I spent a lot of this year running. It was an easy way to get active again after my surgery, and rather than just casually run around the park, I went all in.

This year I ran:

• Manhattan Half Marathon
• New Jersey Half Marathon
• Brooklyn Half Marathon
• Queens Half Marathon
• Staten Island Half Marathon
• Marine Corps Marathon!
• and 12 other New York Road Runners Races

This year, I am hoping for more of the same. I am currently planning on running all five borough half marathons, both the NYC half and full marathons with TNT, and plenty of other NYRR races.

Swap-bot recently surpassed 100,000 swaps. Rachel hosted a 100,000! Swap that had well over 600 people from around the world in it.

We had no idea Swap-bot would be so popular all those years ago when we made it, but it has really been a fun project.

Rachel and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday and both had an amazing weekend. I finished in 4:40, which was in the range of where I was hoping to finish. I have gone over the race many times in my head and found a few things I could have done better, but overall I am extremely proud of my first marathon.

I am even more proud of Rachel and her race. She had an ambitious goal and hit it exactly! There was a spot around mile 24 when I was able to find Rachel on a switchback when she was at about mile 22. I waved her down, gave her a kiss and she told me she was on pace and going to get her goal. Even though I was starting to slow down more than I wanted to at that point, Rachel’s excitement and success gave me a boost to keep running.

I now have my sights set on the 2012 New York City Marathon. I am going to take this week off then start the 52-week training countdown until my next marathon.

I got to work a couple Fridays ago, and one by one, coworkers started showing up in plaid shirts and thick-rimmed glasses. By about the fifth person I saw, I knew it was no longer just a coincidence and was “a thing”. DLo and TVu hatched the idea a few weeks before, knowing that knew flannel season was just around the corner, and I would soon be wearing my standard fall-to-spring attire.

Every month I try so hard not to write about running, but it is pretty much all I am doing these days. I’ve gotten up to about 15 miles on my weekly long run and have a 16-mile run coming up this Saturday. Crazy to think that that on top of the 15 miles, I still need to run another 11.2 miles. I guess that’s what I will be preparing for over the next 60 days before we run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C.

Outside of work, I have time for two things: running and soccer. And this was a good weekend for both.

On Saturday, I ran in the Queens half marathon. I got my best time for a half of the year and feel great about it, because I went into the race treating it as half training run and half race. I have a goal time in mind for the Staten Island half marathon and have about two months to get ready and get a little faster.

Today, my two favorite clubs met in the final match of the Emirates Cup. The Emirates Cup is a four-team tournament hosted by Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal played Red Bulls today and New York got the draw they needed to claim the Cup. As an Arsenal supporter, I am slightly worried that a team of half starters and half second team could not beat an MLS club, but as a Red Bulls fan I am thrilled (and a little shocked) that we could beat anyone in the Premier League.

August promises to have lots more running and a bit more soccer. The Bronx half marathon at the end of the month will be my fifth half marathon of the year. I never thought I would get into running this much, but enjoy the big brunches after too much to give it up now.

I like routines. Once I find something I like, I am happy doing or eating it over and over.

Summer is just kicking off and we’ve got two new routines well under way.

On Saturdays, after we run, we go to Dizzy’s for egg sandwiches and chocolate milk. Dizzy’s is right outside the park and a great place to refuel before the walk home.

On Sundays, again after we run, we go to Bierkraft for sandwiches and ice cream sandwiches. They have tables in the garden and it is a quiet place to relax and enjoy a lazy Sunday.

I have season tickets with a friend to the New York Red Bulls and have been loving the games so far. Red Bull (the drink company) built a great arena for soccer and the team is pretty good, too. We have seats in the corner, right near the field and have gotten to see some pretty good goals on our end. The Red Bulls are usually attacking at our end in the second half, which means when the game is close, we get to see some pretty exciting drives up close.

Adam, my brother-in-law, was married yesterday! Rachel and I were attendants in the wedding and it was such a happy day. We got to see lots of family we only see every few years and got to meet Nina’s family too.

The first time I met Adam he was in eighth grade and I was picking Rachel up for our first date – the homecoming dance our junior year.

I drive up and get out of the car. I walk up to the house and Adam is outside with a few friends. He tells me that Rachel just left for the dance with some other guy. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but I went to the door to check for myself.

Paul answered the door, asked me to come in and told me Rachel would be right down. At that moment chaos ensued upstairs, but that’s a different story for another time.

Adam and I have spent the last 14 years competing over everything we possibly can and, while I pretty much always come out the victor, I am so happy to see Adam find someone that he will be happy with forever.

Congrats Adam and Nina!

Are you ready for the Ninth Annual Eightfivethree Classic?

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To relive every thrilling moment of last year’s Classic, or just to be reminded that Rachel beat me, check out my post from last year recapping the 2010 Classic.