By dealing with the setbacks over the last 12 months, Ciara Mageean believes she is in a better place to truly appreciate her European Championships silver medal.
Similar to the Commonwealth Games, the British athlete came out on top but she was pushed all the way by Mageean, who finished in a season's best time of four minutes 2.56 seconds, with Poland's Sofia Ennaoui taking the bronze.
Having already tasted podium success at the Europeans with a bronze in 2016, the 30-year-old has endured a difficult 12 months. Her Olympic disappointment last year was something she described as "heartbreaking".
If you get too down during the bad times, then sometimes you don't get back up and ready for the good
A torn calf left her well below her best as she finished 10th in her 1500m heat, and as hard as that was to process, it makes the good days all that much better.
"If you look at the last year I had, it was really rocky," she told RTÉ Sport’.
"You have to roll with the punches. If you get too down during the bad times, then sometimes you don’t get back up and ready for the good. I think I have been pretty resilient with the whole process of dealing with the bad.
"I think I’m in a good place and hopefully going to crest the wave for the rest of the season."
Reflecting on her latest European success, Mageean admits that her expectations starting out in her career, given her underage success, were perhaps a little misplaced.
SILVER FOR MAGEEAN - 'This is the best she has ever run in the championship!' @CiaraMageean takes a silver medal with a magnificent run at the European Championships 1500m, GB's Laura Muir taking gold
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 19, 2022
📺 https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/T8p4g7bq8I
"As I have got further on in my career, I have realised that these opportunities are few and far between."
With Covid-19 ruling her out of the national championships in June and deciding to avoid the World Championships given the proximity to the Commonwealth Games and Europeans, Mageean said it was difficult to fully know where she was at coming to Munich.
The fitness was there, but there were few races to judge it on.
The bounce from claiming silver could propel her through the season. She will slog it out for cross-country season, and is looking forward to the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York next month.
And above all else, there are national records to chase.
She would like to threaten Sonia O’Sullivan’s time of 3:58.85 in the 1500m, but the 800m is also on the radar, a record she set only last summer before it was taken off her hands in May.
I'm really looking forward to getting home to Portaferry, getting back to Ireland and celebrating with everyone back there
After doing most of the front-running in Belfast, fellow European finalist Louise Shanahan pipped her to set a new Irish record of 1:59.42. That will focus the mind over the next while.
"That’s an aim for the rest of the season, to try and get that back."
For now however, it is about soaking in the success of Munich. The lap of honour was treated with the utmost respect at the track, but reality will only truly sink in after landing back on home soil.
"I’m really looking forward to getting home to Portaferry, getting back to Ireland and celebrating with everyone back there."
