Three weeks ago in Monaco, Ciara Mageean ran the race of her life as she broke Sonia O'Sullivan's 29-year-old Irish mile record by 2.68 seconds. She'd love to watch it back.
Though it was at a Diamond League meeting broadcast worldwide, and Mageean finished second, such was the dominance of the winner Faith Kipyegon - who destroyed Sifan Hassan's previous world record by nearly five seconds - the Portaferry athlete scarcely features on the tape.
"If anybody finds footage that shows any of my race, I would be delighted to watch it!" says Mageean, whose time of 4:14.58 makes her the fifth fastest woman ever over a mile.
"I tried to watch a little bit and it's pretty much all on Faith. You can kind of see me rounding the bend and finishing like a train after the last 100m on some footage.
"If you read my little post-Monaco review that I put in my diary, I was quite nervous going in. It's amazing the way your body reacts going towards a race and if anybody's ever done it, they know that a whole fight or flight response where you're trying to interpret all of these things that your body is telling you.
5 October 2019; Ciara Mageean of Ireland, centre, on her way to the finishing the Women's 1500m Final during day nine of the 17th IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
"Quite often you have a little good angel and bad angel on your shoulder that's telling you different things. Toeing the line in that race, I was like, 'Look, your training's gone well, you're just going out here to run. It's four laps, and you know you're in good shape, just give it your all'.
"I knew as soon as the gun went and I got off the line was going to be a good one. I was certainly nervous going in, that's for sure, with a little bit of pressure on myself that I knew I wanted to try to run an Irish record and that that would be tough."
Mageean is currently in St Moritz doing altitude training ahead of the World Championships in Budapest later this month (August 19th - 27th). She has run by Norway's Ingebrigtsen brothers and says they're "looking fit".
The 31-year-old missed out on last month's Irish National Senior Championships due to a niggle she picked up during the race in Monaco. After consultation with her team and Athletics Ireland, it was decided that getting her body right for Budapest was the correct lane to take.
19 August 2022; Ciara Mageean of Ireland celebrates after finishing second in the Women's 1500m Final during day 9 of the European Championships 2022 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
"I had picked up an injury going into Christmas," she says.
"I was in a blooming boot over Christmas. I had my auntie's wedding in a boot. I wasn't delighted about that.
"To be honest, I think I'm very lucky to have the head on my shoulders that I have. And that's come from years of experience in this sport of dealing with the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows that sport throws at you.
"It's very interesting that I definitely know that you don't need a smooth path towards a successful season. Last year, ahead of the Commonwealths, I got Covid and had to have a week where I was kind of like just ticking by because I needed my body to get back to good shape.
"That was really an interesting season for me, knowing that 'OK, you can have some [setbacks] in the really immediate build-up to a championship, and you can still keep your head on your shoulders. You've done the work and the miles are in the bank, and you're ready to go'."
19 August 2022; Ciara Mageean of Ireland, left, who won silver, Laura Muir of Great Britain, centre, who won gold, and Sofia Ennaoui of Poland, who won bronze, during the medal ceremony after the Women's 1500m Final during day 9 of the European Championships 2022 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Mageean has a target in mind for the 1500m at the World Championships, though it's not one she's willing to share. Last year's European 1500m silver medallist is genuinely in the conversation for a podium finish in Budapest.
"I feel like the performances over the last two years have really given me confidence in my own ability," she says.
"I always knew I was capable of being a sub-four minute [1500m] runner. I always felt that I was capable of getting the Irish record over the 15. I felt that my record was within my grasp.
"There's one thing believing that you can do it, and then there's another thing going out and doing it and having that proof to back it up.
"I feel very confident going in knowing the shape that I'm in, knowing what I've done already this season.
"I'm really excited. With that comes the natural nerves because you want to go out and perform as best you can. But for me, it's a really exciting place to be, to toe the line and think 'It's all out there, and it's all mine to go and try to take'.
"I'm looking forward to towing the line because it's probably the most excited I've ever been for a championship."
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