Member of Eagle AC since: July 2015

How long have you been running and what made you take it up:

I used to love running as a kid and I was a member of a local running club from the age of 8 to about 18, running in lots of different events such as cross country, steeple chase and 4 x 400m relays. In my mid 30’s and about 4 stone overweight I slowly got back into doing short runs and eventually trained to enter my first Ballycotton 10 in 2009.

Favourite thing about running:

I love the buzz I get from running a PB and hopefully we’ll get back to races at some stage this year. I just love the feeling of being fit and that feeling I get when I’m cruising along at a pace which used to feel hard but now feels easy, and it feels like you could keep going and going.

See the link below for a lovely album of Eagle AC highlights and memories from 2020 as put together by Derek Costello…. https://flic.kr/s/aHsmTmzDfo

Despite the year that was, club members still managed to achieve some amazing results and goals throughout the year. Well done to all.

The Eagle AC ’12 Runs of Christmas’ Series for 2020 drew to a close over the weekend after a very successful ( and competitive!) 4th week of festivities.

The runs for Week 4 were:

#10.  Christmas 3’s:  Light up the roads or the track with some ‘Christmas Trees’ this week! Warm up, 3 mins to shine & 90 secs to recharge, repeat 5-6 times. (aim for 5k pace) 
#11. Making Progress to Christmas:  Let’s build the excitement, this is a progression run over 10 miles/km’s; the only rule is the mile/km you are in must be faster than the run you just finished!
#12.Option 1 Mapping the way to Christmas:Plan your route & map out a Christmas image on your run.
#12. Option 2 Christmas Cheer: Get the family/friends out for a run walk cycle and make it festive. Wear your Christmas Jumper, Hat or Antlers! Send us a photo

Our Christmas 3’s run was perfect for our weekly track sessions at CIT – 3 minute repeats with 90 second recoveries. Lots of members got this run ticked off their list at CIT on either Tuesday or Thursday night.

Our Making Progress to Christmas run was completed mainly on the roads – participants had to complete a 10 mile/km run with each mile being faster than the last. Dermot Slyne kept a close eye on this one for us to make sure that all rules were being adhered to!! 🙂

Eagle AC Member Profile:

Name: John Sheehan

Member of Eagle AC since:  End 2015 – My old school mate Denis Looney roped me in. 

How long have you been running and  what made you take it up: 

Since 2015. Well actually, I used to hate running and hadn’t done much sport for many years.  Then I was working away from home during the week (in Carlow) and enjoyed the free nights for a while  but started to get bored of trips to the pub (remember when they were open?).  I just laced up an old pair of runners one evening and started running.  The truth is when you start it can be tough, especially on your own.  I was talking to friends who ran and they recommended installing a running app on my phone and the rest is history, I caught the bug!  Being a competitive animal, although generally running on my own I am always racing against myself and the running apps are a great motivator.

Favourite thing about running:

Running helps to clear my head of any worries that I may have been carrying throughout the day.  It helps make me feel stress-free and I sleep better than before.  I also enjoy training for a specific event – it gives a purpose and discipline.  I never thought I would turn-down drink to be ready for a run the following morning!  Without question running has improved my physical and mental health and provides me with more energy.  I also enjoy the social element of running and the ball-hopping on something like Strava.  I now have some running friends that I might only meet once or twice a year but it is great to follow their progress.  I enjoy getting to the track when I can.  Now that I am mainly working from home I have more opportunity to get to the track so hopefully it will stay open. 

The past week saw us well and truly over the halfway mark of  the 12 Runs of Christmas, and coincided nicely with the recent lifting of restrictions, opening up plenty of options for all the runs! 

Run number 7, ‘Destination Christmas Run’, saw the creative side of club members once again emerging, with a huge variety of runs and Christmas scenes from all corners of the county! Some managed to make their runs very much Christmas and ‘Eagle’ themed!

Our most challenging session of the week, ‘2 Merry Minutes’ (8 x 2 mins hard, 2 mins easy) fitted in well with the reopening of CIT track and our first Tuesday night session in a while. The run could have been called ‘Frosty the Session’ however, as track attendees had to contend with a couple of slippy patches! Mission accomplished with everyone in one piece at the end, fortunately. 

Our ’12 Runs of Christmas’ Series 2020 continued this week with Week 2 of the challenge taking place. Well over 50 members have logged runs in the series so far which is great to see.

As members have found out by now, each of the 12 runs over the month have a seasonal theme and incorporate a mixture of fun novelty runs and more serious interval/ tempo sessions!! On the menu for this week ( Monday 30th November to Sunday 6th December) were runs 4-6 ……

#4. Cruising towards Christmas:  It’s a Christmas Tempo; warm up for 2 miles- ‘Blitzen’ it for 1 minute on/off X 12 repeats, & cool down. Aim for 5-10k pace for your ‘Blitzen’ minute and cruise through your 1 min recovery.  

#5. Dashing through the Snow/ Baby it’s cold outside/ Rudolf the red-nosed ‘Raindeer’…. Can you see where I’m going with this one ? It’s a 10k run/ 5k walk to challenge the senses, snow/ice/wind/rain, when the going gets tough the tough get going! And of course they find a Christmas themed song to describe their run! 

#6. Festive Traditions: This one’s for you to choose; what run makes you happy, what route helps you to find your magic, what pace hits the pleasure zone? Run it, Share it & let us know your festive favourites!!

Name: Robyn Dransfield

Member of Eagle AC since: January 2019

How long have you been running and what made you take it up?:

I have run my whole life but never considered myself to be a runner until recently. I never just went out for a run, it was always as a warm up for a sports training rather than the training itself. After having kids I started running because it was a quick and (somewhat) easy way to get in some exercise without going far from home or having to stick to a class timetable at the gym. My first target run was the Amsterdam 8km race in 2013. I loved the atmosphere and the rush of adrenaline at the start line and finishing in the Olympic stadium was pretty cool too. From there I was keen to work towards longer runs and quicker times. I have definitely caught the running bug!

The Eagle AC ’12 Runs of Christmas’ 2020 got off to a great start this week! The first 3 runs of the series were sent to members by email last Sunday and it was brilliant to see the various runs being logged by members throughout the week. Over 50 members have logged their Week 1 runs at this stage.

Each of the 12 runs over the month have a seasonal theme and incorporate a mixture of fun novelty runs and more serious interval/ tempo sessions. On the ‘to do’ list this week ( Monday 23rd November to Sunday 29th November) were ……

1. Lapland Run: It’s 4 weeks until we start Christmas week! Pick a loop & run 4 laps, winding up the Christmas spirit!

2. The 12 Reps of Christmas: Find a hill & pick the pace, (make it ‘tasty’) run up the hill for 12 seconds, recovery jog back to the start & repeat 12 times!

3. A Starry Night Run: Show us the winter skies of Christmas where you live on a run under the stars with a photo

So, lots of photos of loops, hills and stars were forwarded during the week. (Apologies for the lack of cloudless skies which made run #3 a little more difficult!!)

Name: Martin Leahy

Member of Eagle AC since: 2012

How long have you been running – what made you take it up? :
I started running in 2008 – there was a lot of travel in the job I had at the time and I couldn’t make the soccer games in Cork any more. It turned out I could run no matter where I was in the World. I was in New York one day that October and, fairly clueless, I went in to Foot Locker, bought a ridiculous pair of Nike Shox as well as a baggy-assed knicks and ran 3 miles the next morning. Over the next few months, I ended up running in five or six different capital cities – running turned out to be a great way to see the World. My first race was the Ballycotton 10 in 2009 where I just about broke 70 minutes in the Nike Shox and the baggy knicks – I was one of those lads you see running along the road in a football jersey – pace all over the shop!

Favourite thing about running:
There are two joint favourite things about running: The first favourite thing is the “Zen” – it’s a winter’s evening after work – no wind, cold but not freezing, you’re in the middle of an hour-long run in the dark on the Blackrock loop say, going well and your mind gradually goes to a different place – the speed picks up slowly but it’s almost incidental – all you feel is the buzz of the running. There’s nobody else there, just you, the energy and the road before you. To someone who doesn’t run, you can’t explain it – to someone who does run, you don’t have to.
The other favourite thing is the camaraderie – training with your fellow runners, hours spent on the road together preparing for the races and the mutual respect that develops, the blast of going off to races together and the joyous few hours in Doheny and Nesbitt’s after the Dublin marathon.

Eagle AC ’12 Runs of Christmas’

Let’s face it, it’s been a year like no other. In the absence of Turkey trots, Goal Miles, charity 5kms, winter marathons and whatever other seasonal running activities you may take part in, Eagle AC recognise the importance of staying connected through running and supporting each other, albeit from a distance, this festive season!

Therefore, we would like to officially announce the launch of…

The 12 Runs of Christmas!

What is it?

12 runs, from the sublime to the ridiculous, from Mince pie miles to Lapland loops, from ‘Rain’deer runs to Running ‘elfies’. (We can’t promise that’s the last of the puns).How will it work?For four weeks, starting next Sunday night, Nov.22nd, Karen will send out three runs for the week- these, as always, can be done at your own pace on whichever days suit you, adhering of course to the current NPHET restrictions. Each run will have a seasonal theme and will incorporate a mixture of fun novelty runs and more serious interval/ tempo sessions. All we ask you to do is send some evidence of your run (selfie, elevation profile, map etc. ) and send it to Elaine, Mairead, Karen or Ruairi. Please send all three runs of each week together, before Sunday evening each week. This allows you a little flexibility mid-week to fit in the three runs, and we can compile them each week then.