Ironman Maryland Race Report

Setting the Stage

Feeling like I needed a goal and a challenge, I made the decision almost a year ago to do another Ironman after a 12-year hiatus.  My first Ironman in Wisconsin was a success because I finished.  This time around, I wanted to do be faster and run the majority of the marathon.  My goal was to break 14 hours, and my stretch goal was to break 13:30.  I began my self-coached training plan on November 9 after my trip to Barbados for a 10K open water swim.  I logged 302 miles of swimming, 1,815 miles of cycling (plus 92 miles on the stationary bike and 8 hours on the spin bike), 1,119 miles of running, 66 classes at Soul Sweat Hot Yoga, 13 boot camp and core classes at Club Fed, 7 hours of weights/core, and 3.5 hours on the elliptical.  I planned to do Ironman Maryland with Chuck Burr (my masters swimming coach and good friend of about 17 years now) and Brian and Ali Miller.  Sadly Chuck tore his rotator cuff and bicep and had surgery, so he wasn't able to train or race.

Pre-Race Prep

I flew to Baltimore on Wednesday with my husband.  We stayed at the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay.  It was pricey, but it was a nice hotel and it was about 3 miles from Ironman Village.  I got our grocery shopping done at the Walmart across the street, and then we had an awesome dinner at Carmela's Cucina.  Thursday was jam packed with activities: a 3-mile run on the hotel treadmill, a 1500-yard loosen swim at the local YMCA, registration and packet pickup, athlete briefing (where I was a few minutes late and missed the early discussion of the swim map), bike pickup from TriBike Transport, race wheel pickup (404 front wheel, 808 rear wheel) from Race Day Wheels, a 24-mile ride with Brian and Ali, and a trip to the bike mechanics in the rain while they fixed my rear tire alignment issue (I didn't want to risk the back breaks rubbing on the Zipp 808).  I finally returned to the hotel in the evening, and Cliff and I went to Rock Lobstah for dinner.

Cheesin' in front of the crabby Ironman sign at registration/packet pickup:

     

On Friday I did a short 1.3-mile treadmill run at the hotel and 1,000-yard swim at the YMCA to keep things moving.  I got my hair braided (I found someone in the Ironman Maryland Facebook group who was braiding in exchange for a donation to the local school) and Cliff and I had lunch at Overflow Cafe, which offers food at low prices to bring in folks from all over the community.

My friend at Overflow Cafe:

That afternoon, I checked in my bike, bike gear bag, and run gear bag.  I was so relieved when the logistics were finally all taken care of!  My awesome besties, Melissa and Stacy, joined us on Friday.  We met up for a pasta dinner at Carmela's Cucina (again!) before Saturday's race.

Friends by my side, pasta in my belly:

Race Day Morning

I set the alarm for 3:30 am, and I slept fairly decently.  I drank coffee, ate breakfast (Cheerios with almond milk, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread, and a banana), and then we drove over to Brian and Ali's AirBnB and walked over to the race.  I found body marking, aired up my bike tires, put my remaining items (Garmin GPS, nutrition, and bottles) on my bike, and made a restroom stop (fortunately I did that early because the lines became insane).  I sat down near the swim start so I could relax and rest my legs.  I felt really calm, and I was ready to start the face.  My big mistake was not checking the swim course and understanding where the buoys (including the finish chute) were located.  

Brian, Ali, and I ready to tackle the race:

A photo with my #1 fan before heading to the swim start:

Stacy, Brian, Ali, Me, and Melissa

The Swim

I headed to the start line ready to race.  I felt calm and prepared.  I didn't want to push my way to the very front of the sub-1-hour coral, because I figured some of the dudes were swimmers.  The race organizers had three lines (sort of like getting on a roller coaster at an amusement park), and they set us off a few seconds apart.  I was probably around group 10 or 12.  I spent the first loop passing people.  I was hoping to draft, but I would settle in behind someone and then feel like he was going too slow, so I would pass again.  There was a timing arch at the end of the first loop, and my split was under 28 minutes.  That was really great for me considering my effort (and the course was about 200 yards over 2.4 miles).  I started the second loop and immediately it turned into a mess of lapping people who weren't strong swimmers.  There were so many people starting their first lap that it was even difficult swimming in between people.  I tried to stay as close to the buoys as possible and keep my heart rate down.  I began getting anxious about the finish line and whether I needed to make a special turn because 99% of the people around me were only on their first lap.  I rounded what I thought was the last corner (circled on map) and headed to the timing arch again, thinking I would just swim straight to the shore.  

The swim map (so I tried to swim a third square rather than finishing!):

I asked a guy in the kayak, but I couldn't understand him, and I don't think he understood that I was finishing my second loop.  I was nearing the arch and asked him again, and he pointed behind me.  So finally I understood and swam back out.  Then a woman in a kayak collided into me to tell me to shift right to pass by that circled buoy again.  So I backtracked and then headed to the finish (the L-shape at the end).  My bonus swim was probably about 450 yards given that my halfway split had my on pace to go 56 minutes, and my total time was 1:02:27.  It frustrated me well into the bike course, but it was my own fault and a lesson I will never forget!  Plus it's ironic that out of the three disciplines, I messed up on my strength! 

Done with the swim and grimacing at my course navigation skills (or lack thereof): 

Transition 1

I wore my favorite hot yoga sports bra and colorful bikini bottoms under my wetsuit, so I ran into the transition tent with my personal volunteer and asked her if it was cool if I got naked.  I figured it was a good ice breaker, and then she literally hiked my bike shorts up for me.  I wore the same bike outfit I wore on my long rides (with the wet Nike sports bra underneath), because I wanted to be comfortable and have the triple pocket in the back of my jersey to use for water bottle rotations.  I gobbled down a Cliff Kids bar in transition with a few sips of water, and I was off!  It was a pretty good T1 time (6:41) considering I did a complete change and ate a snack.

Talking to Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy (I'm sure I'm still babbling about my swim mistake):

The Bike

My focus this summer on the bike, and I did as many rallies as possible.  This turned out to be a great strategy, because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, rode faster, did a lot of climbing, and braved the heat and humidity in the Texas summer.  The Maryland course seemed like a breeze (pardon the wind pun).  Other participants complained about the wind, but it was nothing compared to some of the rides I did this summer (like the Hotter than Hell Hundred).  

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the huge changes that Craig Fulk at Dynamic Bike Fit made to my clown car... uh, I mean bike!  I won a free bike fitting at the Women's Tri Clinic, and I was apathetic about using it because it close to race day (September 1) and I was "fitted" for my bike when I bought it.  Craig made some big adjustments, including raising my seat substantially and adding adding a plate to my cleat because one leg is shorter than the other, and I'm so glad that the stars aligned for that to happen and improve the efficiency of my cycling.  Craig also advised me to shorten my aero bars, so I got that taken care of in September as well.    

The biggest risk of Ironman Maryland is the weather and flooding since it's at sea level.  The Ironman Maryland race director is one of the best in the business.  A portion of the course had flooded, and he re-routed 12 miles of the course TWO DAYS beforehand so that we could ride the full 112 miles (I had heard in years past that the ride was 110 miles, but it was a full 112 miles this year).  The course included two 45-mile loops, with about 12 miles at the start and 10 miles at the end.  I liked the loops because I was mentally prepared for the second loop and knew what to expect in terms of wind, traffic, etc. 

A portion of the original course.  Thank goodness for the re-routing!

My first goal was to nail my nutrition plan.  My nutrition plan was perfect (thanks, Eve at NutriWorks, Inc.).  I drank half of a fuel bottle (200 calories of CarboPro) every hour and ate half of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Bonk Breaker bar.  The only thing I will do differently next time is carry three fuel bottles (rather than two fuel bottles and one water bottle) so I don't have to stop at special needs halfway and prepare the last fuel bottle (although I needed to use the restroom, so I would have had to stop regardless).  I wasn't sure that I could do the water bottle hand-off, but I had my big girl bike shorts on and I took two bottles to refill my Profile bottle.  The only minor nutrition bummer was that they must have reformulated the Bonk Breaker bars, because my last bar came from a new box and it was thicker and much dryer than the first box.  So I'll have to look into that and come up with another bar choice if necessary.  

My second goal was to keep my heart rate down and save my legs for the run.  I knew from Wisconsin that the overall Ironman performance hinges on the marathon and the amount of running versus walking.  I had been riding 16 mph on hilly rides and 17 mph on flatter rides (like Peach Pedal and Mesquite) during the summer, so I knew 16 mph was very attainable, and I could probably go 17 mph (and still save my legs for the run) if I had a good day.  My total time was 6:21:24 (17.62 mph).  

Smiling on the bike since it was flat as a pancake:

Transition 2

I felt really good.  I ran my bike in and joked with Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy that I was happy I didn't mess up the bike.  I was so happy to finish the bike in good spirits and with no mechanical issues (I still can't fix a flat tire, so that fear was in the back of my mind the whole time).  I jogged my bike in to get my legs used to being on land again.  I changed into a dry sports bra (shout out to my volunteer who helped with that!), running shorts, and a tank top.  I ran out of the volunteer tent, realized I forgot my sunglasses, doubled back for them, and then headed out on the run.  I passed by Cliff, Melissa, and Stacy and joked with them about running fast enough so that we could watch the TCU game.  T2 time was 7:26.  

The Run

I started the run in good spirits.  It felt a lot like the 18-mile run I did the day after the Hotter Than Hell 100.  My goal was to keep running as far as possible while walking the aid stations.  The course was 2.5 loops, and the back-end of the big loop was pretty boring (essentially running through some sort of weird loop/parking lot type thing).  I was running 10:00-10:30 mile pace, and I made a bathroom stop around mile 5 (which was probably a good sign for my hydration).  I kept running through the first loop (10 miles), and I started getting queasy.  

I had trained with lemon lime Gatorade Endurance (and water), since that would be provided on the course.  I took a Vanilla gel early on and then drank Gatorade and water as I walked through the aid stations.  I didn't learn to add ice to my drinks until later on, and the warm Gatorade became pretty gross.  I have never thrown up before while working out, but I stopped on an immaculate front lawn and took care of business!  I attracted a lot of attention, but I assured everyone I was okay.  I felt so much better after that and was able to run again until mile 20.  I tried to stomach some food, but nothing worked (a bite of cookie was too dry and grape skins felt like glue in my mouth).  I switched to Pepsi and water and added ice to both at each aid station.  It worked surprisingly well.  I had to walk/run the last six miles or so, but my marathon time was 5:09:10 (11:48/mile average), which was much better than I had expected.

That's my "running and trying not to vomit" stride:

The best part of the run was High Street, which we passed three times.  I got to high-five my sherpas, who were enjoying Rar Brewing!

I actually had quite a bit of juice left in my legs once I was on High Street for the third time and got to run down the finisher chute (it's tough mentally to pass the finisher chute twice before you actually get to run through it!).  I need to work on my nutrition for the run, which will probably include more salt on both the bike and run, because the nausea is what hindered me the most.

The finisher chute was absolutely amazing with all of the spectators and cheering.  It was the ultimate culmination to all of my hard work.

Can you tell I was happy to be done?  I wish I had toned it down a notch, but at least this picture makes me laugh:

A big sweaty "thank you" to my awesome husband:

I have the best BFFs.  And they are also Iron(wo)men too.  Now to convince them to do Ironman Maryland 2019 together!

A comparison between my two Ironman races (12 years apart!):

What's Next

The only races I have signed up for so far are the Friends of the River 5K-ish this Thursday and the Azle Half Marathon (a local run) next month.  I have a few goals in the back of my mind (a sub 4-hour marathon and a 50-mile trail run) and I am considering another Ironman (possibly Maryland again next year), but I am not ready to take the plunge quite yet.  I did hire a running coach, Michelle Blackard (Coach Drum), and my run plan starts this week.  I feel like I have more potential with running, and I wanted to shake things up to become a better athlete.  

Thank you so much for the friendship and support!

FWRC Labor Day 15K Run

I figured I would do an organized run and push myself to go a longer distance than I normally would.   I'm pretty sure the last time I did this race was back in 2003 when I was training for my first marathon.  My goal was to try to run the whole thing, and I estimated I would run about 10:15 pace. 


Garmin mileage: 13.45 miles
Garmin mile splits: 9:19, 9:38, 9:48, 9:57, 10:01, 10:18, 10:14, 10:10, 10:43, 9:48 pace on the last 0.45 miles
Official Time: 1:34:36
Place: 14th in the 30-34 age group


Obviously I went out a little too fast.  I was hurting after around mile 6, and the hurt kicked in even more at the 8-mile marker.  I'm happy that the splits on miles 7 and 8 were faster than mile 6, because that wasn't easy!  My brain kept trying to sweet talk me into a walk break, but my heart won out and I had some guts.  I ran the whole thing (minus a few walking steps during walk breaks so I wouldn't swallow a bunch of air).  This race was HOT and HUMID... but that's what I got for running a race in early September in Texas! 


The lesson I learned from El Scorcho was to take some medicine for my acid reflux.  I took a pill yesterday, one when Lucy woke me up at 4:30 this morning to eat breakfast, and another before I left for the run.  That worked out great, and my tummy and associated tummy parts cooperated.  I only ate an apple before the run and I had a gel around mile 4.  I was hungry for the gel, and I should have eaten a bit more.  I drank an SOS before the run, and I think the electrolytes help.  If I do this run again, I will probably bring my own water bottle, because the water stops weren't as frequent as I thought they would be.  But I LOVED the ice cold towels near the turn-around point (mile 6ish).  Those were heaven on earth. 


When GusGus saw that the medal was the size of a quarter, he screamed:

El Scorcho Nueve 25K

After signing up for this race twice before and not making it to the start line, I had some business to take care of this year!  It wasn't the best timing with a 10 am flight to DC on Sunday morning, but I made it work.  I took a nap from 5:00-9:30 on Saturday evening, ate an almond butter sandwich and a banana for dinner, and got to the park at 11:00 to run my first El Scorcho 25K (that's 15.5 miles) at midnight.  My BFF, Stacy, was nice enough to come support me and suffer through some boredom.  This was a 5K course, so I ran 5 loops while the folks crazy enough to run the 50K ran 10 loops.  My original goal for this race was to run the whole distance, but I knew that was pretty unrealistic as the race drew nearer and my longest run was about 6.5 miles.  After mile 7, I began to take walk breaks, and the walk breaks became longer and more frequent (as you can tell by my splits).  I started off nice and easy and I actually didn't feel super fatigued.  The biggest issue I encountered was acid reflux.  I was a dummy and forgot to take some medicine beforehand.  I was able to stomach one gel at the 10K mark, but that's all I could handle.  At least that is an easy fix and a lesson I will remember for future races.  Also I didn't have a running buddy, and I wish I had brought my iPod.  Lastly, I would consider wearing a fuel belt next time.  There were three water stations during the last mile of the loop, and I was thirsty during the first 2/3 of the loop and probably overcompensated once I got a hold of that sweet, sweet nectar... ice water! 

Results:
Chip Time: 3:01:43
Gender Place: 64 of 160 (3:19:28 average)
Overall Place: 155 of 303

Hooray to Stacy for taking a good photo of me running (that takes talent!)

After I crossed the finish line and started laughing at my misery

Lucy modeling my medal

Mile splits from my Garmin:
Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 10:05
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:27
Mile 6 - 10:54
Mile 7 - 10:43
Mile 8 - 11:22
Mile 9 - 11:48
Mile 10 - 11:39
Mile 11 - 12:44
Mile 12 - 13:09
Mile 13 - 13:18
Mile 14 - 13:58
Mile 15 - 14:13
Last 0.53 - 11:53 pace

Sumit's Hot Yoga January 2015 Yoga Challenge

I showed up to Sumit's on January 2 (aftersome sporadic attendance in November and December) and figured I might try one of the easier two challenges (15 sessions in 21 days or 21 sessions in 30 days).  We finished class, and I was about to write my name on the white board and place a sticker in the January 2 slot.  However, the rows were all full.  So Melinda (one of the awesome instructors, who is in the photo with me below) erased "name" on the first column, and that's where my name went.  So I put on my big girl yoga pants and figured I couldn't wimp out if I was now the first name on the list.  My attempt at the Detox Challenge began!

The rules and the payout:

Detox Challenge - 30 Classes in 30 days
If you complete this challenge you will receive a Sumits T-shirt and a 10 Class Pass ($140 value)

I attended class every day for 30 consecutive days, including when I worked in Dallas three days in a row and when I had the congestion funk that seemed to be going around.  I managed to drag myself out of bed for the 5:30 am weekday classes (with the exception of one lunchtime class) and I attended the 8 am Saturday classes and 10 am Sunday classes.

Unfortunately 30 days of yoga didn't unlock anything crazy like the meaning of life, but this is what I noticed:

• For the most part, I no longer dreaded hot yoga and I began to look forward to it (gasp).  
• As my body grew accustomed to the heat and the hard work, the nausea and dizziness crept up on me less.
• Considering I have horrible scoliosis (I wore a back brace from 4th-6th grade), I am pretty inflexible.  However, I noticed some considerable improvements.  The most noticeable improvement was seeing my toes come up above my head in bow.  Probably the most helpful positions were pigeon, the hip opener, and butterfly (given I injured my groin in my last bike crash).    
• I grew confident.  I promoted myself from the second row to the first row.  Even though my flexibility isn't the best, I grew more familiar with the dialogue and remained persistent with the poses.  Now I am a first row snob because I don't want anyone blocking my view in the mirror.
• After hovering in chataranga while doing the flows, I could finally do a true push-up for the first time (and that was my 2014 New Years Resolution).  

Since I tend to be an "all or nothing" type person, I was at risk for a decline in attendance in February.  However, I have been 4 out of 5 days (I skipped class on Monday because I had a fever on Sunday night and wasn't feeling well).  I look forward to continuing my practice and improving, and I'm hoping that as I increase my running mileage, I can appease the injury gods with hot yoga!

And a little Facebook shout-out...   

NAMASTE!

What I Would Have Told Young Swimmer Nizzy

I steered clear from 2015 New Years resolutions.  Last year my New Years resolution was to be able to do a real "man" (in other words, not on my knees) push-up.  I am extending my 2014 resolution expiration date to January 31, 2015 since I have committed to a yoga challenge at Sumit's Hot Yoga, and I am determined that the millions of flows (which involve the chaturanga shown below) will translate into push-up mastery.

Looking back on 2014, I learned quite a bit about my body and my limits.  Two bike crashes gave me ample time to reflect.  I was talking to a friend of mine the other day on the drive to the yoga studio about dumb stuff we did as high school and college athletes (like cruddy nutrition, lack of stretching, etc.).  That prompted me to write this blog posts about some lessons I have learned since my swim career ended.

Nutrition.  In high school, I was constantly hungry.  I trained about 30 hours a week, and it was nearly impossible to replenish the calories.  My mom was very good to me, and nearly all of my meals were homemade.  When I got to college, I continued my eating rampage.  The problem was I added alcohol to the mix and I had free reign with my diet on campus.  Lots of processed food and empty calories (biscuits and jelly, frozen yogurt, Pizza Hut breadsticks, banana pudding with Nilla Wafers, and candy) were going down my pie hole.  My mom would have been so disappointed!  In the late 90s and early 2000s there was a big emphasis on low-fat.  As a nutrition major, I knew wasn’t making the best choices.  But we also didn’t hear about things like the Paleo Diet or clean eating.  For example, now I try to eat foods higher in protein and healthy fats like eggs, nuts, cottage cheese, tuna with avocado, and even protein shakes.  Looking back at my diet in college, a diet higher in protein and healthy fats would have helped satiate my never-ending appetite and prevent the crazy weight gain.

    

 Stretching/Yoga.  Stretching in high school and college really translated into flinging your arms and legs around while socializing with your teammates.  I discovered Bikram Yoga a while back, and now I go to Sumit’s Hot Yoga and I LOVE it.  I am ridiculously inflexible, but the hot yoga forces me to focus on my body for 80 minutes at a time.  Plus it is a perfect supplement to the other sports I like doing, such as running and swimming, and it helps reduce and heal injuries.  Looking back, I didn’t even realize how tight my hips, adductors, and piriformis were.  Now if only I were this skinny and this flexible...   

 

 Supplements.  The supplement decision is a tough one because an athlete doesn’t want to risk a positive drug test.  But investing in a quality multi-vitamin during my college years probably would have helped.  I currently take a probiotic in the morning and a magnesium supplement at night.  Both are from the Sunflower Shoppe… I don’t skimp and buy the cheap stuff at Walmart.  I started getting some acid reflux in college (the occasional “I might burp or vomit during this flip turn”), and the probiotic supplement has helped me tremendously with my acid reflux.  I very rarely need prescription antacids. 

 Cryotherapy.  We didn’t even have ice baths at TCU in 1999-2001, let alone cryotherapy.  Cryotherapy is a new discovery for me.  I stand in a big tube for 3 minutes, and the temperature gets down to MINUS 274 degrees.  This has done wonders for my back and has decreased the inflammation caused by my scoliosis.    

 Massage.  I have always loved the benefits of a good massage.  The difficult part is finding a therapist who specializes in deep tissue massage.  I don’t want to be drooling on the table while half asleep, and I don’t want someone digging a thumb into my shoulder blade.  Once you find an amazing therapist, other massages will disappoint you. 

 Water.  I can’t remember drinking much water in high school and college, except taking a small sip from my water bottle at the end of the lane.  Now I always like to have a water bottle within arm’s reach.  I’m guessing I was probably dehydrated at times, especially during peak training. 

 

What are some lessons you have learned about athletic performance now that you are older and wiser?   

Crash Dummy: A Peach Pedal Recap

I managed to have my SECOND bike crash in 3 months at the Peach Pedal bike rally in Weatherford.  I had a big day planned.  I was going to do the 40-mile ride that morning and then tackle the 25K run at El Scorcho at midnight.  The bike ride was going pretty well.  I rode with two friends of mine, Stacy and Dee, and we stopped at two rest stops along the way (it's hard to pass up pickles and fresh peaches!).  We were in the home stretch where the 20-, 40-, and 60-mile courses converged.  I was at 35 miles and I was just behind Stacy and Dee.  I was passing quite a few 20-mile riders on the left.  However, I didn't realize a pack of 60-mile riders was trying to pass me.  I went down on my left shoulder, elbow, and knee, just like my crash in Galveston.  Also, my helmet was cracked.  Somehow my collarbone remained intact, which I'm very thankful for.  However, I couldn't get up at first because of the pain in my back.  A lady that had been riding behind me stopped to help me, and a volunteer was there momentarily.  I was finally able to get up from the middle of the road and hobble over to the side, away from the bike traffic.  The paramedics came, and I convinced them I was okay (I know better than to agree to an ambulance ride).  The volunteer, Mike, drove me back to the race start/finish at Weatherford High School where I met up with my friends.  I was feeling pretty queasy, so I laid down in the parking lot.  When I tried to get up, I realized I couldn't walk well and my groin area was hurting significantly.  Long story short, I pulled my groin muscle (adductor), had some pretty gnarly road rash on my left shoulder, and had some deeper cuts on my elbow and knee.  Fortunately we still had my crutches, and I was able to use a crutch or two to help support my weight.  After my first appointment with Dr. Brian, I was walking much better (and without a crutch).  Over the past 2.5 weeks, I have had four appointments in an attempt to hasten the healing process.  I've also been using the foam roller and lacrosse ball (who knew a little yellow ball could be an instrument of torture?) on a daily basis, and I have a massage scheduled for Tuesday.  I am signed up for the River Cities Triathlon, but I am struggling to swim or walk the dogs a half mile.  So for now I am focusing on getting better, and I'm trying to limit my workouts to activities that don't aggravate my injury.  I can't wait to run again (but I might hold off on cycling for a while!).  

10 European Vacation Memories

Cliff and I ventured to Europe for the first time.  We spent 5 nights in London, where we rented a flat through Airbnb.  Then we flew to Dublin, stayed there one night, rented a car and drove to Shannon, and met Cliff's two kids and his daughter's husband.  The 5 of us spent 1 night in Shannon, 7 nights in Kinsale (purchased at the basset hound rescue auction last year), and 1 night in Dublin.

The Cliff Notes version... 10 amazing memories - in photos!

1) I swam around Sandycove Island, which is inhabited by wild goats, in Kinsale.  The swim out to and around the island was roughly 1900 meters (about 1.2 miles).  The hard part was that the water temperature was around 56 degrees and I was in my Speedo (no wetsuit).  Definitely a chilly memory that will last a lifetime!

2) We went to Veeraswamy, an Indian restaurant in London, to celebrate our 5th anniversary.  It was a fantastic dining experience.  The service and the food were spot on, and it was a fun and unique dinner.  Plus I'm sitting on an elephant chair in this photo.

3) I asked our Airbnb host for a running route in the Chelsea area, and he suggested Battersea Park.  This was a great (and beautiful) start to each day in London.  I ran 20 miles in London and 37 miles in Ireland.  Not too shabby for a vacation!

4) We visited one of the top golf courses in the world, Old Head, in Kinsale.  The views were breathtaking, and we stopped for lunch at the Club House (near the 18th hole and lighthouse).  The second photo was taken by the front entrance to the golf course.

5) The Guinness Storehouse was not what we were expecting (it was more of a museum than a brewery).  But the view from the Gravity Bar on the top level was spectacular.  And I feel like Guinness deserves a spot in the top 10.  Cheers!

6) I kissed the Blarney Stone for the gift of the gab!

7) Our host was a great guy, and he ensured that we had everything we needed.  He even gave us a tour of Kinsale.  This picture was taken in a beautiful spot overlooking the harbor.

8) Kinsale was a unique town with a lot of history (and numerous restaurants and pubs!).  This photo was taken at the (tiny) Mansion House.  I loved how the buildings were painted with bright, bold colors.  

9) My favorite historical site in England was Windsor Castle.  We did a day trip to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge.  I wasn't super excited about going to Windsor Castle, but it turned out to be our favorite of the three.  The grounds were so beautiful, and the inside of the castle was loaded with tons of interesting things to look at.  

10) My favorite historical site in Ireland was the Rock of Cashel, which we visited on our drive from Shannon to Kinsale.  The buildings dated back to as early as c. 1100, and the tour guide told us some pretty amazing stories about the cathedral.

Now that we've been to Europe, we can't wait to go back and explore more countries.