A nice enjoyable read from Sabrina and how she continues to bring her marathon time right down. I would be very confident that the sub 3 is not too far away.
1. How did you get into athletics.
I was always into Sport and Fitness as a child/ teenager I was a dancer till my teens and also played Gaelic with the local teams. One day Still in secondary school i went out the door and wanted to jog, started very easily and worked my way to 5k then i joined a bootcamp / running group and a group of girls there we set a target to run our first marathon the following year. This is where my running all started.
2.Why do you run.
There is a number of reasons why I run, running is like medicine to the human body makes you feel so good once you have completed it.
I love the challenge of running when you have a hard sessions you have to complete or maybe a race you want to aim to PB. And the social aspect before and after sessions or races meeting all your pals having your running chats this is what keeps me interested.
3. Did you try different events or were you always a long distance runner.
I am not sure how or why marathons ended up being the distance I aim for my main goal race every year (ha ha) I also take part in the whole order distance throughout the year and 5K 10K 10 mile and half marathons but my main focus is always that 26.2 mile challenge. I have taken part in the Wicklow way relay the past 2 years and I have taken part in a few cross-country races.
4. Can you give a brief synopsis of your to date.
2012 I ran my first marathon DCM October.
2013 DCM October.
2014 NYC November
2015 Belfast (May) Berlin (Sep) DCM (Oct)
2016 Rotterdam (April) Derry (June)
2017 Boston (April) DCM (Oct)
2018 Chicago (Oct) DCM (Oct)
2019 London (April) DCM (Oct)
I have run 14 full marathons to date I have completed five of the six world major marathons with Tokyo being my last and I will get there and complete soon I hope.
5. What would you consider your main highlight.
The London Marathon 2019 is to date my highlight race. Everything went right for me on the day( it’s not too often in American this happens and those that have run and number of marathons will know what I mean) the London Marathon was one big party from start to finish with the crowd the whole way I had goosebumps from start to finish. Hands up in the air in most of my professional pictures it was just amazing. I tried really hard for this marathon and those aiming for personal best of soap 3:15 I came down that last stretch and I could see the finish I looked at my watch and I could see I had achieved what I set out for and came over the finish line in 3.11.57. Words can’t describe how happy I was.
6. When did you hook up with TT racers and what was the reason for doing so.
I joined TT racers in early 2017 some of my work colleagues had been attending for some time and told me great things about it. I joined as I love to train in a group and it was getting my sessions completed on my lunch was an extra bonus.
7. What would be in your eyes the main advantage of being part of TT racers.
To be a part of such an experience Group the standard is at the top also to be surrounded by like-minded people that are also encouraging, helpful and supportive and bring you on to your best. There are some amazing athletes that I look up to and are my idols which makes it even more special to be a part of such a great group.
8. What’s the best running advice you’ve been given which helped you become a better runner.
Listen to your body – rest/ recovery is as important as the training.
9. What’s your running and going forward.
My main goal is to break 3 hours in a marathon and race all other distances throughout the year and aim for PBs.
In time when I achieve the main goal (sub3) I want to step back from full marathons and focus on getting faster at the shorter distances.
