Corked: Part 2 of 3

We woke up fairly early on Sunday morning. As this was the day before the race I was feeling a little nervous but nothing serious enough to put me off my usual hotel treat... a full Irish breakfast!! In hindsight it was not the cleverest option for breakfast; I have been leading an extremely healthy lifestyle for the last few months and a plate full of greasy sausages, bacon and what could be described a scrambled eggs was a shock to the system. Having polished off the last strip of bacon I decided that I would never set eyes on such an unhealthy breakfast.

We had planned on visiting Kinsale for the day, we didn't plan the route which turned out to be a roller coaster ride through the hills of south Cork. We could have used the main road but in the spirit of adventure we opted for the magical mystery tour approach. There were several moments along the route when it looked like I may have to renege on that promise I made earlier.... I came perilously close to seeing that breakfast again...

Finally we made it... to the outskirts of Kinsale. Traffic was chaotic, it turns out it was race day and the usual beach bound throng was multiplied by punters and nag fanciers. I'm not entirely sure what a nag fancier is but I'm assured it's legal in this part of the world. Slowly we inched our way down hill towards the village, eyed peeled for a parking space. Lucky for us we were in the right place at the right time when the reverse lights on an ideally parked Ford Mondeo flickered on.

Safely, and conveniently, parked we made our way to a highly recommended fish restaurant whose name escapes me now. After a fantastic lunch it was back into traffic and slowly onto the beach. Traffic on the approach roads to the beech was chaotic, nothing was moving and we were painfully close to the sand dunes. My passengers did the sensible thing and abandoned the car in favour of a short walk to the beech. I, on the other hand, inched forward towards something that I hoped as a parking space. The frustration levels were high & getting higher and after much wailing and gnashing of teeth I finally happened upon a parking space.

After a lovely long seaside walk it was back into the the car and a surprising easy drive back to Cork city and the hotel. Time for a swim, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi before dinner.

During yet another top drawer Corkonian dinner our experienced marathon runner advised no alcohol the night before, drat! Later, back at the hotel the staff were very helpful and were preparing breakfast for 30 marathon participants the next morning. We ordered our breakfast porridge and retired for a good nights sleep.

Unfortunately, and typical the night before anything remotely exciting, I found it hard to sleep. I did have a weird dream... I was in a forest, there was a thick, heavy fog and it was dark, very scary, then my phone rings and I can barely see it through the fog and before I can answer it rings off... it was a mist call, oh well!