'If all those people can do it, I can too'
THIS RUNNING LIFE:Busy working mother Rachael Ingle (46) took up running in January this year with one goal in mind – to complete the Dublin Marathon
When did you start running and why?I started in January 2012. I was inspired by watching the marathon runners in Dublin last year and thought it would be a good thing for me to do in 2012. Maybe it’s the age I am at but I’ve decided to pick one big project a year and this is the first one. Before this year I’d never run before so it’s been a revelation and very different to working out in the gym.
Where’s your favourite place to run?
I don’t have a favourite place really but the less hills there are the better. I mostly run around where I live in Dublin. I am not really bothered about scenery, I just keep my head down and keep going, although when I was on holidays in Portugal I packed the runners and it was great to experience different views.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve taken on?
Motivating my sister Róisín to also participate in the marathon. It was brilliant to see her go, like me, from couch to 10k which is the app we trained on together at the start. Now she has decided to walk the marathon instead of run it but I don’t care how she gets through it really as long as she crosses the finishing line. I hope we will both be in a fit state to have a celebratory energy drink together afterwards.
What’s your proudest achievement?
Finishing my first race in April, the Samsung 10km, under one hour in horrible weather without stopping. Talk about a baptism of fire. Actually the gales and lashing rain made me run faster because all I was thinking was “I badly want this to be over so I better get a move on”. For some mad reason I had cycled to the race so I felt very sorry for myself cycling home soaked to the bone, but also delighted that I’d kept going despite the conditions.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
My 11-year-old daughter Hannah’s voice in my ear saying how proud she is that I am running the marathon. She sometimes comes out with me for parts of my training and it has meant that both of us were even more interested than usual in the athletics at the Olympics. I’m no Mo Farrah, but there’s definitely a greater sense of solidarity when you’ve been out running longer distances yourself. You kind of feel you have the tiniest insight into how they must be feeling.
What are you training for?
The Dublin Marathon. When I watched it last year I just kept thinking “if all those people can do it, I can too”.
Are you a morning or evening runner?
Being a mother of three and managing director of a busy pension consultancy Aon Hewitt, the timing of my runs are dictated by whatever suits my schedule best that day. So morning or evening, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just fit it around meetings. At the beginning, before I was comfortable in my new runner status, I liked training in the dark in case I bumped into anyone. I am prone to what my sister calls “tomato face”.
