Dublin Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon

Its been a couple of weeks, but I'm finally posting an update on the Dublin Half-Marathon.

The race went rather well, especially for someone who didn't really train like they should have for a distance run. I never expected to finish really fast or qualify for any kind of recognition or reward, really it was an excuse to go to Ireland.

It took me a little over 3 hours to complete the course, and maybe it was the lower elevation, cooler climate, cloudy weather, I don't know but I did not have the leg and foot issues I'd been battling every every other run. So that alone made the race very pleasant and getting to sightsee around Dublin as I ran was just a bonus. The course took us through Phoenix Park, which is over 3x's the size of Central Park, and I have to say that after getting past the monster hill at the entrance, it was my favorite part of the course. It was so pretty. There were lots of people who were stopping to snap photographs but I did not... alas. Too busy maintaining momentum.

One thing I do have to say is that I'm kind of tired of just finishing races. I've been there, done that, I think I've more than proven that I can run, or cycle, or swim, or do all three in one event. I used to not care if I was the last person to cross the finish line, but I'm kind of tired of having all the good stuff already gone at the aid stations or they're starting to tear down. I want to be better, maybe not the fastest but at least solidly in the middle.

Anyway... Dublin was awesome! After the race, we went to a pub near our hotel for a pint. There is something to be said about Guinness, it's a great post race recovery beverage. When you're in Ireland, it's a pretty good pre race beverage too, perhaps thats why I had fewer muscle issues. 

In addition to the race, we did a lot of sightseeing, though walking around Dublin post race was a little trickier. We went to my favorite place in the while wide world, The Guinness Store House. If this whole writing thing doesn't pan out, I can get a job a serving Guinness as I learned just how to pour the perfect pint.

I don't have any other events on the horizon and I'm thinking I'm going to keep it that way, at least for the rest of this year. I think I've done too many different things that I haven't really improved at all on any one. 

I burned out this year. Two years working my tail off training plus a really stressful job has totally knocked me on my ass. Now it feels like I'm back at square one almost. I think that toning down the events and getting back to some basics, exercising regularly for instance, is going to be beneficial in the long run.

Last Half of my season.

This weekend I'm flying to Dublin Ireland for the Dublin Rock 'n Roll Half-Marathon. I'm really excited to be heading to Dublin. I will confess that my training hasn't been all that great or consistant, getting leg cramps every time I run hasn't been conducive to maintaining motivation but I'm still going to give it my all.

This event is the last event I've signed up for this year. I'm tempted to sign up for at least one more triathlon, but not having any income at the moment, I can't justify the expense. Maybe a break from events will be a good thing, I can focus on just trying to get back into some better shape. 

I still want to do Ironman. I'm hoping that getting in contact with the Rocky Mountain MS Center I can maybe work with people who could help me achieve that goal. I would like to generate some interest and support around my book maybe find some way to subsidize my training.

Has it really only been 4 years?

Four years ago this past July I started experiencing my first round of MS symptoms. After a month of testing and waiting and even more testing, my results came back with a pretty conclusive MS diagnosis.

Four years... Honestly not very much time, but it feels like its been so much longer. Looking back at who I was prior to being diagnosed and comparing her to the person I am now, it just seems like more time should have passed. I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't have MS.

Amazingly, I'm not sorry that I have MS. It has forced me to really evaluate myself, my life, my priorities... I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for MS. Sure things aren't always as easy as they once were, there are a lot more things I have to be careful of; not over heating, not over exerting myself. But there a a lot of things I can do now that I hadn't been able to do before; run a mile, run 5k, participate in a triathlon, run a half marathon... The list could go on for quite a while.

One of the best things having MS has taught me is to not just sit back and accept limitations other people put on me or more importantly the ones I set myself. I don't know what my future holds. I could wake up one morning with a nasty relapse and can't get out of bed, or maybe that never happens. But one thing I've learned is to do as much as I can now, while I'm able, push myself forward, make strides so that when my mobility does start to deteriorate it will take longer because there will be a lot of mobility to go through. 

One thing is for certain, I'm not going down without a fight and for me every race, every run, every bike ride is just one more battle in my own personal war against this disease.

If I could go back four years and tell myself one thing, I think it would be not to take anything for granted, because you never know when the things you used to do easily become almost impossible to accomplish. And most importantly...

Don't tell me what I can't do.