A busy weekend

 http://www.liffeydescent.com/Photos_2011/AlbumID/2614-127/Page/1.aspx  the link left shows competitors on the first weir at Straffan Co Kildare. We are in the wave! see if you can find my orange helmet

So on Friday morning i made the trip up to Dublin for the Liffey Descent, which for those who dont know is one of the worlds premier white water martahon canoe events. I would be paddling in a touring double with fellow Drinagh man Dave Glaswell. We overnighted in KIldare with a good friend of mine, Emma Lucy, nice veegie lasagne! and creamy pints in Bardons of Killcullen not to mention the great conversation. We headed out after watching a dissapointing rugby match on the saturday morning. Dave did the shuttle which took ages so i just sat in our kayak and chilled, its a great spectacle everyone running around with different types of canoe and kayak and all sorts of participants from the full on serious muscle guys to the shirt weraing fancy dress lads in open boats. Eoin and gordon 2 good buddies of mine did it in an open boat and had a good time, despite paddling into a wall!

We had a horror show of a start but recovered after our second swim to style all the following weir's and come in 16th in our class in around 2.50, not what dave was hoping for but a grand day out none the less. I should and probably would (if i was still living in Galway) get my act together and do this in a K1 which is the blue ribbon category and would be challenging to get down from a 'not breaking my boat point of view' I found the 3 hours flew by and i could have done double the distance, the long runs and cycles of the last 4 months obviously paying off.

Photo above is us just after dropping over the wrens nest weir. That night i went out with Gordon to the after party and i would say lost 3 or 4 pounds in sweat such was the effort i put into dancing! Good ould night out. Stayed in GOrdon's camper van near jervis street, got 6 hours sleep, then up drive to westcork, change into running gear and rocked out a steady 17km fairly wet run. Which was so nice as my leg feels a lot better and just to back running was amazing, i felt super at the end and would have loved to do another 10km but i said i owuld be prudent and not chance the leg so soon. Man did i sleep last night! What a weekend of traing for the 24 hour race at the end of the month! i was awake 37  out of 43 hours and did a marathon kayak race, partied hard and ran nearly a half marathon (it was hilly), a busy weekend indeed.