A personal story of how running helped the author cope with the trauma of her father's death
Feet pounding, chest heaving, lap after lap, I concentrated on controlling my breathing, my pace – and nothing else. When I eventually crossed the finish line my body was so exhausted, I could just about get myself back to my car to drive home. And it was a sweet relief. I knew, for once, I wouldn’t be confronted with my recurring nightmare that my dad had been shot. A nightmare that had recently come true.
Growing up in Northern Ireland during the 80s, we lived through the worst of the Troubles. And one wintry night in the late 1980s, my dad had been ambushed on our front door. Shot 18 times, he died on his way to hospital. Our whole family was devastated, and I was left floundering in grief and trauma. It is only looking back now that I realise that I unconsciously activated a few coping mechanisms to get through that distressing time. I protected myself emotionally by building a brick wall around my heart. No one was allowed to get too clos
Running Coping Mechanisms Trauma Death Personal Story