I’M KEANE TO STAY SPORTY
Retired Paralympian Ellen turns focus to running
ELLEN Keane may be hanging up her swimsuit, but the Paralympic star is already looking for a new sporting outlet because of the positive effect that exercise has on her ADHD.
Keane was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder after taking part in the Tokyo Paralympics.
She found that her time in the pool was a great “coping mechanism” — and now that she has retired from the sport she is looking for something to replace that.
“With the support that Sport Ireland gives when you retire, you still get access to facilities like strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology,” the Dubliner told Fitter Happier.
“But I have already told my strength and conditioning coach that I’d like him to teach me how to run properly, because I can’t run and I always get shin splints when I try.
Jealous
“I always get really jealous when I see people running. I think it looks really fun, I want to be able to do that.
“In swimming you are just following a black line, so I want to learn how to run. That’s the first thing I want to do.
“It’s more for the mental health side of things that I want to learn how to run.
“For me, because I have ADHD, I notice that whenever I’m not exercising I find it really hard to process my thoughts.
“That’s a big thing I always found when I was swimming; I’m away from my phone, I’m away from everyone else and I can actually process what I’m doing when I’m swimming.
“So I need to be able to do that again while I’m not competing anymore.”
She added: “For me, running seems like a good option as a mental health coping mechanism.
“The fact that you can run anywhere, you don’t need a swimming pool, you can go anywhere as long as you’ve got your runners on, that was the thought process behind that one.”
Hailing from Clontarf and living in Killester, there are plenty of scenic routes for Keane to try out her new passion.
“I’ve got St Anne’s Park and Dollymount, so I’m very lucky with that one,” she said.
Reflecting on her diagnosis, she added: “It was only three years ago, but I think I’ve kind of always known.
“My rest day has always been a Sunday. I’m not supposed to exercise on Sundays.
“For me, they were always the worst day of the week, because I felt like my brain was going to explode and I just felt like I needed to do something, I just felt so restless.
“Even the days where I was training in the evening and not morning first, I found the day really hard until I was swimming.
“So if I am to become a runner, I’ll be running first thing in the morning and then having a rest later in the day.
“I guess I always have known. I just feel on edge until I’ve exercised, and then I calm down.
Keane described her retirement from swimming, after competing in five Paralympics — winning bronze in Rio and gold in Tokyo — as a “nice big exhale.” She continued: “It feels like a
big weight has been taken off my shoulders and I can finally relax.
“I’ve always known what’s next — and not knowing what’s next is really liberating. It could be scary for some people, but for me I think I processed it already and I’ve no fear. “I have no shame in being a beginner again and I’m excited to start something new.
“Every time I meet people I ask what their working day is like, ‘What do you do? When you go in, do you have a meeting, how do you know what to do?’.
“It’s going to be a learning experience,
but I guess that’s
life.”
One avenue that could open up is a career as a yoga teacher.
She turned to yoga later in her swimming career to help with anxiety — and now she wants to delve even deeper into the subject.
“I’m actually going on a yoga teacher training course in Bali in November, so I’ll have a bit of an Eat, Pray, Love moment then,” she said.
“I do feel like yoga has a place in my world. It’s an opportunity for me to take some time away and be at peace. I know a few people who have done it and said it’s exactly what I need.”