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30/10/2026

** Halloween **

What is the scariest thing about this coming weekend. Is it the hordes of children in costume roaming the streets or is it the fact the year is drawing to a close and as a runner you wonder what did you do? If like me, you feel underwhelmed by what you achieved, I suppose there is still time to rectify it and get some sense of purpose come years end. We won’t get a second chance at 2026.

Maybe the lesson is to do stuff and not dream or procrastinate about it. Take part, go for it, what is to lose. If you don’t try you can’t succeed, if you don’t even bother trying then you need to have a chat with yourself. There are many who commit may end up walking a major challenge towards the end or get injured in the training process. That showed intent, a purpose, a goal. Don’t ever be afraid to try.

- “The person in the arena, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly” -

Don’t worry what anyone else thinks. Some of the best critics never get off the couch. Their opinion is worthless. Only the fellow runner in the competition that supports and encourages you is your true friend. Social media is full of bluffs, fakes, AI enhancements to make you feel inadequate. Be you and proud of you. You are the only one that matters anyway. Say: I ran today.

- “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.” -

I look back on the Covid times when we could do nothing and we all said once it was over we would change our ways and make life more meaningful. Instead for many the hamster wheel of existence is spinning faster than ever with more commitments and less personal time. What happened our promises to ourselves?

Pick one thing you would like to do before New Years Eve. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering or life changing. It is a simple goal to prove I'm alive and 2026 was a good year. If it is running around your neighbourhood in a scary Halloween costume then so be it. If it a parkrun 5k somewhere nice, or a local charity event or one of the many longer races that pop up this time of year.
Make it your goal, don’t be scared or frightened of Halloween.
-- quotes are from Roosevelt – Man in the Arena speech 1910

Have a lovely weekend.

25/10/2026

* The Dream *

I was born a child of Castlemartyr, Co Cork in 1963. The year they won their 6th East Cork Junior hurling title. Obviously as I was a February baby and titles are won in the late year I actually have no recollection of the event. The following year it got better and a 7th win was followed by a County Title and sadly again no memories, flashbacks or any recollection either of the occasion.
But the dream is to be in the East Cork hurling final. It was tough then, manly stuff, basically they flaked one another.

Winning an East Cork medal back then was what got people to your funeral in later years. He won East Cork in ‘whatever year you are having’. It must have seeped into me.

My Dad Joseph was a Club officer and a bit of a local legend. When he passed I can trace 55 years as a Club Officer. You don’t lick it off a stone.

I can proudly say I grew up in Heffernan’s Terrace, a council estate that was a joy. We had a huge green area in the middle where all children congregated to play. Every sport was allowed and as we were the generation to see the advent of TV we followed every sport and copied it. We hurled, played football and soccer, jumped over sweeping brush handles during the Dublin horse show and we even had a high jump on Olympic years. Actually our rugby was an unlikely mix of actual rugby and American football. I can’t fully explain that. We also had a version of rounders and cricket that was weird and the rules changed depending on who was winning and losing.

When it came to teams, GAA was the only sport and religion in the village and replicated the entire countryside of rural Ireland.

All this was fantastic but the goal was to win an East Cork hurling medal. Osmosis, the expectation, you must keep up tradition. Sadly I lived through a famine period for hurling. I was average to be honest and some that played with me might even dispute that. Even at a young age I knew the steps of Croke Park were beyond me except on a museum tour and playing for Cork seemed an impossible task.

It was 2009 before another East Cork was won and 2014 until another County title. We have been an Intermediate club since then and East Cork’s aren’t mentioned. We have moved on.

I failed, I only coincided with the best football era in the history of the club and 6 East Cork medals in 10 years and a spell playing Intermediate with some great football players is something I am immensely proud of. 1982 to 1991 we were the kingpins of football and year after year we went to the club Dinner Dance to collect our awards. The usual speech from the dignitaries complimenting us on our achievements but harking back to a time when Castlemartyr meant hurling and all this football was merely a distraction. We would like to congratulate you but hope you get back to winning the hurling soon.

I used to bring my Dad to the East Cork finals most years as we weren’t participating. He would be invited into to sit among the older dignitaries on the sideline. I was usually told to head into the crowd and collect him afterwards. Know your place. Pure messing here, the respect that most clubs have for senior citizens of other clubs is exemplary.

You don’t need a calculator to realise I will never be in an East Cork final but this year can throw a curveball. To give context to this, many clubs have elevated to Senior or Intermediate status so the East Cork title isn’t as prestigious as it once was but for anyone my age it is still part of our DNA. An East Cork Hurling title is still the high point of the Regional Division each year and then you go to try out for County honours.

1935, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1963, 1964, 2009, 2010, 2013 2014. I helped the Club Centenary history 2 years ago so it is easy to throw out these stats. You can see the huge gap that jumped me. I might ask what my generation did to deserve it. I took up running after retiring to keep me going and that has been a change of people and expectations but still the same decency and respect among participants. Sports people everywhere are the best.

So to 2026. My friend Jimmy Smiddy, who actually was a handy hurler and part of 2009 ( man of the match ) is now a fine referee and I’m an umpire. He got the honour of this years East Cork final and I got a chance to be on the field. Will it satisfy St Peter when we get to the pearly gates telling him I was an official on the day but no title? I can’t know the answer. I get to walk on the field and be part of the occasion, no medal, no walk behind the band but a participation.

Killeagh v Bride Rovers in CIoyne, the home of Christy Ring, a little closer to heaven again. I get to wave the white flag. To signify a point in the match or a symbol to acceptance. I won’t ever be a title holder. I met Joe Deane our fine Cork corner forward of glory years. His son Cormac was number 11 and got a few handy scores from out the field, in places where Joe would have got a nose bleed from being so far from goal.

To Avril, the Imokilly chairperson and her team of Gerry, Willie, Jerome, Pat, Dick, Oliver and all in Cloyne thanks for keeping this occasion alive. Apologies if I missed anyone.

None of this is depression or sadness, just reality of life in a GAA village of which I am proud. Can the dream move further. Could I wave an orange flag in Croke Park to signify 2-pointer from a sideline in the future.

Born 1963, still a child, always a dreamer.

'Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

23/10/2026

* Dublin City Marathon *

Best of luck to all taking part this weekend in our premier marathon in this country. I do hope that everything goes well and that all the hopes and dreams come to fruition. Bit of FOMO on my part but I know I can’t do it and have reached acceptance. I’m sitting writing this post with Storm Austen turning my garden in a swimming pool and the roof rattling. It doesn’t seem long since we were relaxing in the evening sunshine with a chilled b**r. Forecast is good for Sunday and ideal for a marathon.

‘ O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing, ‘

For those going to Dublin can I offer some advice. Relax and enjoy it.
For those at the front end have their own game plan and tactics but for ordinary Joe it is a day to savour. Years to come you will look back and let it be a day you will cherish and talk about with friends.

Relax before the start as much as you can. Conserve the energy needed for the later miles. The most important tip I can give is to start slowly. It is always a shuffle anyway with huge numbers but just settle in and let the miles pass by. Too many people set out too fast and nothing in the tank for later. Take on fuel and water as early as possible to offset later fatigue.

I won’t bore you with too much more but just put on a smile, embrace the day, the occasion, your fellow participants and the supporters. It is a notch on the belt of life if you do many more or never again run a marathon.
When you finish a marathon, will you ever run one again? Hopefully yes but maybe no. You need time, luck, health, family, friends and a good birth cert. No guarantees in the journey of life.

Remember your finishing time isn’t engraved on the medal. Everyone receives the same momento. How you enjoyed the experience is personal to you. Time doesn’t matter.

“The sun rose and set in a land of dreams whether the clocks where right or wrong.”

Pic attached from 2016 is myself and Patrick Kavanagh when we used to have the bants on the banks of the canal after every DCM. I have a pic of myself and Paddy after every DCM I ever ran.

Best of luck everyone. Go and make memories.

16/10/2026

* Survival *

I am a runner but I want to stay running through the winter. How do I do it?

We all need motivation, a plan, encouragement to keep us going. No one is a Duracell bunny the whole time. There will be dips and stress periods where it is a struggle to go outside the front door but we must persevere.

What is your motivation?
Have you a Winter or Spring race in mind that will force you out. I use the word force but once we enter a race then we feel the need to properly prepare ourselves to give it a go.
A race entry might seem expensive but taken against the mental and physical benefits of training and achieving over the next few months then it is small change. A round of drinks or a meal in a good restaurant would be a lot dearer with no benefits.
Do you run to get out of the house and have a little me time? That is good
Do you run as a health prescription to keep the weight down and to help offset long term issues that could arise. Fair play

A plan
I will run 3 times a week.
I will run 20 miles a week.
I will do a parkrun each week.
I will run once, do strength training and do an aerobic session in the gym.
I will make my life fit around getting out for a run.
I will get out and enjoy it.

It actually doesn’t matter once you set a realistic plan for yourself and follow it through.

Encouragement
I cannot stress this one enough. We all need help. Find a running buddy, make yourself accountable to someone else. This will drag you out when you don’t feel like it.
I have repeatedly stated on this page how toxic social media is, but an odd post for your friends only, about a run or something noteworthy achieved and give yourself the boost of a bit of love and praise. Genuine people love seeing genuine people just doing something. That sounds basic and simplistic but it is true. I love seeing my friends do well. Why wouldn’t I? They are my friends.
Treat yourself to a cuppa afterwards. Share the joy. I ran with you, didn’t we do well. Positivity brings more rewards than negative. Highlight the can do, rather than the doubts.
When possible find somewhere scenic to run it might encourage you to return.

As an aside a good pair of leggings, a breathable running jacket, a pair of gloves and a nice hat can be of great use. The Summer was great so they maybe buried somewhere deep and quite smelly but in the fresh air no one will notice. .

"I don't know when the end of the journey will come, but I know that sure as hell I'm going to enjoy every path along the way" Ciara Mageean.

10/10/2026

* World Mental Health Day 10th October *

This is a huge issue at the moment and something close to my heart. I have no qualifications and I do have my own spells of doubt. It is only by talking and acknowledging the issue that we have any chance of helping.

Just run

I know that is so simplistic and maybe underestimating the problem but it works for me. I don’t do personal in this forum but the last few years haven’t been the easiest. The running community is the finest you could meet. There are people there better than the finest psychiatrists you could find anywhere. Solid people with a smile, a welcome, a hug. They won’t knock on your door, you must go to find them.

I ran today at parkrun. I did the course check on my bike in advance and met the buzzards circling, the kingfisher at the weir, the cat out for a morning stroll and yes there was people as well.
The run was good. Hi, how are you, good to see you, are you slowing up a bit, the usual from the gang. I chatted with people from Waterford, Norries, A German lady living in Cobh and a married couple from Carrigtwohill who volunteered to help. It takes everyone to make an event. It is only by dragging yourself from the bed and going that you can get the embrace of love that comes from the run.

Highlight was running with my offshore friend R who got a PB today. One of the moments of my year was the Bere Island parkrun so to help a island native achieve in the Midleton run was a sense of payback… she will kill me. But then who will run with her?

Is that all about me… NO. It is to encourage everyone to go out and take part. The world is brighter outside the four walls. The world is full of beautiful people if you go out to find them.

Mental health is a huge issue.

Just be kind, be nice, avoid negative people. Social media can be toxic so be careful. Don’t get drawn into the abyss and caught up in the sh*te. Be yourself, read a good book, watch a great film, say hello to someone, message someone to meet for a cuppa, volunteer to help at some event, just get off the couch.

Please don’t think I am over simplifying this or making it out I have the answers. I DON”T. I am just highlighting that it exists and I want to help.

09/10/2026

* October *

We enter October and the Summer is behind us. The best of the year may be past but there is still life in what is left. Many runners are turning their focus towards Dublin or one of the many marathons that populate the Autumn. For others it is a case of finding the motivation to keep running as the days grow shorter. Patrick Kavanagh always had a good line in poetry and his ‘October’ poem is no exception.

‘O leafy yellowness you create for me,
A world that was and now is poised above time,
I do not need to puzzle out Eternity’

It can be a beautiful time of the year to run as the cooler weather is much nicer after the heat we had this Summer. No danger of heat exhaustion or dehydration. The colours in the trees and hedges, the birdsong from the brambles. I do miss those long runs this time of year when I was training for marathons. Fantastic early Saturday morning runs were the highlight of many a week. Now my early Saturdays are course check on my bike for the parkrun. But I love it.

Kavanagh also used the poem to compare October to the current phase of his life. The best might be behind but who knows what lies ahead. I can empathise with that as while I would love to run another marathon I know that my body wouldn’t take the training program required. I cut my cloth to suit and have found peace and acceptance in shorter runs. It takes a change of mentality but it is better to be running short runs that pushing the body until it is crocked. NCT – Fail isn’t much good as a medical diagnosis.

‘It is October over all my life’

I would encourage everyone to just keep going. Don’t be drawn into something that could do damage to you or make you lose the love of running. Saying NO can be a sign of maturity. It actually only took me 60 years to discover that. Who knows what lies ahead next week, next year but I do intend making the best of it. Just attending and taking part, mixing with like minded runners, swapping stories and having fun. Birth-cert age is one number, mental attitude has a different measuring tool. There will be good winter wheat in my life. There are other challenges to be conquered. Life is what you make of it, don't waste it.

‘It is October over all my life and the light is staring
As it caught me once in a plantation by the fox coverts.
A man is ploughing the ground for winter wheat’

27/09/2026

* In praise *

I didn’t get around to my usual Friday post this week as I was busy galavanting around Malaga on a late Summer break just to ensure the body was ready for Autumn.
The weather was beautiful and miles were walked in every direction.
Good to be able to go on holiday, have the health to move around and enjoy it. I tried a run early one morning but it was hot so it turned into a slow jog with stops for pictures.

I’m writing this post Sunday evening in a bad week for mixing politics and sport. I don’t have the answers and I always feel for those caught in a situation like this. Please no comments about this as I will delete them.
It is ironic that I use facebook to post my ramblings while the whole world of social media is turning into a toxic cesspit. Would it hurt anyone to just be nice to people.

Isn’t it lovely to be able to just run somewhere nice and actually forget about the world for a while.
Isn’t it great to get up in the morning with the health to be able to move regardless of pace.
Isn’t it marvelous to check the death notices and your name isn’t there.

We passed the Autumnal equinox this week and it can only mean we are heading for cooler weather. We had a fantastic Summer and we need the motivation to keep going, keep running, keep moving, get out and take part. I was home in time for Saturday parkrun and a great morning for running with temperatures a little lower, I sweated the b**r out of me. Run, meet people, have a coffee. Keep it simple.

Three pics attached: A Day in the Life.
The sun rises, the sun sets and I bore the arse off Pablo Picasso. He knows very little about running and I know nothing about art :D

*

19/09/2026

* Running *

' That is no country for old men '

I realised this week I have been posting under the PWR banner and writing weekly posts for 11 years. Is this enough pain and suffering to inflict on the general running population about slow running?

When do we become irrelevant, repetitive or just boring and I don’t want to do that. I used to be writing at this time of year when I was training for Dublin Marathon about strategies and tips to help performance. I was in that zone and had some perspective.

That life is gone, the ship has sailed and now my life is a few easy runs and parkrun family on Saturday mornings. It is good to be still moving and I do miss those long 20 mile runs early on a Saturday when everything seemed a possibility.

I am still a runner but a greatly modified version of a previous self. But I am still a runner. Beautiful run this morning in Midleton and just met so many nice people. There was visitors from Scotland, Bere Island and a few Norries from Cork. Actually the less you run the more time you have to engage, mix, talk, learn about all the people who present themselves at a start line. Maybe a late career as a running journalist talking about butterflies and blackberries is my calling.

Story…
Last week as I walking in Midleton town a car beeped at me to call me over. It was my friend Billy ( who has been previously mentioned in my posts as a daily 5k man ) .

He had a book for me about the life of Emil Zatopek. 1952 Olympic champion in 5k, 10k and Marathon. A remarkable life and the story is fascinating account of adversity and resilience. If it was good enough for Billy it was good enough for me. He said to me he found it useful for training tips and he thought I might get something from it to help me.

Just as I’m easing into a life of old age and easy running this tale of heroic achievement drops into my lap. Will it inspire me or finish me? My friend Billy is 88 and I’m 63. We are both runners but am I a journalist or a bluffer?

' Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.' Yeats.

05/09/2026

* Glengarriff parkrun report *

On the quest to do all 11 parkruns in Cork this year I am pleased to report ‘Mission Accomplished’. Glengarriff today was the last one on the list and to be honest we saved a peach of a parkrun until last.

Stunning route and if it seems I swallowed a Bord Failte manual then I do apologise. A one loop circuit through the nature reserve on a combination of concrete roads and woodland trails. Running in the dappled shade of the ancient forest and alongside streams that have rocks carved smooth by the last ice-age makes you appreciate the beauty of nature. Few little ups and downs but nothing too serious if you want a good run but I would advise slowing down and taking in all the nature that surrounds you.

The locals who volunteered are not quite as old as the forest but they have the beautiful West Cork way of making you feel welcome. Run Director Cathal Lavin and his team had the usual collection of nationalities at the start line that you wondered was it a parkrun or a meeting of the United Nations. Summer time and visitors from everywhere.

And before you ask of course there were runners from Kerry. You could go to a marathon at Tierra Del Fuego at the Southern Tip of South America and there will be someone from Kerry there. It was lovely to meet the group from Tralee parkrun who had got a temporary 24hr visa to leave the County.

Sometime I may get around to talking about all the parkruns but today was Glengarriff and thanks to Stephen O’Sullivan who led the group in an enthusiastic and energetic aerobic warm-up pre the run. Lovely ice breaker and many laughs but not much appreciated by our four legged friends who were bursting for the off.

It is a really beautiful part of the country and a quick stop for a coffee and nibble which was enjoyed with a splendid view of Glengarriff Harbour. Life is for getting out there and it really doesn’t get much better than this. 1hr 45min each way in the car to do a 5k run can be equally described as insanity or heaven. Take your pick.

Thanks of course to Danielle and Heike for the company, laughs and your insightful analysis. Why do most parkruns end with a coffee and a sausage roll for me? What does it say about me and could I rank all the parkruns in preferential order based on the quality of the local sausage roll.

Sin Scéal Eile……

Glengarriff parkrun

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