Flora Women's Mini Marathon

I did it! Today I walked 10km around Dublin's city streets with forty eight thousand other women who were all taking part in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon. The day was glorious, really warm and sunny. I got a thrill from walking down the middle of roads that were usually the sole domain of cars. I was nervous at the start because I had been told you get crushed and carried along by all the people, but thankfully that wasn't my experience. It took 26 minutes of shuffling to get over the start line and then I could stretch out and find my stride. There were loads of people supporting us along the way, clapping and cheering as we passed and hanging signs out of their windows to encourage us. One man decided to stand on his front steps blowing a whistle and stripping. There were also bands playing music every couple of kms. There was a great festival feeling. Lots of walkers stopped off along the way for drinks or popped into shops for ice cream and sweets. Some sat down at bus stops for a rest. I was surprised to see a lot of people smoking as they walked along. Near the end of the route firemen were housing down the crowd to keep them cool. There were regular water stations along the way as well. At 6km I hit the wall with a really painful blister on my left heel. I didn't think I would be able to continue but after a minute of agony I was able to pull up my socks and continue. One woman had brought her dog, who had a race number on her collar. The best bit was crossing the finish line and getting my medal.