It is the almost the end!

I can't believe 2008 has gone by so fast, but we are counting down the days! So what do we have planned for 2009, well no more then 10 hours in, and we will be running in the 5 mile hangover classic! It is going to be an amazing year of running. We are attempting 2 marathons, one in May, and another in October. We are already training better now though, then we did before our first marathon. The last month has been an adventure in running. We did a 10K race in Newport, during a snow storm! Ran a bunch of miles on treadmills and indoor tracks due to our pre-Christmas snow in, and then today, December 28th, it was 60 degrees outside! Sarah and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on the 24th, and had a great time. The next day we were up for a nice 8 mile run! The nice thing about all of the running, is that you can really enjoy the holiday foods, and not feel that bad! Our next big race is only a few weeks away, and it is in Bermuda. I am looking forward to the time away and the running. I hope Bermuda has good food!

2 Days Until Thanksgiving!

I can't believe this time of year is already here! It feels like just the other day I was lying on the beach and enjoying the sun, and now I am running in tewnty something degree mornings. Well at least we did not have any snow yet. Thanksgiving is definately my favorite day of the year. I love to eat, and that is what the day is all about. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce is what my plate will look like a few times over on Thursday, and I can't wait! We are starting to gear up for our big January event. The Bermuda Triangle Challange,
I think it is going to be awesome, and I have never been to Bermuda so I am pumped. The best part is that the races are in the morning, and then we will have the rest of the days to eat, drink and hang out! Sarah is talking a lot of trash about beating me in the first race (it is a one miler), so that will be an interesting day. She has been training extremely hard on the indoor track, and I think she might shoot by me in the race. It is going to be quite the race, maybe ESPN will show up to cover it (in HD) for you all to watch!

What does a Marathon Feel Like?

There are a so many ways to answer that question. The greatest feeling, happens when you finish. The overwhelming pride of accomplishment, relief of being done, and joy of knowing you can finally stop! There are so many other feelings however that occur before you start, while you are running, and after it is all over. Before the race, it was mostly nerves. Not really knowing what it will be like to run 26.2 miles. Tossing and turning the night before, worrying about going to the bathroom, throwing up, passing out, dropping out, or any other fear of not finishing. Finally the day comes, and all that stuff has to get out of your head, so you can focus on running. It starts out like any other run. You can enjoy the scenery, talk a little with your running mates, and you are full of energy. It was not until about mile 20 that things started to change. (Disclaimer, I did have one of my fears come true at mile 6, I had to pee, but I was able to stop and take care of that with out much issue).

Mile 20 to 24 was probably the most painful experience of my life. We had been running for almost 4 hours by the time we got to the 20 mile marker. With 6 miles to go, I just really did not know if I could do it. Each mile after 20 was more and more painful. My legs hurt, my feet hurt, and I still had more then an hour to go. I just wanted to stop and be done. There was a point at around mile 23, where there was water and food, where I stopped to get something, and I could feel myself wobbling on my feet. The only thing I could do to not fall over, was to just start running again. Finally however, there was something that could take the pain away, and that was hope. We were at mile 24, so there is only 2.2 mile left. We were finally in reach, and after some water, gatoraid, skittles and banana, my body was feeling a little better I am sure. From that point I knew we would make it. It was great at mile 25 to have our support group starting with us. Rick, from our running club was biking behind us, or training partner Sue, was running along side us (with a pom pom) and Mitchell was there too, running along side, for the whole last mile. I was running almost soley on adrenaline. When we finally finished, after the overwhelming emotions that I went through by completing the ridiculous distance, I was happy to have so many friends and family to share it with. The best part of the whole experience was sharing it with my wife, who ran along side with me the entire time.

Now the post race experience. I haven't left my bed since I got home last night, except to eat, and purchase food. My leg muscles are killing me, and it is exhausting to walk around Stop & Shop. According to our internet research, it could be pretty painful for a full week! I am pretty sure I dropped five pounds though. I should have, I ran for 5 hours and 9 minutes a further distance then I drive most days! Next time, I am taking time off of work after, because I am not sure tomorrow is going to be so great!

Marathon!

It is officially official. If you didn’t know, Sarah and I have been training all summer to run the Newport Breakers Marathon (Yes that is 26.2 miles like the Boston Marathon, only in Newport).

We have finally committed today, by registering for the race. We are running on October 18th, starting at 8:00 AM. Based on our pace during all of our training, that means we will probably finish sometime around 12:30 (not midnight, but in the afternoon). We need all the support we can get, so if you are in the neighborhood that day, or need an excuse to go to Newport, come see Sarah and I run our first marathon (and maybe the last!!). I know you can’t all make it, but sure to think of us that day as your drinking your morning coffee!

Wish us luck!

Labor Day in Training

We did a couple of huge races this summer. In July we did the Blessing of the Fleet, a 10 mile race with over 3,000 runners, and in August we did the Falmouth Road Race (thanks again by the way to all those who donated), which was a 7 mile race with over 10,000 runners. In addition to those races, we have put training into high gear. Marathon Boot Camp is probably one of the most physically exhausting things I have ever done. Sarah and I woke up one day a little before 4:00 AM, and ran a 15 mile route, before work! This was definitely an interesting run, we saw some of Providence's finest, including a well experienced employee of the Cadillac Lounge getting off work, and we witnessed some of Providence's prostitutes doing business. The hardest part of the run though, was getting dressed and into work on time after running for over two hours. Today was the best yet though, we have finally broken our record for our farthest run ever. A 17 mile run, and now we have the rest of day to relax and enjoy this fine late summer day! Only a little over a month to go until the marathon and things are looking pretty good!

10 Miles in July

Sarah and I ran the Blessing of the Fleet 10 mile road race yesterday. I know we have already run well beyond the distance of 10 miles, but a race that starts at 6:00on a Friday evening in July is bound to be a little uncomfortable. It actually was not as bad as we had thought it would be. It was really hot though. The race is held in Narragansett, so there was a nice breeze in the air. Sarah and I finished together at a time of 1:41. It was a really nice race, with an awesome post race seafood festival (though I ate hotdogs). The festival included some free beer! I have spent a good part of July out in the Providence Harbor. I have been taking sailing lessons at the Providence Community Boating Center. The classes have been fun, and the sailing is fantastic, but I did tip over into the water off India Point Park three times. I was pretty grossed out all three times, but I haven't lost or grown any new body parts, so maybe it is not that bad. August starts next week, the crickets have started making their noises and the vegetable garden is providing us lots of treats. Summer is in full swing at 3 Oliver.

July 4th

Happy Birthday America!

July 4th in our part of town means lots of fireworks. I don't mean fireworks set off by the local municipalities, I mean the neighbors. They set off tons of fire works, all weekend long. There were some moments on Friday night, when I thought the front of our house was going to be blown off by the neighborhood pyrotechnics. I swear some one on the street got their hands on some fireworks that are meant for city or town shows, because those things were loud! Any way, I wanted to show off our vegetable garden as well. We haven't done this well with veggies since we lived in Pawtucket. We are going to have tomatoes, zucchini and peppers coming out of our ears! (I built the box myself!).

Summer in Rhode Island

Ah yes,

My favorite time of year has finally returned. We spent the long hard winter running in the cold, enjoyed the new born life of spring as the trees and plants came alive, and now we can take in the sun and pretend for 3 months, that we live in a tropical paradise. Summer means cook outs in the back yard, Miller High Life, Providence Water Fire and the beach, all wrapped into a single weekend. I heard on the radio the other day, "There are only 13 weeks of summer, so what will you do with them?" That really puts into perspective how important enjoying the summer really is. So before it technically begins (it unofficially starts on Memorial Day of course) we have already purchased our season beach pass, gotten our first color (a little more red then brown, but its color), and had our first few cookouts. As I toss and turn tonight, because the sun burn won't really allow me to fall asleep, I will be smirking at how I am just starting to enjoy the summer of 2008!

A summer time activity, and yes I am wearing a bike helmet.

Holiday

The Europeans call vacation "holiday". A great term for a period of time that you take to forget the troubles of the everyday activities of life, and relax. That is just what we did. We spent the last week in on a cruise, eating too much food, having too many drinks, while getting too much sun. Not a care in the world though, and I feel great! I do still feel like I am on a giant boat however, and keep rocking back and forth here and there. You can probably count on me not going on another cruise any time soon. Don't get me wrong, they are a good time. I just like to change it up a little for the next big vacation. Tomorrow it is back to reality, back to the rat race, back to work. That's alright though, I can only spend so much time living the dream, now I have to earn the dollars that pay for the dream. This weekend officially starts squid season. Wish me luck, maybe this year I will end up like the guy below (believe it or not, I actually want it to happen!)

Half Marathon

So it is finally official. Sarah and I have run a half marathon. Yesterday we completed the New Beford Half Marathon on one the last days of Winter. What a way to send off the long cold season that we spent outside training for this very race. It did not rain or snow during the race (which was fore casted), but there were some killer winds by the New Bedford shore line. I finished in 2:01:38, and Sarah in 2:08:38. Both of these times are amazing for us. Looking back, we had not run more then 3.2 miles just over a year ago. The idea of running six miles seemed outrageous. Now we just finished a 13.1 mile race, and have our eyes on the next big goal; 26.2. I will take this moment to feel accomplished and proud to achieve the goal. It does go to show you, all you have to do to reach a goal is put your mind to it. I will spend the rest of today tell everyone I see, whether they care or not what I did this weekend. It feels that good!

The Never Ending Winter

I know it has been a while. Sometimes I fall behind, and I do not realize that I haven's said anything in over a month! Since my last posting, I have run a 15 mile route, and a 13 mile route, Sarah ran a 16 mile route!. I am just waiting for the winter to break. Just when I think the temperatures are back on the rise, the forecast states it is going to be under 15 degrees. I have never spent so much outside in the winter in my life. I have spent almost everyday of the New England winter outside, and at hours between 5:00 AM and 9:00 AM, what I believe is the coldest time of the day. If I had not already earned my stripes as a true New Englander, I think I have know. The sun is setting later at night, and the clocks are changing in a few weeks. All we need is some warmer temperatures, and leaves on the trees, and I will be happy for three more seasons!

The Big Pay Off

So does all the training pay off in the end? I think today was a good example of training that pays off. Sarah has been running every day, 4:30 AM, freezing temperatures, ice, snow, cold wind and she doesn’t stop. I have been there too, though I was injured and on the sidelines for a few weeks. I think today, we finally felt some of the benefits of all that training. We ran over 12 miles, more then half of it in a snow storm. We ran less then a mile short of the distance we need to run to finish a half of a marathon. We ran a good pace, grew snow beards, and had ice on our eye lashes. I laid out in intricate detail my Monday work schedule for Sarah, while she listened with great interest in order to help the two hour out door workout go by just a little faster. We ran from Providence, to Cranston, to Warwick and back (Which to most Rhode Islanders is a day trip using a car). At the end of this run, we both looked at each other and said “I could keep going”. That is training that paid off. We know we can run far. We know we can run even further. And of course I can eat what ever I feel like after running for two hours straight. Hopefully next time, it will not snow.