With our daughters’ busy schedules, sneaking in runs is generally much more difficult than it was when they were much younger but we wouldn’t change that for the world. That said, as early birds we can also head out for a run before they are even awake sometimes and yesterday was just one of those days. We made our way to Cohasset, Massachusetts for a change of scenery run and ran the Whitney Spur Rail Trail and belted out a five miler.

To access the trail, you can park in the Cohasset MBTA commuter rail lot where spaces are designated for free parking for those taking advantage of the rail trail. The Whitney Spur Rail Trails is a beautiful stretch of both crushed stone path and paved roads and there is really nice tree cover for most of the trail which makes it a perfect spot for either a run or a bike ride. The trail is an out-and-back offering but at the end of the first leg is the larger Wompatuck State Park which has a visitor center (good for a bio break, if needed) and has an entirely separate network of trails along that can be tackled, a well. Also abutting the Rail Trail is another preservation property that is operated by The Trustees which makes the entire area a spot that you could run, hike, bike and explore for hours or come back several times and always enjoy a different stretch.

After our early morning five miler, coffee was certainly in order so we hit up Seabird Coffee Co. in downtown Cohasset which was just a four minute drive away from the start of the trail. A perfect morning and all of this completed by 8:30 AM!

For the past year I have given up alcohol but thankfully the non-alcoholic craft beer scene is booming and there are plenty of really good options available. This personal decision by me has been driven by both general health reasons and simply a desire to feel better and for runners cutting out a bit of alcohol is never a bad thing. Even if you are not going to go full non-alcoholic, it’s nice to have some options available if you don’t always want to go the fully leaded beer route.

One of the nice things about non-alcoholic beers is that they are able to be shipped directly to your doorstep, something that for other craft beers in certain states is not available. I came across RationAle Brewing recently and ordered some of their offerings and was highly impressed with the quality they bring to the table.

Brewed in California, RationAle Brewing has a solid lineup of non-alcoholic offerings including a New England IPA, a Citrus Hazy IPA, a Mexican Lager and a West Coast IPA. I ordered all four of the brews to help fill the fridge and each offering was exceptionally crafted and tasted amazing. If you provided one of these to someone who enjoys a good craft beer, they may be hard pressed to determine that these brews had no alcohol in them. The New England IPA and the West Coast IPA were probably my two top favorites but honestly you couldn’t go wrong with any of them.

If you’re looking for a a good non-alcoholic beer option for whatever the reason, be sure to check out RationAle Brewing today! Be sure to use code runninggriffin at checkout to also save 10% off your order!

I’m pretty sure I won’t be around for the next centennial celebration in East Bridgewater so how could I pass up running the East Bridgewater Bicentennial 5K last weekend? Just a town over from where I live, 200 years is nothing to sneeze at so Happy Birthday, East Bridgewater!

The race was part of a group of fesitivities commemorating the bicentennial of East Bridgewater and a nice crowd gathered the morning of the run. The race was familiar to me as it was the same course as the Run for Jess so I knew there’d be some climbing along the way and planned for that heading out of the starting line. The course takes runners through the town of East Bridgewater and though the roads were open to traffic the local constabulary did a great job patrolling the course and keeping runners safe along the way. There was a water stop about half-way through the run which came in handy as even though it wasn’t scorching hot there was a bit of mugginess in the air so the water hit the spot.

Felt good out on the course and maintained a relatively consistent pace along the 5K route. I noted the course to be long (3.22 miles) and other runners commented on same but given this wasn’t an Olympic trial or anything I didn’t sweat pounding out the extra .12 mile for the race. I finished up the race with a time of 25:21 which is good for an official 5K pace of 8:19/miles.

Right in the heart of the West Roxbury section of Boston is an Irish pub (not surprising) called the Corrib. The pub is owned and operated by a family who has the same last name as me (Bligh) which is a bit surprising given there aren’t a whole heck of a lot of Bligh’s running around.

The pub puts on an absolutely great 5K road race that raises a boatload of money that is put right back into the local community thanks to the charitable foundation that the race supports. There’s a great atmosphere at the race with many local dignitaries present, food and beer post-run, ice cream trucks and games for the kids and more.

The Corrib Pub Classic 5K was the June Grand Prix race this year for my running club, the Thirsty Irish Runners, so there was a sizable contingent of TIRs present which always makes the run more fun. Race time temps were pretty ideal for running and on the cooler side for a race that has had some really hot days in its history.

The course for the Corrib is a rather challenging 5K course through West Roxbury with some rather tricky uphill climbs mixed into the residential neighborhoods for good measure. I love to see local politicians and families hosting more than enough water stops along the course as it builds a nice neighborhood feel to the run. People are out cheering, runners are smiling and it’s an all-around great race. There’s an awesome downhill finish where you lean forward and let gravity help you along that is a perfect way to end a race.

I finished the Corrib Pub Classic 5K with a time of 27:15 good for 8:47/miles.

A little bit of a delay with this race recap but a few weekends ago it was off to Stoughton, Massachusetts to run the Once a Knight Always a Knight 5K. This race is held in memory of four high school students from Stoughton who were tragically killed in a car accident and funds raised from the 5K support youth activities in town sponsored by the Stoughton Recreation Department.

The race takes place on the town’s school campus where both the high school and other schools are located and runners remain on campus for the entire race. The race takes you quickly through the parking lot before you make your way onto a crushed stone path for a bit and then head onto a grass section of the course. Runners make 4 laps on the crushed stone and grass section before heading back quickly into the parking lot to make your way to the finish line. I haven’t run on grass in a while so that was an unique addition but the course was precisely laid out to ensure runners hit the 3.1 miles before heading into the finishing chute.

Post-race water and bananas were provided by the local Ikea store.

I finished the Once a Knight Always a Knight 5K with a time of 25:59 good for 8:22/miles.