Here's Lucy - the marathon aftermath
Welcome to my final weekly update everyone, the last couple of months has passed by way too quick.
June 6th was on my mind for the last few months. The 10km distance was running through my mind constantly. Would I be able to finish the race, would I walk, would I jog?
I had no other option but to aim to jog the full route as I was selected to be on the Vhi Herald team representing all of the joggers on the day of the event. Over 35,000 women registered, I felt huge pressure. This alone kept me going and kept June 6th on my mind as I felt I couldn’t let myself down or the thousands of other women.
Back in January when I was chosen to be the youngest leader on the TV show Operation Transformation, I couldn’t possibly jog for over five minutes without taking a rest. My breating was very heavy and I couldn’t control my pace. I kept thinking how I would possibly jog the 5km in the Phoenix Park in February. With the sense of achievement being able to jog the full 5km, I knew the 10km was something I could aim for. Yes, the training increased and it was hard but I knew it would be worth it.
June Bank Holiday Monday 2016 arrived. It was a long weekend, everybody in my local area seemed to be out partying all weekend at the Blue Jeans festival in Athboy while I was sitting in catching up on my soaps and making sure I got enough rest for the race. Sometime you need to make sacrifices for yourself to achieve your goals.
The sun was shining at 9am, I was petrified the day would get hotter as the time went on. I find it extremely hard to exercise in the strong heat, it makes me feel like I cant push myself 100 per cent. Myself, Conor and Molly made our way up to the Pre-Race Reception in East Merrion Square where we met all of the event sponsors, ambassadors, and organisers. You will never guess who I bumped into up there - Louise Quinn from the TV show, Ireland’s Fittest Mum 2016. Louise is genuinely a lovely person and works very hard to keep her body in tip top shape.
On I went and made my way to the start line, it was thronged with thousands of women. Thankfully I got the start up at the top of the crowd as I was on the Vhi Herald Team. This still didn’t make it easy for me, the heat was dead, i felt like there was no air. It was such a heavy humid day, it was dreading the jog.
I pushed, pushed and pushed myself until I got to 7km, I had to take a short breather and get some water to keep myself hydrated. I kept thinking, I wish this took place in winter time it would be so much easier. NO EXCUSES.
I didn’t let the demons in my head stop me from getting to the 10km line, off I went and tore into the last 3km. I kept thinking of my partner Conor and daughter Molly waiting for me at the finish line & how proud they would be of me for finishing it. The crowds of people along the route cheering everyone on kept me motivated. There were some humorous quotes along the route, one was ‘‘Run like you left the immersion on’’. I got a good laugh out of this along the route.
My favourite part of the whole event was the last half kilometre when I could see the actual finish line. I took off into a fast run and finished the race with a sprint. The feeling of self achievement took over my body when I crossed the finish line. I DID IT. Words couldn’t describe how happy I was to achieve one of the biggest goals I had set out for myself in 2016. I jogged a full 10km. I look back over the past few months with a smile, I am so proud of how far I have come.
I would like to thank the following local businesses for their support with the lead up to the big day. I would like to give a special thank you to Elverys Intersport, Hogans Farm, Geoghegans Navan and Evb Sport for kindly sponsoring me.
I would like to thank all of my followers for tuning in each week for updates and kind messages via Facebook and Snapchat, you all kept me motivated to keep going regardless of the little blips along the way.
I have an exciting eight weeks ahead of me; I will be put through my paces with Darrel in 121 Fitness in Navan. I have decided to lapse down on the running and work on strength & conditioning. You can follow my progress by liking my Facebook page ‘’Love Lucy x’’ & Snap chat ‘’lucydillon1’’
Remember folks, it’s your move.
Love Lucy xXx