Block Island Getaway!

I have a very good friend who is moving to Kodiak Alaska.  They are a Coast Guard family and this will be there next stop for the next 3-5 years.

When we asked Katie what she might want to do as a "going away",  a girls weekend in Block Island is what we decided on.

On Friday, we boarded the 3pm ferry and our girls weekend began!

I am not a fan of big bodies of water, boats, or drowning, so this was my least favorite part of the trip and the longest 50 minutes ever!

Once on the island we cabbed it over to our Inn with the meanest driver ever.  Seriously, she yelled at our friend Jill for not knowing how to put the seat down so we had access to the last row in her truck.  Really?!  And BTW, way to go Jill for standing up for yourself!

When we got to the Inn, we met the inn-keeper and he showed us around and we picked our rooms.  We told him about our ride over and he said, "Oh, you must of had Monica."  Too funny, yes it was Monica.

We made it and it's colder than we expected!

Once we dropped our bags in our rooms, we sat on the patio with wine, beer and snacks.  That first couple of hours, we just sat and talked and laughed and it was one of the highlights of the weekend.  I have some really funny friends and even though these getaways are few and far between, I am really happy that we get to do them once in a while.

View from the back porch.

I am really going to miss Katie and her family.  Her daughter is really great friends with my Gracie.  Gracie does not know she is moving yet.  I am going to wait to tell her until after her birthday, I think.

We freshened up and then headed to dinner.  We ate at a restaurant near the ferry as we had another friend coming in on the 7pm.  Once we were finished with dinner we headed to one of the local bars and had a few drinks before calling it a night.  The first day was a great success!

Now, I was really looking forward to running in Block Island.  I would be running with friends and it would be a new place.  Technically, still RI, but you know what I mean.  Jenn, my very good friend and fellow runner was coming in on the 9am ferry on Saturday. I was only planning on running once, so I had to wait for her to get in.  Jill is also a runner and I was thinking 3-4 miles would be great for the three of us.

Once the girls arrived, we headed out for a 6 mile hike that brought us to the bluffs.  It was a spectacular view and a fun walk.  After that, we had lunch and shopped.

Our 6 mile hike.

Beautiful view!

Hi!

It was warm, so an evening run was going to be perfect.  However, drinks started to flow and with every sip, I was pretty sure this run would never happen.  It was during this time that Ethel said she was going to run with us.  She has been dealing with a foot problem and has not run in months! Plus, she said this after two mud slides and a beer in front of her.  She must be teasing me, right?

We walked our mile back to the inn and when we got there, they had wine and snacks out for us.  Almost everyone grabbed a glass and we sat and talked and laughed again.  After about 45 minutes, Jenn asked if we were going to run.  Guess what, we ran!

Jenn, Ethel and I headed out and Jill said she would catch up.  As soon as we started, we were laughing.  The jokes were flying about drinking and running and they wanted to know what I would call this blog post.  @&*#faced While Running was a popular choice.  Honestly, we were ok. If I was drunk, I would not be able to run.  I stopped drinking at the bar and I didn't even finish that drink.  I only had snacks at the inn so I knew I was ok.  I was a little dehydrated and was happy I had my water bottle with me.  Block Island is also hillier than I had expected.

Ethel was struggling and said she was going to quit.  She walked, she ran, we all laughed.  She made it a mile and then laid down on someones lawn.  I was so bummed that I did not have my camera!  It was here that Jill found us.  We were a quarter mile from the inn, so we got Ethel home safe and then continued on.

Jenn and Jill are a bit faster than me and I was behind them for most of the run.  I didn't mind.  I was happy to be out running with friends.  I didn't even have music with me.  I was enjoying the sights.  We passed a house with a toilet on their lawn with two pink plastic flamingos sticking out of it.  What?!  We past goats and horses.  And Mean Monica passed us, twice.

The final result was 3.27 miles in about 35 minutes for me and less for Jenn and Jill.  We walked about 5 minutes and then showered and met everyone for dinner.

I was sharing a room with Jill and that night when we got in our beds we started chatting.  It was a fun conversation that lasted late into the night.  I felt like a little girl having a sleep-over and it was so much fun!

Because of the late night, I was the last one down to breakfast.  A few of us were going on the 11am ferry.  Myself, Ethel and MB were going on the 3pm.  It was sad to say goodbye and see our weekend coming to an end.

Our afternoon was filled with a little more shopping, and a nice lunch.  We boarded the ferry and said goodbye to Block Island.  Another great girls weekend in the books!

I was thrilled to see my family and head home to my own bed.  I love going away, but there is nothing better than your own home with the ones you love.

I have a pretty busy week ahead of me and a race on Saturday.  I need an idea for a teacher gift.  Not just your ordinary teacher.  I need something special. Any ideas?

Anything new with you?  Do you ever plan weekend getaways with the girls? If you could plan a race destination weekend with your girlfriends, what race would you choose?

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole