Run Brian, Run!

Well it's been a long and drawn out road full of highs & lows, injuries & personal bests, and health kicks and nights on the town, but I finally completed my first half marathon. As many of you know, I started training for one over a year ago and did very well until I injured my knee. I slowly nursed it back to health and started training again in January. I recently traveled to Northern Ireland for a long weekend to run the Larne Half Marathon, a small coastal town approximately 20 miles northeast of Belfast and ran a great race!

I'm going to try and make this post fairly short so you will all look at these pictures: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/HalfMarathonTrip?feat=directlink

Let me start first with my thoughts on Northern Ireland. WOW! Definitely one of the most beautiful areas I have seen so far in Europe. Breathtaking scenery, rugged coastlines, rolling countryside, green farmlands, alpine peaks, deep forests, winding roads that are steeper and curvier than should be allowed. And that just gets us started. After landing in Belfast, I got my rental car and started driving up the coast toward Larne. My destination for the day was a small town on the Northern tip of Ireland called Bushmills. On my way, I drove the Coastal Causeway Scenic Route which followed the amazing coastline and often gave options for sidetrips into the Glens (or mountains) of the area. The highlight of the drive was a lesser driven section of the highway to Torr Head. It was a small, one-lane road that climbed at amazing steepness and curved around constant corners. It climbed to provide amazing views of the coastline and countryside, and dropped to small harbour villages. The weather over my entire trip provided strong winds which made the water rough and the waves wild and and huge. I also visited the famous Giant's Causeway; a wonderful area of beauty that I'm sure many of you have heard of and scene pictures of. I stayed at a nice hostel in Bushmills, home to the oldest whiskey distillery in the world (apparently).

My 2nd day included a visit to the best ruined castle I have ever seen: Dunlace Castle. I then visited nearby White Rocks Beach and also drove inland a bit to the Glens and Forest Park. It was raining off and on and there were still very strong winds, so I didn't get out as much. I also visited an amazing area along the coast that had a rope suspension bridge from a clifftop to a small island just across a chasm of the sea. Due to winds, I was not able to cross the bridge, but it still allowed for some amazing views and photo opportunities. I ended the day in Larne, where I had booked a bed and breakfast for the night so I could get some good rest before my race. Of course, I had to drive into town to get a nice big pasta dinner to prepare for the run the next day!

Day 3 was the race. It wasn't until 1pm, so it gave me plenty of time to eat the full Irish breakfast provided for me at the B&B and get into town to warm up and prepare. The course followed one of the most scenic coastal routes in the world. Fortunately, it was one of the flatter sections. It left Larne and followed the road about 5 miles up the coast to Ballygally where it turned inland and climbed gently for a mile or so. This provided close-up views of the local Glens and also sweeping views of the countryside and sea. The we went back down into Ballygally and followed the same route back. I started very well and kept my pace, fighting the gale force winds head on and finishing mile four at under 32 minutes. I even tackled the hills well and used the downhill sections as some active recovery. However, the last 2ish miles are a blur. I remember looking at my watch but don't remember what it said. All I know is that I slowed down. Way down! I had to force myself to keep going the last mile, but I made it. My final time was 1 hour and 49 minutes, so I definitely have some room for improvement. I would love to beat that by 10 minutes as I increase my training and try again.

I spent the evening eating a couple dinners, a load of candy and went to a movie since i was pretty beat. I stayed in a Belfast hostel that night and explored the city the next day before my flight left. Unfortunately, I got really sick on Sunday during my travels home which wiped me out the following week. Better training and better recovery next time should help me out.

Please take an opportunity to look at the pictures this time...they are great!