IT’S springtime and don’t you just love it. Memories of the dreary short days of winter can finally be put to the back of our minds as we look forward in anticipation of the bright evenings, longer days and hopefully, a bit of mild weather to heat up the bones.
One of the best times of the year is that time when the clock goes forward one hour. This year summertime started on Sunday, March 26 so the countdown is well and truly on.
And look around you and you’ll see the difference in people’s moods when those evenings take a good long stretch. We’re more energetic that’s for sure. We’re out walking, running, keeping fit, doing the garden and visiting people we haven’t seen since we went into hibernation at the onset of winter.
You’ll notice around this time of year the amount of runners pounding our streets and parks, and in particular women. That can only mean one thing: training for the much-celebrated VHI Women’s Mini Marathon – which takes place this year on the June 5 (Bank Holiday Monday) – has begun in earnest.
There are few greater feelings in sport than being on the starting line for a race.
The surge of adrenalin coursing through your veins, the anticipation, the limbering up in front of the tape, the clock above you waiting to record your every step, the nervous glances at your fellow competitors, the checking of your watch, and finally, the deafening sound of the gun. You’re off and there’s no turning back.
Around 40,000 women from all corners of the country will experience this magical feeling and rush of endorphins on June 5 when they toe the line for the annual VHI Women’s Mini Marathon.
The hugely popular 10k event has come a long way since its inception in 1983 when it was formally known as the Dublin Women’s Mini Marathon.
Over these years approximately 800,000 women have entered the event – the 2010 Women’s Mini Marathon attracted a field of 40,397.
Over the last three decades, numerous charities have been the biggest winners with the ladies raising thousands of euro (and pounds back in the day!) for their chosen ones.
Since the event began, millions have been raised for Irish charities, making it the biggest single day charity event in Ireland.
There is hardly a charity in the country that won’t be represented on June 5, and especially in these challenging times economically, they rely on the women’s unstinting support more than ever.
The VHI Women’s Mini Marathon has quite simply become the largest all-women’s event of its kind in the world and the biggest charity event in Ireland.
Of course, a lot of preparation must go into the event from the huge team of organisers and the runners, with many having started their training after Christmas.
Indeed, the cold, dark nights can prove difficult for any outdoor activity let alone running, but now that we’re on the cusp of the long, bright nights again, it sure gets much easier.
And the major plus for training in the bright nights as opposed to the dark ones, is that you can train in public parks again and away from the madness of Dublin traffic.
Also, as any runner will tell you: it’s much easier on the joints if you run on grass rather than concrete.
It’s also much easier to get the motivation to train when you are in a group and that’s where the Meet and Train Groups come in.
As this event grew bigger, these groups were set up specifically to help women train for the mini marathon.
They hold regular group runs and give advice on how to prepare for the big event.
They also organise a series of smaller, shorter races throughout the year which includes road races and cross-country races.
These groups can be found at locations all over the country.
So roll on June 5 when Mna na hEireann will be running, jogging and walking around the course, hoping that their hard work on the training fields over the last few months yields rich dividends for themselves and their chosen charities.
Best of luck!