January the First, 2018, and I think it's pretty fair to say I'm, glad to see the back of 2017. Didn't quite go to plan... At the start of the year, the #FarewellTour was planned, and the intention was to finish off the year, retired, and lining up for the San Silvestre Road Race in Buenos Aires, having emigrated to the sun. Along the way I had a number of races that I hoped to run, some for nostalgia, and some for the first time, having never got around to running them in the past.
The year didn't start too badly, and one race I was very glad to get into and head to, was the Ballycotton 10, down in Cork. I may not have been as fit as I would like, a continuing saga all year, especially when compared to 2016 when I was lucky to stay injury free and reach a 10 year high fitness level. Little did we all know when we crossed the finish line at that 40th Ballycotton Race, that this would be the last time the race would be run, a sad loss to the running scene, not just in Cork, but in Ireland generally. I slogged around in just under 87 minutes, but loved adding my mug and t-shirt to the collection, they will be treasured.
I picked up an ankle injury after Ballycotton, and this has continued to plague me all year, and still is. As a result, I could only run every other day without any difficulties, but, as I was on my #FarewellTour, I carried on, regardless, albeit not improving my times, and generally running with discomfort for the year.
One of the highlights for the year was running a couple of "trail" races under the Born2Run banner, at Malahide and Bohernabreena. I have avoided X-Country and Trail Runs in the main over the years, having broken an ankle many years ago running the East Lancs Cross Country Championship, with the uneven surfaces always making me run more cautiously on XC, and therefore slower. While the Malahide run was mainly grass and path, the Bohernabreena run was up and down, around and around, the reservoir out there in South Dublin, it was tough, but actually very enjoyable, and I enjoyed the craic at both races, with times being irrelevant.
One of the last Highlights of the year was heading to the west, and Dingle, for the Kerryman Dingle Half Marathon. It lashed with rain, the course was hilly, up and down the roads of the peninsular, and there were next to no spectators on the course, except for the hardy souls who braved the elements to yell encouragement along the way. Thank You. Despite all the that - I loved it. The scenery is spectacular, and on a clear day it would be even better, although, somehow, the rain made it more real. Didn't enjoy the walk back into town from the bus drop, but, as ever in running, the camaraderie of the other runners involved was second to none, and the Shirt was impressive too.
The week after Dingle I ran a decent 5K in a BHAA Race in Kildare, clocking a seasons best 24:14, and found out that I had won my Handicap Section of the BHAA Races from 2016, which ended up with a €60 windfall. Three weeks late, I had a disasterous run in the Rathfarnham 5K, some three minutes plus slower, and feeling terrible as I ran, which I couldn't explain. A couple of weeks later, we headed to the US for a holiday, and as luck would have it, the Brooklyn Rock n Roll Races were taking place the weekend we were to be in New York. Wasn't up for the Half Marathon, but teemed up with an old friend, Vincent Cloud, and we ran the 5 Miler. Although my time of 43:20 wasn't that special, I placed in the top 15%, on a tricky course, and if I had been running as well as 2016, I would have been a top 50 finisher. Not sure if that is an indication of how well I was running that year, or the standard of competitors on the day, but I'd take it.
Then the wheels fell off.......
OK, it hadn't been a great year, nursing the ankle injury, but I was getting around, was able to manage 18 #parkruns over the year, including new runs for me in Rostrevor and Poolbeg, a fair number of races, and some highlights as indicated above. My Saturday morning posts on #RSP seemed to have gained a little following, and at least I felt I was still contributing to the running community here before I set off for pastures new.
Friday October 20th, I handed my retirement notice in at work. The plans were being made ready, and we were looking to be heading to Buenos Aires the week before Xmas. Then, the following Monday, the week before the Dublin Marathon, I received a phone call from St Vincents Hospital. I had been having an MOT done during the year, just routine tests to make sure I was in great health before leaving the country. Just before we went to the States on holiday I had been to Vincents and had a colonoscopy, at which, four polyps had been removed, nothing serious, or so I thought. The phone call was from the department asking me to come in the next day to go through the results of the examination. To be honest, I didn't think too much about it, but when the consultant told me that one of the polyps had come back from histology showing a cancerous tumour, albeit small, my heart, and our plans, sank.
I won't go through all that happened again, if you read my previous missives, I explained it there. Suffice to say, all I heard was the C word, and I did have a few weeks of anxiety as I awaited the results of the follow up CT and MRI scans. Yep there is a trace of cancerous tissues floating around, and I will have to have an operation to tidy up the problem. Work were brilliant, ripped up the retirement notice, and I awaited a date for the operation.
My running took a back seat from then on. Sure I have managed a couple of #parkruns, and the Run in the Dark, but I've also managed to put on over 5 kilos in eight weeks, which will take some time to shed once I am back on my feet.
Thankfully, as the New Year commences, I have a date for my surgery, this coming Friday, January 5th, and I'm told the recovery period will be 10 to 12 weeks, although I hope to be out and about well before that. Obviously this will mean a long period of no running, which might actually allow my ankle to heal, and I will have to be very careful of my weight on my enforced lay off. If 5 Kilos will be hard to shake, 10 would be a nightmare.
I admit I have been very lucky. The cancer was relatively small, and at a very early stage. It was caught, and was/is being dealt with, which should result in a clean bill of health going forward. Being positive, we plan to remain in Ireland for the best part of 2018, so once I am back able to run again, I may just start part two of my #FarewellTour, and maybe manage a couple more of those races I didn't manage to get around to in 2017.
To all my friends from #RSP, from my Wednesday Night Ranelagh Run & Beers gang, from Lust for Life, from Kickrunners 30's Club, and the Hashes around the World, not to forget my family and friends from all four corners of the globe, huge thanks for all your best wishes over the last couple of months, lets hope that 2018 will be a far more positive one, and I wish everyone, health and happiness throughout the coming year.
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