Margaret Donnellan: I did it....I ran The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon

I did it! I completed The Echo Women’s Mini Marathon, and I achieved my goal of running the entire six kilometres.

My journey to race day didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. I completed a 6km training run a week before going on holidays in August and was delighted to have it in the bank. I then flew back from Spain with a nasty bout of tonsillitis. One strong course of antibiotics and steroids later, and I really felt like I was back to square one.

It took me a few weeks to build back up to full fitness, but by the time the race rolled around, I was feeling confident again. I’d managed a full training run (in the rain) at a decent pace the week before. I knew I could do it; I just wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to!

Don’t get me wrong - physically, I was feeling good and pretty fit. But mentally, I was a bag of nerves. Nervous about my first ever race, nervous about what the weather might be like, nervous about potentially being too tired, or too warm, or any number of minor problems that seemed quite big to me in the lead-up to the day.

Nevertheless, I was up and at ’em nice and early on the morning of the race. A bit too early, on reflection, considering it was still dark outside and the event wasn’t until 1pm. I’m a morning person, particularly when it comes to exercise, so I struggled with waiting around.

I was buoyed, however, by my children, who were very excited to come and support me. I’m pretty sure they believe that their father actually won this year’s Cork City Half Marathon, so hopes were high. No pressure.

A lot of my nerves were put at ease as soon as I arrived at Race HQ at the Marina Market and met my friend and running partner, Aimee.

The weather was perfect, everything was superbly organised, and the pre-race atmosphere was electric. I called in to the charity meeting point inside the Market to say hello to Edel, who was manning the Breakthrough Cancer Research stand. I’m proud to have been raising money for this superb charity through the course of my training, and it was heartwarming to see so many other runners supporting a huge range of important causes on the day.

Finally, it was time for Aimee and I (along with the other 4,000-odd participants) to assemble at the start line. While we were on our way, walking among the masses, I received a call from my mum and aunt. They had very kindly come along to support me (and make sure that I was actually going to do it) and had positioned themselves right by the starting blocks.

They were concerned, however, that they couldn’t see me! I had to remind them that, although I was very appreciative of their confidence in me, I was not, in fact, an elite athlete hoping to sprint my way to a podium position.

Indeed, Aimee and I were a little further back in the zone for runners hoping to finish within 45 minutes.

After a quick warm-up and lots of waving for the drone camera, we were off! I remember thinking that I had maybe started a bit too fast and was concerned for my pacing later in the race. It was also unseasonably warm for late September, and I suddenly remembered about half a kilometre in, that I don’t actually like running. My anxieties were laid to rest, though, when I saw my husband and kids at the 1km mark. My son was excited to give me a high five, and my daughter was having a nap. One was slightly more motivating than the other.

Onwards down the Marina to Blackrock Village, which was extremely pleasant until we turned the corner and hit a surprisingly steep hill. As previously mentioned, my goal was to run for the entire race - no stopping and no walking. The incline leaving Blackrock Village nearly put paid to that, let me tell you. It was the cheering of the volunteers and crowds - who were fantastic the whole way along the route - that motivated me to keep going. Mercifully, there was a lot of downhill running after Blackrock, which felt like a breeze in comparison.

At the 5km mark, my partner stopped to rehydrate. “Keep going, Margaret!” she shouted at me. So I did. My husband had asked me in advance if I’d try to go as fast as I could in the final kilometre. “Are you mad?” I’d cried. I just wanted to finish. I didn’t care about speed.

But with 1km to go, suddenly on my own… Maybe it was worth seeing what I had left in the tank? I put my head down and ran as fast as I could. I blazed across the finish line, clearly looking absolutely shook, because a kindly steward asked me if I was alright. I was more than alright. I’d done it! I’d run a 6km race!

My finish time was 41:55, which is over a minute shorter than the fastest of my training runs. A personal best on my first race? Nothing short of miraculous. But the highlight of the day wasn’t my time, or even my beautiful medal. It was the excitement in the air, the camaraderie of my fellow participants, the cheering of the crowds, the encouragement of the volunteers, and the support of my family and friends – both on the day and through generous donations – every step of the way. I’ve never run before this year, and I said at the start of the summer that as soon as the mini marathon was over, I’d never run again. Well, that’s not true. I’ll be back next year, and I’m looking forward to it.