By Deirdre Hassett

 
I’ve given up New Year’s resolutions. They mostly involve giving up cake, which I always fail horribly at. And why run if you can’t have cake? I had some goals for 2009, which Mick’s 2010 call to arms reminded me of, and inspired me to check out what I’d planned to do for the year and what I ended up doing. Most of all the year ended up being about trying to run gracefully (which doesn’t mean being dainty, or necessarily especially fast, but more about finding the best place in your head, sometimes running hard, finishing well and always, or at least mostly, having a good time.)
Below is a summary of my favourite run from each month this year.
 
 
 
January:
25th Jan.: Dungarvan 10 mile. Dungarvan is on home territory for me. I wasn’t really fit to race ten miles hard in January so I decided to run the race as a moderate tempo with the last three miles hard. In the last mile I went sailing past Vinny Murray, a primary school classmate and local GAA hero. I remember him having a clutch of Community games medals in the mid eighties for the 800 metres (although he probably hasn’t run much since then). Finishing time: mediocre. Respect from the GAA posse: lots.
 
February
7th Feb.: “Pre-Connemara raiding party” on the Connemara half course with Athenry AC. I didn’t do a lot of racing in February as I was step-ball-changing my way through ‘Seussical the Musical’ in a catsuit. But that’s another story. It was icy and bitter when we set out but it turned out to be a glorious day – blue skies, warm sun. A clear day you could see forever from. No racing, just easy running, plenty of chat, birdsong and some nice hills. Afterwards there were chips. A perfect day.
 
March
15th March: 12 mile river run, Carcassonne, France. On a long weekend break...have running shoes, will travel. What better way to see the lie of the land? I did get some funny looks from the locals, sitting in the river icing my legs afterwards.
 
April
5th April: Ballinasloe 10km. A small charity race and not the most exciting route but I smashed my own 10km PB to run approximately 42:30 – one of my 2009 goals was to break 43 minutes. And I came first! I was massively overexcited by a very surprising win (okay, in a less than competitive field; I don’t think that’s a B Olympic qualifying time, pleased as I was). The best thing about not winning races often (or almost never) is that victory is so much more glorious and exciting when you do.
 
May
23rd May: Burren Trail Half Marathon. Oh, glorious rollicking freezing muddy romp that this was. I loved every sloppy, muddy, rock strewn bit of it. I didn’t fall off the top of the Burren AND I was first woman home in the half. Two wins in two months; Mary Cullen was quaking in her boots. I couldn’t walk for three days after, though.
 
June
26th June: Hell of the West Triathlon, Kilkee. Goal #2 for this year was to break 2:30 for an Olympic triathlon. This wasn’t going to happen here as it’s a longer, tougher course than standard but I cracked 46 minutes for the 10km run off two hours of swim-and-bike to take a minute off my course PB which ticks the triathlon box; I reckon. It’s one of my favourite runs, and boy, does it hurt so good.
 
July
11th July: Ballina “Salmon Run” sprint triathlon. Made memorable by a neck-and-neck, step-for-step 5km race off the bike with Vera from Midlands Tri for fourth place. I just about held her off with an all-out 500m kick for the line (but she does have ten years on me). Sometimes the head has to work just as hard as the legs.
 
August
26th August: Longford half marathon. Ran as a fast paced training run rather than all out race effort with a solo 8km warm up to bring the day’s running up to 29km. It turned out to be a relaxed and entertaining day out with the pressure of racing off, including a lift and gossip in the Burke-Noonan race bus to Longford, chatting my way around most of the course and pacing Martina over the last 2km to the finish (despite mistakenly charging for the finish too soon and nearly killing us both in the process).
 
September
19th September: Possibly my favourite run this year. On a cycling holiday in Dordogne; I had the ingenious idea of running a short leg of one of our days cycling to fit in my long marathon training run. Erica, my cycling companion (who fortunately is game for anything) set out on her bike to accompany me from Lalinde to Monbazillac, through some fabulous picturesque back roads and vineyards, carrying my water, snacks, change of clothes... (I highly recommend a ‘running mule’ if you can get one!) Running at a fine clip on my ‘Run Less...’ program pace; I made the 20 miles bang on target, full of happy running endorphins. The day was only slightly marred by our lunch location being closed; I had a queasy lunch of a protein drink and a Lion bar. Hic.
 
October
26th October: Dublin City Marathon. Goal #3: to break 3: 30 for the marathon. Time 3:22:51. In the future I will run faster marathons, and more prestigious ones but that day crossing the line was a moment of pure, unadulterated joy. I never imagined in my wildest dreams a few years ago that I could comfortably run a sub 3:30 marathon. I shall remember: I did this.
 
November
22nd Nov.: Cross country national inter counties, Kilbeggan. I ‘raced’, I finished and I didn’t throw up or pass out or get escorted off the course for not finishing in the allotted time. Team Athenry were eyed with a mixture of suspicion and pity by the seven stone underage fillies we were sharing the changing room with. As regards an entertaining team day out, however, it took the biscuit.
 
December
December wasn’t a big running month race-wise (sorry, I can’t hear you from under that pile of crackling Quality Street wrappers). I did have an excellent Mariah Carey moment, rocking up to the track session with a TG4 film crew in tow. Yes, I was fluent in Irish, at least in 1992 when I did the Ardteist, but it’s amazing what a little cramming will do to make you liofá. They filmed, I held forth in grammatically unsound Irish on my sporting life, and was filmed doing my speed session trying not to make ‘track face’. It’s probably not a good idea to be filmed doing speed work, wearing lycra, in freezing weather. But I know this much: this is not a rehearsal.
 
2010 Goals:

1. Run as close to 20min. as I can get for 5km (I’ll take 20:10).
2. Run a marathon in 3:19 (what’s the hurry? At 4 min. off per year, I’ll be hitting 3:00 when I’m 40, when I’m bound to peak).

The big one! Even though my work travel plans to the US have been canned; I’m still going to hopefully head over there and run long, doing the 4-day Superior Quest trail race in Minnesota in August. Goal: to finish all days intact.