![\"Vinnie](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Vinnie-Boyd-SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences.jpg\")
\u201cDuring the lockdown, I thought I\u2019d do something ridiculous like running 10k a day for the month of May. I had the time and I wanted to keep active, plus I thought it would be an opportunity to raise money for charity.<\/p>\nLike a lot of companies, SL Controls had to pivot quickly when the first lockdown was introduced in March of this year. The restrictions since then have varied as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic, but life and work for SL Controls employees remains very different from what it used to be.<\/p>\n
We spoke to members of the team to find out more about what they did during the lockdown and how it affected them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the lockdown, I thought I\u2019d do something ridiculous like running 10k a day for the month of May. I had the time and I wanted to keep active, plus I thought it would be an opportunity to raise money for charity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am involved with Shamrock Gaels here in the Riverstown\/Castlebaldwin\/Sooey area. One of our former players and club members, John Lyons, sadly died earlier in the year in March. He was heavily involved with the club, and his wife and children continue to be involved. So, I and a couple of the other guys from the club thought it would be a good opportunity to set up an event in memory of John and to raise money for North West Hospice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked to the club and decided to change it from 10k a day to a more realistic 5k a day. We then basically reached out on social media, mostly on Facebook. We got loads of video messages from people like international rugby star and former international basketball and Shamrock Gaels player, Aoife McDermott, Kerry’s All-Ireland winner Stephen O’Brien, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, Ireland captain Seamus Coleman, Mayo\u2019s Lee Keegan, and legendary commentator Micheal O\u2019 Muircheartaigh.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlaughtneil and Derry captain Chrissy McKaigue, Tipperary GAA ladies star Aisling Moloney, Dublin\u2019s six-time All-Ireland winner Jonny Cooper, and former Irish rugby international Tommy Bowe were some of the other people that left us messages. The support really was amazing, and it certainly kept everyone motivated throughout the month.<\/p>\n
![\"SL](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experience-Vinnie-Boyd.jpg\")
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\u201cIn the end, 150 people from the GAA club, the local community, and beyond signed up to take part. Some walked and some ran the 5k a day then, at the end of May, we finished with a relay from the late John Lyons\u2019 house to the Shamrock Gaels pitch. In total, the participants covered well over 20,000 km.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we started out, we thought the event would raise a few thousand, but, in the end, we raised almost \u20ac29k.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Deirdre](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Deirdre-Loughlin-SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences.jpg\")
\u201cBefore the lockdown, my day would have involved getting up early to go to the gym before work. All the gyms had to close during the lockdown, so I decided I would get back into running.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning is something I had been trying to get more into for about two years, but I ended up concentrating more on the gym. There was no choice during the lockdown, so I decided to get up to a level where I could run 5k.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found an app to help me achieve that \u2013 Pop Up Races. It lets you enter challenges where you support charities while you are running. It really gives you a reason to run, especially on those days where you maybe don\u2019t feel up to it. Knowing you are supporting a charity gives you that extra push to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also get a medal for some of the challenges when you finish, which is always nice to receive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis led to me also doing other virtual events, including the Virtual Warriors Run which usually starts at Strandhill beachfront to the top of Knocknarea mountain and back to the beachfront. This year, it was 15k your way, which you could complete in stages anywhere in the world while raising money for Focus Ireland.<\/p>\n
![\"SL](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences-Deirdre-Loughlin-medals-1.jpg\")
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![\"SL](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences-Deirdre-Loughlin-medals-2.jpg\")
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\u201cSo, part of the lockdown experience for me involved competing in events I would have never done before \u2013 all virtually, of course. It\u2019s nice to support charities, too, as they are getting hit very badly during these times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to getting back into the gym when things return to normal, but I plan to continue with the running too.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Shane](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Shane-McLaughlin-SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences.jpg\")
\u201cFor me, working remotely is a familiar experience. For about the last four years, my week would have been working about three days on the road and the rest from the house. So, from a work perspective, the lockdown was not a massive change for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we do things is different. There is less travel now, and where before I would have interacted with a lot more people face to face, now we meet through Microsoft Teams. But everybody is in the same boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of positives to take from the experience too. Personally, I used the time to take on new challenges. This included walking and running 100k in 30 days for Cancer Ireland, which we did together as a family between Teams calls and everything else.<\/p>\n
\u201cA challenge for frontline heroes was another one I got involved with, but the big one was a virtual Mizen Head to Malin Head where you run 600k over six months. I got through that by doing short runs during the week and a longer run at the weekend.<\/p>\n
![\"SL](\"https:\/\/slcontrols.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/SL-Controls-Lockdown-Experiences-Shane-McLaughlin.jpg\")
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\u201cI also joined Tullamore Harriers running club recently and have taken part in runs. It\u2019s good because I ran a bit before the lockdown, but it is more consistent now. The kids come with me sometimes too, cycling beside me while I\u2019m running.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also been involved with Tullamore Triathlon Club for a few years. This year we did a virtual Iron Man, covering the equivalent of an Iron Man event over 10 days. There haven\u2019t been any races this year because of Covid, but it was good to see people getting involved in the socially distanced virtual events that did happen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Like a lot of companies, SL Controls had to pivot quickly when the first lockdown was introduced in March of this year. The restrictions since then have varied as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic, but life and work for SL Controls employees remains very different from what it used to be. We spoke to …<\/p>\n