Another year in the books. Deacon and I ran the 10th Annual Finish For A Guinness this past weekend. It’s my FAVORITE!! Now that my son runs it with me, it makes it even more special. The cause is near and dear to me, and I’m raising my boy to be aware of the struggles that other families go through and that there are ways that we can help.

The Finish For A Guinness 5K road race supports the Christopher Stone Fund and ALS chapters here in Rhode Island. Here’s a little history of the event:

“This charitable event is being held to raise awareness and funds for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In the winter of 2008 Christopher Stone was diagnosed with ALS at the young age of thirty-four. As a result, the Christopher Stone Fund was established to help support the Stone family as they went through this challenging time. Sadly, Chris lost his fight in the summer of 2009, less than a year after being diagnosed. However, the Christopher Stone Fund continues to actively raise funds for local ALS chapters and families as well as other charitable causes.”

This year was beautiful. The weather was perfect, the food was amazing, and as I have said before, I LOVE meeting up with friends for this event. There is nothing like sharing a Guinness with some of your besties after a race.

One of my best friends has been driving up from New York that past few years to run this race with me. It is such a special way for us to celebrate our birthdays (being a day apart) together each year.

And although this guy and I didn’t technically “train” this year for the event, we still had a blast. I mean, look at that smile.

The reward of a Guinness at the end is a definite perk.