Happy Humpday!

I know it sounds odd, shouldn’t that be Motivation Monday? No way! I’ve decided to write a quick post on Motivation on Humpday, thats right, the Hump of the week, the weekend is so close you can almost touch it, almost….

Motivation is a subject that I come across every single day, whether it is how to motivate a certain client, how to motivate myself or seeking new motivations when I have worn the old ones out. When it comes to running or whatever you do to stay fit & healthy, it is all too easy to put it on the back burner and say ‘I’ll do it later’, ‘later’ becomes tomorrow, tomorrow becomes next week etc.  At that stage most of your energy is going into either feeling guilty for not doing it or thinking up new excuses for why you simply won’t do it. What a waste of your precious energy!

There are a few tricks I have learned that really help me stay focussed and therefore, motivated -

I write down my goals and

break them down into smaller, steps that I can take week on week. If I feel like I am not moving towards my goals and go back and reassess what these small steps are and change them around a bit. For a more detailed look at how to set your goals, read my January post here http://www.runlikeagirl.ie/?p=386

Post its, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, leaflets, photographs, anything that I have seen or read that jumps out at me in a positive and inspiring way – I stick them up on a big board that I see daily. The board is packed with nuggets of advice, stories, words of wisdom that really do make a difference. I refresh this board every now and then as it can get a bit crowded! People have seen this board and laughed but I don’t care, it works for me! Find something that works for you and really embrace it.

Look for a mentor or friend that you admire and aspire to. It’s important to ask for support or help if you are struggling to achieve what you want. This is where a friend or mentor can be invaluable, seeing how someone else overcomes setbacks or limitations will prove to you that you can do it. It will also make you accountable, if you are meeting someone for a run then you are far less likely to whuss out on it and leave them waiting!

Do your research. Reading blogs, magazines, watching your local 5k race, these are all really motivating! Giving yourself the knowledge will also give you confidence that you know what you are doing and where you are going. It is also brilliant to see other people approaches to training and what we can achieve when we put our minds to it.

Hopefully these little tricks will keep you going. I know it’s only Wednesday but I’m going to say it anyway – Have a great weekend!! X

This stylish group of ladies are a combination of the first Beginner & Intermediate groups. I had 5 beginners (well, 6 if you include my sister who I forced to attend!) and 5 intermediates. This was back in March 2011 and it is brilliant to see how the groups have grown as the good word spread!

The pioneers!

We started the RLAG Club in July 2011. THis has proved to be a great way for past & present RLAG participants and anyone else who wants to join in, to meet up and get their weekend run done on a Saturday morning. We

all definitely agree that the Club is a great motivator Every few weeks we head off for something a bit different and in October we headed for the hills! We hiked through Cruagh Wood and over Tibradden Ridge on a beautiful, blustery day, working up an appetite for a lovely lunch afterward in a nearby pub!

Up on Tibradden Ridge

October Bank Holiday weekend & I spotted these fellas trying to Run Like A Girl!

By December I was expecting hail, snow and general weather mayhem for the Jingle Bell 5k that a few of us signed up for. Luckily it stayed nice and dry and the girls definitely had the best costumes! Amongst our group we had a Christmas Pudding, a Bumble Bee, a Rock ‘n Roller, the classic Santa hat and I’m not really sure what else! It was brilliant to see the girls complete the race and all enjoying it so much, definitely one to mark on the RLAG calendar for next year!

A costume pick 'n mix!

So that’s it in a very quick photo round up. There will be loads more photo’s for 2012 I promise Thanks so much to all the fantastic girls I have met through Run Like A Girl so far, it has been amazing and I’m looking forward to meeting lots more and our adventures in 2012!

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Happy New Year!

Have you all decided on some goals you would like to achieve in 2012? I have! I made loads of resolutions/goals ranging from getting better at my time keeping and to running this http://www.trailmarathonwales.com/ , it looks like an amazing run through the Snowdonia National Park and I really couldn’t resist!

I love setting new goals and thinking about all the possibilities running can open up to you. For me, the goal setting is the easy part, its backing up those goals with the work required to achieve them that sometimes make me balk! But one way of getting over this is to follow these guidelines to setting meaningful SMART goals for yourself -

• S - Specific, be clear and honest about your goal. Name dates, numbers, names, build a strong picture in your head of what it is you want to achieve, how you are going to achieve it and why you want to achieve it. Eg. I want to be able to run for 30 minutes by the 1st March, 2012. I want to do this to improve my fitness and overall health. I will build a consistent running routine of 3 days a week, starting slowly and building up my time each time I run.
• M – Measurable, if you can’t measure your
  buy viagra online

  goal then you may have difficulty measuring your progress toward it. Eg. I will be able to run for 10 minutes, non stop by Feb 6th and 20 minutes non stop by Feb 26th.

• A – Achievable, make your goal one that will challenge you but also one that you feel you can achieve. There is little point in setting yourself up for a fall so don’t do it to yourself! Achieving goals, know matter how small or trivial they seem, will bolster your confidence to go on and aim for higher goals.
• R – Realistic, this is something similar to making your goal Achievable but also making it honest. Think hard about whether you are setting the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement. Eg. If you can already run for 20 minutes, push yourself to aim to run for 45 minutes by March 1st.
• T – Timely, give yourself enough Time to achieve your goal but not too much time that you almost forget what you are aiming for! Eg. – Starting this week and working consistently until 1st March 2012 will see you achieving your goal of running for 30 minutes non stop!

I hope this helps in setting some of those New Year resolutions. Grab a pen and paper and get writing, that is the easy part Good luck and enjoy the journey x

Format

Happy New Year!
Have you all decided on some goals you would like to achieve in 2012? I have! I made loads of resolutions/goals ranging from getting better at my time keeping and to running this http://www.trailmarathonwales.com/ , it looks like an amazing run through the Snowdonia National Park and I really couldn’t resist!
I love setting new goals and thinking about all the possibilities running can open up to you. For me, the goal setting is the easy part, its backing up those goals with the work required to achieve them that sometimes make me balk! But one way of getting over this is to follow these guidelines to setting meaningful SMART goals for yourself -
S – Specific, be clear and honest about your goal. Name dates, numbers, names, build a strong picture in your head of what it is you want to achieve, how you are going to achieve it and why you want to achieve it. Eg. I want to be able to run for 30 minutes by the 1st March, 2012. I want to do this to improve my fitness and overall health. I will build a consistent running routine of 3 days a week, starting slowly and building up my time each time I run.
M – Measurable, if you can’t measure your goal then you may have difficulty measuring your progress toward it. Eg. I will be able to run for 10 minutes, non stop by Feb 6th and 20 minutes non stop by Feb 26th.
A – Achievable, make your goal one that will challenge you but also one that you feel you can achieve. There is little point in setting yourself up for a fall so don’t do it to yourself! Achieving goals, know matter how small or trivial they seem, will bolster your confidence to go on and aim for higher goals.
R – Realistic, this is something similar to making your goal Achievable but also making it honest. Think hard about whether you are setting the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement. Eg. If you can already run for 20 minutes, push yourself to aim to run for 45 minutes by March 1st.
T – Timely, give yourself enough Time to achieve your goal but not too much time that you almost forget what you are aiming for! Eg. – Starting this week and working consistently until 1st March 2012 will see you achieving your goal of running for 30 minutes non stop!
I hope this helps in setting some of those New Year resolutions. Grab a pen and paper and get writing, that is the easy part Good luck and enjoy the journey x
Path:

After a summer of activity and adventure, its now time for a well deserved break. This break is just as important as putting in the hours of training before an event. A rest will allow the body to rebuild and repair and the mind to refresh and refocus.  A break from whatever hobby or sport you’re into will keep you motivated in the long term, whilst in the short term it will allow you to re-assess your training patterns. All too often it takes an illness or injury to force us to stop and re-evaluate what we are doing on a daily basis. Some of the key things to look at over your break can include

Nutrition – Are you eating what

your body needs to support and replenish itself throughout your training? Does your diet reflect how you aspire to eat? Eating clean, unprocessed foods means that we are going to be running on premium fuel. What engine doesn’t like that?

Sleep/Rest/Recovery – Have you been burning the candle at both ends? Remember that your body and mind need rest so that you can reap the full benefits of your training. No point in putting in 100% effort and only getting 50% reward because you are neglecting sleep, rest and recovery.

Fun – Are you taking things too seriously? Very few make it to the top levels of our chosen sport, the ones that do have made enormous sacrifices to get there and even bigger one’s to stay there. Keep in mind the reason you started to run/play sport/hike whatever it is you do. Remember the feelings of accomplishment when you first started and try to recapture it through getting back to basics and doing something that you love.

To get the most out of your break it’s always good to have a plan, just so you get a rough idea of how long you want to take and what you want to do during your break. My classes finish in two weeks time and my plan is shaping up as follows -

1. Week 1: Take 3-4 days off and do as little as possible! This may sound silly but it is actually hard to do. I love yoga so  I’m going to go to a few classes and stretch my tired limbs but thats about it. By the 7th day I will be itching to run/bike/swim/climb/lift/jump/throw. Taking any more time than this and I know myself that I will get lazy

2. Week 2:  Ease back into running. I’m going to run my favourite trails in the park and mountains, I’m looking forward to this already (as is my dog Ted, he LOVES those trails & we haven’t been in months!) As this week coincides with Christmas week, I’ll be at home in Cork and will get to run with some of my favourite people in some of my favourite places, bliss!

So thats my 2 week plan. It’s so basic but I like having a plan so I know I have used my break effectively and I won’t be letting time whizz by me. Whatever you decide to do with your break, enjoy it and stay healthy!

I’d been thinking about doing an adventure race for ages during the summer but work and other training obligations kept putting me off. Luckily, the people at Wicklow Adventure Races free credit score report (WAR) have a series that stretches right from May to September so I found the very last one, which suited me so without hesitation, I signed up!

There are two courses to choose from in this race and I, as a Adventure Race newbie, went with the Sport version. These are the stages –

It really didn’t take that long to decide which version to do (sport)! My friend Eimear had entered too and we were both total novices. The only thing I was wary of was my lack of kayaking. I hadn’t kayaked in about 4 years, the last time being off in Hawaii with loads of dolphins around me. Something told me that this time it would be quite different Luckily, Fitsquad were offering a training morning on the kayaks so we signed up for that too! I was fairly confident heading down to that training session, how hard could it be? Oh boy, it was so hard! Firstly because it was windy and spitting rain, then I was steering us all over the place and managed to completely separate myself & Eimear from the group, then I got cramp in my hips, then I just wanted to swim back to shore. Uh oh, not what I expected at all.

This session didn’t exactly fill me with confidence so on race day all I could think about was the kayak. But we had a plan, a very basic plan, Eimear would do all the steering and I would just paddle, capiche? Deal! The day before the race I went to collect my number etc and buy the bits of mandatory kit that we had to have with us during the race. The kit list included things like heavy bandages, a foil blanket, a whistle….. Gulp! I packed all these, along with a windsheeter,  in the lightest bag I had. Its a great little bag from  that sits snugly on your back and the straps are light so never restrict your movement as you run. It also has an option for a drinking tube but I chose to carry all my fluids on the bike as there were 2 water stations on the course already.

 I felt pretty relaxed at the start line, in fact, maybe a bit too relaxed because we didn’t really listen to the organisers and went off with the first wave. The first wave was for people who had done races before and were expecting to do it in a certain time, doh! We stayed put anyway and set off down the hill and out of Powerscourt estate.

The cycle route kicked into a climb almost immediately so we got nice and warmed up for our run up the Sugarloaf!

Elevation of the run!

 I had never been to the Sugarloaf before but people had warned me that I would be doing more walking than running. This was certainly the case coming toward the top of the hill because I was literally scrambling to pull myself up onto the next step, stoopid short legs. I wish I could tell you something about the beautiful views etc. but honestly, I was just watching my steps all the time. The only time I looked up was to ‘dib in’ so they can track your time and when I tried to acknowledge the lovely, encouraging marshalls. This race had some of the nicest marshalls and lots of them too, they make such a huge difference to a race!           

The cycle from the Sugarloaf to Vartry Lakes was bliss, it was either flat or downhill for the most part. The only thing niggling me was the thought of the upcoming kayak around the lake.

Vartry Kayak

 I need not have been so dready though because it was fine, a million miles from our practice session and we cruised around the lake without getting lost/cramping/tantrums/sulking, phew!  One thing I would do differently next time is take off my shoes and socks, they got drenched!

Out of the kayaks and on to our bikes for the last leg. I was having so much fun that I was sorry to be on the last leg. It was a fantastic route, plenty to challenge us and the grand finale of the climb back up to the finish line was definitely a test. 

At the finish line the organisers had loads of tea, coffee, soup, sandwiches and loads of fruit for anyone who finished with an appetitie. We got a print out of the breakdown of our times and I was delighted to have scraped in just under 3 hours, 2hrs 58mins! I loved it, can’t wait for next year already!

llenge (more on that later ) Boy, did I know all about my lack of cycling since the Tour finished!

The Tour is a really special event I have taken part in over the past 4 years. It’s a 4 day charity cycle, covering over 600km’s all over Munster. This years Tour was in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland, a fantastic charity which helps people with Down Syndrome and their families to  find ways of improving their lives and reaching their full potential. DSI is now the biggest single group concerned with the welfare of people with a learning disability in Ireland. Its services include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and ultimately, integration of peole with Down Syndrome into our community. Everyone participating in the event pays their own costs and all funds raised go to DSI. 

This Tour was extra special for me because my Dad was participating in all four days! He had borrowed a bike in March and, having never been on a racer before, trained like a demon (with the help of Paul Sheridan and many others in the brilliant TdeM training group) and was fit and ready to take on the challenge! I, on the other hand, had patchy training and didn’t feel as fit as past years but was excited to be taking part none the less, that is what counts no?

Over the 4 days there are some major ups

and downs, both physically and mentally, some of which training could never prepare you for. These are the moments when you feel that the experience of placing such demands on your body and mind can only stregthen and enrich your life. That is why I love taking part in the Tour!

I’m not going to go through each day but in a nutshell, here is my brief summary

Day 1: Cork – Killaloe, loads of photo’s taken with Lord Mayor of Cork, some speeches and we’re off!  Best sconestop of the Tour in Lismore (butter, jam AND cream!) and my favourite descent in the whole country coming down off The Vee, absolutely beautiful!

Day 2: Killaloe – Tralee, a long drag of a day with some rainshowers.

Got a great shot of myself, my Dad and the legendary Sean Kelly!

That’s about all I can remember. Oh, lovely lamb shank for dinner

Day 3: Tralee – Kenmare, I love/hate this day, climbing over Conor Pass (vicious) and Molls Gap (not so vicious, still cruel) but stunning country side and great company so who could ask for more. Today we had our afternoon stop at the gorgeous Deenagh Lodge in Killarney. It is run by DSI and well worth a visit if you are ever in Kerry. Great night out in Kenmare and I managed to dodge the nightclub, yesss!   

The never ending Conor Pass!!

Day 4: Kenmare – Cork, On the home stretch!  The highlight was getting a Garda escort through Cork city& being set off in our groups to climb the infamous Patricks Hill, gradient of 22%!

Plus I got my gearing right this year so made it all the way to the top, woo hoo!

The Tour is a fantastic four days! I really would recommend it to everybody, the camaraderie and spirit of the group is great and you get to see so many beautiful parts of our country that could never be enjoyed from the car, all while helping a fantastic cause. To find out more you can check out www.tourdemunster.com

As I mentioned earlier in the post, my next adventure includes cycling too. And kayaking, And running. Yikes! It’s the WAR Powerscourt Adventure Race, wish me luck!!

The Irish Mountain Running Association (www.imra.ie) run some great leagues and races throughout the year and this year the schedule was jam packed. They offer races from 3km up to 51km or opt to take part in a relay of the Wicklow Way. These races offer something different and challenging to your usual road races and promise some gorgeous views of our landscapes. The IMRA races cater for all different levels of fitness and abilities with way marked routes on some races to help those navigationally challenged (moi!) The website has some great advice for beginners here http://www.imra.ie/beginners/

I decided to aim for a weekend race, the Dublin Mountain Plod, a half marathon, 13.1 miles, around the Dublin mountains. A friend of mine, Eimear, who had already run a few IMRA races was entered too so I had 2 training buddies! Ourtraining for this was so great, I discovered such beautiful trails and woods just a 20 minute drive from the city. I felt like I had uncovered another world and it was beeeeeeeautiful. My dog Ted (training buddy numero uno!) loved it too! Once a week we left the house early in the morning and collected Eimear who would be patiently waiting with 2 cups of coffee in her hands  She definitely passed on her coffee addiction to me, thanks Eimear! We would pick a route then go to our chosen start point ie. Cruagh, HellFire Club, Massey Wood, Pine Forest and then proceed to get lost and run around looking for little yellow way markers. It was far more interesting than pounding the pavements!

Race day came really quickly, I don’t know why but I get so nervous and anxious before any race. But this one had a cut off point at 10 km, you had to make the 10k mark in 90 minutes or else…. Well I think maybe you just weren’t allowed go on. Anyway, this kept me awake the night before thinking of excuses I could use in case I didn’t make it -

1. I had to fight a bear
2. I had to fight a gang of squirrels
3. I had to fight, um, some wolves?
4. I was on my second lap (it wasn’t a lapped course so this was useless)
5. I love you?

So I got very little sleep the night before and mostly dreamt of fighting bear/wolf/squirrel hybrids. I picked Eimear up and we headed out to Marlay Park.  Here’s a map of the route we ran

It was a brilliant route. The first test came as we wound our way up through Massy Wood, things sort of slowed dramatically and I was glad to use the scrambling over the stiles as a little rest from running Plenty of people decided to walk up these inclines but I was determined to run as much as I good, also because I wasn’t sure of the route, what was easy and what was a difficult patch. I wanted to pace myself too as this was my first mountain race and it didn’t have any km markers. I knew there was a water stop at 10k and 15k so they were my pace measures. The weather was just about holding up for us and it wasn’t until we ran passed a group of hikers all wrapped up in jackets and hats that I realised it must be chilly if you’re not running uphill! The course wound up and up and my legs and lungs were beginning to burn but in a way that you really know you are working honestly and breathing in such clear crisp air.

To my relief I reached 10km cut off well inside the time, I think I had 20 mins to spare so no need for any excuses or pleading, phew! From this point it was climbing up Cruagh, then Tibradden ridge then a swift descent home. I got a horrible cramp in both my shoulders as I was heading up Tibradden and had to slow to a plod, not cool. Eimear was ahead and I knew she had glucose tabs so I plodded my fastest plod to catch her and get a sweet. Luckily that sorted me out along with some water at the 15km station. From here it was downhill all the way home and I just ran my short little legs off. I knew it was only 6 km home and I had plenty left in the tank. The scenery was gorgeous and I just enjoyed every step, winding down off Tibradden and through Kilmashogue back to Marlay Park.

I made it across the finish line in 2.04, 9th woman home and very happy with my run. I’m definitely going to be back again next year, now I know the course and I have a goal (top 5!) I’m already itching to see what next years event calendar is going to look like.Eimear had a great run, coming in 14th woman overall and pulling off a race double that weekend having run the 5 mile in Phoenix Park the day before!

train to Westport last Friday evening for a 2 night break and a chance for me to try and run Croagh Patrick. The train was jammers so I pretended to fall asleep so the annoying guy sitting opposite me would stop trying to chat and it worked! Well I did fall asleep so it made the (delayed) 4.5 hour journey much faster! We got to the hotel and it was still bright so we went for a stroll and I booked a taxi to take me to the foot of Croagh Patrick at 9 am the following morning. The receptionist thought I was loco when I said I was going for a run up a mountain! Like a true nerd I laid out all my stuff before I went to sleep and realised I had forgotten my light backpack to carry water and snacks, oh well

I woke up and went for breakfast by myself the next morning. Boy is it depressing going for breakfast alone in a hotel.

I didn’t stay long because I had to venture out & look for a backpack. I found the perfect one in a seaside shop just minutes from the hotel. I think I look like a very credible mountain runner with this bad boy on my back!

I hopped into the taxi and the lady said we’d only be 15 minutes to the Reek, as its called up there. She also said there is a bus passing regularly that would bring me back to Westport, at 11.40 and 4.35, hmmm, regularly? She also said not to be shy of asking for a lift, because as her father used to say ‘You’ll never be lost with a tongue in your head!’ Um, ok thanks, she clearly didn’t want to come back and collect me. I got there and stared up at the Reek as she wheeled around and sped off. Uhoh, so far I was just talking about running up but now its time to actually do it and I felt very alone and a very nervous. Only thing to shake off those feelings is to get moving. I began slowly, one foot in front of the other, taking in the sights & sounds of the beautiful, quiet surroundings. There were a handful of hikers starting around the same time and I could see various dots up ahead, early risers!

I soon fell into my stride, picking and hopping up along the mossy path which soon turned to boulders and then to scree. I could feel my calves burning and my breathing fell into a rhythm with my footsteps. It was gloriously sunny & warm, I love the feeling of being so physically and mentally tuned into your surroundings. As I climbed I noticed how strong I felt, not only that I was pushing on up the reek and feeling good but that I was doing it all by myself and it gave me a quiet confidence that I tried to hold onto. A few times my pace slowed down to a scramble, the scree was steep and slippy and the clouds were getting dense as I neared the top.

I reached the top under full cover of the clouds & stood still for a few minutes, taking it all in, until I got cold and decided it was time to descend. I took 57 minutes to get to that point but honestly, it felt like 5 minutes. I was looking forward to the run back down but wary that the majority of broken legs & ankles happen on the downhills so I took my time. I also realised that I had to stop looking up and saying ‘hi’ to hikers as we passed because I had to focus on where I was landing. At points I felt like I was going to lose control such was the pitch of some patches but I reigned it in and remembered that I need my ankles so I better take care! I reached the bottom in around 40 minutes and couldn’t stop smiling like a lunatic, all sweaty and happy from what I had just done. It gave me a great confidence boost which will hopefully come in handy for the Dublin Mountain half marathon next week. Luckily, I got a spin back to the hotel from a lovely couple who were from nearby and walked the Reek every second Saturday, lucky things!

Spinach Frittata

Ingredients

• 2 tablesps olive oil
• 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
• 2 x 250g bags of baby spinach leaves
• 5-6 eggs
• Good handful of cheese
• Knob of butter
• Seasoning
• 2 to 3 teasps. Balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Heat the grill. Wash & drain the spinach. Heat a tablesp. of the oil in a large non stick pan , add the scallions and half the spinach . Stir-fry for 2-3mins until they soften. Tip into a colander and press down to squeeze out the excess moisture. Beat the eggs and cheese and then add in the spinach mixture & stir well.
2. Reheat the pan adding the knob of butter, pour in the egg mixture and cook, stirring gently until well set on the base. Finishing cooking under the grill.
3. Slide onto a large plate for serving or cut into wedges and serve from the pan
4. Mix the remaining oil & vingar, a bit of seasoning and pour it over the rest of the spinach leaves as your salad

Sunny

Fried Egg

Aw stop, how cute is this! A bit much really, but I couldn’t help it

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 slices of wholemeal batch loaf
• 2 eggs
• small bit of butter

Method

1. Grill the bread on one side only. With this side facing up, cut out a heart shape or use any cutters you have. They must be big enough to fit the egg though!

2. Melt a bit of butter in a medium hot frying pan and put the toast in, toasty side facing you.

3. Crack the egg into the cut out section and let it bubble away. Make sure you use a small enough egg so the white doesn’t spill out of the heart (heaven forbid!)

A quick detour: It was my third year doing the Valentia Tri but this year, well…I had the sulks simply because it was one of those races where I really did question my sanity. Why am I swimming in the freezing cold sea whilst being swam over and dunked? Why am I trying to cycle as fast as I can into a howling gale with sideways rain? Why am I running and vomming up sea water at the same time? That isn’t multi tasking, it’s just gross! I finished in a time of 1.33.08, 10 mins slower than I had anticipated. I saw my time splits and realised I spent nearly 5 mins in the first transition, being talked back into the race by my lovely support crew who stood in that horrible weather just to cheer for me. Waaaaah! Anyway, I finished it so that was the main thing blah blah what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger blah…. And it was a great weekend away with my family so overall I loved it (except the whole triathlon part) Here are a few photos taken along the way…

With that out-of-the-way, my next challenge was the Vicious Cycle. Helpfully, Paul, the Big Boss Organiser (nicknamed Psycho) emailed us a profile of the route beforehand that made me quake in my Sidi’s! The route covered 173km all around Shehy Mountains and the Caha Mountains. This spin was different from previous years because this time my Dad was coming too. He started cycling in March and is already up to cycling this kind of route, basically he’s a class act!

So we left the house at 5.30am and got to Kenmare around 7.15am, signed on and got the bikes ready. The weather was looking promising and we set off at 8 am with a few glimmers of sunshine. Before we set off we had a few words from Gerry Murray who was organising a spin for the Paul Darbyshire Fund, a truly worthy cause that each of us had contributed to it that morning, you can check it out here http://www.mycharity.ie/event/munster_rugby_charity_cycle/

So on we went and I can honestly say the climbs just all melted into one. I know we went over the Healy Pass, the Borlin Valley, the Caha Pass, Glengarrif, the Top of Coom, the Pass of Keimanagh. Really I just know that anything that is called a ‘pass’ is very difficult to pass, you have to go up and up and over! The sights were absolutely incredible though. There were beautiful waterfalls, lakes, mountains (obviously!), valleys, sweeping descents and never ending ascents with such lush landscape all around us, it was easy to remember how lucky we were to be able to do such a cycle.

We stopped a few times for scones and tea and soup etc. Everybody seemed to be finding the day tough but rewarding. It makes things so much easier when people are working together in groups, when you are feeling strong you ride out in front and when you are knackered you can just tuck into the group and follow the wheel in front of you. A couple of times that day I felt wiped and the group always bought me back and I did my best when it was my turn out in front and left others recover in the group. It is a great way to maintain a pace and morale in the group.

The few downpours we had cleared quickly and the sun shone for the remainder of the evening. We finally reached the cars at around 6.30 pm that evening with my Dad still pedalling hard til the last km, legend! On our way home we stopped for a 99 but swore not to say anything about the ice cream when we got home as there was a

fine dinner waiting for us A brilliant day and a timely reminder that the Tour http://www.tourdemunster.com/ is only 6 weeks away and I need to keep putting in the miles!

Pedal on my Pretties!