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!