It's raining again. How long was that?

Dublin or Bust

I have been in Dublin since around 6am this morning, local time, and it is now just before 1 as I write this. The flight was a bit miserable, some serious chop around Nova Scotia and then the saltiest "Chicken" I have ever had. Renting the car was easy enough although I was given the task of being the navigator from the Airport to the hotel. Now, this wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for the fact that in Ireland they drive on the left side of the road and my dad just couldn't get the hang of this. No, we weren't driving in the wrong lane, but rather he drove without any sense of where the left half of the car was. So then entire time on the highway to the city was spent either in 2 distinct lanes, or with my half the car literally inches away from the curb... at 45 miles an hour. I actually screamed 3 times.

I am amazed how well I remember the city, after my dad got flustered with the roads and whizzed through downtown at 50 miles an hour I was able to redirect us back the hotel without a map, which I thought was pretty impressive. At the hotel we ate some light breakfast (or Dinner #2 kinda) and met up with a sleepy headed Jackie. She looks terrific. Greece has her much more tanned than I've seen her in a long time and her hair has become very fair in the island sun. With the Dennis clan fully united, we left for the city.

It was a very nice walk, through Stephen's Green, down Grafton's Arcade, by the Bank of Ireland/Trinity College, through Temple Bar back to the Millennium Spike-thing and then back to the hotel. With everyone taking a brief nap I decide it time to pick up my race bib.

I know the general route to the expo center which I expect to only be about a 5 minute jog, so I head out. One block takes me to the Grand Canal and the feel is incredible. For those of you who don't already know, I first started running while I was spending a summer in Dublin in '05. I learned how to run on the Grand Canal, I started with little loops and then gradually extended my routes block by block to extend all the way to the bay. The minute my feet landed back on the footpath I felt a true swelling in my chest. Potent. It's hard to explain but running the same route day after day really bonds one to the area, perhaps its a survival complex. Of course there is one HUGE difference between then and now... oh, say about 40 pounds. Thats right, last I cruised down this drive, past the geese, swans and barges, I weighed 190 pounds. Perhaps this is part of the reason why I didn't remember the Canal and being so short?

Picked up my number and made it back to the hotel (Dublin, the fickle mistress has already rained on my 3 times. It is a beautiful blue sky right now. It could rain again in 2 minutes. ) Showered up. Jackie, Chas and dad are all asleep. I think the siblings are going to break off for the afternoon and let the old man snooze. I'm just starved for lunch (I mean Dinner #3).

Possibly Kilmainham Gaol and the Brewery? We'll see! Race starts at 9 tomorrow so I'll be done around 12:20 hopefully which means I should have results posted by 9 am new york time! wish me luck!

Banana Bread for a Half

Alicia made fresh Banana bread in honor of my running a half marathon last weekend. This was my last long run before my marathon adventures. She is just an obnoxiously good baker, check out these delicious pict-... damn it... not again...

A Shoe Debacle...

Have you had a favorite menu item at a local eatery? Let's say you've been craving their turkey sub for days and you finally make it in. Wait on the line, your mouth all watery, get to the cook and say in your most anxious voice, "I'll take the chicken salad please!" Of course your mind is so aflutter for your turkey sub you don't realize your error until you get the cashier, one chicken salad... Wait, what did I just do!? NOOO! But by then it's too damn late. Why does this happen? Perhaps your Id just enjoys popping up every now and then screwing you over, like shouting your first girlfriend's petname during intercourse with your wife of 20 years. 

Anyway, this happened to me the other day only (the former and not the latter, thank god) instead of a $5 sammy, it was a $100 pair of running shoes. Since I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for the past 2 years I don't even look in the box, let alone try then on when I purchase a new pair. Of course I get home and prepare for a triumphant run (oh the joys of a new pair of shoes!) when... wait... what the heck are these... green... silver.... wuh? Oh... nuts. 

So in the same week as losing $4000 worth of my stuff that I now have to replace, I spend $200 for a pair of running shoes. Of course this isn't terrible either, I now have a new pair of really, really, really nice work out sneakers and I get to donate 2 pairs of shoes to Africa for fledgling Kenyan runners, and I can take some small amount of credit for helping the next record breaker get the heck out of the Rift Valley and into the global spotlight.

A week of Not-So-Good

So, for those of you who don't know, my apartment was robbed last Monday night. Luckily, no one was hurt and nothing vital was taken. They did however nab my bike and my laptop... So yeah. As of right now there are no triathlons in my future only foot races so it doesn't throw off my schedule. Hopefully the old STI will be generous to me this Christmas time and a new bike maybe in the works then (the plasma just looks so fine!) but otherwise we'll see...