I’m Martin and I’m a Sockaholic. I have a mild obsession with running socks. I recently purchased from Steigen socks online. Now, like most, I have only two feet, but I felt I needed to treat myself to four new pairs. Some of the old pairs had too many miles on the clock and have sadly passed on to sock heaven. My collection needed some reinvigoration, So I went with a few colourful options, not because I want to be particularly flashy but because they all represent something. The first pair have the Ireland colours with a shamrock on them. Perfect if I decide to run a race abroad, the Irish socks might get me some extra cheers. The second pair are a blue Boston marathon socks. I’ve mentioned here before that the Boston marathon is and always will be a dream for me. I’m hoping running in these socks will give me some inspiration. The third pair are just plain black, I mean, who doesn’t love a pair of black socks! The final pair I’m calling my Eagle socks. They are black and yellow stripes, the Eagle AC colours.
I’ve been a proud member of Eagle for a number of years. Even when I wasn’t actively running, I still always signed up as a member. Members are always there to give you support or a helping hand when needed and I see the committee and other members doing trojan work, from weekly emails, race organising, weekend runs, social media posts, leading track sessions and countless other tasks. They are always great for a good night out or trip away also! The benefits of joining a club like Eagle or any other club are immense, you automatically have a small community who are there for you. So with a new stock of socks, I also treated myself to a new Eagle top and a much coveted Runners Diary hat.
To make room for my new purchases, some old gear had to go. Going through my running clothes drawers (yes drawers, I have two, one for socks and hats the other for tops, jackets etc) it was nice to reminisce about races from yesteryear. I relinquished the top from my first marathon in the Cork marathon in 2012, it had gotten too big and the colour was awful. The top I did my first Dublin Marathon in 2012, was also retired. I kept the finishers top from that marathon, I was never going to part ways with my first sub 4 hour marathon finishers top. Countless other tops also got binned in an attempt to streamline my running wardrobe. But while the old tops and socks are gone, the memories and experiences will stay with me. I’m looking forward to creating new ones in the future. Energised by my new purchases, I had a very solid week running, consistently getting the runs in and the few strength and conditioning workouts into my week. My long run was a little longer than I had planned due to a miscalculation in distance, maths was never my strong point! but I was delighted to complete 14 miles, which also incorporated Tramore Valley parkrun. Each additional mile brings that little bit more confidence and belief.
As part of training this week it was great to run a few miles at the Runners Diary Fundraiser for Mallow Search and Rescue and Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery. Two amazing volunteer groups that provide an invaluable service for the Cork Community. The fundraiser was a huge success and massive credit to Damian and Brian for organising and to all who donated to two very worthy causes. It was lovely to meet and chat to my fellow Cork City Marathon leaders and a huge thank you to District Health and Leisure at the Clayton Hotel Silversprings who very kindly sponsored and presented new tops to us. Have a great week running this week no matter what your speed and distance is and no matter if you’re part of a club, a running group or flying solo. If you’re racing, make a few new memories for yourself and whatever you’re doing, give it socks! Happy running!