Achieving a marathon PB days before planned brain surgery

Martin Lyons interviews DEIRDRE KEENA, who has quite the story to tell. Having experienced the atmosphere during the run leg of a triathlon, in which her sister was competing, it inspired Deirdre to get fit and be a good role model for her young family. The next day she set out on her journey and since then it’s fair to say her story is one of many twists and turns, especially on one fateful night in 2016, when she awoke with a very bad pain in her head. What followed would be the stuff of nightmares for many, but as she explains, Deirdre not only overcame these obstacles, but also surpassed the achievements of many who have never gone through such an ordeal.

Q: When did you start running and what motivated you to take it up?

A: I started running in July 2012. My sister was taking part in the Try a Tri in Athlone and we were at the race supporting her. Standing on the road cheering on the runners, I turned to my husband (Thomas) and said, “I’m going to start running.” I’m not sure if he believed me but at that time I had two young children and I wanted to be a good role model for them, so the very next day I headed out for my first run which was about 4 kilometres. I took to it very quickly and within 3 months I had completed my first half marathon.

Q: What is your favourite and least favourite type of training and your favourite race distance?

A: I actually really enjoy speed work. I always feel a great sense of achievement when I have another session ticked off. In spite of this, I really don’t enjoy the shorter races and would prefer a marathon over a 5k. I love the structure of a marathon training programme and the “runner's high” you get after a long run is fantastic.

Q: What running achievements are you most proud of and why?

A: I have a lot of running accomplishments that I’m very proud of. It has been a real journey for me. I trained for my first marathon when I had a new baby that I was breastfeeding. He was six months old the day of the race. I also ran throughout that pregnancy right up until two weeks before he was born. I faced a lot of criticism at the time but the doctors encouraged it and I’m proud that I showed that pregnancy doesn’t need to slow you down.

My biggest achievement though is probably running my marathon PB 15 months after suffering a brain haemorrhage. In 2016, I woke in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in my head. My instincts told me it was more than just a migraine and I asked my husband to take me to the hospital. Within 12 hours we were told I had a golf ball-sized bleed in my brain and had to be rushed by ambulance to Beaumont hospital. I was extremely ill and spent a month in hospital.

On discharge I was seriously underweight and had blurred vision in one eye. I was so weak I could barely walk and the stairs at home felt like a mountain. At that time I honestly thought I would never run again, but I started walking a little further each day and the yearning to run returned. My consultant approved it and I began training again with Moate Athlone Running Group and under the guidance of Mick Murphy, ran a 3.06 marathon in Dublin that year, six days before brain surgery to remove the cause of my haemorrhage. The staff in Beaumont said I was the fittest patient they had ever had on the ward. My resting heart rate was unusually low.

Q: List your current PBs for the following distances...

5k: 19.09 - local 5k, 2018.

10k: 39.30 – Clonown, 2016.

10 Mile: 1.04 - “Frank Duffy 10 Mile”, Phoenix Park, 2017.

Half Marathon: 1.27 - Flatline Half Marathon, Athlone, 2016.

Full Marathon: 3.06 - Dublin Marathon, 2017.

Q: How have the restrictions, relating to Covid-19, affected your training or racing plans?

A: I started off 2020 training for the Boston marathon and when the race was cancelled and lockdown imposed, it took a negative effect on my training. I lost my motivation for the first time since I had started running and took a number of weeks off. When I began running again I had gained weight and felt so out of shape and slow. Every run was a struggle and I found it very difficult to get any consistency back. For the rest of 2020 my running lacked enjoyment and focus.

In January 2021, faced with the third lockdown, I decided I was going to use the additional time at home to get some speed back and hoped the enjoyment would return too. I upped my weekly mileage and reintroduced speed work. Since then, I have made huge progress and am actually hopeful of setting some new PBs in the future. I have just joined AIT Athletic Club in Athlone and I'm hoping this will benefit my running too.

Q: What advice or training tips would you give to anyone who is now looking to take up running?

A: Slow down! There is a big temptation in the beginning to do too much too soon and you can cause injury and prevent enjoyment. I never used the Couch to 5k programme but it certainly is a great way to start. Get a decent pair of runners too and don’t go too fast.

Q: What are your lifetime goals in running?

A: I have a few running goals. The big dream is to break 3 hours in the marathon. In getting to that level, I would also hope to break 1.25 in the half. Mullingar or Tullamore might be good locations to attempt that. I’ve been accepted to run the Boston marathon in October and a post-op PB there would be fantastic. I also hope to complete all six of the marathon majors with Boston being my second after completing Berlin in 2019. Ultra marathons are definitely in my future too. I am very inspired by many ultra-runners including Mullingar’s own Gerry Duffy, Courtney Dauwalter and Keith Russell.

Q: What is your favourite post race meal?

A: Usually after a tough race I can only stomach a protein bar and a coffee, but after I’ve showered and relaxed for a while, I love a nice steak, preferably cooked in a restaurant.