One of the highlights of my year is definitely running the Amsterdam marathon in October. It had been 7 years since I had run that distance and I was apprehensive about doing it all again. For one reason or another there had not been many half marathons in Ireland that I had been able to attend this year but I started the marathon training. So myself and Conor were looking for a venue mid to late October that was running both a marathon and a half marathon.

My brother and some of his mates had already enrolled so we decided to head to Amsterdam too. To be fair, its handy to get to from both Dublin and Cork and we had no problems in booking reasonably priced accommodation near the Centraal Station. The marathon was due to start at 9.30 am with the half marathon starting 4 hours later. It was a gorgeous sunny, cool Autumnal morning.

The race started in the Olympic Stadium which was a short train away. The Olympic stadium was an awesome venue.

The course was about as flat as you can get which suited me down to the ground. There was a terrific atmosphere and plenty of supporters cheering on the runners along the route. A lovely touch was that every runner’s number had their name printed above it. We ran along the Amstel river, past windmills, along the canals and through parks. There were plenty of well spaced water/energy drink and banana stations. My only minor gripe with these was that the water was served in plastic cups rather than bottles.

I liked the occasional band or DJ playing music along the way. I would be lying if I said the theme to chariots of fire wasn’t running through my head as I approached the finish line in Olympic Stadium

I really enjoyed the whole day. Conor declared his post race frankfurter with sauerkraut to be probably the best he’d ever tasted.  Am definitely tempted to run it again next year.

You can register in advance by emailing ct10k@yahoo.com or on the day between 5pm and 7.30pm at Courtmacsherry Community Centre. The entry fee is  €10 which covers water and refreshments on the route and post race tea, coffee and sandwiches.

Prize categories: Men & Women Over 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60,, Junior (U16 boys and Girls) Wheelchair Athlete.

€100 bonus to winners if course record is broken: Men: 33.45 Women: 37.42

If the weather is anything like last year’s for this event, it’ll be a lovely way to spend a summer’s evening.

Some runners were assigned to be “prisoners” and they started the run a minute before the runners who were assigned to be “guards” took off in pursuit. Each guard was supposed to try and catch the same bib numbered prisoner. Alas I was the guard who was supposed to catch my prisoner brother who had recently completed the Paris marathon. No chance. The sibling rivalry kicked in and he took off!

It was great fun. The morning was gorgeous, sun out, bluebells growing in the forest. Some of the trail was along the lake so plenty of lovely vistas to keep us distracted from the running. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. For €25 registration fee, everyone received either an orange prisoner or a navy guard t-shirt, a handcuff shaped finisher’s medal and water en-route and at the finish line.

I would definitely recommend this trail run and intend to take part again next year. Good craic and a lovely way to start the day!

Alas since then, there has been a dearth of  running events in my calendar. I need to have a race to look forward to to keep my running motivation up, so I was delighted to hear about a few upcoming half marathons.

First is the Wild West Run which takes place on the 19th of February.  Starting at 2pm, in Kenmare and running a trail half marathon to Kilarney, along the beautiful Old Kerry way, the entry fee is €40.

The next is the inaugural Bandon Half Marathon. Bandon Athletics Club and Bandon Rugby Club are working together to organise a 10k and half marathon on the 14th May. I’m really delighted to hear about this one. Its great value for money at an entry fee of only €20. Well done to the organisers and best of luck. I will definitely, barring catastrophy, be taking part in the Bandon run.

Finally, in addition to the usual Cork Marathon taking place on June 6th, the organisers have announced a half marathon race. This is a most welcome extra race for those not inclined to tackle a full marathon nor organise a relay team. It should be a great day. The online entry fee for this race ranges from €42 prior to 31/03/2011 to €62 in May 2011.

So that’s me sorted for the next while. Now to put in the miles before these races…

I was looking forward to this run as I thought I’d find it much easier than Dingle. However, despite completing it in a faster time, I didn’t really enjoy it as much. I did like the fact that most of the route was along the salthill promenade and so close to the sea. I didn’t like the full belt of the wind as we ran out the causeway. I didn’t enjoy doing two laps of the same course to notch up the requisite half marathon mileage. Also I discovered that I much prefer starting a run early in the morning rather than waiting till 1pm.

I prefered the atmosphere of Dingle. I loved the music at the startline there, it got everyone in top form. There seemed to be more people along the route in Kerry too.

That said, the Galway bay half marathon was, to my eyes, well organised.  The race packs contained a decent running top amongst other goodies. I relished the sambo in the finish pack and it was really nice to have a coffee in the tent after finishing as the day turned inclement. The free massages in the finishing marquee were also a nice touch.

Will probably think about doing this road race again next year but will keep my fingers crossed for less wind and I’ll know what to expect this time. Now I need to start some decent training as hoping to take part in the Clonakilty half marathon on December 11th. It looks to have quite a few hills on the route so will be ever so slightly more challenging.

]]> https://manicmammy.com/2010/10/11/galway-bay-half-marathon/feed/ 0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ https://manicmammy.com/2010/09/15/running-up-that-hill/ https://manicmammy.com/2010/09/15/running-up-that-hill/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:08:24 +0000 Manic Mammy https://manicmammy.com/?p=2323 Saturday the 4th of September saw myself, my husband and a group of my siblings and pals take part in the Dingle half marathon.

It was an early start on a Saturday morning. Luckily the holiday home we had rented for the weekend was a stone’s throw away from the start line. We ambled down after kitting ourselves out in assorted running attire, fixing our race numbers to our tops and breakfasting on various porridge, granola, toast and yoghurt combinations.

The atmosphere on the quayside was brilliant. The sun was shining and the DJ played tunes to get us in the mood to run the miles ahead.

It was a most excellent day. We each ran at our own pace. The sun shone thoroughout the duration. The scenery around Slea head and along most of the race route was breathtaking. An absolutely stunning part of the country, it did the job of distracting me from my muscles as they began to ache. There were plenty of  water stations and they were well spaced out which was just as well as the hills took their toll. The locals were out in force along the route to encourage and cheer the runners on. There were pace setters for those who wanted to keep a steady race time or beat a personal best.

I loved it and I will be back to take part in next year’s one. Check it out here. There’s also a full marathon and ultra marathon on the same day for those who are much fitter and braver than I.

]]> https://manicmammy.com/2010/09/15/running-up-that-hill/feed/ 1 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ https://manicmammy.com/2010/06/11/mini-marathon-update/ https://manicmammy.com/2010/06/11/mini-marathon-update/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:32:07 +0000 Manic Mammy https://manicmammy.com/?p=2197 Well, tis all done and dusted now. Last Monday myself and my sister Claire, ably supported by the brothers Phili and Brían, headed into the Harcourt hotel. There we met up with  a gang of our cousins as part of the 1 in 1000 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon team.

The aim was to raise money to complete a new four bed Cystic Fibrosis isolation unit in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin. Cystic Fibrosis is Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease. Its a cause which is very close to our hearts, especially with my cousin Ruairí’s passing, aged 28,  last December from Cystic Fibrosis whilst waiting on the lung transplant list.

It was a great day, despite the rain and the crowds. You wouldn’t want to be claustrophobic whilst taking part in this event   The banter was gas and spirits were high. I thoroughly enjoyed jogging along with my sister and cousins. Good fun. I was delighted to complete the route as its my first race since 2004. Thankfully, this time, I didn’t discover I was pregnant the day after the event so hopefully I will keep the running and fitness up.

If you’ve a spare cupla euro, my sponsorship page is here. Huge thanks to those who have already supported me, its very much appreciated. If you haven’t already got yourself a organ donor card, please think about applying for one here.

Cheers.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from my cousin Sinéad wondering whether I would be interested in running the Flora women’s mini marathon with her and a group of cousins and pals as part of the 1 in 1000 campaign for cystic fibrosis. Its a great cause and just the incentive I need, so I’m in.

1 in 1000 is a unique initiative founded by six women; grandmother, mother, aunt, sister and cousins, who wanted to do something for CF following the diagnosis of Emily and Lana Woodward, now aged 4 years and 2 years.

The aim of 1 in 1000 — Running for Cystic Fibrosis, is to mobilize 1000 women to participate in the Flora Mini Marathon on 7 June 2010.

We are asking each woman to get at least €200 in sponsorship which will enable us to raise the sum of €200,000 required to complete a new four bed Cystic Fibrosis isolation unit in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin.

They hope that 1 in 1000 will not only raise the target of €200,000 but will create a strong network of women who will feel part of something bigger than themselves, and have some fun along the way.

Time to dust off the trainers and get jogging again. Thankfully June 7th is a fair way off yet so I have plenty of time to get in shape.

If you fancy getting involved and joining in, there’s plenty more information on the Running for Cystic Fibrosis website.

My brother was attempting the marathon in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland and old friend Eoghan was running for Dundalk Mental Health association.

Myself and Fionn headed up on Sunday night and stayed with Auntie Paula. We were up and on the road to pick up Uncle Philip by 8.30 and in position at the Phoenix Park gates by 9. We were running a very efficient strategic operation by  mobile phone in conjunction with Kieran’s better half, Louise who was ably supported by daughters Chloe and Abigail.

Thus began the day of many races across the city to keep touch with our runners armed with supplies of fruit pastilles, water and energy drinks. We had great fun at the Dolphin’s Barn end of South Circular road. The supporter crowd were vocal and brilliant craic. Was spotted by Wicklow school friend, Kathryn who was running the race and finished in a great time under the 5 hour mark with four other Wicklow ladies. Congrats Kathryn.

By the end of the day, our hands were battered and bruised from clapping, our voices hoarse from cheering, roaring, encouraging  and legs sore from legging it from point a to b.

Fionn’s favourite runners of the day were the Joker, the guy running backwards, the soldier in full uniform and backpack,  and the man dresses as a yellow butterfly.

I loved the day. It reminded me of what we can do when we put our minds to it. The goodwill and optimism were immense.

Massive respect and congrats to Kieran, his colleague Ronan and Eoghan. You finished in style.  Well done lads, I’m very proud of you all.

And big thanks to the lady who lives on the Stillorgan dual carriageway who came to our rescue and allowed us in to her home when Fionn urgently needed a loo.

Yep, another New Year’s Resolution, to get my lardy arse once more running. Its been a while, but so far so good: baby steps, baby steps.

Have started on the treadmill again which was probably one of the best purchases I ever made. Yep, it was expensive but it avoids me heading out on my lonesome, jogging at night in the dark or the hassle of joining a gym. We have it stationed in the playroom, so once the kids are in bed, I just plonk on the telly in front of it at loud volume, shut the door and start walking/jogging.

I hate dogs and so I don’t really like running outdoors unless I know its a place I’m very unlikely to meet dog walkers with their dogs unleashed. People who think its ok to let their mutt bound over to me as I’m jogging do my head in. No I don’t like your gawdawful pooch, I don’t think its cute, keep it the hell away from me.

Its been a long while since I’ve done any serious running though. At heart, I guess I’m lazy. I need motivation big time and usually I need to be goal driven. Two days after completing the Dublin marathon in 2004 I discovered I was pregnant and as usual, my energy plummeted as did any level of exercise and I lost all the fitness I had achieved through the previous months of training. I’d love to get that fit again. Since, I have been slimmer and weighed less but I haven’t been even remotely as fit. It felt brilliant. I always felt exhilarated returning from a decent run.

Unfortunately that doesn’t happen by magic and there’s the hard work between now and getting there. Still at least I’ve started. Last night 7km: 11mins run and 50 mins walking. Tonight hopefully I’ll do a couple more minutes of the total running and less walking.

It would be deadly to do another marathon, preferably a smidge faster than my last time. The training schedule is a big commitment, but the feeling on the day makes it worthwhile. Who knows, maybe I’ll make the Cork marathon in June or Dublin in October. We’ll see.