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Published: February 3rd 2009
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Thursday I headed back into Dublin to meet up with friends and then go out to Galway the following day. I was revisiting the first couchsurfers I stayed with because they were having a moving party. All of the roomates were leaving to go back the their corners of the world, so about 10 people came to the house for dinner and a party. Shingo, their friend from Japan was the designated cook for the night and made us a traditional Japanese meal of meso soup, noodles, lots of cabbage prepared in different ways and even warm sake. It was all delicious and so authentic! Who'd think I'd come to Ireland and eat Japanese? Dinner was followed by live music, as most of the people there all played instruments, so the evening was not only culturally enlightening, but entertaining as well.
A friend and I took the bus to Galway (on the west coast) the next day. When we arrived it was dark and cold and I immediately stepped in a puddle that was actually more like a lake and drenched myself all the way up to my knees. The night wasn't too very exciting, just a few pints with
our host, some wandering around the small city, and then bed. In the morning our host, who had previously told us we could stay the whole weekend had some unexpected news and told us we'd have to find some other place. Not to worry, we had hours to go. We packed up our bags and our backs hurt just looking at them and thinking about the 20 minute walk we had into town. Walking around with a pack all day doesn't necessarily make my shoulders feel relaxed. Fortunately, in the neighbors yard, there was shopping cart. We took it and put of our bags in it and pushed it all the way into the city center. I am sure we looked like bag ladies destined to live with 25 cats, either that our junkies looking to sell stolen good for a score. It didn't matter what we looked like because our backs/shoulders were spared!
We spent the day wandering around the busy city, which is more like a town, and listening to all of the different languages being spoken around us. Galway is small, and has 2 or 3 universities so it brings students for all over the world,
which in turn equals really good night life. Thankfully I found a couch for the night, and parted with my friend because she was going back to Dublin to sleep in the airport and catch a plane to Italy. Before she left we went into the small farmers market and ate some spicey Indian curry, which hit the spot on a chilly day.
My host for the night was one of the many people that came to Galway for a weekend and never left. He had been there now for about 6 years and knew all the good places to go. We went out to a few different pubs and talked with people from all over the world, and danced to music from all over the world. The pints were reasonably priced, and the pubs didn't have any cover charge so we had the freedom to bounce anywhere we pleased. I was supposed to leave the next day to get back to Dublin and then head out to the grounds, but I decided I liked the funky little city too much to leave just yet. I spent the next day learning how to flip a proper pan cake (the
two hands
that is way more than a pint... things we call pan cakes in the US are flap jacks really, I was told by an adament Irishman, there is a long history behind the pan cake and it has been lost in the US), taking walks along the coast and generally soaking up the atmosphere.
But, wait, what about running?!?! Ah yes, running. Last Wed. I took a long run and about 3/4 of the way began feeling pain in my right knee. I kept running, but the pain was getting stronger and I was having to over compensate with my other leg. I got back to the house and put a loaf of frozen bread on it, decided to rest the next day and hope for the best. Well, going up and down stairs didn't feel very good and I started googleing for a self diagnosis. Unfortunately I think I have come to the conclusion that I have iliotibial band syndrome, based on multiple physiotherapy websites that I read. The good news is that is a pretty common injury and there are pleanty of different methods for treatment. The injury usually occurs from overuse (and I have been running a lot) and hill running (it is really hilly where I am). There is a band the runs from your pelvis and attaches to the outside of your knee, that is the iliotibial band, and the combination of overuse, hills and tightness of this band can result with the injury. The bad news is that in order for this to feel better, it takes time, patience, and rest. I am 3 weeks and 6 days away from this marathon, and up until this point my training was going well. I am not going to give up! I've been you tubing different stretches and coming up with a program for myself so that I can start feeling better and finish what I've started. Now, I have to remember that there will always be marathons to run, but that I only have 2 knees. If the time comes around and my knee is still hurting, I may have to sit this one out, but I am pretty determinded that will not happen. I did a lot of walking in Galway and it hurt a bit, and I took a short run this morning and it didn't feel good. Alas, I have 3 weeks and 6 days to get better. Through self diagnosis I know what I have to do and I'm going to give it my best shot. This just gives validity to my theory that yoga is the cure all to any and every ailment!!!!
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