The comedown from big races and the end of the season is always tough to navigate. The end of this cross country season was no different.

After working for the better part of six months towards the European Cross Country Championships it was hard to know what to do once they had come and gone. With no races for six weeks and the festive season to get through it would be tough to keep some semblance of routine in my life, which I find very important to keeping myself on an even keel.

In the absence of any running goals to immediately work towards and recognising that I couldn’t simply go straight back into miles and tempo runs I decided to embark on a new challenge.

I had heard of the Rapha Festive 500 (cycling 500km over eight days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) before, but never seriously considered it until jokingly mentioning to my brother Conor at some point in November.

We went back and forth on whether it was actually a good idea or not, ultimately deciding that it would be worthwhile taking on.

Realistically this form of recovery was something more needed for my mind than my body. I knew that whenever I started training for the next phase that would be it. Running would become the all-consuming priority again and there’d be little room for much else.

I equally knew that in mid December I wasn’t quite ready to take this dive just yet. So over the course of the past week, I decided to give myself a new test, something not defined by running. A task to accomplish where performance wasn’t measured just a journey to go on and enjoy the scenery along the way.

On our bikes we went

Starting out on Christmas Eve the goal was simple, log 500km on the bike between then and New Year’s Eve. Eight days, 500km, an average of slightly over 60km per day. Before the month of December, I hadn’t used the bike for anything more than getting to work and training or running errands.

After a relatively easy 82km on the first day I figured the whole thing would be very manageable. This attitude changed rapidly the following day when half way through a cycle in the Wicklow Mountains I began to question every decision I have ever made in my life that has led me to that point.

Spending my Christmas Day grinding up a hill in my lowest (but still not low enough) gear, with a driving headwind and misty rain making visibility close to zero was a battle unlike anything I have experienced before.

This wasn’t about how long it took; it was simply about getting over the hill with a back that was tightening up with every pedal stroke.

I was quickly realising that while the second hand road bike I bought when I was sixteen was a great purchase, the optimism of the man in the shop who said I would grow into the frame was greatly misplaced.

The bike remains about two sizes too big, something that only added to the fun of the whole journey. Conor sensed my anguish, probably because I kept complaining about it, and was good enough to let me ride his new bike home while he took over my bike. He also knew that me completing the cycle on my machine could have been the end of my Festive 500.

We were kinder to ourselves the following day and stayed on flat roads but also taking in parts of Dublin and Kildare I had never visited before, something the bike gives much more scope for doing than running.

A ride in the dark was necessary on the 27th given our work and other commitments, but watching the sunrise over Dublin Bay from the Summit of Howth is another opportunity I’m very thankful to have experienced this past week.

Then there were four cyclists

The next day was one that really made me appreciate all that is good about sport and the possibilities it can create. While doing our S&C session in Sports Med Ireland in the morning, Donie our physio put us in touch with Olympic silver medallist in sailing Annalise Murphy who was also attempting the Festive 500.

A brief exchange of messages led to a 12:30 meet up in Enniskerry being set up. Annalise was cycling with Olympic triathlete Bryan Keane, and so the two groups not knowing each other beforehand combined and set off into the hills.

Over the next three hours, Conor and I were able to listen to and share stories with two people who have competed at the absolute highest levels of their sports, all while sharing in a passion that is not a speciality for any of us. As we cycled deeper and deeper into Wicklow eventually it was decided that after our coffee and cake stop we needed to turn for home.

With over 100km completed on a day where we probably planned on doing half the distance the power of company really shone through.

Having the opportunity to share in a sporting community other than a running one and learning along the way is something I will remain incredibly grateful for.

The challenge was rounded off with a handy 80km around Waterford and finished at the pub for much earned celebratory pints. Despite new pains in my back and quads, the change of scenery from running was just what I needed. As the old saying goes, a change is a good as a rest.

Now, after a week off the feet and in the saddle, I feel fully ready to head into the new year of running. There are some big changes coming up and hopefully many more challenges to overcome along the way.

And so here ends my blog writing for 2018. Thank you to those who have followed along throughout the year and & to Fast Running for giving me the platform to share my stories.

I’m sure I’ll continue the writing in 2019 and hopefully find a place to share it with whoever cares to read. Until then have a happy New Year.

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post A change is as good as a rest appeared first on Fast Running.

I hate November. The hour has rolled back and the nights draw in early. Double days completed in the dark and always trying to work out how many layers are appropriate. Skin turned raw running the homeward leg of an out and back into the teeth of the westerly wind. 

November weather begins to test the mind; did the summer make you soft?  Early autumn had a nice chill, but it was bright and the weather less wild. November provides a reminder of what the winter of mileage will be like.

As the weeks roll by the body starts to creak that little bit more. The cumulative effort of the miles gone by is taking its toll. The body is weary; the mind begins to play tricks. Each slight niggle and every tightness sending a pang of fear deep into the core. The collective fatigue has the spirit calling out for a break but there are jobs to be done. 

I love it.

I love November. It is championship season. The prep races are done, the training is logged. November is a simple month, success and failure of the season comes down to a performance on one Sunday afternoon. There is a chill in the air, a cool bite to keep the mind focused.

The night creates a sensation of flying through the dark. It can be much easier to zone out, switch to dream mode, when you are the only one charging down the seafront in Sandymount.

November always means championship season, opportunities to be fought for, national medals to be won and international vests to be earned. Last month I wrote about how there can be more to the sport than just racing but the crunch time of championship season creates a rush and an atmosphere that is hard to beat. 

Why do I do this perhaps you ask

The questions go through the mind almost daily. What can you handle? Is the body breaking down around me? Can the mind maintain the intensity to see me through? I’ve been here before, the doubt and anxiety is nothing new yet as each season comes to an end the pangs are no less real. 

Competition is the reason I train though, and November is time to find out what it all equals to. For me this journey started back in June. After two months not being able to run I knew my comeback finished in November. Now as the day draws nearer I simultaneously want another month and the race to be yesterday.

I do not know

Still what compels me to pursue this? To wince when I stand up as the Achilles tendons wait for blood to reach them. To move slower and slower through my day as the month progresses, hoping that each pain is just stiffness and nothing more sinister. Are the short steps just energy conservation, or is it the weary body taking the steps that now feel most comfortable. 

But sometimes when looking up mid race a bigger picture comes into view. A view of green tracksuit tops with a white shamrock on the side of the course roaring you on. There is another club title to hunt for, only four men to count but with so many more making it possible.

The sideways glances family and friends who have endured your complaints for weeks and now stand by your stand. People who do not bear witness to the training but know that it gets done, they hear enough complaints about it after the fact. But the race is a rare change of expression, to show why it is done, to produce a result. 

But I feel it happening and I am tortured

There is not long left to go. Regardless of what the next week brings I will toe the start line next Sunday knowing I have done what I can, done what I wanted so I could put myself in this position willingly and must relish the task. The last week is always the longest.

Questions from deep within rise to the surface. But so the body must rise on Sunday, it will have been rested. A rare opportunity exists to wake up on a Sunday morning a fresh man. It is the torture of the months that must be embraced, the knowledge of how deep into wells you have gone only to dig your way out. 

As I write this I have a little over a week until I race. There is very little that can be gained now, it leaves you powerless. The body must be trusted to recover and repair itself now that it will be given a slight chance. The rare chance of rest to ensure that on one Sunday in November it is right, that it is ready to torture itself once more.

After a month of hating and loving the sport it is time to determine how the last five months of work shall be viewed. If nothing else, that question can be answered. 

RELATED: Sometimes it’s about more than just running

RELATED: Mental health: If I spark one conversation it was worth sharing

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Why I love and hate this time of the year appeared first on Fast Running.

Last week I took part in the Izumo Ekiden in Japan. It is one of the three national collegiate Ekiden held in Japan, the largest of which (Hakone) is one of the country’s major sporting events.

The race is a 45.1km relay divided over six leg ranging from 5.8km to 10.2km. When I was asked if I would be interested in taking part in the race I figured it was an opportunity that I could not turn down.

Flying across the world for a week mid-season to run a race I wasn’t really aware of until asked to compete in it might not be the best preparation for the cross country season. Yet it was a week that greatly restored my faith in the sport and reminded me that there is so much more to running than simply racing.

Rivals reunited

I was competing as a member of an Ivy League Alumni team made up of six runners with two alternates also travelling. The group represented six different colleges across three different graduating classes.

These were guys that I had spent four years competing against, and while we all knew of each other and what we had achieved in college I had not exchanged more than pre and post-race comments with them before, other than my former teammate James who I had a great chance to catch up with.

We would have been rivals in a previous life yet reunited for a common goal we quickly bonded over shared experience and races run. Personally it was great to be part of a collection of guys who are all trying to make post-collegiate running work in their own ways.

As soon as I landed in Japan I was blown away by the support and hospitality we received. Everything was meticulously organised from being collected in the airport, greeted at hotels, led on tours and never having the slightest worry about where to go or what to do.

Between staff from Izumo Town Hall, a representative from the Japanese Collegiate Athletic Union, an advisor from a Japanese University and students from local colleges our pre-race tours, meals and race day experiences were managed brilliantly.

Learning cultural lessons

It was not all seamless however; several cultural barriers did have to be bridged, some more successfully than others. Over the course of the week I learnt how many bows and claps are appropriate when making offerings at certain Japanese shrines (although this varies from shrine to shrine), the correct etiquette when entering an onsen (bath house), the need to remove my shoes before entering a pre-race tent among many other things.

Lessons in teaching me how to hold chopsticks correctly were less successful. Although I was just happy to be able to get the food from plate to mouth without much hassle. I was really glad to be told that Japanese curry rice should be consumed with a spoon and not chopsticks. Getting the right cutlery for every dish still remains a mystery.

I’m not thrilled with how my own race went. I finished ranked 13th out of 21 athletes on my 8.5km leg while the team finished 11th overall. Normally a bad race would send me into a bad mood, but a trip like this really made me see that there can be so many things more important in this sport than race results.

Thankful for opportunities

Perhaps the most important thing about the week was gaining a full appreciation for just what opportunities can arise from running. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have travelled throughout Europe, across America and now to Japan all for something I’d be doing anyway. The opportunities granted to me have made me recognise just how great it is to be in a truly global sport. Between different cultures and areas the combined passion of running is universal.

The trip ended with an afternoon back in Tokyo where given our limited time running again proved its worth. It was decided the best use of limited time would simply be to run through the city. Our team coach, Dan Schlesinger, a 2:11 marathon runner who had previously lived in Tokyo, set the pace at age sixty-three. We tried our best to take in as much as possible.

The scale of Tokyo makes it very difficult to get a grasp of but between nipping down tiny side streets, into city parks, taking a walking break to visit a shrine, before being led down what seemed like one of the city’s busiest shopping streets I could at least get some feel for it. A whole week of tourism in one run.

The run ended with a metro ride home, still in running gear. I’m not sure this made us too popular with the other passengers. Normally a stop start run, with a healthy dose of walking followed by a train home isn’t the best training, but sometimes it certainly is the more memorable way to do things.

Back to normality and looking forward

I’m back to normality now and opening up my cross country season at the Autumn Open on Sunday. Japan certainly was worth the trip, not just for a new racing experience but for reminding me just what running can lead to.

All I can do is say thank you to my teammates, to Bill and Dan our manager and coach, to Yoshi and Takeshi our Japanese guides and to everyone else I met along the way that made it such a great experience.

RELATED: Kevin Dooney returns to winning ways

RELATED: Mental health: If I spark one conversation it was worth sharing

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Sometimes it’s about more than just running appeared first on Fast Running.

The summer may well and truly have ended, weather warnings for wind are back in effect and it is only a matter of time before we move from summer pastures to our group’s aptly named ‘winter loop’.

At least I managed to get myself back to racing, with some feel of a summer road race, before the winter set in – even if it was an overcast Sunday morning on a windswept motor racing circuit.

My main goal in return to racing was simple, go out hard with the leaders, hang on and see what happens. All things considered, it went well as I took second place after sheltering the eventual winner from the wind for close to two miles.

A change of tactics is probably needed for the next race, but I made myself hurt again which was my purpose that day.

Photo: Pop Up Races

The mixed Raheny team took a valiant second place finish behind a team made up of the pre-race first and second favourite on the men’s and women’s side. Realistically we never stood a chance given the rules at play. I can just hope that road races moving away from classic club teams to anybody putting together a team for themselves doesn’t become a trend.

A break from running

The immediate post-race recovery was put on the back burner in the name of football. With the first race taken care of, I headed almost straight to the airport to fly to Poland and watch Ireland play a friendly in Wroclaw. Thankfully an international football break in early September every year gives me a chance to get away with my friends and see some different parts of Europe.

Three days of leading the exact opposite life of an athlete is not exactly sustainable, but being able to switch off entirely and take a break from thinking about running is necessary. I fooled myself into thinking I might get some runs done over there. My shoes never emerged from the bottom of my bag.

No long-term damage was done while away and normal service of training resumed when I got back. In other stages of my career I would’ve been very stressed out about taking three days off for a holiday, even days I wouldn’t be training hard anyway.

Accepting that in general, my training has been going well in the past months means I can allow myself a little respite and kindness when it’s appropriate.

As I’ve come through the past few years I’ve learnt that things won’t be perfect, things will come up, that means I have to be a little flexible. While previously slight changes in routine could play with my mental health, a big part of my journey has been learning to be less black and white in my thinking.

I’m progressing with my mental health

It is not always a winning battle but the general progression is going well. For the first time in some while, I can generally say I’m happy with where my mental health is at.

That isn’t to say I don’t have bad days, but for me, the largest victory is in smoothing out my mood graph and understanding when it is I feel down and being able to deal with it accordingly.

Opening up about this on Fast Running was a big step for me in actually admitting that these are things that I needed to address. In the past, I would hide any efforts to work on my mental health because that would be admitting to having a problem to begin with.

Now I have no fear of being fully open about going to see a counsellor, working with a sports psychologist, meditating daily (or as close to daily as I can). Journaling is the next tool I need to add to my routine. It is strange to think that I meticulously log my physical health on a daily basis but make no effort to keep a better tab on my mental health.

This blog gives me a great opportunity to write once a month about where I’m at but very often proves a more high-level exercise rather than examining the day to day feelings.

It is nice to have some time now to reflect on these things when the going is good. Having a race under my belt means I can fully move on from the spring and summer gone by. There is also time until I get fully back to the cross country so I can enjoy my training now and feel some of the old fitness returning.

Up next I have got the Rathfarnham 5k on Sunday (September 30), which is generally a good fast race and a chance to open the legs out. After that, I am very fortunate to be taking part in the Izumo Ekiden in Japan on October 8, so I should at least be guaranteed material for the October blog already.

It is great to feel a sense of optimism about where I am at and not just in a running sense. There is plenty to look forward in the coming weeks and months but for now, I can just happily live in the current day.

RELATED: Mental health: If I spark one conversation it was worth sharing

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Progress: back to racing and looking after myself appeared first on Fast Running.

After a little over two months of not running and another three months of building fitness, I’m finally preparing to jump back into the world of racing.

It’s a strange thing starting sessions in the middle of the track season with no intention of racing on the track. A lot of patience is required to not go too hard too early. As my coach Jerry Kiernan keeps reminding me if the pace gets too fast, I need to wait for the leaves to turn.

Thankfully cross country season is rolling around again, although the current warmth and bright evenings of August feel a far cry from the conditions that will come for the height of racing season.

It feels strange to be embracing so openly the end of summer and the drawing in of the evenings, but when those things are synonymous with cross country it is hard not to be looking forward to it.

The end of summer events and not feeling guilty for missing out on the sun is the perfect signal to begin revelling in the grind of autumn miles. As the weeks of training progress I’m beginning to feel more like my normal self in sessions and on runs, and even though the weeks are sliding with alarming speed, I am now happily in a routine where each passing week is more miles logged and steps taken to being back on form.

Balancing training with goals

The Irish National Cross Country Championships and European Trials are three months away, a time in which as much can go right as it can go wrong, but hopefully, it all goes right.

I have been lucky to make it to the last two international championships I have attempted to qualify for, but arriving with a body that feels like it is at the end of itself is not a good recipe for performing well when it matters most. The last two major training blocks I have put in have probably resulted in me flying too close to the sun and only realising so when it was too late to fix the issue.

The knife edge between being in peak condition and niggling injury is extremely sharp. One long run done too hard or a session not fully recovered from can leave you in a hole at a point in the season when sometimes the only path to keep on running is to try dig yourself out and hope you don’t hit rock bottom too early.

As I wait for the leaves to turn there is time to plan, to think and to dream of how I want the coming season to look. With the ultimate ambition of getting to the Europeans in the best possible condition, which means pain-free too, I need to do everything in my power to keep myself on the right side of the knife edge.

To help with this I have started working with a sports psychologist to make sure my mental state is strong enough to handle to the workload that will consistently be asked of it. It feels positive to try adding new wrinkles each season to try correct previous mistakes.

Learning how to better deal with the more mundane side of training will hopefully be another step forward that will help me reach my ultimate goals. It is tough to strike the right balance between what is ideal and what is realistic.

As the weeks go by I am becoming more comfortable with the little pieces that are being added. There is no single silver bullet at this point, but rather just a hope that some smaller additions can be the finishing touches that that will keep me on the right path.

What’s next?

Before seeing how the full season plays out I’m just enjoying being able to do sessions again without the pressures of racing. However, my first true test will be a 10km road race around the Mondello Motor Racing Circuit on September 9th.

I think this is the longest I’ve gone without racing since I was 14 so it will be a nice feeling to toe the line again.

For the rest of 2018, all my focus is on trying to get the most out of myself at the European Cross Country. Given that it is 15 odd weeks away there is a need to ensure I take things slow. After a long layoff, there is always the risk of training too hard too soon and running out of gas before the real running needs to be done.

August isn’t over yet though and thankfully there are still some summer events that’ll temper my training before the full monastic life can take over.

The leaves will be turning and soon after winter will come, the seasons will bring their own challenges but once again I can allow myself to get excited about what lies ahead in the coming months.

RELATED: When injury strikes in the biggest race of your life

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and over the course of the year will share his running journey. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us on patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Cross country: waiting for the leaves to turn appeared first on Fast Running.

Much has been made of the recent success of underage athletics in Ireland, and rightfully so. It is great to see mainstream media and websites covering athletics news not related to gimmickry or doping.

It would appear that the talent pool coming through the ranks has never been stronger, nor a potential future for the sport in Ireland brighter.

Following on from the young athletes’ recent successes there has also been the more sobering calls of what to do now, and what can be done to ensure they make the most of their evidently enormous potential.

While the athletes have defied the odds to achieve at such a high underage level, they will equally have to defy the odds to simply make it to a major global championship as seniors.

Junior success is by no means a guarantee of success at a senior level, nor is senior success always preceded by being a talented junior.

Only 29% of Irish athletes who have competed at World U20s between 2000 and 2012 have gone on to represent Ireland at a global track championships as seniors. Ireland isn’t an outlier here, between 1998 and 2012 only 33% of British athletes made the same jump (thanks to Jeremy Lyons and Twitter for sharing the information).

Unfortunately, I find myself on the side of the majority in those numbers. I ran the 10,000m at the World Juniors in Barcelona in 2012 where I did my best to avoid melting in my first ever track race outside of Ireland. It wasn’t to be as I came home in 24th place some 90 seconds off my qualifying time.

While I am still running and hoping to join the minority of my fellow World Junior competitors in the senior ranks, it has been, by no means, an easy road and it is one that – realistically – won’t get any easier.

Based off 2017 standards I’d have to become the second fastest Irishman in history just to qualify in the same distance. Admittedly the hope I do harbour for competing at this level comes in the marathon and not the 10,000m.

Photo: Athletics Ireland / Sportsfile

So what advice, if any, could I give my younger self or the current group that would be of any relevance?

There is no golden wisdom that would have gotten me to a World Championship by now had I done anything differently. Instead, all I can suggest are some bits that have kept me going, or I have had to remember in order to keep going over the past six years.

Hopefully, they form part of the puzzle that will eventually lead me to the world stage, and indeed help others on a similar journey.

Patient persistence is key

I’m not a patient man but when it comes to distance running it really is vital. I know I still have some years before I reach the conventional peak for my events, so having the confidence to just gradually chip away and not lose the mind when things don’t go well, has to be there.

I haven’t run a track PB since 2014, and won’t be running one this summer either. This doesn’t mean anything in my system is broken, it just recognises mistimed injuries and changing environments.

It’s a frustrating fact but one that will change if I follow through on what I am currently doing. Believe in your system and the long-term plans and the little milestones fit in place much easier.

Always remember the good times

I ran six PBs, from 1,500m to 10,000m, indoors and outdoors over the course of seven races between February and April 2014, all of which are my current bests. I still look back, perhaps overly fondly, at those weeks and months of training and racing where almost nothing could go wrong.

Despite being far removed from it, remembering the feeling of that time still stands to me. It reminds me that it can be done, and also that it can come when not expected.

Before that series of races, it certainly didn’t look like I’d produce those times but once one came it all fell right. If it can happen once it can happen again. Never lose sight of what can be, and how fun that can be.

Don’t be just a runner

As pressure increases and the stakes get higher it becomes more and more tempting to abandon things around you in pursuit of the running lifestyle. This can work very well for some people, but there is nothing wrong in admitting that it isn’t best for you.

Find things that interest you and don’t be afraid to explore them, it’s ok if they are running related, once it isn’t all about your own running. Days will come when you need to not be concerned about your own racing and training; if the supports aren’t there before that day comes it could well be too late. This is probably the piece of advice it took me the longest to realise, yet now is as important as anything else for me.

Writing this serves as much as a reminder to me, as it does as advice for anybody else, although I at least feel it is relevant and hopefully somewhat useful. It is very easy to lose sight of these things when caught in the minute details of it all, but the big picture is always in view if you look up.

The potential in Irish athletics is certainly there at the minute, making sure it comes to fruition is a different challenge for all involved.

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and will share his running journey throughout the year. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post Junior to senior: beating the odds appeared first on Fast Running.

While this isn’t based on any particular run it is more a general sample of what could take place on any longer running outing, an event I’ve missed greatly in my time off.

Almost every Saturday the same exchange takes place on WhatsApp, a call for companionship for another Sunday morning spent taking on long loops of the Phoenix Park. The numbers change weekly, the conditions rarely the same, the route has its slight variations, but the atmosphere remains.

“Same time, same place in the morning?” No more needs to be said, the routine is well established. The reliable responses come in early; one man has gone off West, another tempted away by the pints. But the momentum starts to build, some yes texts arrive, a group is formed.

Sunday morning comes and two minutes before the designated start time the phones ping again as the apology texts announce a five-minute delay en route. Nobody really minds, there’s never a huge rush to begin the week’s longest run.

The cars assemble, parked in a line down the Avenue. We step out, tired and stiff from Saturday’s sessions. A brief debate about the appropriate attire never reaches a consensus and we trot on.

“Grass or roads?”

The question needs to be resolved before the first turn is reached, right for the grass loop, seven miles around, largely soft surface, twists and turns keep the pace in check and make it a bit of easier going on the body. The Strava junkies will have to accept a dip in the average pace. Straight on for the roads, plenty of hammering on the body and in the pace but sometimes it’s just what is needed.

The conversation is slow to start; the initial pleasantries are covered, quick recaps of races and sessions done over the weekend inevitably leading to questions of what is coming up next. In varying stages of fitness and comebacks, this can range from the local road race scene to eyeing up international races.

As the run progresses a rhythm forms, the conversation is picked up with the man next to you as the group rolls along two by two. A burst of laughter from the front brings everything back together as a story is deemed worthy of sharing with the entire party. Any range of topics can be covered, the weekend’s football, the nights out, the progression of the children of the group. Nothing is too big or too small to be covered on a Sunday morning.

Inevitably the same stories roll by and the same characters reappear. The old favourites are always welcome. Even a knowledge of the punchline doesn’t prevent the eruption of laughter that draws a strange sideways glance from a group passed on the path.

Familiar faces

We aren’t alone on our loops, numbers peak around the Dublin Marathon season, but the familiar faces are always around. Seemingly no two groups retrace the same routes when going around, every group has their own sacred rituals and paths. Passing by with a nod or a wave, occasionally someone popping in to join for a few miles, visitors are always welcome to add a new story to the repertoire.

About an hour in the all-important question comes; “how far is everyone going?” The wrong answer here and the last few miles could have to be finished in a long and contemplative isolation. Those going shorter get the answers in early, safe in the knowledge they’ll never lose company and hoping routes can be arranged to drop them off at their car with the perfect distance run. The longest runner stakes his claim hoping a match can be found. The company all the more welcome as the last of the miles come around.

Looping back by the car the group snatches the water bottles perched on the roofs or bonnets, excess layers are discarded, the body is fully warmed up now. It isn’t always necessary but refuelling mid run must be practised. A well-placed bin just down the path ensures the bottles are discarded without any break in stride.

As the miles start to add up the chat and laughter become more infrequent. Numbers drop off until only a very few remain. No words are needed at this point. Each man enters his own world to get through the last miles and up the last hills. As the back pats come in for another day in the books the neurotic among us pass the car once more to make sure the watch shows exactly the right time or distance.

Job done, the earlier finishers have already departed and the last of the group to finish take on water and prepare for the road home. There is no need for long goodbyes although who can be sure which run will be the last for a while. But even leaving without sight of return you can be safe in the knowledge that the repeating ritual will be waiting for you.

After thirteen Sundays in the wilderness, I’m planning my first run back in the Phoenix Park this Sunday. I’ll be one of the men going shorter, leaving the longer running for another day. That day will come and I’ll be eternally thankful for those last miles of silent companionship.

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and will share his running journey throughout the year. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post Sunday’s long run is much more than another run appeared first on Fast Running.

When asked if I wanted to be part of the “class of 2018” on Fast Running, I felt that I did not want to become another athlete who goes out there and complains about mental health issues. I did, however, vow that if nothing else I would be honest in my writing, and as such this is a topic that I cannot avoid.

It has been a part of my life for so long now, that to avoid writing about it while writing about a year in my life as an athlete, would be a glaring omission.

During the week in conversation with my brother Conor, I told him that after four years I am completely fed up with being depressed. He knew it was something that affected me but did not fully understand just how wearing the whole thing is on me. It is not something I talk about very often with him, or ever with most people. It is something that I’ve kept mostly to myself for four years, with the exception of those who have lived with me for whom it was an unavoidable fact of my life.

There is no set date or moment when I would say I began feeling this way, more of a gradual slide into more frequent occurrences of feeling down without any explanation as to way.

A distinct memory of crying after the Ivy Leagues Cross Country Championships in October 2014 marks somewhat of a beginning, but the feelings were there before that. I put my heart and soul into my racing, so I while I found it an odd overreaction to one race, I didn’t necessarily think there was something more sinister lurking in me. As the weeks and months passed, the same feelings of emptiness and loneliness continued to return.

As the problems increased I eventually spoke to my mum and cried down the phone as I tried to explain how I felt. Perhaps the worst feeling was how seemingly impossible it was to articulate these emotions. The spiral of words escaping me, only to be replaced by choking back tears, which meant the call had to be abandoned and continued later on. Thankfully I have a supportive family who arranged for me to see a professional who I work with to this day.

While I’m now better able to understand the causes and triggers of my sadness, I would by no means say I have emerged from the other side.

The present

If there is one upside to being injured, which I have been since the World Half Marathon in March, it is that I at least now have time to step back and truly assess what I’m doing with myself. It is not an easy process, but it is one that I need to go through.

For the past number of months, running has become increasingly more of a chore in my life. To the point where nights I was supposed on the road training were instead spent in bed trying to hold in tears as they attempted to escape my eyes. For the most part I fought them, held them back, laced up my shoes and went out into the night. Each of these days took an emotional toll on me, and as the gaps between days came closer and closer, it became increasingly self-evident that this could not and should not continue.

While I say this is something I am now working on, I actually don’t know what that looks like. To be honest I’ve felt just as down in the past month while not running as I did in the preceding months while running at an international level. I do however take some comfort in the fact that as I go through this process I am becoming more aware of my health and at the very least becoming more accepting of myself.

Looking forward

There is never really an easy or a right time to write about this subject but mental health and depression have been particularly on my mind of late, not only through my own experience, but equally two incidents have compelled me to take this moment to write about my own issues.

Firstly, there was this piece written by the father of my friend and former teammate Hale Ross who tragically ended his life in October 2016. Secondly, there was the death of Frightened Rabbit lead singer Scott Hutchinson, a man whose lyrics have been a frequent source of comfort over the years.

Both these incidents only serve to further highlight that when dealing with mental health issues we need to be open and honest. Hiding my mental health issues has definitely done me no favours over the past years other than perhaps protecting some form of ego I felt needed to be guarded.

If this article sparks one conversation about mental health then I feel it is a positive. Hopefully, someone going through his or her own issue might find some solace in another shared story. Perhaps the person who benefits most from this may well be me. I’m very much ok with that. As Jack Ross said when writing about the death of Hale: “as you go through life, try to be open-minded and flexible. Be kind to others, and, most importantly, be kind and forgiving to yourself.”

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and will share his running journey throughout the year. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post Mental health: If I spark one conversation it was worth sharing appeared first on Fast Running.

The World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia was easily the worst race I have ever experienced; a first mile that was too hard, then my hip just stopped, followed by a few miles of hurt, before drifting aimlessly backwards through the field.

When I arrived at the finish line people were surprised that I had not dropped out.

The fact that it took about three weeks to get back walking without a noticeable limp, something people seemed to constantly remind me of, at least confirms that I was trying to run through an injury that ultimately defeated me.

Disappointing race and injured

Generally, I’ve found it reasonably easy to bounce back from bad races in the past. I tend to just take my medicine and get back training for the next one. But when a disappointing race also injures you, the mental wounds are left open without much scope for recovery.

There is something about lingering pain that is really tough; every step becomes a needling reminder of what is wrong with you. Voices of concern about your “limp” or “hobble”, while coming from a place of concern, equally act as a constant reminder of how far away you are from the place you want to be.

The last three weeks have probably allowed for too much time spent in my own head. While I do enjoy my own company, there is a fine balance as to what amounts to too much time spent alone.

Throughout this time I’ve at least been forced to re-examine my goals for the upcoming season. I have come to the realisation that it isn’t possible to keep shooting for every major championship on the calendar. Trying to squeeze two half marathons into the first three months of the year on the back of a hard cross country season was always going to be extremely difficult to do right.

It certainly proved a bridge too far and has seen a lot of people telling me that I need to take a step back, but when you’re at the coalface of your own career this advice is tough to take on board.

Walking the tightrope

What I enjoy most about the sport is trying to compete at the highest level and pushing to get the most out of myself.

While on this journey I am frequently advised that I need to step back, rest, and look after myself. However, this is quite often from people who in equal measure, will tell me the key to getting to the next level is to make sure you are training incredibly hard.

Of course, this is a tightrope act. Both schools of thought are valid at certain points of the cycle, but the tendency of less is more is still a concept I’m working on.

If nothing else, from being injured I’ve had some time to look at areas I need to work on. The recent breakdowns in my body have made me truly face the music that I need to get very serious about rehab and the “little things.”

I’ve started a weekly yoga class which I’ve heard can be very beneficial for runners so hopefully some results can come through there.

Choosing to invest even more time in physical activity versus resting may seem paradoxical but there is something very peaceful about spending my Friday morning exercising my body without running as the sole focus.

When I examine my running and training there are still some glaring holes that I need to plug. But as long as I can produce answers to the questions of why some races have gone poorly, which I may not always like, I can at least give myself something to work on.

Perhaps the greatest revelation of this break has been discovering the “podcast hug” of Blindboy, I’m late to the game admittedly but on night’s spent with little to do it has been a nice escape from my own voices. If anyone needs a bit of picking up for an hour I can’t recommend the series enough.

At least it is still early in the year and I can afford to be patient. Walking no longer hurts so getting out of bed and trying to live my life isn’t acutely painful which I’m now appreciating compared to the past few weeks.

What goals will get shifted and where the focus will go from here will all depend on when my body gets in swing again. I am aware that a four-week injury is minuscule compared to what other athletes go through, but nevertheless, it has still taken its toll on me mentally and physically.

This Saturday I completed my first pain-free run since crossing the line in Valencia, the first miles of what will hopefully be a long summer.

Kevin Dooney features in the ‘Fast 10: class of 2018’ and will share his running journey every month. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post When injury strikes in the biggest race of your life appeared first on Fast Running.

A cap with a simple message sits on top of the dresser in my bedroom. A navy trucker cap which has “Make Running Fun Again” printed on the front.

The cap stems from a time when it was felt our college team needed a reminder of the reason we started the sport in the first place, simply to have fun. The mastermind behind the project, Hale Ross, is tragically no longer with us. As such, the cap serves as a poignant reminder for me to try my best to embody Hale’s legacy and enjoy the ability I have to be able to go out and run on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, this appreciation is often something I lose sight of. During a long winter of running solo in the dark, the prospect of any sort of run, at times seemed like an unbearable chore.

Despite racing and training well, some days the desire to do so just simply isn’t there. It’s a tough realisation when you find something that you have built your life around becoming no longer enjoyable.

In past years, largely through my own doing, there has been a constant increase in pressure due to having loftier goals, leaving little time to step back and enjoy the road. Crossing the line of one race leads only to looking at what’s next.

This week I will be running in the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia, and instead of taking this for the achievement that it is, I find myself already willing away the time and planning my next track season, the following cross country season, and the longer road ahead.

The ability to plan ahead is often useful to keep the big picture in mind, but when I map out twelve months ahead any slight ache or pain can instantly become more daunting as I see what is literally my future drifting away from me.

The deeper down this cycle I go, the more I drift from the simplest message that I wish to embrace wholeheartedly, a basic desire to make running more fun again.

I often forget that this isn’t actually my job; this isn’t how I earn a living, in fact, its something done while losing money and supposedly as a “hobby.”

Yet it is what I want to do

I want to be able to look back at my time in running and know that I got the most out of myself, but equally have enjoyed myself along the way.

So losing my vision of the fun that can be had in the sport only serves to sting that little bit more. I am my own worst enemy in trying to operate on a black and white scale of what is good for my running career and failing to see the bigger picture of life going on around.

I often forget that I haven’t been living this lifestyle for all that long and still have many things to learn about how to balance everything. I’ve only been working full time for a year. Patience is not a virtue I have been blessed with so I must be able to accept that I’m not always going to make the right decisions first time round.

At least in all the drudgery of the first few months of the year I’ve still been able to achieve my goals, even if the level of joy in them hasn’t quite been there.

I feel this part of the year is always going to be hard with dark nights and bad weather, but I certainly did myself no favours by ignoring advice to get away for warm weather training and instead sticking to three months of the same routine Variation when I am in Dublin is equally key; the 5,000m time trial in Abbotstown in the build up for European Clubs was just the trick to keep the mind sharp.

Equally seeking out company is vital, my brother Conor is now back from injury which is a big boost for the after work runs. Darragh Flynn’s relocation to working in the City Centre and a new Wednesday routine of miles followed by burritos with Conor and him could also be just the trick.

It really is the small things that can make a very large difference, and hopefully things can be made just that little bit more fun again. Although perhaps the greatest shift could be an end to this “lousy Smarch weather.”

Kevin Dooney is part of the ‘class of 2018’ and this year will share his running journey every month. You can read Kevin’s previous posts here and further information about the ‘class of 2018’ can be found here.

The post Running should be fun, but we often forget appeared first on Fast Running.