I knew I wanted to do something meaningful to mark one year on from my husband's tragic passing, something that spoke of the horror of depression and the terrible consequences of suicide. I also wanted to do something that offered hope, that showed a way forward even in the midst of such suffering. Within mountain-running … Continue reading A Winter Denis Rankin Round to Remember
The reason why I've not blogged recently is because, for the last 9 months, I've been pregnant. Pregnancy and running are an unhappy combination. For starters, the advice about whether or not to run during pregnancy is at best mixed. Doctors are happy to give general statements about 'keeping fit', whilst others frown seriously at … Continue reading Pregnant and Keeping Fit – Is it even Possible?
When I was growing up in Derry, there was a limited selection of sporting things to do. Sure, I was part of the school netball and athletics teams, but that was all that was really available. Since moving back to the North of Ireland this year however I’ve noticed an explosion of sports and associated … Continue reading Northern Ireland’s Derry lays on LegenDerry Selection of Sports
My alarm goes off. Its 6.15 am. “Damn”, I think, as I slowly roll over and switch the incessant beeping off. Its still dark outside the flimsy dust-ridden curtains. I’m in Tanzania on a work assignment. And for the last week, I’ve been in its rural western part, near the border with neighbouring Burundi. But … Continue reading Dawn Dirt Road running Western Tanzania
I met Dan exactly one year ago. I was looking for an adventure race partner. And so was he. Serge, the race organise from AMA, put us in email contact. The only hitch was that Dan is a South African who lives in Thailand. And I’m an Irish lass living in Cambodia. So we didn’t … Continue reading Team Work takes the River Kwai Adventure Race Title in Thailand
There’s nothing like getting out of the capital and doing a bit of rural running. I spent last week in the province, in Pursat to be precise. Its provincial capital is a three hour drive out of Phnom Penh, heading northwest towards the Thai border. Pursat is a peaceful, functional market town, as well as … Continue reading Cruising Cambodia’s Countryside
It can be pretty hot running around under the Kenyan sun. One day, straight after my daily jog around the streets of Nairobi, I had to hurry for a meeting with our Street Children Centre’s staff. I arrived flustered, but on time. The feeling of pride that I made it was soon squashed by their … Continue reading Changing Colour in Kenya
If you are any sort of a serious runner, you will eventually end up referring to the Book, The Lore of Running. This thousand page almanac from the training guru Tim Noakes contains a wealth of wisdom, everything from the running physiology and biochemistry, to the basics of training; from how to transfer training into … Continue reading The Most Important Step to Becoming a Great Runner
I had a good year in 2008. I won the IMRA Irish Championship, the Connaught Championship and the Queen of the Mountains. Later, I came first overall in the IMRA Navigational Challenge. With Andrew McCarthy, we retained our 24 hour Irish Rogaine Title in June. In September, together with John MacEnri, we won the Mourne … Continue reading Is it the winning that counts?
It was that time of the week for tempo training, that fast session to help keep your speed after all those slow endurance runs. I decided to head down to the local sports stadium to do the run on the track. This time I was in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Being a communist country, … Continue reading Tempo Training in Laos