It was another double race weekend as I am trying to make up for the pandemic-induced hiatus from live road races. Yes, virtual runs were a good way to keep active and keep relatively motivated during the pandemic but nothing beats actually being at a live race and running with friends and the running community once again.

On Saturday morning I tackled Liam Maguire’s Almost Five Miler in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This was one of the Grand Prix races for my running club Thirsty Irish Runners and this course is an absolute gem and seeing so many TIRs out running was great. The course is 4.9167 miles long and the race directors and volunteers love every minute of the “Almost Five Miler” and take every advantage of cracking a joke here and there. Volunteers at a couple of the early turns on the course note, “You’re almost there” and there is even a mile marker at pi (3.14) miles into the course.

One of the best stretches of the race is heading toward the mile 4 marker when after running through a couple residential neighborhoods you then take a quick left and are running right alongside the ocean. A volunteer at that turn noted, “Enjoy the view” and it was impossible not to. A beautiful stretch of oceanfront running on an absolutely gorgeous morning for running.

I finished Liam Maguire’s Almost Five Miler with a time of 39:42, good for 8:05/miles. Not too shabby! Sadly, this is year’s race will be the final Liam Maguire’s Almost Five Miler but kudos to all involved who have helped put on a great run for so many years.

On Sunday morning it was off to Plymouth, Massachusetts for the Mayflower Brewing Oktoberfest 5K. Mayflower Brewing is a great craft brewer and traces it’s lineage to John Alden, one of the pilgrims that landed in Plymouth and the brewer on the actual Mayflower. Mayflower Brewing hosts four seasonal 5K courses over the course of the year and over the summer I ran the Suns Out Runs Out 5K, as well.

This 5K course is a real test with a major hill in need of being tackled but a good, general sense that you are climbing uphill for most of the run. It is a tough course to tackle but knowing there is a fresh beer from Mayflower Brewing awaiting you at the finish line makes plodding up the hills just a touch easier.

During the summer race, I ran the course with an 8:02/mile pace and for the Oktoberfest 5K I picked up the pace nicely and finished with a time of 24:38, good for 7:55/miles. Particularly after running “Almost 5 Miles” the day before, that’s a result I can be happy with!

Hope you had a great weekend of running, too. See you out on the roads soon!