I had no idea what to expect. I had run close to this in training, but I hadn't the hills or the rain to contend with. It was seriously windy. The first 4 or 5 miles were dry, but then we just got drenched. But I was surprisingly unaffected by it, my feet stayed mostly dry (god bless Asics shoes!). I was worried I had too much clothing on but it seemed to be just right (tri shorts, underarmor tights, long sleeve t and a fleece).

I RAN THE ENTIRE THING!! NO WALKING AT ALL!!! I didn't even walk the aid stations! And I managed to slug it up the nearly 2.5 mile up hill from 9-11. I had a good group to run with for a while, very motivational, and then me and another girl broke off to try to get 'er done at the end. I felt awesome.

Did a really good first 5 k, maybe a little under 32 minutes. But I just tried to stay slow in the first few miles and not burn it all up in one fell swoop. That worked out really well...I had just enough left in the tank to sprint the last 2 miles really.

To be honest, this probably was a bit too hard of a race for me for my first. I wasn't running very fast, but I got it done.

Not carry my CD player. I ended up carrying it in my bumbag because it refused to read my CD. It would have been nice to have it when I was running but I really didn't need it.

Perhaps keep my HR under control a wee bit more, I let it slip away from me a couple of times.

Not going to lie...didn't do one. Didn't stretch, just cried haha!!! I can't wait to see my race photo because i definitely leaped across the line. Straight on to medals/tshirts, then herded into pasta/soup lines (ohhhh sooooo good). Got my backpack and then got right on the first bus back to Galway. I was desperate for dry socks and a warm shower.


Ehh training a wee bit. I could have done more work on hills.

Rain probably, but I got over it.


In terms of logisitics, this race is a nightmare. It's in a very rural and remote part of Ireland, and there's 3 different events associated with it (half, full, ultra). That's a lot of athletes to get fed, transported and timed. I think they did a good job considering what they're up against. It's only the 5th year for this race too, so there's a lot that still needs ironing out, but overall I can't complain.

Ended up 973/1190 overall for the half, 374 in my Gender, and 274 in my category...overall not so bad!!