Ciara Mageean

I always find it hard whenever you're talking about talent.

And I was like, I feel like I'm an extremely talented athlete.

It seems cocky.

And I feel like it kind of doesn't go hand in hand with being Irish.

I'd be much more comfortable with that.

talking myself down but whenever I say that I'm like it's no it's no thing that I would it was something I was just given it's no attribute to me but physically I was a very talented athlete and I do wonder had I not been for all of the injuries that I had throughout my career what I could have achieved I know that the seasons where I had consistency I went out and I

And I medalled or I ran 3.55 for the 1500 metres.

A time that in my youth I didn't ever envision running.

And I wonder now whenever I ran the 3.55, once I achieved that, I was like, I can go faster.

I think I can run 3.53.

And yeah, if I had just been one of those lucky athletes that didn't pick up injuries because it was the frustration of me and my coach that we were always balancing how hard we could push my body.

Because you had to sometimes possibly just be under what we would love to do in order to maintain an injury free season.

And look, that's just the nature of it.

Like I have a Ferrari engine and sometimes the chassis was a little bit more, a little too on the earth.

Most certainly there was moments that I didn't enjoy and periods where I was like, this isn't fun.

But sometimes you maybe don't realise until you reflect.

Whenever I look back, I'm like, oh my goodness, I spent my summers in the Swiss Alps training with my closest friends.

Like most people don't get to do that.

I spent months of the year in Samaritz in a beautiful little town running and working really hard and being absolutely knackered.

So that was tough.