barely walk down the hills, the knee was so bad. The plantar had gotten a bit better over the months but flared up again too.
I just couldn’t believe it. Am I done running?
I arranged another trip to the physio to basically confirm that I would be DNS at the Kerry Way Ultra. But no! It’s a different tear/pull, further up. I’ll say adductor but I’m probably wrong. With 5 weeks to go, could I possibly line up at the Racecourse? He thought it might be doable.
So here I am two weeks later. Only walking. Only on the flat. I did one test walk off-road yesterday. The knees/tear felt great. The plantar is still there, niggling, waiting to pounce.
Next week I will do one proper final off-road run. If it’s not a catastrophe, I’ll do Kerry. If it is a catastrophe? Oh who am I kidding, I’ll do Kerry.
The big difference this time is that I’m going in with no expectations. I’m going to have a lovely day+ out in one of my favourite places on planet earth. I’m going to enjoy the people and the views. And I’m going to push it until I’m either timed out or I can barely walk.
I know this has been a moany old blogpost but I just had to get it off my chest. And the reality is that I remain incredibly upbeat. I’m still able to do whatever I want running-wise.
And on that note I wanted to call out Hannah Irwin who has had to deal with multiple injuries but whose positivity online has been a huge inspiration in helping with me to deal with my minor issues.
And if you want to see another bad-ass woman not giving up, watch the awesome Amy Winters doing the tough Tenerife Bluetrail with one blade:
Hope to see some of you out there in Kerry, Ecotrail and Dublin City Marathon!
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