not a whale watch

On Saturday, Andrew and I headed up the coast to Boothbay Harbor for a whale watch. I have been excited about this for a couple weeks now and since Andrew is obsessed with fish, I knew he would love it too.

Ugh, more pictures?

On our way, we stopped at the Brunswick diner for breakfast. If you are looking for a clean restaurant and attentive service, don't go here. However, I wasn't expecting to much from a diner AND they had egg beaters for my veggie omeletette, so I was good to go.

After breakfast, we got back in the car and drove the 40 or so minutes to Boothbay Harbor. Such a cute town!

Anyway, the town is a bit more memorable than the whale watch was. We saw a sharks, sun-fish, seals and a bazzilion birds but no whales.

JAWS Imma gona eat you..

We also got to see a lot of cute seals on Pumpkin Island:

The whale watch was still fun and hanging out in Boothbay with Andrew for a while was a blast.

Eight is great

This afternoon at work, I was slumped over in my chair getting through piles of paper when the mere thought of my 5 PM run hit me. It actually made me wanna cry. Running on a Friday afternoon was something I had never really understood. A glass of wine is usually the way I roll after a long week at work.

There was really no way I could back out of it now- my sister was counting on me. When I got home at 5, she called cheerily and said "I'll be right there!"

Ugh. Ok, it was on. Positive thinking was the only way I could wrap my head around it. When she got to my place, I plastered on my fakest smile and we took off.

How was it? GREAT!

Hahaha, so happy!

We chatted the entire time and it was SO nice. Our loop took us through Baxter Park, Deering Park and up the hill that is State Street. My legs burned a lot of the time but being able to bond during a run with my sister made it so worth it.

When we got to the bridge that heads into SOPO we banged a left and went down busy Commercial St. The hustle and bustle through the Old Port and our conversation made the minutes just fly by.

As we headed down the Eastern promenade toward Back Bay, our pace slowed down a bit but it didn't really matter. Running eight miles IS running eight miles. Besides, I can easily blame my slogging on the distracting views...

Summer pic.. no camera while running :)

Summer pic.. no camera while running :)

All in all, it was a great run and made me feel just a little more confident that I'll be able to tackle 13.1 miles in 2 months. All it takes is a little confidence and a good running buddy. Oh, and of course all of our donations are going to this  organization.

On a Whim

Well, I am just going to come out and say it. I signed up for my first half marathon with my sister Emily. We will be running 13.1 long and weary miles this upcoming October.

Basically, our conversation went like this:
Me: Let's just DO IT!
Em: We HAVE too.

Really, this conversation lasted atleast 6 months when finally Emily pulled up the webpage and signed herself up. BAM! I knew there was no way of backing out then- or Emily may have disowned me as her sister.

It has been about a month since we signed up and we have two more to go before the big event. I am not calling it a race because I will not be racing against anyone but myself. Just thinking about calling it a race gives me terrible anxiety and all I really need to do is make sure I show up October 2nd.

Emily & I on the left relaxing.. not running. Oops.

Anyway, training has been good so far for me! I have really been pretty consistent with running except for this past weekend. Andrew's family was here from Illinois so I didnt really get in any solid runs.

At first, my mind was telling me there was no way I could bounce back after one weekend. Then, I started realizing how stupid that was! Your body doesn't completely lose fitness after a few days off. On Tuesday, I ran 6 miles no problem. Badda bing badda boom. Take that, negative thinking!

One of the best things about running long distances is how each and every day the distance you are running seems shorter and shorter. For example, a month ago, running 6 miles seemed near imposssible and now it is completely do-able for me. It is do-able AND very enjoyable.

I will have to tell you, the worst thing about running in the great outdoors is not having a bathroom near. Not going to lie, I have been hitting up restaurants, cafes, and gas stations to use their lovely facilities. Thank God for the numerous coffee shops around Portland. ;)



I do have to say the best thing about running this half marathon is the great organization all of our donations are going too!

When I first moved to Portland and started exploring, I noticed this building on Forest Avenue called the Center for Grieving Children. Since I have always felt a connection with the youngins', I can recall researching the Center on the web. The work that they do is incredible and I feel blessed that I can help any amount.

If you feel so compelled, my sister and I have started a fundraising page (Click here to visit!). Any donation is a donation and is much appreciated! Thank you so much.