Have you ever run in a sauna?

Yesterday it was off to Canton, Massachusetts for the Irish Cultural Centre 5K. The race was the September Grand Prix Race for the Thirsty Irish Runners (talk about a match made in heaven) and a great group of runners toed the starting line on the grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre. Before heading out onto the course, beautiful renditions of the Irish and American national anthems were sung and a moment of silence in memory of September 11th was held.

Yesterday was humid, brutally humid. The race kicked off at 11:30 AM and it was noticeable that the humidity was going to play a factor immediately when just walking from the parking lot to the grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre. Out on the course, the humidity was soupy and the storms that would roll through just after the race concluded could almost be felt with each step made during the run.

The course for this race is relatively flat as other than the short stretch on the scenic grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre you are running through an industrial park. There were a couple water stops around the halfway point of the run which certainly came in handy given the warm and humid conditions. Unfortunately, water was relatively non-existent at the finish line and for future years having some cases of water at the finish line would be a nice addition. Volunteers were working hard to fill one container of water but it simply wasn’t enough.

I felt pretty good out on the course and had a strong finishing time of 25:47, good for 8:20/miles. Some decent running lately and feeling good!

If a road race has the word “hills” in it I suppose you can’t be surprised when the run is a hilly one!

On Labor Day, it was off to Marshfield, Massachusetts for the Marshfield Run for the Hills 5K. This race takes place in the Marshfield Hills section of Marshfield and kicks off just around the corner from the Marshfield Hills General Store which is owned by Steve Carell of “The Office” and is an iconic local general store smack dab in the middle of a this quaint residential area.

The race kicked off at 10AM and a Labor Day heatwave made for warmer temperatures even relatively early in the day. I’ve done this race before so knew all too well that a massive uphill finish for about the final mile was in store therefore took a relatively measured pace in the 8:15/mile range early in the run. I hit up a water stop about halfway through the course which certainly was needed before tackling the real uphill climb. The last stretch of the run is no joke; the uphill climb makes your legs feel like jello and you need to keep reminding yourself to catch your breathing as you make the uphill climb.

I finished up the Marshfield Run for the Hills with a time of 27:59, good for 9:01/miles. Not a bad result for such a challenging race!

(Here’s me [170] after finishing up the run!)

Off to Weymouth, Massachusetts this morning for the August Thirsty Irish Runners‘ Grand Prix Race, the Barrel House Z 5K. There is a summer edition of this run and a Super Sunday race the morning of the Super Bowl and today brought and absolutely perfect day for running. Temps were moderate and some cloud cover kept the sun away as runners made our way out onto the course with a 9:30 AM race time.

The Barrel House Z 5K kicks off on the road of Barrel House Z and heads out into residential neighborhoods in Weymouth. The course has some nice climbing mixed into it making the 5K a great run with a little bit of a challenge included. There is a water stop at the half-way point which came in handy and each mile is marked with a mile marker. Huge shoutout to the Weymouth Police Department and volunteers who managed the course perfectly.

There was a great showing of Thirsty Irish Runners out on the course which always helps keep the legs moving, especially when you hear a belting “Thirsty Irish Runners Rule” while running along. The race announcer noted that this was the largest showing at a Barrel House Z showing that the running community is really enjoying this course and race. Each runner received a ticket for a free beer from Barrel House Z post-run but given I have given up alcohol for more than a year now I opted for a can of Kit NA Brewing‘s IPA that Barrel House Z had available for purchase. There was some live music post-run and a vendor selling homemade donuts providing a cool post-run vibe.

I finished up the Barrel House Z 5K with a gun time of 26:53, good for 8:39/miles. Not a bad overall finishing time and a great morning for a run!

Runners know the importance of maintaining proper fueling during a race but the importance of putting the right things in our stomach is not simply a race-time necessity but instead is something that we should focus on at all times. Now, thanks to Crafted Energy, runners have the ability to fuel with some absolutely delicious bars that are sure to make a difference with your running results.

The Crafted Energy bars are made with only the finest raw and natural plant-based ingredients like fruits, nuts, and seeds. The brand has a few different flavors of bars each with a unique recipe aimed at runners, bikers, hikers and climbers. The ingredients in each bar are meant to focus on the right targets for each audience but certainly a runners could eat the hiker bar without any adverse impact. The Cyclist Blueberry Cashew was probably my favorite bar in the lineup with the Runner Cherry Walnut being a close second.

I’d recommend checking out the sampler pack so you can try the different flavors and then pick the functional energy bar that works best for you. To learn more about the Crafted Energy bars and order your bars, click here.