Dave Bradshaw Running

I was 59, the kids were adults, the husband had taken redundancy and found himself a hobby, work was becoming more toxic and stressful by the day.  I knew I needed to do something.  But what ?  I felt too young for Bridge,  I was never any good at sport (don’t think darts after a good night at the bar counts), fermenting, whilst fun was too kitchen bound; I needed something sociable, fun, accessible, stress free and preferably easy.  And so I decided to try Running.  It seemed to tick so many boxes and would be something I could do both with people or on my own when travelling for work. And sure if I got slim and beautiful in the process that would be an added bonus.  Taking up running meant that I needed to buy my first ever pair of runners which was exciting and then find a Group or Club that would happily welcome a 59 year old woman who had never even run for a bus before.  And that proved surprisingly easy.  My husband was in ...

I wasn’t  planning on running the marathon this year, I had other plans for a spring marathon in 2020 to mark me reaching the milestone of the big 40 in March, but I got caught up in all the hype and the excitement of the Sunday long run group in their early training days and I needed in on the action. I thought I’d try for one of the late tickets released in July and leave it down to fate, if I got one I'd run, if I didn’t then so be it, I'd stick to my 2020 plan. The luck of the Irish was on my side and I was one of the lucky 2500 to get one.   I had run Dublin way back in 2006 as a tourist visiting the city, it was my 5th marathon to run in my mid-twenties and it was my last. I may as well have been running anywhere in the world as I didn’t know the city or the route. I ran the course in around 3hrs 40mins. Fast forward 13 years, and I have been living in this wonderful city for 10 of those years, threatening to join a running club since I made the move but never doing...

4th November 2019, one year exactly since I registered to do the DCM 2019.  Why did I sign up?  I signed up because all my running buddies had signed up and my FOMO meant that I upped and signed up too.  I didn’t tell anyone for ages, I think probably because I don’t think I really thought that I would do it.  Every so often it would be mentioned but it was so far away and nothing to worry about.  I kept going to my DBR runs three days a week and signed up to do the Mullingar Half Marathon on St. Patrick’s Day.  It was one of my first ‘races’ as I am not a fan of entering races so I was pretty nervous and the weather on the day was horrific.  I ran the 13 miles on my own in the rain and hailstones and I literally could not wait for it to be over.  Not an auspicious start.  By May, I had just about forgotten about Mullingar and Dave announced that the marathon training would begin in earnest.  The first month was grand, becaus...

My Marathon Experience: I always dabbled in “running” whether it was running around the hockey pitches during my school lunch breaks, running around the numerous neighbourhoods I lived in during my years in London or signing up for a number of Connemara half-marathons.  But, there was never a training plan, a long term goal or commitment and invariably my enthusiasm would wane for one reason or another and that would be it for another few months or even years at some points! When the boys arrived we always enjoyed going out as a family to support DCM but I honestly never imagined I would have the confidence or capability to ever run it myself. Then, in April 2018, a family member was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  For me memory loss is the most terrifying prospect and as such I started to read up on the disease to determine whether there was anything I could be doing now to reduce the risk of developing it in the future.  Countless studies are being carried out and ...

Marathon 2019 Ok so here we go...shooting straight from the hip so let's get to it. Last year at DCM 2018 Jane and I stood in awe of every runner in Terenure and said "We have to do it".  As your mother would have always told you " If someone put their finger in the fire would you too?" ...well I'm not one for taking solid advice and of course once Jane signed up, sure I had to do it! Then a few more joined in and before we knew it there was a gang in the furnace. Training started in July and despite having cartilage problems with my left knee and being advised by Dave that it may not be a wise move, I embarked on a marathon training plan. The first couple of weeks were fine as I trained with some of the other club members as they were setting their sights on their half marathon in September. With my injury I had to fully tune into what my knee could handle and learned quickly it certainly did not like any speed at all or uphill incline..it was then tha...

When asked very recently for my thoughts on the best and the worst bits of my first ever marathon experience I blurted out, almost without thinking   The Best: Crossing the finish line and being totally surprised at my time. The amazing support from spectators and DBR folk. The Worst: Running past my daughters and their partners "the most glamourous  (and noisiest) of supporters, on their way to a wedding"   I was so focused I just didn't see them. Then with the Finish line firmly in sight, the 26 mile marker came into view and it nearly floored me altogether.  I still had .2 of a mile to go. In fairness it was a great first marathon but then I had taken my training and diet seriously.  Early on in the training my GP pointed out a low Iron count and prescribed over the counter Iron supplements and red meat at least 3 times a week. Thus began a regular diet of "shteak and spuds", and sure if it's good enough for the O'Donovan Brothers.... Pa...

DCM Run Report 2019 JOB A couple of years ago one of my best friends joined a running group, and loved it. I watched with a bit of envy as once upon a time I liked going for a run. In fact in 2009 I even did a marathon. But that memory seemed very far away as I sat at home nursing my third baby. I saw Jane getting fitter and stronger, doing her first Park Run, watched it become her regular Saturday morning habit. It encouraged me to get out for an odd run and the very odd Park Run. Her love of running grew as she took on bigger challenges. In September 2018 she did the Dublin Half Marathon, and I had joined a gym and was getting some healthy me-time back into my routine. I’m guessing she was buoyed up with the emotion of that half marathon, and excited to see some of her running club training for the marathon, but she came up with a nutty plan to take on DCM 2019, and the craziest part …. Would I like to do it with her?! That question really made me think. Of course I would...

DCM Marathon Report 2019 I signed up to do the 2019 Dublin City Marathon in November 2018 after only starting to learn how to run mid January 2018. I know - just a bit mad!  It was suggested by a few friends that it would be a great thing to do especially after seeing how some other DBR members enjoyed their first one! I did put it to the back of my mind for many months and continued on as normal running/ training 3 /4 times a week and doing a few races in between!  Suddenly May was upon us and reality struck as the marathon training was to start! I had decided at this stage that I was going to give it the best shot I could and train as well as possible. I was still not convinced that I would actually be able to do it! One of my main concerns was how the summer would pan out.  The summer training was a bit tricky some weeks as children were off but I found ways around it when they were in one or two camps, babysitter occasionally and Andrew around ...