Runner of the Week: Joanne Nicolson

Joanne Nicolson will be taking part in the Irish Examiner Cork City Half Marathon in two weeks, and she says she goes as she’ll be happy to see the finish line in her own time.

Joanne was diagnosed with the chronic illness fibromyalgia at 28 and experiences a great deal of pain in her daily life. Other symptoms include cognitive issues and chronic fatigue. Rather than become dependant on medication to treat her condition, Joanne, a drug and alcohol support worker, has tuned to exercise.

“While I need some medication at the moment, this is a good way to manage it,” she said. “I’d rather exercise than be on lots of medication, I don’t want to become reliant on it.”

Training for the half marathon has been a challenge, but she has great support from her family. Her sister and brother-in-law, Laura and Nathan Harrison, will travel from Manchester to be by her side on the day.

“Nathan will run the half himself, but he’s going to come back and find me and my sister before we finish.”

Joanne’s training involves learning how far she can push herself.

“I’m trying to do as much as I can, so there’s some running and some walking, and I’ve been doing other things like pilates. I wanted to run it all but I found I was getting a lot of pain at the five-mile mark, so I had to compromise. I’m becoming more aware of my body and pushing it as best I can. A lot of it is about getting confident again.”

Joanne, who recently moved to Cork and will turn 30 just four days before the marathon, said despite the difficulties, she is looking forward to enjoying herself on the day.

“It’s a real struggle and to be honest there have been days I’ve given up on training. For me, it’s all about finishing it, not matter how long it takes, and having a bit of craic along the way.”