Cork, Clonakilty & My First Half Marathon!

On Friday, December 9th at around 4:30 am my sister, Cassidy (aka Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid aka Tuna Casserole aka Janelle) landed in Dublin! She took a cab to my apartment, where she was able to crash for a little while before I dragged her on a small weekend trip :)

Around 9am, Megan, Martha, Cass and myself headed into town where we caught a Bus Eirann to County Cork. 4 hours later, upon our arrival in Cork, we poked around in town and got lunch at a little cafe. Cork is such a neat little town, and everyone was in great Christmas cheer. Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time to explore before we got on the next bus to Clonakilty, which was our final destination.  Upon our arrival in Clonakilty we checked into our hotel (Quality Inn, located right near town, it was very nice, clean, fairly priced...I would definitely recommend it).  After this we headed into town to pick up our race registration and get some dinner. We ate at a place called Mio Mio where we all carbed up. I had traditional spaghetti & meatballs, it was delicious and definitely hit the spot.

Cass on the way to Cork 

Downtown Cork!

Cassidy and myself, downtown

Martha and Megan in Cork 

Downtown Cork 

After a good night's sleep, we got up around 6am on Saturday where we slowly put on our race layers, pinned our bibs, tied our time chips in our shoe laces, and of course I put my bow in my hair :) The hotel opened breakfast at 7am for all of the runners which was quite convenient.  After fueling up, we headed down to the race headquarters! At a mere 35˚ we convinced ourselves that we were warm, it was a beautiful summer day, and that the tears rolling down our cheeks from the wind chill were beads of sweat. At the headquarters, we waited around for what felt like forever! All huddled together trying to stay warm, we met a few people with some kind words of advice for us.  We chatted with a man who hadn't run a marathon in 30 years, and needless to say, he had been bit by the running bug once again and was ready to pick up his old habit.

Outside the headquarters 

Almost ready to go!

All four of us trying to keep warm!

Pre-race briefing, so close to starting!

After the race briefing, Martha and Megan stayed at their start line, where the 10k and full marathon were starting.  Both girls were participating in the 10k, and they each had awesome races!! I'd like to take a little credit for getting Meg into road races :) She's a great runner, and after her first road race I think she's addicted now, welcome to the dark side my friend :)

I was shuffled down the road with the rest of the half-marathon runners to our start line.  Now I usually don't run with my iPod because the adrenaline from the spectators and the course in general are usually enough to keep me going. However, because this was a new course to me, I decided I better run with it just in case. Talk about a good choice. An absolutely amazing course, full of incredible scenery, I saw parts of Ireland I never would have if I didn't run this race. I ran by the entire coast of the Clonakilty Bay, along the Celtic Sea for several miles, through endless farms and gorgeous green fields, finally ending back in the small town of Clonakilty.  I didn't even mind the 60˚ inclines...the pain was temporary but the pride is forever, right?! My final race time was 2 hours and 19 minutes, though not impressive at all, I was very content. It was my first half marathon, so I used this as my learning experience.  I think that if I was able to derive more time towards training I could have done better, but that was the last thing on my mind. The way I see it, there were a lot of people in front of me, and plenty of people behind me! It was definitely the most beautiful 13.1 miles I have ever ran :)

A few miles in!

Big smile on my face!

Nope, I have ruined my feet forever.

Great picture, awesome races girls!

Quick Tebowing moment after the race. 

Happy kid :) 

I think that one thing I have learned in my time running road races is that they aren't really a competition. Of course, they are for those trying to place, but for the rest of us, it's just another feat to put under our belt. And more than that, it's a true feeling of pride that you get after you finish. Regardless, there's nothing better than the people, especially the very experienced runners, who are just generally nice and decent and say things like "don't worry about the time" and "just focus on your steps, listen to yourself run".  It's people like that who make me enjoy running so much more.  Because in the end, it really isn't about the time on the clock, or what place you came in.  It's about accomplishing the goal that you set for yourself, and crossing the finish line with an ear-to-ear smile on your face.


Overall, the race was an awesome experience. I was really excited that my sister was there to experience it with me, I don't think she's ever understood why I've been an athlete my whole life, and why I enjoy running so much. Now, more than ever, I think she understands :)

As for the rest of my trip, I've got one week left in Dublin! What better way to spend it than with my sister! I am sure we will get ourselves into shenanigans this week, and I can't wait!

United States, see you in one week :)