We have the pleasure of chatting with popular club man Packie Enright  this week. Running with the club for over 10 years.

When did you join Sportsworld?
Twas May 2005, a decade ago. I had been involved in other sports before that, including hurling and then boxing. Mick Dowling was my boxing coach, and he was Sportsworld AC president at the time. To do some road work is important as a boxer, to increase aerobic fitness. Mick rounded up a few of us from the club to run the Terenure 5 (which back then was the Dublin 5m Classic, attracting international runners). My first race ever, I ran 28 mins to the surprise of many, and from then on it was definitive that running was the best sport for me.

What is your favourite club session?
Hmmm, difficult to pick a favourite. They can all be tough; even an easy run can be tough on some days. But I’ll give any of em a go. Generally I find that if I can do 12*400m with 1 min in less than 80, that’s a good starting point. I’ve been getting this comfortably for years. Then it’s a matter of extending that whereby you can do mile repeats in < 05:30. Then you’re going places. I’ve been struggling with this, currently my mile repeats are at 06:10. Stamina is definitely my Achilles heel!

What is your favorite race distance?
5k road race. It tests everything you’re made of as a distance runner, and should be used as a starting point before attempting to race anything longer. That’s my view anyway.

What is your favorite meal before a big race?
The less, the better! For me anyway. I like to eat normal dinner & desert the night before, but go handy on race day food-wise. I’d be conscious of over-eating on race day. Bread and water usually does the trick on race day. Simple stuff.

My Favourite place to train/compete is?
Don’t really have one! I just try and adapt to an environment on a given day as best as possible. You may have bad memories from some courses, and good memories from others, but that’s all in the past and you must adapt to the day that’s in it. Before arriving at a venue I try to gather as much information about the course the night before. On race day, I’ll do a warm up jog around the course if they’ll let me (for road & XC races). In doing so, you build up a mental picture of what lies ahead, and you build your race strategy from there.

What is your best Sportsworld memory?
There’s been quite a few in the decade I’ve been running. Anytime you’re away somewhere as a team with your clubmates is to be appreciated.

What do you like doing when you don’t run?
Catch up with family & friends. Organise something cool.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
At my best (a decade ago), my times were no different to of any of the rest of the lads in the club – 26 min 5m, 33 min 10k and 74 min Half M. The best medal I have is when we won a team silver from the National Half M in 2007 – I ran 78, Phil ran 72 and Eanna ran 70.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
Over the past month it’s been 5/6 runs a wk. Some double days. 2/3 rest days. Long run is at 8/9m. About 30mpw all in.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
That you’re part of a team, which is like your family in ways. You can’t buy that. Family, community; that’s what life’s about.

What was your first day at the Club like?
I knew nobody, not even Emily. No one! Got instructed anyway in what to do. Like any new social situation, you gotta adapt. I found it easier than boxing (the sport I was coming from), and the people were nicer, friendlier and less driven or competitive.

Why is running important to you?
It’s got good holistic benefits about it. It’s a discipline. It’s an escape from dereliction and boredom. It gives you something to do with your evenings. I think most runners will tell you that they love exercise, and it’s a way of life. There’s nothing like feeling fit.

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?
No. No need. I honestly believe that the club has everything and more for someone aspiring to be an Olympian. It’s all there. Don’t need anything else. We even have a clubhouse, dressing room and showers. Many don’t have that luxury – Cornafean AC, Ballymore Cobh AC or Villierstown certainly hadn’t. Having said that, there’s some very bright and innovative people who bring a wonderful energy with them, and are constantly looking to improve things in the club, be it in organising the Terenure 5, running the website or bringing other ideas in around the place to improve the atmosphere. The leaders of these groups are commendable.
Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
Emily has played a massive role in my personal development, and still does so wk in wk out. But I’d have to pay credit to her husband Mick, from when I took up boxing at 23. Two massive figureheads for me, almost like parents in ways. I’d say they influence so many, and see so many different types come and go over the yrs. Not a bad thing to be able to say you set up boxing and athletics clubs all over south Dublin influencing people’s lives in a positive way and gave people somewhere to go to and something to aspire towards.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
Playing a bit of hurling this summer with my home parish. We’ve a win and a loss to our name, have one group game left, if we win that we’ll make the QF’s. It’s good to play with lads you grew up with, along with relative newcomers to the parish (I’m gone from the place 15 yrs).

Margaret Crowley  is up this week. Margaret  travelled all the way from County Cork to join Sportsworld. She has been  a fantastic addition to the women’s team since joining the club less than 12 months ago. Running a speedy 68 seconds over 400m in the Dublin Graded series. Margaret is sure to get even better over the next year.

When did you join Sportsworld?
August 2014

Where do you work?
I recently started a new role as a Quality Operations Specialist for Endo Ventures Ltd. located in Ballsbridge. I am resposible for ensuring the quality of several branded and generic pharmaceutical products that are manufactured by Operating Companies of Endo International plc as well as Contract Manufacturing Organisations. I have also worked for Novartis. Many of you may use Voltarol Gel which is Manufactured by Novartis. I would have regularly worked on the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient for this product.

What is your favourite club session?
Without doubt, Saturday morning track training sessions.

What is your favorite race distance?
5km but I have recently started doing 400m on the track and I am starting to enjoy it.

What is your favorite meal before a big race?
This usually would be a bowl of porridge and a slice of homemade brown bread with peanut butter

My Favourite place to train/compete is?
I most prefer the track training sessions in Tallaght

What is your target for the next year?
A good novice cross country season for the remainder of 2015 followed by some PB’s in next years graded track events

What is your best Sportsworld memory?
Doing the cross country Meet and Train event in Busy Park. It was great to be able to race where we train on a weekly basis. The club organised a great race and there was plenty of support from the club throughout the race.

What international events have you ran?
I have not ran any international events yet.

What do you like doing when you don’t run?
I like to meet up with friends, go for the odd hike in the Wicklow mountains and I love to sit down and relax when I am not rushing around the place.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?
I did my first ever 5k in July 2012. I was working for Novartis in Ringaskiddy, Cork at the time and they held an annual 5 km run. I entered the 5km run with two friends. At this stage I had never ran more than 10 minutes on a treadmill. We had great plans on following a couch to 5km plan but we never followed that through and did not train for the race at all. We did it in 32 minutes. It was an achievement that we managed to jog all 5 km and not have to stop. We were delighted with ourselves.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
I got a PB of 68.7 sec recently for the 400m, This was my first year competing in the track events and I am very happy with that time. I am already looking forward to next years track events.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
I always try to attend the club training sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I hope to start doing a long slow run on Sundays also.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
Definitely the team environment, There have been several evenings where I have gone down to the club house for training feeling tired and drained wondering how I am going to be able to do any bit of running. As soon as I start talking to people and do a warm up, I don’t even realise that I have been running because I have been chatting away to friends. The club definitely masks the pain and boredom of running alone.

What made you join a Running Club?
I saw everyone training one evening when i was jogging in Bushy Park and just decided to join in.

What was your first day at the Club like?
It was very enjoyable. Everyone made me feel very welcome. I got talking to Sandra Gowan throughout my first session. She told me alot about the club. We are both good friends now. We would often run close to each other during the training sessions and always try to push each other to go faster.

Why is running important to you?
I enjoy being outdoors and running is a great way to get outside. Since I am still improving my times on a regular basis, it gives a challenge to do better.

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?
Ideally it would be great if more people got involved in the novice cross country races. It was my first time taking part in them last year and the races are so much more enjoyable when there is a good group from the club running in them. I was not by any means an experienced runner when I first ran in them and I was surprised how well I did. I would encourage all runners who run the road races to try the novice cross country events.

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?
There is always so much support in the club that it would be impossible to say just one person. Emily and Myles are great coaches and always encourage me to run faster. Paddy is always at races supporting everyone. The people I train with on a regular basis are always motivating me to run faster. Recently everyone in the club has started to cheer each other on in the sprint sessions, so the good atmosphere motivates us all to run better.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
I go to Mick Dowling’s class once a week in the KCR for strength and conditioning. I also do Yoga at home to stretch out after the speed sessions.

This week we have an interview with Joe Haugh. Joe is relatively new to the club but has taken a very active role after just 18 months.  Playing a major role in this years 5 mile being the highlight.

When did you join Sportsworld?
18 months ago.

What is your favourite club session?
Fartlek ( minute on minute off)

What is your favorite race distance?
1/2 marathon and above.

What is your target for the next year?
none set yet..

What international events have you ran?
Berlin half marathon, Boston 100th Marathon 1996.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?
Got back in after injury to knee, have been doing years on and off.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?
Around 1.37 in Waterford, but looking to improve on that over the next six months.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?
Depends, but roughly 20 miles at the moment.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?
Running with others.

What made you join a Running Club?
Improve running technique..

What was your first day at the Club like?
Cant remember.

Why is running important to you?
One thing in my life that is important to me, but gives me balance.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?
Cycle on and off, looking to do gym work to improve strength.

It’s been my pleasure this week to chat with Sandra Gowran. Newer club members won’t know how accomplished Sandra has been in her running career. With some international standard personal bests, Sandra is surely one of the top runners ever in the club  An inspiration to many that run with her.

When did you join Sportsworld?

I joined the club sometime around the turn of the century! I think it was in 2001. I had just finished a part-time Masters whilst working full-time and the weight had piled on, I decided that as I’d recently turned 30 I needed to get in shape, so that was my motivation in joining.

Where do you work?

I worked for an NGO called GLEN – Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. We advocate for full equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people – my work is primarily in the education field (I’m a second level teacher by background), but I also had a big part over the years in the advancement of rights in relation to relationships and parenting. The pinnacle of which was the marriage referendum earlier this year.

What is your favourite club session?

I have so many of them, but I think it would have to be xc training sessions in the Phoenix Park in the winter, the summer track sessions are a very close second though, even though I’m better suited to the longer intervals.

What is your favorite race distance?

Longer suits me better and so I think it would have to be the half-marathon. I only have one full marathon to my name and I would like to try for a
decent time over that distance, but I fear time is running out for me on that one as the years fly by.

What is your favorite meal before a big race?

When I was competing I was very particular about my food, 10 years ago there wasn’t the saturation of recovery/fueling supplements that there is today and so it was all very basic plain unprocessed food. My breakfast before a race would always have been 2 weetabix with warm milk and coffee. If it was a long race I’d probably also have a ripe banana.

My Favourite place to train/compete is?

My favorite xc country course from my competing days is Belvedere House which coincidentally happens to be in my hometown of Mullingar. I love training in the Phoenix Park, but probably my all time favourite race is the 13km Ridge Run in Club La Santa, Lanzarote.

What is your target for the next year?

I’d love to get back into good racing shape and target the Masters xc and track next year.

What is your best Sportsworld memory?

My best memories of being part of Sportsworld are around team events, the best one being the year that we narrowly missed winning team gold in the National Clubs xc, a silver medal was great to get that day, but we all really worked hard as a team that year and we came so close, so it was bitter sweet.

What international events have you ran?

Stormount International XC; Bristol Half-Marathon 2004 (Irish mixed team); Sligo International Track Meet (Sligo 2004); Dublin International T&F (2004);  European Clubs 15km Road (Team) – Italy, 2004.

What do you like doing when you don’t run?

My life at the moment doesn’t involve a lot of free time but I love playing any kind of sports really and love just kicking a ball around with the kids in a park.

How/When did you start your adventure with running?

I ran off and on when I was in school and in my twenties. I had a short spell in my mid – late 20’s when I ran more regularly and completed a
few half marathons and my only marathon, but really my running adventure didn’t begin until my thirties when I joined Sportworld. When I decided
to shed the weight the adventure really took off.

Tell us about your PB’s / What is your biggest achievement?

When I look at my PB’s now I wonder how the hell I did it. When you reach a PB you always think you’ll better it and I always did think I would, life, circumstance and a re-shifting of priorities meant that I never did. Now I can appreciate some of my achievements more. I’m probably most proud of my half-marathon PB which I achieved in an Irish vest in Bristol in 2004, I ran 78.27 that day about 2 weeks after winning a silver in the National
Half-Marathon, the Bristol time shaved 7 seconds off my 2nd place time that day. I’m also very proud of my 10km time of 35.47 also posted in 2004 in
the National 10km Road champioships in Sligo.

How often do you run / What is your typical weekly mileage?

Now I like to run as often as my home/work schedule permits. At present I’m getting out about 5 times a week, I tend to follow the pattern of the club training, interval sessions and a long run on a sunday supplemented by a couple of easy runs during the week.

What would you say is the best thing about being in a Running Club?

People think that running is quite solitary and at times there is nothing better than being out on a run alone with your thoughts, but being part of a running club is a brilliant way of getting the most out of yourself. When you train with others there’s always someone for you to aim to beat. Racing as part of a team can be as exciting as any team event. I agree with those that say that running is perhaps the purest of physical pursuits, there is never
anywhere to hide and you can only run to the extent you’ve prepared and trained for. I’m looking forward to running more as a master and getting hooked on that team spirit again.

What made you join a Running Club?

I like structure, routine and competition – running is one of the best hobbies you can take up, anywhere I go I pack my runners and explore new places in my running shoes.

What was your first day at the Club like?

I was quite shy and felt like everyone knew each other. Emily took a look at me and told me to walk and jog a top lap – I was disgusted – I’d show her!

Why is running important to you?

I’m at my happiest, most content and healtiest when I’m running. When I run it feels like what my body was meant to do. Of course not all days feel like this, but its a bit like a runners high, once you’ve experience it once you’re constantly chasing that high again.

Is there anything you would like to see more of or less of at the Club?

I’d love to see more people running in the championship races, there’s so many races on the running calendar now that its easy to go from one road race to the other and forget about the club aspect of racing. In my opinion championship running (at whatever level) is where it’s at – it’s the  GAA/Croke Park of athletics. I think people miss the fact that much of it is not about individual performance but is actually about team racing and representing your club. I’d love to see the women’s teams in the Club in the ascendancy again!

Who is the person in the club who inspires/drives to run better?

Emily Dowling has always been an inspiration to me – her work ethic is something that I’ve always been impressed with, not to mention her dedication to the sport. Phil Kilgannon is someone who has always impressed me in life and in running, he’s been in the club knocking out great performances since I was running at my best, it’s pretty amazing that he’s still running at such a high level. I love to see people really into their running and doing everything possible to improve. I’d also have to mention people like Sean Byrne also who have run for decades and especially getting back to   participating in races after major heart surgery. A bit like the marathon I think it’s the distance and longevity that inspires me most.

Do you do any cross training / other sports on a regular basis?

I work out in the gym infrequently and bike to work everyday and other than that race around after 2 young children!