Aoife Lovett is a 26-year old trying sport for the first time. We will follow her progress over the coming weeks as she prepares for the Future Streets of Galway 8km Run in August.

WEEK 1... Born and bred in Galway City, I have somehow avoided any involvement in sport throughout my 26 years. While attending both Salerno and NUIG, I skilfully managed to dodge any invitations to take part in any activity which involved running, jumping or anything remotely energetic.

This is an even more incredible accomplishment considering I lived in a house where my late father, John Lovett, was a keen sports enthusiast.

All this is about to change as I have decided that it is time for a challenge and my challenge is to run the Future Streets of Galway 8km Run in August.

For some, this may be considered a walk in the park. For me however, with absolutely no experience of athletics, it is more akin to running a marathon. The full extent of my exercise regime is a daily two-mile walk to and from work, weather permitting!!

The challenge has now been set! The target is to run the race and reach the finishing line – hopefully without the need for paramedics. The question may be asked – why now? The simple answer is …. it is a challenge – both physically and mentally. Having always felt that I could not run, I must now challenge myself and develop the mind-set of a runner. My mental attitude to this challenge is going to be crucial to my success.

Where do I go from here? I have talked the talk, now I must walk the walk or in fact run the run. Training advice has been forthcoming from many directions. I have been told that it is simply a matter of 'putting one foot in front of the other', but that is easy to say when coming from an experienced marathon runner.

For me, it will take discipline and determination to achieve this goal. I am, however, confident that I will succeed. As the saying goes 'Tus maith leath na h-oibre' which means 'a good start is half the work'. Mentally I am prepared, physically I will have to work on it but regardless, I will train enthusiastically and commit entirely to the challenge that lies ahead.

Let the challenge begin. I look forward to sharing the pain and the gain with you over the course of the next five weeks.

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