#Runninghappy

As you all know, we like a bit of bling in our group, so the lure of the Lakes of Killarney marathon medal and tech shirt was too much for a few of us... And so, last weekend Anna, Bernie and Tina ran the marathon relay, the rest of us met up to do a run at a slightly more relaxed pace and personally, I wanted to put in a bit of mileage before Cork.  

Michelle, Karen, Mags (who was back running with us ) and myself  did our run, had coffee and cheered on the girls.. 

Eat my dust..

I'm gonna gotcha!!!

Running with a view....

They were running well, so well they, won it... WOOHOO!!!! 

Finishing strong...

 Obviously, the support and cheering was a factor in the win..hahaha!! How proud were we? Very!

The last few days have been fairly miserable weather wise, on Monday it was just myself and Bernie although it had been wet during the day, the Sun came out for a while. We are totally hardcore!!! There was just one light rain shower and it was fairly warm. I ran a good 5 miles. Of course, Bernie ran a few miles more. Tuesday, I managed to get out for a quick 3 miles but wasn't as lucky weather wise as the rain and the wind did appear. Running into the wind is no fun!!! Heading into the weekend the weather is set to improve which means we'll all be out in the park... 

What did  I do before I started running? What did I do in the evenings and at the weekend? Now I get antsy if a day or two go by without a run. 

And so, each week I run it is all about this hashgtag #Runninghappy

#Feelingsomepressure..

It is easy for habits to form, for routines to become established, over the last few months I have been going to my TRX classes and doing the HIIT with Eric at Belief-fit and I am really feeling the benefits of it. In fact as tough as they are and on some occasions choice words pop in to my head to describe Eric, Josie or Stephen, I love how strong I feel, how my running has improved as result of the weight loss and more importantly for all runners, my core stability.
This really hit home last week, when I reached one of my running goals for the year!! A new 10K PB, which to many would be shockingly slow but not me!! I was beaming as I pressed save on my Garmin..
A lot can change in a week or two, when I last checked in the girls were a week out from the Limerick Marathon. Last Sunday, Susan, John and I headed to Limerick, to cheer on and offer what support we could to the girls.. On the day, the rain came in showers rather than as a constant, it didn't affect my enjoyment although I couldn't answer or all those who had to run in damp clothes. We missed the start but caught up with Anna and Bernie, as we made our way to the 3rd relay point..(The 2nd relay point was too far out for us to reach). We all met up with Tina at Johns Square. We cheered on the runners as they came by as we waited for Anna to take the baton from Michelle.. It wasn't long until the baton was passed. Next stop Bernie's relay point and as we waited a DJ was playing music which added to the festive atmosphere.. As Bernie headed off with Brenda, the girls headed to there next point, they would all finish the final 500m or so together. We headed toward the finish line, to find a good spot where we could see them.
I always find the finish line of a run quiet emotional, it can bring a lump to my throat. It is amazing all the people who cross the line, to think of the time, energy, effort and determination it took each of them to reach that point.
When we saw the girls and Brenda heading up O'Connell Street, it was so exciting, they had done it...Woohooo!!!!

Captured on film..(Beware the shouting!!)

We went up to congratulate them and look at the bling..

Big Smiles..

How in awe of these ladies am I, they have been an inspiration to me for a long time!

To read how Brenda got on during the marathon you can read her account at brendasmercymarathonchallenge.blogspot.ie.

So next is the Cork city marathon on 1st June, the full for Brenda and a leg of the relay for me, between now and then, I will have to put in a few more miles!! In Cork, there will be a few relays #supportingbrenda on her 12 marathon in 8 months challenge. I hope our relay finishes with smiles as wide as the girls...

As I am writing this, the rain is torrential, hopefully the rest of May will not be too wet. It makes it a bit harder to motivate yourself to get out although sometimes a run in the rain is refreshing... But now as I think about it the damp/wet clothes after you finish is one of the most unpleasant feelings, I can feel the chill!!!
To be honest unlike my last post, I am #feelingsomepressure..