Being here this week at the European Championships has, I suppose, put me in a reflective mood.
I sat in the stadium on Thursday afternoon watching my own event, the 400m semi-finals.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it through after finishing seventh in my heat on Wednesday, therefore my individual campaign was over.
As each of the three semi-finals unfolded I couldn't help thinking back to what it must have been like for my family, friends and Irish supporters to sit in the stands and watch.
As an athlete you are solely focused on your job in hand and, at times over the years, I forget about the keen athletics fans that pay good money to travel to these championships and support Irish athletes. It’s their European Football Championships.
I took time away from athletics yesterday morning and spent a few hours seeing the sights of Amsterdam. While walking the streets, I saw an Irish couple - Pat and Joan Coyle from Ballinteer in Dublin.
The Coyles have come to almost all the major championships I've ever competed at and all the ones that went before.
All over the world, they've been there, and not alone, there is a small army of Irish fans that you will see at all the majors!
It reminded me of the love that people still have for our sport. They come not only to support the Irish but simply because this is their sport, this what they love to see.
I'm sure people like the Coyles and the many more that travel to all the major championship have their opinions on Turkish athletes, dodgy athletes and Russians, but yet they still come to support the sport.
Maybe these are the people that the international governing bodies need to repay with honesty and transparency.
As I watched the semi-finals of the 400m, my good friend and former training partner, British runner Martyn Rooney, who has both an Irish mother and father, ran a stormer of a race to lay down the gauntlet to his competitors. He's not giving up his title easily.
I was lucky to be in that position six years ago in Barcelona, winning my semi-final in 44.77 seconds, and watching Rooney filled my heart with pride because I gave something back to the likes of the Coyles. A Robbie Brady header that put me through to the next round. They could leave the stadium that night with excitement of what was to come.
Pockets of Irish were dotted around the stadium and it always amazes me that we always get a cheer when introduced to the crowd. This doesn't go unnoticed and us athletes are sincerely thankful for it.
These people know the value of a season best, a personal best or a national record.
They understand that coming last in a race but running the fastest you ever have can still put a big smile on your race.
They understand that it takes an awful lot of hard work and sacrifice to not progress through rounds or to even medal.
