Yesterday it was down to Plymouth, Massachusetts for the Plymouth Police/Fire 5K Run. What started off as a crisp, overcast fall morning turned into an absolutely beautiful race day and since this race took off at 11AM the conditions were spot on for a race toward the end of September.

The race benefits the Liam Macomber Memorial Fund and with the added sponsoring of the Plymouth Police and Fire Departments the race has grown quite nicely in recent years. The Liam Macomber Memorial Fund (LMMF) was established in memory of eight month old Liam Matthew, who died unexpectedly in September 2005. The goal of establishing this fund was to assist young adults of the South Shore further their education through scholarship endowments and most importantly, to help families who have experienced a similar loss.

To date, the LMMF has provided financial assistance in excess of $38,000 to area families who have suffered the loss of a child. In addition, over the past six years, twenty four students from Plymouth North and South High Schools have been awarded scholarships totaling $12,000 on behalf of the LMMF to help offset the cost of college expenses.

The race starts right along the Plymouth Harbor and your first leg has you sprinting out along the water and past historic markers such as the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. The course has a couple of really good, fast inclines mixed in and finishes along the water, as well, for a pretty good view the whole way through. Runners make a nice loop through the downtown Plymouth business district with maintains the perfect blend of historic, New England charm and some newer restaurants, bars and shops.

Post-race festivities were held at the beautiful East Bay Grille right on the water with food, drinks and live music making for a great afternoon setting for those wishing to stay.

I finished the Plymouth Police/Fire 5K Run benefiting the Liam Macomber Memorial Fund with a time of 23:29 or 7:34/miles.

It was an early ride up to Suffolk Downs just north of Boston this morning for the Allstate Life Insurance℠ Boston 13.1 Marathon®. The weather was absolutely ideal running conditions for a half-marathon and a 7AM kickoff ensured that the weather would stay pretty consistent for the race.

The Allstate Life Insurance℠ Boston 13.1 Marathon® started and finished at the horse track Suffolk Downs and it was fitting that at the starting line was the starting gate used for the horse racing and the bugle played just before the starting gun went off.

The course, for the most part, was a very flat course that for a good portion of the race hugged the Atlantic Ocean as you ran along the Revere Beach Parkway. The sun coming up off the water was truly remarkable and running past some of the beach homes gave you something to look at as you ran along what is the nation’s first public beach.

The support along the course and at the finish line was absolutely amazing and there was plenty of water and Gatorade along the course. Even better, the volunteers handing out the drinks were pleasant, happy to be there and even jokes that they had, “…water, Gatorade, mojitos” at one stop.

Post-race, you ever have the feeling that you can’t wait to get your sneakers off? Well, today was a little bit different. I wanted to take my sneakers off but not because my feet hurt but because I was going to donate them. I donated my running sneakers to Give Your Sole which in turn donates the sneakers to shelters and for this race would be helping out the Boston Rescue Mission. This awesome cause is a great alternative to just pitching your sneakers.

Things went well at today’s half-marathon and I was quite pleased finishing with a time of 1:52:50 or 8:36/miles. Things came together nicely on the course both in terms of the race organizing but also my running. All in all, an awesome race and perhaps next year I will look to do another one in another city!

Allstate® Life Insurance and non-profit organization Give Your Sole have partnered to collect moderately used athletic shoes to donate to charity at the Allstate Life Insurance Boston 13.1 Marathon® on Sunday, September 16 (Suffolk Downs, 111 Waldemar Ave, East Boston, MA.

Race series sponsor Allstate® Life Insurance and Give Your Sole created the shoe donation platform as a means to give back to local communities around 13.1 Marathon® races across the country. In 2012, Allstate and Give Your Sole will collect shoes at five races through the program.

All shoes collected in Boston will benefit the Boston Rescue Mission, an organization aiding the homeless and poor men and women of Greater Boston for more than 100 year.

Donations from race participants and Boston residents will also be collected during 13.1 Marathon® packet pick-up at Fast: Splits Multisport on Friday, September 14 and at the Karhu and Craft North American headquarters on Saturday, September 15.

Runners who donate their shoes on race day will receive a free pair of flip-flops to wear home.

If you are interested in running the Allstate Life Insurance Boston 13.1 Marathon with The Running Griffin, please email therunninggriffin@gmail.com for a free entry. First two that email get the entry!

Come join Shining Stars Inc. in their 2nd Annual 5k Turkey Trot at D.W. Field Park in Brockton on Saturday, November 17th to raise awareness for the need of programs for individuals with multiple disabilities. The race will start promptly at 9:00 AM inside D.W. Field Park.

To register for the road race, please visit the 2nd Annual 5k Turkey Trot website by clicking here. We will see you there!

On Sunday, August 19th it was a quick trip south to Portsmouth, RI for the 9th Annual Common Fence Point 5 Miler. This is sort of an annual must-do race as they course is a scenic stretch through the Common Fence Point section of Portsmouth which is an idyllic, tucked-away beach community hugged by scenic water views for a good portion of the run. The race organizers do an amazing job putting together the race which aside from the good, challenging course is also complete with plenty of raffle prizes, give-aways, food and beer. This race also had the Izze Sparkling Juice truck present handing out entire cans of Izze products to thirsty runners.

The run this year was fortunately on a beautiful summer morning, temperatures were warm but nowhere near as brutally hot as last year. The Thirsty Irish Runners had a huge contingent there as it was one of the Grand Prix races for the year which always makes the run more enjoyable thanks to their presence.

During last year’s race, my wife was just getting out of the hospital and my daughter was in still in the NICU. Needless to say, my mind wasn’t really focused on running. Fortunately, I have started to get my :form back and things at home couldn’t be better. Last year I ran the race with a time of 44:52 good for 8:59/miles. I guess all things considered, getting to the finish line was good enough.

This year, I was able to shave significant time off my run and finish the Common Fence Point 5 Miler with a time of 39:39, taking more than a 1:00/mile off my time for a finish of 7:56/mile.