your proudest moments

Ososlo

Since you started running, what are your proudest moments? Doesn't necessarily have to be your fastest race (but can be obviously) but anything to do with your running that you are proud of.

For me it was running for 20 consecutive minutes on the couch to 5k programme. i never felt that sense of achievement since. Not proud of anything race-wise really yet as never felt i achieved my potential.

crisco10

It's a tough one, I think the first time that I ran from the South Bull lighthouse to west pier lighthouse in Dun Laoghaire (and back to town then) It was 'only' a ~20km run. But it was the first time I had ever run "far" in my minds eye. Up to that point all my other runs felt like around the block jaunts. I think I must have sat at my PC looking at the Garmin track for about a day!

Similar to yourself Ososlo, no "race" proud moments. I actually feel like I am just trying to fill my potential at the moment which means I'm more relieved than proud at the finish line of races!

RoyMcC

Great idea for a thread.

Even 10 years on I remember it. I was trying to learn to run and getting very frustrated that I couldn't make 20 minutes non-stop. One evening I said to myself I'd give it a last try - by going so slowly that I'd feel really stupid. 74 minutes later I was still going, euphoric and had to force myself to stop.

Oh, and completing my first marathon at the third attempt, Longford 2008.

ecoli

1st Half marathon. Never enjoyed a race so much as absolutely everything clicked into place (2nd in my age category didn't hurt either:D)

pa4

This year winning my county intermediate road championships. It was an 8k and the furthest I raced up until then was 6k and I felt great, I was over a minute faster than I predicted for myself and my split for 6k was faster than I did in the novice a few weeks before! Wasn't at all expecting to win but a few people said they weren't surprised, I guess I underestimated my own ability.

Another one would be my first (and only so far) 10 mile road race which I did in 58:55. Was hoping to break 60 but still thought it was a long shot and beyond my reach. It was one of those races with ideal conditions and I felt great the whole way. I remember at the 7 mile mark I realised I could get under 59 and I knew I would be able to maintain the pace. It really felt like such a fun race.

event

First 10k, in dundalk. Coming down the final km with street packed and people cheering, I thought I could get used to this

jonny99

During marathon #9 of 10 in 10, realising that I was going to finish in one piece. Magic.

Kurt Godel

Ososlo wrote: »

Since you started running, what are your proudest moments? Doesn't necessarily have to be your fastest race (but can be obviously) but anything to do with your running that you are proud of.

Great thread.

Without a doubt, proudest moment ever was accepting the medals for the Boards team who won the Wicklow Way Relay in 2010. Krusty, Abhainn, Vanessa (late sub for Hunnymonster), mymojo, SloggerJogger, Donothoponpop, DaithiBC, Beepbeep67; everyone recce'ed well, knew their routes, and ran their heart on on the day. A really nice bit of camaraderie, a great day out, proper earned shiney medals;), and probably the highest athletically this forum has functioned as a collective. Still keep the brasso close to the medal, happy days:)

lynchieboy

Finishing 105 mile mountain marathon in the Lake District this year, discovered a whole new level of fatigue, roasting hot during the day, freezing wind and rain at night, finishing was a great buzz though.

Chivito550

Bizarrely I am still very proud of my 4:07 plod in Rotterdam. In hindsight I have realised how bad the time was, but for non-athletic reasons it still brings back fond memories.

Proudest moment is probably going from a marathon plodder to jumping into 400m running at the age of 26. Most people get a long build up from childhood to being a 400 runner, focusing on 100/200 to begin with. So getting amongst it and racing far better athletes regularly and not getting totally disgraced would probably be my answer to the question.

Honourable mention to beating World Championship semi-finalist and 1:45 low guy, Alexander Rowe, in a beer mile.

ThePiedPiper

Mine is a very predictable first time going under 3 hours in the marathon. It wasn't so much the fact that I did it, there were so many other factors that made it the most emotional and proudest running moment. 3 years previously I'd run 3:00:21, then slipped back a bit, readjusted goals, built a house, got married and started a family. Also, I pulled a muscle in my back the week of the race, meaning I was barely fit to even walk to the start line with the pain of it, but somehow adrenaline and determination got me around. Then thinking of how my sister's premature death inspired me to get into running 6 years previous to that and knowing that my wife was ready to go into labour in given day sent me over the edge completely. The emotion and scale of the achievement completely got the better of me when I crossed the line in a blaze of cheering, swiftly followed by tears!

shortstuff!

The first time I got up at 6am to do my c25k run, lashing ran, came home looking like a drowned rat, but got it done! Greatest sense of achievement & probably the first time I felt like a runner:)

conavitzky

Mine was from before I started running at all. I was playing a bit of soccer and GAA at the time and was at a 21st birthday party out in the back of beyond. The beer was flowing and by the time I got outside dawn was breaking, it was pissing rain and it was BM era (before mobiles) so a taxi was out of the question. I starting thumbing outside and 1 car passed in about 30mins so I said feck this, Im tired, wet and steamed and want my bed. So I took off running in my going out clothes and a pair of shoes that could only be described as vibrams there was so little support in them. I remember there was a fair bit of spluttering and coughing on the way but I made it home the 7miles and hit the cot. It was another 10 years before I took up running and having run multiple races since its still my proudest running moment.
I often wonder was that the night my Achilles problems started!

Abhainn

London 2012 marathon

Running down The Mall with no runner ahead of me to the finish line.
That cheesy song "One Moment in Time" and 2:36 on the clock. Pure bliss.

beertons

Just home from my first 10k. Did it in 51:40, 6 mins faster than my pb.

ecoli

beertons wrote: »

Just home from my first 10k. Did it in 51:40, 6 mins faster than my pb.

TRR

ecoli wrote: »

training PB maybe!

beertons

First race. Pb was in training.

token56

Proudest moment for me was my first 10K. Luggacurren 10K (which is on tomorrow actually if anyone is looking for challenging race), its very challenging made all the more difficult by the horrible weather at the time. Never ran the distance before and finished just a few seconds off my training partner who was usually 2-3 mins ahead of me over 8K. It marked the start of me smashing a few pb's in training and while it was such a slog I felt immensely good crossing the finishing line. My time was also just outside 40 mins which felt great.

hypersonic

cracking 6min/mil for 10km it was totally unexpected and don't think I'll ever beat that time.
so when I'm 60 and talking rubbish about running at the bar it, it'll be about a cold day in enniscourthy in February of 2013.

dna_leri

2007 - running 2 miles without stopping at the turn-around point.
2011 - finishing the Warriors Run (14K hill trail & road race) in a decent time - 12 months after a knee arthroscopy removed a piece of damaged meniscus (cartilage).
2013 - National Indoor Masters record over 800m

If I had to pick one it would be the warriors run, greatest personal victory.

ultraman1

has to be the day im met my hero

TRR

ultraman1 wrote: »

has to be the day im met my hero

You're some bollox Anto

Racman

Despite other, apparently bigger, successes since then, my proudest running moment was the day that I was the fourth scorer in the club team that got the bronze medal in the national masters cross-country. It was over 35 at that time and I was late forties. Three other top class guys ahead. Beat about five other clubmates who usually did better in training etc but I peaked well. I still look back on it fondly.

(There seems to be a theme in this thread that the proudest moment is not always the biggest success.)

W.B. Yeats

Breaking 20min for 5km a few months back
I ran my first 5km 4 years ago in 31min- unfit and overweight. For some reason I decided that being able to break 20 minutes would mean I was a decent runner and it became my one and only real running target.
I then became a father and didn't get going again properly for about a year. This second year I ran the race series that summer and got my 5km PB down to 22.56 by September.
I ran through the winter and the next summer I got to 21.12 by May but was running sore for the rest of it and didn't better my time. I then had about 6 months out with injury.
I returned to training May 2012 and got to 20.18 by Sept 2012. I didn't run a 5km again (raced X country and 10kms over the winter) until May 2013 when I ran 21.30 on a beach 5km and then 10 days later blew my PB away and recorded a 19.22
I probably worked harder to achieve that goal than anything else I have ever done. I'm neither a talented athlete nor a "quick responder" to training. So every second I gained was a slog- intervals, hills, tempos, long runs, going out in the rain, cold and hail. Whenever I felt like giving up or slacking off on a session the thought of breaking 20 kept me going. When I see the achievements of others around here my target feels slow and lame, but my reality is that I'm nearly always racing against myself so that's my personal battle, my little war. Winning it was really really satisfying.

TFBubendorfer

I ran the 24 hours race in Bangor last year, which was also the Irish championship. The field was small but stacked with quality - reigning champion, record holder, a former world number 1, several more people who had run in championships for their country - and a few amateurs like myself.

I still don't know how it happened, but I came second. :eek:

I have never been more than an enthusiastic no-hoper, so to have the reigning champion say I gave him a good race and the National record holder congratulate me and encourage me to push on from here was just unreal.

But possibly the single most proud moment came two months later at the start of the Dingle Ultra when Keith Whyte, now the Irish record holder, walked over to me just to say hello and congratulate me on that run - whoa, someone must have taken notice!

Condo131

Couple of close ones:
My second Marathon; Dublin 1985 - 3:11:17, knocking just under an hour off my previous (Cork, April 1985)
My fifth Marathon; Dublin 1988 - 2:46:03

Clear winner, though, - Cork to Cobh 15, Oct 2008; 2:04:07 - almost 32 mins behind my course PB, but just 136 days after major Cancer surgery.

That was an emotional experience - before the surgery, I'd thought that I'd never run again.

I think proudest was running a sub 3.30 in a marathon, cos I had put in a bit of effort so it was nice to record a time I would have thought beyond me.

There was also something special about the IMRA run on Carrauntoohil this summer. Grew up and still live a few miles from it. Until the age of 34/35 had no interest in even walking it, then got the hiking bug and went up it dozens of times in all kinds of weather and kinda got fond of it, from that I got into running, and so to go and run it was really great. I don't want to get too sentimental, like Herzog thanking Annapurna for being so beautiful and allowing him to die on her slopes...but it's like you get a respect for a mountain when you have an intimate knowledge of it, I can understand why he personalises his tribute.

EauRouge79

My proudest moment was running Dublin, it being my 1st ever race.
Recalling the pain of training on my own and that 20 mile run where everything hurt! I remember getting to a stage in the race, about 23/24 miles where I pretty much knew I was going to make it. It was a pretty emotional thing to be honest.
It was my 26th Birthday present to myself and from that day on I promised myself that I was no longer going to be a fatty & Saturdays spent in the pub were now a thing of the past.

2nd was carrying my daughter over the line in Connemara, thats photo sits proudly at the top of our stairs.