Dublin to New York

Shiny new medal!

Well what can we say? You are ALL amazing, and THANK YOU, thank you so, so much. You raised a whopping €10,000 for the Irish Cancer Society fantastic, it will make such a difference to so many, we are speechless.

Now for the long awaited update.

Dublin began with a cool morning and a spin into town with Emma and a great friend of mine Louis, who I convinced (not that he needed it) to run as well. We parked up the car stretched and hit the start line (precisely 30seconds back) the gun rung out and off we set. I kept to my pace right through town and into the phoenix park, such a wonderful place to run. However I hit dolphins barn and started to lag a bit and then quickly realised that something was wrong…..I couldn’t pin point it but I just felt like I had legs of lead…..not good as I wasn’t even at half way yet!!

Out of nowhere Louis popped up slapped me on the back and told me to get a move on as I had a flight to catch!! Brilliant as that was just what I needed, we ran for a bit and I put the head down and away I went. I actually feel like I sped up for the last 10 k which I was amazed with and I crossed the line with a time of 3:45:39 a new PB and the demons well and truly beaten.

Home and into an ice bath followed 48 hours later by the most painful massage of my life where I was literally beaten up, and I mean the masseuse was punching my legs, and I was yelping……It worked, one transatlantic flight later Emma and I were all set to go.

The Verrazano Bridge

New York began really early and I mean REALLY EARLY, four and a half hours before the start gun(or cannon in their case) early. We were up at 5 am and out of the hotel at 5.30 with an official start time of 10:10. Onto a coach and off to Staten Island and Fort Wandsworth to be precise where they had three holding villages for some 48,000 runners. We were in the second wave and we were herded into holding pens, quite all right really just very well organised and split appropriately as we had to start out on the Verrazano bridge the longest suspension bridge in America (they believe the world but who am I to dispute) for a jaw dropping start where you can literally see for miles and miles in every direction from an elevated position around New York.

Off that and into the Brooklyn for the longest section of the marathon and again jaw dropping sights as there was reported to be 2,500,000 people out on the streets in what can only be described as full on party mode, these guys loved it and we were like rock stars running through the streets. People screaming our names, cheering us on, it was amazing……I don’t think I will ever see the likes of it again at an event. Supporters of all ages and nationalities with their hands out ready to 'high five' you. Someone told us that when your energy levels are flagging draw your energy off the crowd, sounds somewhat crazy but it works!

Turning onto 1st avenue was ridiculous, it's a straight avenue and it's long. Really, really long. You can literally see for miles and the scary bit is, the crowd ahead of you disappeared into the distance, not a good thing because you know you have to run further than you can see! 
Into the Bronx(some Jay Z wannabe's greeted us with a sound stage and chats of 'Welcome to the Bronx, welcome to the Bronx') and out again on to the point of the race that can only be described as horrific! And we really do mean horrific, 5th avenue - the museum mile or mile 22 was all uphill. It's when the 'shuffle run' kicks in for many people, there's tears, and in some cases people dropping to their knees, one lady was in such a bad way Aubrey had to stop and help, she looked up, picked up and moved on with tears in her eyes. A race like this is like no other, if you're not an elite, you're competing against yourself, and the camaraderie along the way really shows true human kindness.

Crossing the finish line!

Out of the park, turn the corner up by the Plaza, up hill again to Columbus Circle, we were nearly there, back into the park and there 400 hundred yards(as the yanks call it), the finish line is right in our sights. And there it is, we've crossed it! Together one of the proudest moments of our lives, not only had we just run a marathon but we had run it for someone else, and with that we got wind that we had smashed the target and raised €10,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.

Thank you for Supporting, Donating, Running, Reading, and everything else we are truly grateful and honoured to have been part of something so special.

Aubrey and Emma.

12 hours 30 minutes and 40, 39, 38 seconds...

And they're off!


That's right, this time tomorrow the first part of Aubrey's challenge will be over! 

The weather forecast predicts misery aka cold, wind and rain. Only one thing to do put the head down, suck it up and run!

See you on the other side! 

Knee injury

Emma: Earlier this year, while preparing for the Barcelona marathon I developed a knee injury that plagued my marathon and made it even more of a challenge than I'd hoped for. It turned out I have a problem with my IT band and needed physio to loosen it. IT band massages are painful stuff but they really work .

My physio discovered that the injury was caused by the way that I run, I have a slight overpronation, meaning that when I run my ankles roll inwards. To combat that you need a shoe that offers support in the inside. As it's only slight I have to be careful to choose a shoe that doesn't push me the other way causing other problems.

I run in New Balance WR860's these runners are a fairly neutral shoe and offer some support. I need to add an orthotic to them to make them my perfect fit, I've found them fantastic and they've helped me stay injury free throughout my training.

Now, if I had only worn them all the time instead of the super flat ballet pumps I wear so often that offer no support(fashion over function here I'm afraid!). Wearing these almost daily and upping my mileage has caused my old injury to resurface. This is not something you want happening 11 days before a marathon.

Yet this is something that happened. Doing an easy breezy 5km run on Tuesday night hurt, well my knee hurt and I knew exactly why. I panicked. I have spent the last 4 months training for this and now, last minute this happens. Luckily my physio was able to see me almost immediately and diagnosed the problem. With injuries, they can come back when you up your mileage and once you deal with them quickly they should be no problem. To treat it I've to stretch three times a day and use my trusty trigger point roller aka torture device.

So after a moment of panic about the most painful marathon mark two, it looks like thanks to my amazing physio, things will go to plan!

Until then I'm banned from wearing those shoes!

This day next week - Part 1 of the challenge

Aubrey: One week to go and I am like a coiled spring.  It is very frustrating I have a lot of energy but have to wait until race day before I can release it, as the tapering (wind down) has started.  This means that you must rest for about two weeks prior to race day with some short runs, so rather than the normal 25-30 k at the weekend I ran just 12 and this week will only do three 5 k runs.

On the upside the nervous excitement has started, and we will be heading into the Dublin City Marathon Expo this Saturday morning to pick up the race pack, with race numbers and some fun stuff...

I just hope the weather keeps fine and we don’t have a repeat of yesterday as I will need to bring arm bands and a canoe on the day if it does. Not sure if that's in the rules!

The Final Countdown

19 days, 18hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds.

Yesterday I completed my last 'long run' before the marathon, 32km or to put some context on it from Cabinteely to Clontarf... and back! It went well, I had fuelled properly throughout the week, was properly hydrated, had some amazing cheesy tunes to keep me going I was ready for anything. Some might call it strange but I enjoyed nearly every second of that run, I knew this was the last time I'd run this distance before the big day and that spurred me on!

The week before I completed a similar distance, and it nearly killed me. I had properly fuelled in the days leading up to it but I ate too early that morning and ran too late. By the time I hit 24km on the Rock Road I thought I was going to die. And I mean really die. I hurt everywhere, even my fingers hurt, I was moving at a good pace but in my mind I was shuffling along. The final 6km took what seemed like hours, but after checking my pace it was 20 secs off my optimum time per km. Not too bad for someone who was convinced she was going home in an ambulance!

We're now in the final stages of our marathon preparation, 4 months of hard work is paying off. The next 19 days for me(13 days for Aubrey) will be spent slowing our training right down and eating properly. We've done nearly all we can do to physically prepare for the marathon(or marathon's in Aubrey's case) and unlike an exam you can't get in any last minute cramming(unfortunately as I'm a crammer!). In fact I learnt the other day, not allowing your body to rest in the next few weeks will actually do you more harm than good!

We've still a good bit to go to reaching our target, so for those of you that haven't sponsored us yet click here and sponsor us online.

All money that we raised will go towards the Irish Cancer Society's cancer support services including research.

Me & my Mizuno’s

Every runner needs one essential piece of kit and yes there are those who run bare foot but the majority of us don’t, therefore it’s a good pair of runners.

I don’t like to do things by half measure when equipment is concerned be it mountain climbing, cycling, swimming or in this case running as equipment is vital to success. 

Therefore I went to Amphibian King two years ago, they checked my gait, running style and my feet. There is a technical way of describing their recommendation and findings but I won’t bore you with details.  What I required was a runner with medium support, so I tried on several brands.  The ones that fit me perfectly were Mizuno Wave Alchemy as I am a light runner as are the runners and since then I have never looked back, for me they are simply amazing!

I've had no less than 7 pairs in two years! Bonkers I know, but this is where the story gets interesting, one pair every 3 months or every 650km. You should change your runners every 500-650km. At the moment I am clocking on average 650km every 3 months, or to look at it another way a pair of runners and a bit per marathon. The average marathon training clocks up 1,000km!

As you will see below the beating they take is substantial.  Even though they are designed to last, a road runner will beat up any runners on their feet.

Inside the shoe

Two years worth of runners!

Take a look at some of the photos you will see substantial wear on the inner lining, top of eyelets (for laces) and that’s what you see on the surface so imagine how the compound of the runner is.  In addition to this you can see how much rubber has worn off from the sole which also affects how the foot, ankle, knee & leg perform.

My advice is don’t skimp on your runners, be certain they fit you, don’t be led by an overzealous sales person trying to sell you the latest rocket shoes & don’t forget to buy the correct socks to match. 

A seasoned runner should not suffer much from blisters & therefore choose your socks carefully, personally I favour Hilly Mono Skin anklets, they are light durable and in short excellent. 

Remember if you run frequent long distances you need to change your runners, they may still look clean and new, but are they still structurally intact?

Since investing in the right runner for me, I have had little or no leg injury that could be attributed to the runner, of course I have tripped up but that is because I never learnt how to tie my laces!

Am I a runner?

While we were at an amazing wedding last weekend in Castle Leslie(great food, fantastic music and brilliant fun. Can I do it all again this weekend?!) a funny thing happened, the groom introduced myself and Aubrey as 'the athletes'. I've never laughed so hard in my life. I run, sorry move quicker than a walk, but would never in a million years call myself an athlete(I PRESUME he was joking when he was referring to me!) 


I wasn't sporty in school(my friends will testify! In fact I perfected forging my parents signature in order to get out of PE!) and have been a sporadic gym go-er yo yo-ing between 5/6 days a week to once every 5/6 weeks! However at the back of my mind I've always admired people who run marathons and wanted to be one of those people. I'm not talking Sonia O'Sullivan style but someone who could finish a marathon without the help of an ambulance. 


When I turned 29, inspired by the crazy fit Aubrey I decided right, that's it, if I do nothing this year I'll complete a marathon. I set myself a birthday goal and wrote it on a piece of paper. I told everyone I knew about it, which meant there was no way I could back out of it! I did it for myself to see what I could achieve, no charity involved as if I didn't make it across the finish line I wanted only to be letting myself down.

It was tough, really tough and I'm only talking about the training, nevermind the marathon itself! Barcelona was the marathon I set my sights on which meant training through the winter(horrible idea!) it's cold, windy, rainy and sometimes snowy which means indoor training which is no fun. Trying to run 10k on a treadmill is like torture, every second feels like a lifetime, it's really a struggle. Coupled with that I picked up a knee injury which made training hellish.

4 months of training 4 days a week is torture for someone who likes to be sporadic and go with the flow. The weeks leading up to the big event is nerve wracking, will I get enough sleep the night before? What can I expect? Will my feet fall off due to the amount of blisters I'm sure I'm going to get? What if my legs fall off? What if I actually die because I am the least sporty person in the world?! My over active imagination went into overdrive in the weeks leading up to Barcelona. 

The night before's sleep - if I can call it that was limited, I spent most of it tossing and turning, full of anxious thoughts, Why am I doing this to myself?!

But once you get to the start line you realise why you're doing it. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. The excitment, the smell of deep heat, the banana skins, the anticipation in the air. The start, thousands of runners moving in the same direction, ready for the challenge, the next few hours, the blisters, the pain and the litres of gross powerade! The months of preparation, you've done everything you can do, no room for last minute cramming. THIS IS IT!

All of this for what? A shiny medal that's what! And the knowledge that you beat yourself, you proved yourself wrong - you are a marathoner!

This time it's going to be even better, the crowds in New York, running through those streets, wearing the Irish Cancer Society's logo with pride, knowing this time, I'm not just beating myself and hoping for my own marathon PB I'm helping do something in the fight against cancer.

And I can't wait!

Click here to sponsor us

Check it out!

Ever want a reason to pick up a copy of the Dun Laoghaire Gazette? Well now you have one! Aubrey features in this week's edition, talking about our challenge. Pick up a copy now!

Ironman Galway

Here's a taster of last weekend's Ironman.



Video courtesy of Galwaygirl on http://www.galway.com/video/ironman-703-galway/

2 months! Tick tock tick tock!

So this time two months, myself and Aubrey will have completed the New York marathon(fingers crossed!) All the training, hard work, dedication, pain, blisters... will have paid off and we can't wait!


Training has been going well, last night I had one of the best runs since I started training(I'm not being lazy tonight not running - it's a rest day!) Aubrey's training has been going very well also.

On Sunday Aubrey took part in his first Ironman in Galway and successfully completed it. Not only that he did it in really good time. Conditions were tough, the atlantic was wild - making the swim quite difficult. The 90km cycle wasn't much better as there were 20km headwinds with some of the worst rain I've seen all year. Luckily conditions improved for the run, the sun shone and supporters came out in force. Despite completing a swim and cycle Aubrey had his best time ever for the run! He's set the standard high for not one but two marathons!

He's taking it easy(ish) for most of this week, to allow himself to recover after sunday. This weekend he'll be doing a 20km run this weekend and I'll be doing 18km. Scary mary!

Thanks Amphibian King!

Amphibian King is the place to go if you're in the market for new running gear. In particular runners. These guys know their stuff! According to their website :

"Amphibian King is a run specialist and we perform gait analysis to ensure you get the right shoe.

We have a range of running shoes and we stock all of the top brands like asics, Brooks, Saucony, Mizuno, Inov8.

At Amphibian King you can prepare for your triathlon with a visit to our swim shop and then get the apparel for the long distance running

At Amphibian King we promise to put you in the perfect shoes not the most expensive shoe."

They're not lying when they say they put you in the perfect shoe, but not the most expensive. For my last marathon I headed down to Damien and got my gait analysed(this involved running down a short bit of track in your bare feet while you are recorded.The purpose of this is to see how you landwith each stride) He got me to try on various types of runners to understand why I needed the perfect fit. It's so important to have the perfect shoe for your foot. Wearing the wrong shoe can cause injury and be a complete waste of money!

Damien has kindly sponsored us for our marathon challenge and will be kitting us out!

Thanks Damien and all at Amphibian King! :)

Tricky training!

Training 4 days a week for 4 months can be tricky. It's takes time planning and then when you think you can fit all your runs in easily, life gets in the way and you find yourself getting up early, or running late to keep on top of things and to keep putting those miles on your legs.

The last two weeks were particularly tricky work was(is!) hectic and the weather wasn't the best(summer - what summer! Has officially left us), making sure you hit the distances on the 4 runs was tough.

I spoke to a girl in work about it and she showed me an amazing video on which brought back memories of the marathon in Barcelona, the pain, the sweat, the blisters and the pure joy when you cross that finish line. I can't wait to get my medal on 6th November because this time it will be even more special together, myself and Aubrey, with your help will have raised €10,000 for cancer research in Ireland. If that's not something to make you smile, I don't know what is!

Want to get involved? Contact us at emmahamiltonpr@gmail.com or sponsor us online by clicking here

Week 5

Now heading into our fifth week of training and its amazing how the distance clocks up.  We had a combined running distance last week of (57 + 28) and lets just say both our legs were knackered at the weekend.

This weekends running was tough not so much because of the distance but it seem to pore rain when Emma went out for her long run and the same happened to me, to say we were soaked would be an understatement, thank goodness there was warm food and lots of it when we got home. 

This week will see us step it up a notch again, Emma has to hit 13km on the long run furthest she's run for months. My training actually drops back a little but have to add in some cross training so will go for a swim and a long cycle with the lads on Saturday.   

Unfortunately since the last post I've badly injured my shoulder swimming in preparation for Ironman Galway (an old dislocation problem) thankfully this injury hasn't affected my running.  I took a trip to the legendary physiotherapist Dr Marie Elaine Grant, who's helped me out. As I wasn't behaving myself and doing my homework I was given a firm telling off for not doing enough maintenance exercise on the eternal rotator cuff, which is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the shoulder or in simple terms keep it in place and not slip out or dislocate…ouch!!

Aside from that the other big change is we got a foam roller yesterday in Argos which helps massage sore legs after long runs and is an important ingredient to our recovery plans.

Running here there and everywhere

We've been neglecting the blog of late - sorry! It's been a busy couple of weeks with trips to London, weddings in Cork and stags in Westport. Despite all that training is continuing and going well - even managed to get two runs in while over in London. Check out the short video!

Our run took us around Fulham including past Stamford Bridge! Good to mix up our runs and get a chance to see a new city while at it

Outside Chelsea FC

It's only just begun!

Into the second week of training(only another 14 to go!) and the legs are feeling the runs! The first couple of weeks are actually some of the hardest even though the distance is nothing at all.(sorry correction nothing compared to week 12 and 13 and the final week where we'll be running over 55km a week!) You're legs are starting to get used to pounding the pavements four times a week and your head has to get around the fact that you can't skip a run, no excuses!

We are so lucky to live by the sea as there are so many wonderful and scenic runs on our doorstep. So far this week we have run the west pier in Dun Laoghiare and 'the Dalkey loop'(which is from Dun Laogharie out along Sandycove onto Coliemore up over Sorrento and back around), all in all amazing stuff! Thankfully we have had some nice(ish) weather of late which has helped with the motivation.

As the weeks go by we'll really start clocking up the mileage on our long runs at the weekend. Sometimes it's difficult to map a route that's interesting and not too well worn!

As loyal supporters we're asking you to come up with an idea for a run, then we can map it and run it. Generally we like to start and/or finish in Dun Laoghaire(Crunch is there, it's handy too, travelling too far makes it even harder to motivate yourself!) Last time round someone suggested we get the dart to Howth and run home! Now that's a run and a half - 24.6km exactly! Mental when you can tell anyone that will listen that you ran home from Howth!

Got an idea for a run? Leave a comment below

Did you know..?

The average Marathoner’s training plan including the Marathon covers some 1,031 kilometres in a four month period. That's from Dublin to Bordeaux!

The average amount of water a marathoner drinks in a four month training period is 310 litres.

On a warm day the average runner can lose up to four litres of sweat during a marathon.

If you weigh say 68kilos (10.7 stone) you burn on average 1,126 for every 10 miles run so for the marathon its 2,927 and the training period 116,090. Any one for Pizza?!

The average body can store between 1,200 and 1,500 calories in muscle and liver therefore it begs the question where does the extra amount required for the marathon come from..? Fatty acids and the fuel you put in during the race…

Every wondered by some marathoners have white deposits on their skin when they finish a marathon? The average athlete will lose approximately 1000 milligrams of sodium per litre of sweat or two teaspoons of salt per marathon.

Most common complaints when running a marathon are cramps, sore muscles, lack of will power…..most of which are easily dealt with.

A average marathon runner changes their runners after each marathon as they have worn out!

€10,000 WOW that's ALOT of money!

It's been a week since myself and Aubrey officially signed up to the challenge of a lifetime and our fundraising has started off fantastically. Unbelievably we're already a 10th of the way there, we really appreciate everyone's support to date, not only the sponsorship but also the offers of valuable time and ideas. Thank you everyone!

Training OFFICIALLY starts this week(has anyone got a spare pair of legs, we might just need them!) Four days of running, all short runs, 5km, 7km, 5km and 8km. (I'm laughing as I type 'short runs' it's not so long ago that I thought 3km was the longest distance ever. Taking me 30 mins to recover afterwards! I never thought I would complete a marathon let alone sign up for another one!) As Aubrey is bringing his part of the challenge to another level, completing Dublin on the Monday then on to New York on the Sunday, he will be adding an extra day of training and some speed training. All distances will be somewhat the same.

For the gamblers amongst you we will be opening up a sweepstakes to guess our times, individually and together, more details to follow later in the week!

p.s. Got an idea for a fundraiser? Email us at emmahamiltonpr@gmail.com

The very first post!

There we are posing with our medals earlier this year after completing Marto Barcelona. What a day! Not only was there glorious sunshine, but I had just completed the unimaginable - I had finished a marathon! No not a shopping marathon or a sleep marathon(I've a good couple of those under my belt!), an actual road race, with people who liked to run for a very long time. It's an experience I'll never forget it.

Before I took on Barcelona, I thought I'd never compete in one marathon, let alone two! But here I am getting ready to embark on my biggest challenge to date, the New York City marathon, the king of all marathons, the big one. Ahh but that's not a challenge I hear you say, you've both done it before(this will be Aubrey's forth), you need a bigger challenge. You're right - myself and Aubrey wanted a bigger challenge and have set ourselves an enormous fundraising target €10,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.

It's ambitious, some will call us crazy(wouldn't be the first time!) but it's a cause, like many of you reading this, that is very close to our hearts. We know the sweat, blisters and possible tears(Aubrey's not mine!) will be worth it.

Over the next four months we'll be updating this blog with our journey to marathon glory!

So pull up a chair and join us for our NYC €10,000 challenge in aid of the Irish Cancer Society!