Walk Into the Future

Tag: Rhode Island

  • 2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon

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    “Rhode Island is the smallest state, but it has the biggest heart”.

    (Gina Raimondo)

    My Walk into the Future took me back to Providence, Rhode Island for the 2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon.  This was the inaugural running of this race and was advertised as a scenic route through East Providence neighborhoods.  The race was also advertised as completely flat—I’m guessing folks in Rhode Island do not comprehend the term ‘flat’ like we do in Florida. 😊

    I ventured over to Providence when I visited New England back in October 2023.  I flew up on Breeze Airways to explore Hartford, Connecticut and made stops in Springfield, Massachusetts and Providence.  Providence seemed to have a lot to offer so decided to head back there directly since Breeze Airways added direct flights from Vero Beach to Providence/Boston.

    I wanted to explore as a running tourist so looked for half marathons in the local area.  I booked flight and hotel accommodations once I discovered the 2024 Rhode Island Half marathon.  I’ve never run in New England but felt the weather would be good in mid-May and would get me out of the Florida humidity.  Most of my training and road races are in the south and I’m always trying to balance weather, humidity and course conditions.  Rhode Island seemed the perfect getaway to explore and experience good weather.  Check and check on both items.

    Flew out of Vero Beach on a Friday morning so I would not have to rush to attend packet pickup.  Arriving on a Friday also provided additional time to explore the local area and find local food spots.  My hotel was only 9 miles from the airport and in the heart of downtown Providence.  Decided to walk and explore a bit after I checked into the hotel.  The folks at the valet stand were very helpful identifying local eateries they recommended.  Set out for The District because of the variety on the menu and it was less than two blocks away.

    Made my way over with designs to sit at the bar and watch NBA playoff basketball.  The District is a smaller venue and every sit at the bar was taken by locals—guess this is their Friday night hangout spot.  No worries—got a seat at a high top in the bar area and tried one of the local light beers.  Turns out my waitress was running her first half marathon (Rhode Island) on Sunday, and we bonded over talking about training and projected times.  Didn’t feel too adventurous on my food selection so went with wings, fries and multiple beers to help with my carb loading process. 

    Packet pickup was scheduled for Saturday at the local run shop, Marathon Sports.  This shop is in Providence Place, which is a fancy name for a multi-level mall.  Marathon Sports was a short walk from my hotel so decided to use the walk on Saturday to stretch my legs.  Also, wanted to get acclimated to the weather since the temperature was in the low 50s.  Race day weather was projected to be just as cool so wanted to experience the cooler temperatures to ensure I knew how to dress on race day.  Packet pickup was uneventful—wanted to buy some new gear but Marathon Sports did not offer many things I would buy and/or wear.  Got my customary photo during packet pickup and headed off to find more carbs.

    https://www.marathonsports.com/

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    Harvard

    My next adventure was to head north to Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Always wanted to walk around Harvard and this was my opportunity to visit the famed campus and do a walk-about.  Cambridge was an hour drive from Providence so headed that way once I got back from Marathon Sports. The weather was still cool, and it started to rain a bit but not enough to keep me from making my way to Harvard.  The drive up was not bad—no big traffic issues on the way up.

    Traffic around Harvard was thick with cars and pedestrians—looked like others had the same idea as me to visit and explore the campus.  Found parking about two blocks from campus and made my way over to Harvard.  Made a trip to the famed bookstore to pick up some mementos and then did a walking tour to soak in the history of the campus.  Felt great being there and experiencing the atmosphere of the Harvard campus and local community.  Felt like I was in a movie. 😊

    Race

    Got to bed early so I could make my way to the race start line with plenty of time to warm up.  The race start and finish lines were both at Pierce Memorial Stadium.  Not use to starting or finishing a half marathon in a high school football stadium but there was plenty parking so that helped.

    I had to adjust my race outfit to include a long sleeve dri-fit shirt since the temperature was 51 degrees.  Thought I could get away with just an Orlando Track Shack tank top but needed something more on my arms.  My color coordination was off for this race to accommodate the long sleeve shirt and to keep warm.

    The race had a strict runner limit of 2,000 runners.  Not sure we got to that number but there were a lot of runners ready to toe the line.  There were not enough runners for corrals, so everyone just lined up regardless of projected completion times.  I made my way towards the back of the pack so I could gauge the pace of others and avoid congestion during the first few miles.

    I did not have a set finish time in mind but wanted to run faster than my last half marathon in Nashville back in April 2024—mission accomplished!

    I ran consistent mile splits (9:26 – 10:30) for the first 10 miles and slowed a bit after that.  It was not a hot day, but the non-flat portion of the race jumped up after mile 10 and I slowed a bit making my way up the hill.  Still, I had a bit of a kick at the end and crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and a time of 2:16:42—4 minutes faster than the last go in Nashville.  I’m happy to see an improvement and can use this effort to gauge my training for the Chicago Marathon in October.

    Marathon training starts next month.  Excited to begin the journey again towards another full marathon finish.

    I’m sure I will chronicle my training program throughout the summer.  Who’s ready to follow my training program?  😊

    Irie!

  • New England Visit

    Breeze HOF

    “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth”.

    (Henry David Thoreau)

    My Walk into the Future continues to expand with new adventures.  I would like to thank Breeze Airways for helping me find destinations to excite my journey.

    Not sure Breeze Airways was thinking about me when the airline began flying to Vero Beach.  The first flight arrived in February 2023 and Breeze adds new east coast destinations periodically.  They currently fly to White Plains, NY, Hartford, CT, Providence, RI, Long Island, NY and Durham, NC. The routes are adjusted to match the snowbird migrations south.  Breeze flies to Virginia Beach during summer months and I took my first Breeze flight for the Virginia Beach 10-Miler race back in September.

    I received an email from Breeze Airways to promote low fall airfares and the prices immediately caught my attention.  I love being a running tourist but have never ventured into New England states.  Never had a real reason to hit New England but wanted to cross off a few states I’ve never visited. I started looking for half marathon races I could sign up for to give me a real reason to fly up.  Discovered the Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon races were scheduled for early October and the entry fee was reasonable.  Breeze Airways has direct flights from Vero Beach to Hartford so decided I will head up and enjoy New England in the fall.

    My roundtrip flight including bag fees was $247.  I couldn’t ask for a better price so booked my flight with the intent of running the Hartford Half Marathon and then doing some sightseeing.  Well, it turns out my flight would not arrive in Hartford with enough time for me to make it to the race EXPO to pick up my race bib.  They did not have same day pickup so my thoughts of being a running tourist were eliminated.  No worries, I love adventures and going to Hartford, Connecticut would be an adventure without the need to run a race—what a concept, huh? LOL.

    My flight from Vero Beach to Hartford was…a breeze.  No issues checking in or on the flight up.

    Hartford

    Arrived in Hartford, Connecticut with the intention of sightseeing and making my way down to the race sight to watch the marathon and half marathon finish.  I discovered getting to the start/finish line was impossible since the race had already started, and streets were blocked.  I take this part of racing for granted since I’m normally running and never pay attention to which streets are blocked due to road races.  Met a super friendly police officer who gave me directions on activities he suggested I tackle since I was not going to be able to get downtown Hartford for a few hours.  I wrote the Basketball Hall of Fame as a possible destination and Officer Friendly recommended I head there and then come back downtown after touring the Hall of Fame.

    Springfield, Massachusetts

    The Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Turns out my hotel was only 25 miles south of the iconic venue.  Turned around and headed north with intent to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame and enjoy my first time in Massachusetts.  This was a bonus to my trip since I didn’t realize how close these cities are to each other.

    The Basketball Hall of Fame is a great place to embrace the basketball greats and their roles shaping the current basketball landscape.  I was impressed with the displays and how each era had a place within the Hall of Fame.  My favorite NBA player is Julius Erving (Dr. J) so was happy to see his display and read a bit about him during the tour.  There is a great display for Kobe Bryant within the Hall, and I came away with a new level of respect for the Black Mamba.

    Made my way down to the gym portion of the Hall to put up a few jumpers.  I have not played basketball in years and my jumper was beyond rusty—good news, I didn’t hurt myself or anyone else. LOL.

    Headed back south to Hartford to get some downtown sightseeing done.

    Return to Hartford

    The drive from Springfield to Hartford was uneventful but I was happy with my exploration so far.  Decided to hit a downtown park before trying to make it back to the race village.  I always heard about the fall foliage from friends and wanted to experience the leaf color changes.  Made my way to a lakeside park and walked around a bit just enjoying the cool weather and nature.  Got a few pictures by the lake and on a walking trail before it got too cold for me.

    Left the park and went downtown Hartford just to look around.  I had no idea there were still runners out on the course and watched the last marathoner cross the finish line.  Surprisingly there were still people there to cheer him on and he looked elated to complete the journey—good for him.

    Got a few pictures of downtown Harford before heading back to my hotel to warm up and map out my next adventures.

    Providence, Rhode Island

    Decided to maximize my time in New England and hit my third state in two days.  Providence was only an hour and a half away from Hartford, so I pointed the rental car east and made my way through the Connecticut countryside to Rhode Island.  The drive provided a scenic trip with a lot of fall foliage to admire.  Googled attractions in Providence and decided to make my way to Roger Williams Park so I could walk around and get some pictures in.  The park is huge and has multiple sections including a zoo and walking trails.  This was the perfect place to take in a bit of Rhode Island culture and scenery.

    Spent two hours in the park before heading back to Connecticut. 

    Thought about driving up to Boston to extend my tourist trek but decided I will wait to head back up and experience Boston as a separate trip.  Yes, Breeze flies to Boston from Vero Beach and I plan to head back up in the spring when it warms up a bit.

    My goal is to travel to all the Vero Beach Breeze Airline destinations before 2024 is over.  I will look for races as part of my travel plans but will not let that limit me from making my way back up to New England.  I still need to travel to Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire to complete my New England adventures.  I will turn my travel efforts out west to make sure I visit the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming.  Thinking of booking a dude ranch so I can live my cowboy dreams.  More to come. LOL.

    Where have you always wanted to travel?

    Irie!