Happy New Year to everyone! What better way to start off the New Year than heading to a five mile road race bright and early on New Year’s Day. The MA FOP Lodge #28 Frozen Five Miler kicked off at 9AM in Norton, Massachusetts on New Year’s Day and the race conditions were much more favorable than the last time I completed this run with the sun peeking through the clouds and a crisp chill to the air being the only sign of it being winter with no snow or ice on the ground.

It is always nice to be joined by friends at a race and along with Mrs. Running Griffin some of our Thirsty Irish Runners buddies Bob, Fitzy and Anne also hit the pavement bright and early on New Year’s Day. Cousin-in-law (or something like that) Nick also kicked off the New Year in high gear and completed his first race in some time. Good work!

A nice sized group of runners made our way to the starting line and headed off onto the course for our five mile run. The first mile of the run takes runners down rather motorist friendly road though given the holiday date and time of the race the amount of cars that passed us for the mile stretch could probably be counted on one hand. After making your way off that stretch at about 1.25 miles, the race then makes its way into residential neighborhoods of Norton and keeps runners quite honest given the amount of rolling hills that are mixed into the course. The course is a good challenge and allows your legs to adjust throughout the race. A water stop was present at the midway point and one of the best sights on the course was an older style, neighborhood fire station that is now home to the Norton Fire Department Alarm Division.

I finished this year’s race with a time of 39:47, good for 7:57/miles.

Special thanks to Race Director Rich Allain and the FOP Lodge #28 for allowing me to partner with them as an advertiser and for listing The Running Griffin’s website on the back of the race shirts! With a good course, nice shirts, a full breakfast and with proceeds supporting a great cause, be sure to sign up for next year’s MA FOP Lodge #28 Frozen Five Miler when registration opens up!

I am proud to announce that I will be heading back to Buffalo, New York to take part in the 2015 Buffalo Marathon! As many of you know, I participated in the 2013 Buffalo Marathon and the marathon from start to finish was one of the finest races I have participated in.

The course has changed since I last ran the Buffalo Marathon and I look forward to tackling the city once again. The new course features a new relatively flat and fast course, great volunteer support and a scenic view of downtown’s waterfront and its major landmarks. The course has been designed for our athletes to enjoy views of Lake Erie, LaSalle Park, First Niagara Center Home of the Buffalo Sabres, Forest Lawn Cemetery, parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and many other Buffalo highlights.

This year, the Buffalo Marathon has partnered with Team RWB (Red, White & Blue) to help in celebrating veterans on Memorial Day.  Buffalo is providing the venue allowing chapters from across the country to gather, share stories and ultimately compete with one another chapter against chapter for bragging rights. Runners can register to take part in the Team RWB Challenge by clicking here.

This year’s race will certainly take on a new meeting as the race will be held in memory of race director Tom Donnelly, who passed away suddenly this year at the age of 61. Donnelly and I collaborated together in marketing the 2013 Buffalo Marathon through The Running Griffin and it is clear by the outpouring of online support he was a running icon in the Buffalo community.

If you are interested in heading to Buffalo with me on Memorial Day weekend in 2015, please be sure to register for the race today by clicking here. Jet Blue offers direct service from Boston at a great rate and you will absolutely love the City of Buffalo! Stay tuned to The Running Griffin for more updates about the 2015 Buffalo Marathon!

Registration is now open and will be closing soon for the MA FOP Lodge #28 3rd Annual New Year’s Day Frozen Five Mile Run!

Where can you go on a New Year’s Day Morning, take a five mile run, support the Fraternal Order of Police (a charity organization) and have an ALL YOU CAN EAT breakfast afterwards for only $25.00? Come join MA. FOP Lodge #28 for their 2015 3rd Annual Frozen Five Mile Run. Trophy for first place overall Male and Female winner. Awards given to first and second place Male and Female in six (6) different age categories, 0-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60+. Water station and timing provided. T-Shirts will be provided to all PARTICIPANTS. Bring a guest for breakfast at no extra charge!!! (Just not the whole family!!!!) Good news, if you register online you will be scoring a long-sleeve tee-shirt perfect to keep warm in for your winter runs.

You can register for this race online by clicking here. I hope to see you there!

The Running Griffin is pleased to announce sponsorship from Apera Bags!

Apera officially launched in June 2012 by industry veterans Andrew Youngs and Frank Steed, who together possess over three decades of experience in the retail, bags and luggage business. With their deep industry expertise, Youngs and Steed saw a void in the sports bag market. Most importantly, today’s sport bags are unhealthy – not protecting athletes from odor and bacteria. All Apera bags are protected by groundbreaking antimicrobial product protection that resists the formation of bacterial odor on both the inside and outside of the bag. Apera bags’ ventilated compartments, wipeable linings and washable inserts, ensure your bag stays clean, odor-free and most importantly, healthy.

Apera deserves a huge amount of credit for their community service principles. Apera will donate one bag to a Special Olympics athlete for every three bags they sell!

I’ve been using the Apera Duffel bag for a couple of months now and couldn’t be happier. The bag has a ton of room in it and is absolutely one of the best accessories a runner can ask for. The bag has plenty of room for a change of clothing, extra pair of sneakers, towel and toiletries if heading to the gym and maintains a clean and fresh nature to it. The bag has special pockets for your Iphone, Ipad or any other device and the special padding will ensure that your sweaty, wet gear won’t damage the devices.

Be sure to check out and support Apera Bags today and tell them The Running Griffin sent you. You can also like them on Facebook by clicking here and follow them on Twitter @aperabags.