So what are those Good Glow running trips reeeeally like?
Well, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on our recent trip to Chicago. It was a big dream for us to take on another city in the US, and in the lead up to launching, I wondered if we could actually do it.
But before I knew it, the trip was full. We had 60 runners, 55 for the Half and 5 for the 5km.
Between training runs, planning schedules and itineraries, booking our events in the US, while also prepping our Team for what is often the longest distance they have run to date, the lead up to these trips behind the scenes is BUSY.
From the outside looking in, it’s all fun. The Good Glow running trips come with a packed itinerary, a buzzing WhatsApp group, Zoom calls and meet-ups, training runs and lots of opportunities to connect and make friends for life. These connections start at our training runs 5 months before the trip even begins.
We know a lot about the people on our trips before we even make our way to the US, so on the Friday night at our Welcome to Chicago party, I shared the word that resonated with me most, when I thought about this group. That word was special.
Every single person on this trip, all 60 of us, had something unique to bring to the table. And it was this trip that cemented even futher what I already knew, that running has absolutely nothing to do with running. It’s about mindset, testing yourself mentally and physically, and creating deep connections with the people you run with.
The connections within Team Good Glow are immediate and deep. We embarked on this 5 month journey as strangers, but returned as close friends. We supported, shared, loved, cried and gathered together for this once in a lifetime trip, each person as uniquely special as the next and equally important as each other.
As one of our team members Darragh described perfectly.. this experience was ‘tribal’.
It was Thursday afternoon when we landed to sunny skies in Chicago. Nervous, apprehensive and giddy with excitement for what was to come. After settling into our hotel in the centre of Chicago, we took a walk down by the river. As the sun was setting over this beautiful city that would become home for the weekend, Jamie and I stole a minute together by the water to acknowledge how far we’d come.
The following morning, we met the team just before sunrise, and took a short walk for a swim in Lake Michigan. One by one, we ran into the water. One of my favourite moments from the entire weekend was from one of our team members that morning, who exclaimed, ‘I feel like a 12-year-old!!’ as yet another belly laugh erupted from the water.
And this captured exactly the sentiment for the weekend. It’s like coming back from Irish college when nobody in your life understands the bond and connections you’ve made with people who were strangers to you just weeks before. They don’t get the inside jokes, the feeling you have when you are together. It’s a real case of you had to be there. This trip was no exception.
Our welcome party, on the Friday evening, was the first time all 60 of us came together in one room. This was our first official gathering. We hosted the party in an Irish bar close to the hotel. The noise of the chats and the laughs were so loud, it’s something I’ll never forget. You are in a setting where you don’t have to say anything at all, and yet, you feel so included. That’s what we have worked so hard to create. Connection, community and togetherness.
As I moved through the weekend, I always knew when Team Good Glow was around the corner, because I could hear them before I could see them.
That night at the welcome party, we shared our stories, and we dropped into our hearts. That was the night that I knew, this trip was going to be magic.
The following morning, Saturday, we gathered for our Good Glow Shake-Out Run along the river. Our shake-out runs are one of the most important parts of our trips. This is an opportunity to shake off nerves and ground ourselves in this experience. When we put on our running gear and run either in Central Park, New York or down by the river in Chicago, this is when it feels real. These runs remind us of, number one, why we are here, and number two, that we can do it.
This is when you can stop doubting yourself. This is when the training pays off. This is when friendships are deepened.
After another swim in the lake, a boat tour and lunch in between, the WhatsApp is full of invitations..
‘I’m off for a coffee, would anyone like to join me?’
‘There’s 3 of us heading for breakfast at 08.30, does anyone want to come with us?’
‘We’re meeting in reception at 12 to go sightseeing, if anyone is at a loose end?’
It’s this, all across the weekend, no-one is left behind.
That evening, it was time to settle down ahead of our big day, so we decided to make a trip to Whole Foods. It’s our opportunity to stock up on all of the carbs, along with almond butter, bananas, water, and anything else that we think might give us that extra pep in our step the next morning. As Jamie and I made our way around Whole Foods, we spot various members of Team Good Glow and we eagerly inspect each other’s baskets and swap directions to the bagels, pastries and apple juice. It’s the simple interactions like this throughout the weekend that bring such comfort. It’s the camaraderie. You just can’t beat it.
That evening, our WhatsApp group buzzes with supportive messages, well wishes and inspirational quotes. I share a photo of one of NYC team members Paul Bond, who took a photo along the route back in March. He beams in the photo alongside a poster that reads: ‘You’re not slow, you’re just getting your money’s worth’.
Inevitably there’ll be last minute requests for extra safety pins and bananas, it’s supportive and wholesome. We have each other’s backs.
We lay out our running gear, wish each other well, and we sleep… like babies. That might surprise you, but the invitation of an early night is so welcomed by this stage of the trip.
Our alarms start ringing at 4am. The showers run, the coffee machines start up and our laces are tied.
We are ready to take on our biggest challenge of the year.
As I stood in the lift that morning, I took one last deep breath, I was ready for one of the best days of the year. The craic has been mighty all weekend. The jokes were already flying, and it was only 4:45am, but this is what we do. We laugh…deep belly laughs. And we share…deeper than ever before. We are one team.
As our Team bus makes its way through the dark streets of Chicago, there’s a comforting silence. It’s a moment to reflect and to be proud of the challenge we are about to take on.
The next part is interesting, we’ve seen it in NYC, as we disembark the bus this is when the nerves kick in, the doubts make an appearance. Some of us pace back and forwards, some of us need a quiet moment, some of us need a pep talk. Above anything else, this is where we need each other most.
About an hour later, after the nerves settle and our warm up is complete, we make our way to the start line. A song erupts from our team members Aish and Holly. It’s Rattlin’ Bog. One by one we join in, and before we know it we are all jumping up and down, laughing, singing, having so much fun. The joy spreads, and soon, you can see the locals look on in amusement, some taking out their phones to video the fun. We hug and wish each other well. As we catch our breath, we almost forget we had a half-marathon to run.
The race begins and we all take off a different paces. This is beauty of Team Good Glow, whether you go out and smash a half-marathon or it takes you three plus hours, it doesn’t matter. We wear our Team Good Glow shirts for that very reason, as we approach each other along the 21.6 kilometre course, we can share encouragement, hugs and words of wisdom. Some of us often run shoulder to shoulder without saying a single word, but this is the most powerful of all, the unspoken connection, that only Team Good Glow shares.
We cheer at the finish line, as one by one we pass through. Each cheer as enthusiastic as the last, finally coming together in the joy of knowing we had done something that once seemed impossible.
These are the highest of the highs, the moments when all the hard work pays off, the moment you can finally tell yourself ‘I did it’.
And so that night, we came together at our Good Glow Finishers party, wearing our medals proudly and sharing stories of our struggles that day. The room is filled with the ‘runner’s high’, all 60 of us experiencing it at the same time, all part of the same team.
That high, the laughs and the singing continue well into the wee hours. And of course, the Rattlin’ Bog was rattled off one more time, this time with our arms wrapped around each other celebrating the best day.
The last morning of our trips are always bittersweet. This Monday morning in Chicago was just that. All of us coming together to say our goodbyes, knowing this experience will soon be in the rearview mirror. But what remains? Our hearts full of joy and connection, our hearts are full of new memories that will last a lifetime. We are going home one by one to inspire our families, our friends, the people we love most. We’re going home with our medals displayed proudly as we remind ourselves yet again, that we can indeed do hard things. These are the moments we live for, that make us great and the moments that change our lives.
And this is why the Good Glow trips are so special, because they are truly life changing.
And Chicago 2024 was life changing for me.
Until next time Team Good Glow x
(We have limited spots remaining on our NYC Half Marathon trip in 2025, please see here for more.)
