May has a habit of sneaking up on you. And the sneakiest part is that it manages this trick every year! There are several clues that one of the calendar’s finest months is upon us; the explosion of Cow Parsley in the hedgerows, the longer evenings (together with the intrusive inner monologue of the distance to Midsummer and the return of gradually shorter evenings… or maybe that’s just me?), and the nagging panic of the year’s most important birthday in less than two weeks, and the gift that needs to be purchased before the big day.
Another more sombre signpost to the world’s turning is Darkness Into Light, the suicide awareness fundraiser on behalf of Pieta House. I have reproduced some of their promo stuff before, but always good to pitch it again:
In 2009, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, 400 people set off on the inaugural Darkness Into Light 5km walk to raise funds for Pieta. From small beginnings, the movement has continued to grow, and now participation averages 120,000 people each year for Darkness Into Light in Ireland, with 177 official walks taking place across the world in 15 countries and 5 continents.
Electric Ireland has proudly supported Darkness Into Light for the past fourteen years. This year we invite you to share a walk on Saturday, 9th May at 4:15am in support of Pieta’s free of charge suicide and self-harm prevention services.
It’s always at the start of May, and last month, when I thought about taking part, I had an idea, which I promptly pitched, half-formed, to Gary. (I have a mate who calls these brain farts). Gary was enthusiastic, and so we agreed to have a busy weekend. Gary’s would be busier than mine, as it turned out. The week was also busy in work, and I was under the weather for most of it, having nursed a sore throat and head cold since the party last Sunday. Though being the odd sort, when I arose last Monday after the party and took a stroll around the scene of the crime, I realised that nobody else was up, and decided to avail of the fine weather and go for a run which ended up as a 9k saunter in about fifty minutes, at 5:34 pace. But thereafter, there would be no more runs for a few days…
As I limped slowly to the end of the worklng week, I had another nasty nosebleed. Ever the optimist, I decided this was a good sign; clearly the illness was nearly over. On Friday evening, I gathered all my bits and bobs, most of which would be standard for an outing with Gary, plus a few more unusual items. The plan (which I realise I have not revealed yet) was to meet up at his home in Maynooth, and walk into Phoenix Park in Dublin along the canal, then do the Darkness Into Light walk, before returning to Maynooth by train, and then heading to Lucan for the parkrun at 9.30am on Saturday.
So along with the hydration pack I normally carry for a long distance journey, I added a lot more snacks than normal, plus spare batteries for the head torch and my Leap travel card for the train. I watched telly with S and around 11pm, I had another, smaller nosebleed. I stuck tissue up my nostril and contemplated phoning Gary to call the whole thing off. I decided to wait ’til the last minute. By half-past, all was quiet on the nasal front, so I drove up to Gary, and we set off about ten minutes to midnight.
The evening was calm and perfect for a stroll along the canal. We met a couple on a bench in Maynooth Harbour who were clearly finishing their night as ours was just beginning. But for most of our trip, we had the towpath to ourselves. Despite the cover of darkness, familiar landmarks came and went, albeit slower than normal. We left the canal at Castleknock and entered the park through the main gates at Chesterfield Avenue. Dublin Marathoners would know this stretch well.
As we walked towards the middle of the park, we began to hear that familiar hum of a human voice amplified through a PA. Lights, crash barriers, small knots of humanity. We had arrived ahead of schedule, taking about three and three quarter hours to walk a half-marathon, and so there was nothing for it but to find a park bench and hunker down for a bit.
Mark got in touch to say himself and Paula had also arrived in the park, and with a little WhatsApp chicanery, we were able to meet up in time for the off at 4.15. The walk heads west initially, before looping around by the Ordnance Survey Ireland offices and down towards the hospital before rising up towards the 15 acres, a large open expanse of grassland and playing pitches that is considerably larger than fifteen acres these days. The Papal Cross still dominates the view since 1979, having once watched over a million folk gather to witness John Paul II. It now mostly observes quietly over Sunday league football, herds of deer, and the odd fanatic who like to fly model airplanes.
That last climb is deliberate, and brings you up and out into the open space as the sun rises before you. I’ve been here before, and some mornings are indeed as planned. Today, the weather was benign, but the clouds somewhat spoiled the effect, and it wasn’t until we had availed of the free tea and porridge at the finish and were heading back to the car before the sun peeked out briefly. But meeting Mark and Paula was serendipitous indeed, as they very kindly dropped us back to Maynooth. A quick cup of tea and scone, and we were able to collapse for an hour and half or so of kip before parkrun beckoned.
The head and no doubt the body too are all rather befuddled at this hour of the day, when you have been up and about without much sleep. As Niamh was recuperating from her own illness, Gary chose to walk with her, leaving me to scoot off at the start line with the keen runners. No danger of a decent time this morning; there is something about long distance walking that strains different muscles in the legs, and I was not suprised when the watch beeped at the first kilometre to let me know I had done a 5:03. Tired as I was, that seemed a rather poor return. I had no intention of running a 25 minute plus parkrun, so I resolved to pick up the pace. The next three were better, and I managed to push the final kilometre with a 4:26 and a total of 23:40.
And so I finally made it home. I just didn’t have the brains to go to bed. The weather was lovely, and there were things to do. So pottered about the house, went for a walk up to the lake, dozed a bit in front of the telly watching the Ireland ladies beat Wales in the rugby, and then as I planned an early night, the phone binged. It was my old mate Tadhg, over on a flying visit from Boston, and so the night ended in the Salmon Leap Inn over a few pints of Guinness. Not what any doctor would order, most probably. But it is what it is. He was away the next day, so it was our only chance to get out.
Sunday, and as I write, there’s a chicken in the oven. I am hoping for an early night, but at the same time, I like to watch Match of the Day highlights, so it’s possible that may not happen. And around four, I decided I hadn’t really done enough to abuse my body, so set out for another run. Remember when I said Gary’s weekend was busier than mine? Well, in fairness, on Friday evening, he had done a decent time in the Leixlip 5k road race. And then he took part in his local town’s 10k road race on Sunday morning, with a really decent 50 minutes. So I felt I was still in deficit.
So I popped on my Adidas super shoes and headed up the Black Avenue with no real thought about where to go, or at what pace. Two 5:29s got me through the park, which would already be faster than usual, then 5:31, 5:27 and 5:14 got me onto the canal from the Clonee Road, and past the rougher section of the towpath between Coldblow and Cope Bridge. The new towpath here on is like a slick tarred road, so the pace picked up. A 5:00 dead, then a 4:50, then a 4:46… darn, these shoes demand payback in blood, sweat and tears. I left the canal at KIlmacredock and came back home via the Green Lane, finishing with a 4:38 last kilometre. 13k in total, at an average pace of 5:04. I would not have put money on that run. But here we are. A good way to close the account for the week. Still undecided about starting the 5k programme, given the week I’ve just had. A wise head would delay for a week. Let’s see 😉
(P.S. no prizes for guessing the film that the blog title refers to, other than the feeling of satisfaction that you have great taste in movies…)
unironedman 