Runuary 5 Mile Ambassador Denise Fay
Fair Weather Running
Years ago, I worked in Trinity College for a summer. I had my lunch practically every day on the cricket pitch, by the Pav. I used to see guys and gals running around the cricket pitch, the rugby pitch opposite and of course all through the grounds of Trinity.
I wasn’t a runner then, I wasn’t even an inconsistent runner!
But what struck me as odd and I still remember it 20 odd years later, that when it rained, there was hardly anyone out. And the term ‘fair weather runner’ stuck in my mind.
The same people would be back out on the sunny days, tucked away somewhere on the rainy days.
And as I began to run more myself, training for various runs, I’d think back to those days of the fair weather runners.
It’s hard to get motivated when it’s raining..and in this third week, the weather hasn’t been great, has it?
But as one of my close friends always said to me ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’.
So let me ask you – what do you wear when you go running in the rain?
For me, I typically wear the same clothes with an added reflective, mad florescent rain-jacket and baseball cap. What gets me is the rain on the glasses so I tend to put in lenses.
So that’s exactly what I did this week. I put in the lenses, put the rainjacket on, baseball cap on and away I went.
As you know, I’m walking most of it because of an accident 9 weeks ago. While I’m working on my strength exercises from the physio, I still look forward to getting out.
So I stuck to the plan...mostly. Got soaked of course on Monday & Tuesday but the cup of tea and chocolate were the best ever!
Joe Wicks is back on in our house and I re-started gentle yoga yesterday too.
It’s all going in the right direction. Roll on #Runuary!
5 Mile Ambassador Bio
Name:
Denise Fay
Which Runuary Challenge are you taking on?
5 mile challenge
Why did you sign up?
Cheesy as it might sound but I love to run. I love the actual act of running and how good you feel when I finish a run.
While picking up my kids on the school run, I got knocked down in last year. I’m looking forward to slowly getting back running and the Runuary 5 mile challenge is hopefuly the perfect way to get back to doing what I simply love to do.
Why/when did you get into running?
I ran my first marathon in 1999, took a fourteen year gap and started running marathons again in 2014.
I had just moved to Collon, a village outside of Drogheda, where I’m from. My friend Sarah G said to me ‘there’s a running group in Dunleer that you should join.’ The rest they say is history!
What motivates you to go out and train on those days where motivation can be lacking?
A sense of gratitude that I can run. There are so many people who would love to run – whatever the distance – and can’t. So while I can still run, I’m going to lace up the runners. Even recovering from the accident and injury, I know how lucky I am.
What are your favourite treats or rewards after a hard session?
A cup of tea and chocolate. Lots of both. And then, depending on the session or the run, there might be some celebratory bubbles later in the evening!
What is the one thing you can’t run without?
Water! I live in mid-louth which is full of hills. Whenever I get to the top of the hills, a little bit of water is magic fuel to get to the next hill!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself?
When I was in UCD, my pals and I used to use the running track. I could barely run 200m, let alone a full lap. 9 marathons later, my friend Imelda and I still laugh at the days where I could hardly finish a lap!
Join Denise in taking on the Runuary 5 Mile today: https://www.irishlifehealth.ie/runuary