Running in the Dark

I’ve written before about my journey into physical training, and over this last year running and strength training have become a part of my routine. There’s something about the individual and physical nature of the pursuit that makes it a crucible for honest self-evaluation and self-improvement. Self-deception does not survive the indifferent ticking of the clock, and excuses fail to shift the smallest plate of iron. You’re either faster, or slower, stronger, or weaker, and what you get out is a direct correlate, eventually, of what you put in. In these ways, to take a philosophical view, physical training is the mirror into which you can look to find out who you are, what you do when conditions are against you, how you respond when things get painful or difficult, what you do in the face of setbacks or disappointment. Each day the simple choice arises - you know where you were yesterday, will you be better, today, or worse?

Of course, there is more to life than training, but this is the vehicle, and not the destination. The real goal is to take these distilled insights and attitudes, the discipline, self-awareness and self-assurance that consistent hard-won improvement instils, onward into your day to day life. For me, I’m a believer in the idea that people are capable of much more than they think possible, and that this insight is the key to, quite simply, making the world around you a better place. As you expand your personal competence and effectiveness, you start to gain the ability to make a difference to those and for those people around you, even in small ways.

This year, I’ve signed up for Run in the Dark, a fundraiser for the Mark Pollock Trust, an organisation with the tagline “Helping People Achieve More than they Thought Possible”. Mark Pollock is a Northern Ireland local, a speaker, explorer, and author. Mark is overcoming adversity following blindness and then paralysis, and you can watch some of Mark’s amazing story in the video below.

The trust is helping to support Mark, and further his mission into finding a cure for paralysis, and so I’ll be trying to raise money to support this cause. The event I’ll be taking part in is a 10k run held in Belfast, on the night of 13th November this year. If you’d like to support me, I would be so grateful for any donations, and you can make a donation through JustGiving at the link below.

https://justgiving.com/fundraising/markmccaigueruninthedark

To help with fundraising, I’m planning to share a few (I lost some to bluetooth issues!) of my own training runs in the dark, as I pound the roads of North Down at anti-social hours, and you can see these snaps below. Thanks for reading, and a huge thank you to anyone who is kind enough to make a donation 🙂