10 Things I Think About Running

10 Things I Think About The Rathcormac 4 Mile 2025

1. Reigning Champion

I think that it is nice to go back to a race as the reigning champion. It is a rare enough thing to happen to a moderately old man like me so it is important to enjoy these occasions. I won last year by beating one of my heroes James McCarthy. Unfortunately, 2025 has been a year of injury and time spent on Zwift cycling so there wasn’t much hope of a repeat victory.

2. Law of Conservation of Injury

I think that one of the laws of running is that running injuries are neither created nor destroyed merely transferred from one runner to another. Thankfully my time as an injured runner has come to an end. It took 11 weeks for my right anterior-inferior tibiofibular ligament to knit itself back together after the Midleton 5 mile. Unfortunately, this means that some poor other runner is now injured. Think about it if this law wasn’t true there would be no physios.

3. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

I think that a lot can change over the course of three months. New shoes have arrived on the scene in the shape of the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 which are supposed to be better than everything else according to science. Local runners are also using Bicarb which has filtered down from the elites. Isn’t it great to be alive at such a time, you don’t even have to train to get better just buy stuff. I decided I would limit myself to the shoes only and keep the bicarb for a night where the toilet is closer to the finish line.

4. Perfect Training

I think that I will do only perfect training while I still remember the time I spent cycling on Zwift while I watched very annoying influencer running channels. The fear of ending up back on the bike watching drivel is enough to put manners on my madness for at least a few months or weeks or days.

5. Photo Photo

I think one of the things I missed about being injured is that no one was around to take my photo. No one took my photo while I was cycling on Zwift which is just as well. There lots of excellent photographers in Rathcormac, from Garry Lee to Graham. I don’t think I look different after the injury which is good.

6. No Respect

I think that it was terrible to be left so far behind at the start. Despite the fact that I was the reigning champion there was no respect given. Paul Hartnett was gone into the distance within 400m with victory assured, Pat Hennesy and Aidan Connell were gone too leaving me without even hope of a podium. After about 400m I figured out how to work the Pumas and started to move up from about 9th to 6th.

7. Missed Misery

I think that the thing I missed most about racing is the feeling of utter misery about halfway through a race. It is marvellous. You don’t get anywhere near the misery on Zwift, the misery on Zwift is a horrible misery whereas running a race misery is wonderful. As enjoyable as the misery was it was becoming clear that I would have to fight for my usual fourth place finish as both Niall O’Callaghan and Struan Simpson were proving difficult to get ahead of.

8. Potentially Fourth, Potentially First

I think that because I won the race last year, did I mention that, I assumed that I would be able to repeat my moderately fast finish of last year. The last mile, that’s where I’ll get Niall I thought. Unfortunately, Niall had other ideas and I became more and more confirmed in fifth position. The Pumas which earlier I had feared were going to result in a torn calf became more comfortable but didn’t result in any magical finish. Perhaps I just watched too much YouTube.

9. Disappointed Commentator

I think that the commentator at the race must have been unaware of my terrible injury and the superiority of Paul Hartnett even if I was in the full of my health. I was expected to win which is surprising so he was a little disappointed to have to wait until 5th place to welcome me home. Using the Michael Herlihy Method ™ of calculating where you would have finished in races you ran but were not at full fitness, I reckon I would have done well to get fourth on a good day seeing as when I won last year I ran 20:50 or so.

10. Definitely Not Injured

I think that it is great not to be injured. Injuries are great because they make you appreciate running and racing. It is such a privilege to be able to run a race not be hurt and then do a warm down afterwards in no pain. I don’t really mind if I never get to win a race again or run a PB again as long as I can run and experience pure misery while being watched by a field of cows. It is so much better than sitting on a bike sweating watching running influencers on YouTube.