This morning it was down to Marshfield, Massachusetts to run the Frozen Pilgrim 5 Miler. With January races you never can really know how the weather is going to shake out but all things considered this morning was not too bad when it came to the weather conditions with temperatures in the high 20s. There was a bit of a wind present on certain parts of the run and one stretch of the race was quite icy on the roads as you made your way through a shaded residential area. Definitely needed to take it easy on this stretch!

The first mile of the race was a pretty boring loop around school grounds but once you made your way out onto the streets the race became much nicer. In the second mile, there was a nice amount of climbing present but those hills were not the most interesting part of the stretch. Rather, it was a large horse who had gotten loose from its fencing and was running up and down one of the hilly streets while the horse’s owner was trying to wrangle it back. Fortunately, I think the horse was safely captured but definitely didn’t have that on the running bingo card today!

Volunteers had water out on the course which is always appreciated and even though it was cold out there came in handy given the five miles being run. As mentioned, only one neighborhood stretch was quite dangerous due to some ice from a storm last weekend so you needed to take your time on this section of the course.

The early uphills of the race gave way to a nice, gradual downhill finishing mile and a half and it felt good to let gravity help you down some of those hills. A quick turn back into the high school grounds and into the finish line to wrap up the race.

I’ve been battling some sort of cold for the past few days (thanks, air travel) and didn’t feel 100% out there but am glad I still tackled the race today. The race was the first race of the Thirsty Irish Runners 2025 Grand Prix Series and it’s always nice to see so many friendly TIRs this morning; and then execute our signature Irish Farewell when leaving.

Finished up the Frozen Pilgrim 5 Miler with a time of 47:06, good for 9:25/miles. Not my best running but today was more about banging out five miles, feeling better by clearing out the lungs and head and crossing that finish line. I’ll take it!

The race is a fundraiser for the Kurt Giessler Foundation for Youth Achievement. To learn more about this organization, please click here.