Tuesday 2 June: In the company of some 40,000 other women, I finally put my training to use and ran in the mini-marathon.

The day began badly and I woke up feeling less than fresh thanks to my complete and utter failure to stay tee-total the night before. I have felt worse and thankfully the adrenaline kicked in once I realised the task that lay ahead.

I was soon whisked up on the tide of excitement as I joined the thousands of women making their way to the starting line, and my, what an eclectic mix we were. Every size and shape, colour and age was represented. Some chatted merrily while others concentrated on slathering on sun-block from top to toe. There was alot of laughter and as we waited to get started a quick glance at all the branded T-shirts around me bore testament to the very reason we were there – to raise money for our chosen charities. There is no question that this was the most important motivator for each and every woman to complete the 10km.

I had to wait a bit to get started as the walkers were first off the marks. There was a lot of ducking required to get into a steady pace and surely that added an extra kilometre. I amassed a collection of five near-trips, three bruises and one elbow to the breast as I ran, but all in the name of good fun and before long I was passing the 3km mark, then 6km. It was at the 7km mark that I started to hit a wall, until I found myself being showered with water by a ‘helpful’ spectator eager to keep us cool. To be honest I nearly lost my cool with him until it dawned on me that his efforts were helping spur me on towards the end.

As we approached Leeson St with the finish line in sight, the cheers of encouragement from well-wishers somehow had the effect of elevating us off our tired legs and over the line. I was so delighted with myself when I finished I honestly think I could have kept going if I had to. On reflection, the whole training experience, unorthodox in its variety at times, has taught me that it is possible to get fit and stay fit without letting it control your life. The fact that it allowed me to raise money for Sammy’s charity was the icing on the cake for me. I’m looking forward to next year already. So far I’ve raised €600 for Sammy’s charity though that figure may go up with post-event sponsorship. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and Sammy.

If you would like to make a post-race donation to Elaine, email runningforsammy@gmail.com. You can find out more about Children's Interstitial Lung Disease at www.childfoundation.us.

- Elaine Roddy