Ep 23 Moire O'Sullivan on grief, the mountains and A Quarter Glass of Milk, plus zone 1 running with René Borg
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
Eoin Flynn talks to Moire O'Sullivan, the first person to complete the Wicklow Round, a two-time Irish mountain running champion and three-time National Adventure Race Series winner. Her husband Pete died by suicide shortly after Christmas 2018, and her new book, A Quarter Glass of Milk, tells how the mountains and the running community helped her and her two sons through the first year. First, René Borg makes the case for very easy zone 1 running.
René explains that the easy zones use slow-twitch fibres, and that zone 1 sits roughly 10% below the heart rate where easy turns to moderate. Many runners can't run that slowly at first because that system is under-trained. Zone 1 suits recovery runs, warm-ups, cool-downs and days with niggles. Zone 3 is race-specific but wears runners down if overused. He also describes fastpacking, mixing hiking and running with a light pack, as a way to build long hours at very low intensity.
Moire talks about why she enjoys talking about Pete, and how her books came from experiences that didn't fit the usual story: the Wicklow Round in Mud, Sweat and Tears, and early motherhood in Bump, Bike and Baby. She explains the book's title: three-quarters of the glass was spilled, but she chose to get on with the quarter that was left. Running at first triggered a panic attack, and she found racing too stressful, so she turned to orienteering and team events with close friends.