Back in July, I published my book, “Mud, Sweat and Tears – An Irish Woman’s Journey of Self-Discovery”. And what a journey it’s been. Writing it was the easy part. I had just been laid off from my job in Ireland in 2009 and had moved to Vietnam with my other half. I lived off … Continue reading What it’s like to write a book
My mate, Roger, lives in Kathmandu. Not only is he a mad mountain runner, but he’s an increasing promoter of mountain races in Nepal. Now, having read my book on the Wicklow Round, his thoughts have turned to the possibility of a similar Round around Kathmandu’s mountain rim. As Roger himself has recently penned, “Races … Continue reading A Nepal version of the Wicklow Round around Kathmandu?
As of 2011, three people have completed the Wicklow Round on their own. And one group of three people have finished it together. So which is best? Going alone or as part of a crowd? The question only came to mind last week when I gave a talk at Basecamp on the Wicklow Round together … Continue reading Wicklow Round – Group Effort or Go Solo?
Today is my two year anniversary. So please permit me to be nostalgic. Two years ago, I became the first person to run the Wicklow Round. I never realised that this 26 mountain, 110 kilometre, 10,000 metre climb challenge would leave such an indelible stamp in my life. It took less than 23 hours to … Continue reading The Wicklow Round – Two Years on
I’ve not had much time to blog recently. It’s because I’ve been busy instead writing my book. At the end of the Wicklow Round in May 2009, I realised that I wanted to write a book about the challenge and my successful completion of it. I wanted to also document what happened in July 2008 … Continue reading Book-ing instead of blog-ing
Sorry but even the mere sound of this post’s title already puts me to sleep: this stuff is technical and boring and very detailed, so please feel completely free to ignore it. However, it is the sorta thing that fellow runners do ask about, and it is the kinda thing I needed to know before … Continue reading What I ate, drank, wore and carried on the Wicklow Round
Well I’m well watered, fed, and rested now after coming off my Wicklow Round on Saturday. Slowly the sheer and utter relief is settling in that I’ve finally managed to complete the Round after nearly two years of preparation. Details of the Round attempt can be found on the IMRA forum here. 2011 UPDATE: Want … Continue reading Wicklow Round – I did it!
My legs yesterday afternoon - muddy, tired, blistered, bruised - but very, very happy! Yesterday, at 11.38am, I completed the Wicklow Round in 22 hours, 58 minutes and 30 seconds, well under the requisite 24 hour mark. Once I've got my breath back, I'll post more about what really happened out there... 2011 UPDATE: Want … Continue reading The Wicklow Round Aftermath
From Met Eireann today: “The weather will be very unsettled on FRIDAY NIGHT, SATURDAY and SUNDAY and MONDAY. All areas will get heavy or thundery showers or longer spells of rain at times and flooding will be likely in places. Daytime temperatures will range from about 10 to 14 degrees. Winds will be variable in … Continue reading Sh*te Weather
With sunshine all round Ireland last Sunday, I wanted to really make the most of the mountains over the weekend. So I decided to park my car at Glenmalure Lodge in South Wicklow and make my way up Lugnacoille. At a modest 925 metres, Lugnacoille is the highest peak in the Wicklow Mountains. The mountain … Continue reading Loving it up Lugnacoille