Mini-break proves just the tonic as training schedule steps up a gear
THE OTHER week I was invited down to Druid’s Glen hotel in Co Wicklow with my training partner and sister R to take avail of its “Get Fit Overnight” package.
It’s a mini-break aimed at friends who are training for races such as the Great Limerick Run or the mini-marathon, with personal training and a virtually guilt-free post-exercise dinner included.
I know, I know, “Get Fit Overnight”. The name isn’t the best, is it? I mean call me sceptical, but I wouldn’t trust a 24-hour dieting course called “Get Skinny Overnight”. And I’d be a bit suspicious of a one-day self-esteem boosting workshop called “Get Samantha Brickish Overnight”.
Unfortunately, these self-improvement endeavours tend to take a little longer. What a bore.
I say I went with my training partner R, but I should clarify we don’t actually run together. It just wouldn’t work.
She is Speedy Gonzalez in skins and I am the tortoise from the fable in ancient tracksuit bottoms. I’ll get to the finish line in the end though, you’ll see. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
R is my training partner in the sense that she sends me supportive texts going, “Have you done your run yet?” and “Well done, that’s mega!” and “I feel your pain, I really do.”
She is my partner in that when I am thinking of not doing the run I picture her motivational, yet slightly stern expression, half Meryl Streep from The Devil Wears Prada, half Glinda the Good Witch, and it gets me out the door.
After checking in, we presented ourselves in the hotel’s Fitness Club. Our personal trainer, Ashton, was an appropriately fit-looking young person.
I informed him that Speedy G would be running ahead of us, but that I was scheduled to do five lots of 12-minute runs with short walks in between so he could plod along with me if he wasn’t afraid of dying of boredom.
There is a picturesque 4km jogging track through the hotel grounds. I heard Ashton mention something about “a couple of slight inclines”, but I decided to ignore him.
R, Ashton and I set off for our five-minute warm-up walk and when that was over, R put on her earphones and started running away from us.
I realised I’d never actually seen her run before in my life. Two words came to mind: Usain. Bolt.
That left Ashton and I shuffling along at a tortoise pace. It was my first time trying out my new runners and insoles which, I was pleased to note, added a definite spring to my step. But still there were a couple of things I’d like to have explained to Ashton before we started.
The first thing was: Don’t talk to me while I am running. The second thing was: If you forget the first thing and then ask me a question by mistake, don’t expect me to answer. I won’t answer. Worse, I might actually kill you.
Call me anti-social, but the last thing I want to do while I am running is have a nice little chat.
But off we went and it was mere seconds before Ashton began acting as though he was a personal trainer or something, giving me words of gentle encouragement commenting on my “pace”.
After I’d nearly killed myself jogging up one of his “slight” inclines, he’d say things like, “You murdered that hill, powered up it, you did”, keeping a straight face.
Another time he bravely tried to ask me about my training regime. “Can’t. Talk. Am. Running,” I panted hoping he’d get the message.
Eventually, we settled into a kind of rhythm where he tried not to talk too much and I tried not to want to trip him up when he did talk.
In fairness, any talking he did was mostly to tell me how amazing I was doing and remind me how to breathe properly.
He told me to take deep breaths through my nose, holding the air for a beat before releasing it through my mouth. And I couldn’t believe the difference this simple tip made to my run. Breathing! It’s important when exercising! It was a revelatory run.
All in all, I can highly recommend this running-themed night away, but as part of my overall feedback I’m politely going to suggest a name change.
“Get Breathing Properly Overnight”, say. Or “Get Chatting While Running Overnight”. Under Ashton’s patient guidance I ran two whole laps of that 4km circuit, the furthest I’ve ever run before.
I feel like I’m finally getting somewhere.
Róisín Ingle stayed in Druid's Glen courtesy of the hotel. The Get Fit Overnight package is €135 per person sharing. See druidsglenresort.comfor more details.