Our weekend in Dublin was all about the Dublin Marathon! I added running a marathon to my bucket list a few years ago, and this was the perfect time for me to finally cross it off. Not only does my current schedule allow me plenty of time to train, but the weather in London is perfect for running since it really never gets too hot or too cold. I chose the Dublin marathon for a few reasons…Primarily, we had already been to Dublin, so I knew I wouldn’t feel like I needed to be out exploring non-stop. Also, it is close to London, the city is generally flat, and I figured it was the perfect place to celebrate afterward; Irish pub culture is so much fun!
We arrived on Saturday afternoon and went straight to the expo center to pick up my race day pack – I couldn’t believe it was finally here!
After the expo, we went to the Jameson Distillery for a tour and tasting. The tour was really cool! They talked about the history of the distillery and the distillation process, and then walked us through the differences between Jameson, scotch, and American whiskey. I passed on the tasting and the free drink that came with my ticket to stay fresh for the race. Why was I running the marathon again?!
After the tour, we went back to the hotel, ate a carb-loaded dinner, and watched Netflix. I was itching to head out on the town, but I knew I needed to rest up!
Sunday morning it was finally time for the race! Despite 18 weeks of training, I was so nervous. I had been dealing with a few overuse injuries during the 3 weeks leading up to the race, and I honestly wasn’t sure how the day would go. On the bright side, the weather was PERFECT. It was mid-50’s, light breeze, and sunny. You cannot ask for better running weather! I said goodbye to Steve and headed to the start line!
I spent the next 4 hours and 43 minutes running! My left knee had been hurting like heck in all of my runs for the previous few weeks, but somehow I only felt slight discomfort during the marathon. I remember passing the 19 mile marker feeling pretty great! Just after that, my legs started to get tired. I had been hanging with the 4:40 pacers for the entire race, but right around 21 they pulled away. I kept running, though! Steve was there to cheer me on at the 13, 20 and 26 mile markers and his smiling face always gave me an extra boost of adrenaline. My primary goal was to make it to the finish line without walking, which I did! While it is unlikely that I’ll be running another marathon, I have to say that crossing that finish line was one of the proudest moments of my life!
Later that night, we did a pub crawl and I could finally drink a few pints of Guinness and Smithwicks. I was walking a little funny (ok, I was hobbling), but I couldn’t get the smile off my face! It was a great day!
On Monday, we went for a walk around the city. I was hurting (a lot) so we took it slow. We had our last Irish meal, and then it was time to head back to London!
The Great Fekspedition 