After my exam, I went in to the city and had a carb-loaded dinner for my race today! I spent my morning in a coffee shop (what a shock, I know!) working on a research paper and getting caught up on emails before Conner and I met up with Helen for lunch. Helen is a professor in electrical engineering at Purdue that is here for the semester doing research. It was another great reminder of my (Purdue) home. We got to know each other and share our favorite things of West Lafayette and of Europe. She was an awesome lady and we had a great afternoon chatting!
Paul met me at Conner’s apartment where we had dinner and chilled for a couple hours before race time. The Run in the Dark 10k (which is ran all over the world!) raises money for spinal cord injury research. At the same time (8pm) 25000 people worldwide were starting the race together. Me and 9000 other people ran through Dublin tonight! It was windy, but a clear and beautiful night for a 10k. Paul and I had a great time running together! I finished in 51 minutes 6 seconds, cutting my previous personal record by 3 minutes. I was able to meet up with another friend, Fiona, from UCD as well after the race! All of us have attended Purdue, and it was so cool to be running around Dublin together for a great cause. Can’t wait for my next race, whenever that may be.
Still enjoying every moment here, and I’m looking forward to the next few days as it nears an exciting weekend for Conner and I!