Overall, very memorable experience, the first few days were mental, crashes like you would not believe and the speed, think a bunch of honda 50's and thats no exxageration, the day to westport i felt amazing but everyday was ridden with serious consideration of the next, i was very conservative, i wanted to finish more than anything else.
The heat in Donegal was kinda hard to understand for Ireland, tar running down the hills and o the hills, in hindsight it knocked the shit out of me, i basically fried, and even though i was o so careful with hydration, salts, electrolytes etc i faded on the last 2 days, for the last 3 days my diaphragm was very sore from the excessive and repeated deep breathing, i have never had that before.
Mentally maybe more than anything else i was shattered, the ever present thought of 'is today the day i slam into the ground'? i do not know how the pro,s do it , week in week out, it really would not be the life for me.
I did however hang on, with everything i had and maybe something i did not know i had. I cried on Pinch mountain in Donegal, i was alone, it was a great release, i recommend crying to anyone when it neccessary, it purifies the soul.
I cried on the last lap, on the last day into Skerries, when as a surprise my wife cheered from the side of the road, she did not tell me she was coming up. I will not be doing the Rás again, it takes to much of everything, money, time, family, me, what it has done is open my eyes to what i am capable of and there now is a desire to see how much more i could push myself, that will be the enduring legacy of the Rás for me and of course the title 'man of the Rás' will be with me now forever.
