The timing couldn’t have been better to run a 5K in support of a food pantry given the current state of affairs in our nation. The Randolph Pack the Pantry 5K took place last weekend in Randolph, Massachusetts and a nice crowd of runners toed the starting line to raise funds for the local food pantry. In addition to the dollars raised from the registration fees, a huge collection of non-perishable food goods were dropped at the starting line by race participants to then be delivered to the food pantry in Randolph.

I have run this race years ago and though the course was the same as it was in the past it was in the reverse order. The 5K route is an interestingly challenging course through residential roads with some pretty tricky hills mixed in for just about the whole race. The race course was expertly marked at each turn with volunteers and local police helping shepherd runners along the way at the busier intersections.

I love that my running club the Thirsty Irish Runners chose this race as our November Grand Prix race and it was great to see so many familiar faces at the race. Though we couldn’t have know the even more dire need that food pantries would have when selecting this race as our Grand Prix race the fact that our club gets out there each year to support some truly noble causes makes me proud to be a member. If you’re looking for a club to join, be sure to check us out!

Some days you have it while you’re running and other days you don’t. My calves simply couldn’t loosen up on the route and I felt tight just about the entire way. Though I generally love climbing hills while out on a run, the tightness that I felt out on the course was tough. Not exactly my worst running ever but certainly not my best and I finished up the race with a time of 29:22, good for 9:28/miles.

Big shoutout to Mrs. Running Griffin who cruised into the finish line and ended up second in her age division for the race!

Next weekend it’ll be off to Randolph, Massachusetts to run the Randolph Pack the Pantry 5K. With the current state of affairs in the world coupled with us heading into winter here in New England, the need to support food banks is at an all-time high and I hope you will consider joining me at this race.

The race starts and finishes at the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center (RICC) and funds from the race benefit the local food bank. Runners are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the race to provide extra support for the food pantry in Randolph.

I have run this race before and the course is a nice, moderately challenging 5K course and running for a great cause on a fall weekend sounds like the perfect way to spend a bit of time next weekend.

Please consider joining me at the starting line and click here to register for the race.

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Well, it’s October and here in New England apparently summer just doesn’t want to quit. Yesterday it was off to Dedham, Massachusetts for the Dedham Education Foundation (DEF) Dash 5K and a blast of warmth graced the area with race time temps well in the 80s and the sun absolutely beating down on the course.

Being in New England, we all know that the weather around here can be quite fickle and the warmth of Sunday (and the entire weekend for that matter) was a welcome surprise because we all know what comes next. That said, it was a touch toasty for race time but still an absolutely perfect day for a run.

The DEF Dash 5K starts and finishes at a local park and raises funds for the Dedham Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises private funds to support, enhance and enrich public education in Dedham.

The race started off on a nice uphill climb and then took runners through some gorgeous neighborhoods in Dedham. Residential streets, neighbors out cheering for runners, a couple nice residential rolling hills mixed in for good measure. When you think about what you are looking for in a race, the DEF Dash 5K sort of checks all the boxes. After the race, there was a nice offering of post-race treats ranging from free beer from Jack’s Abby Brewing to smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe and even grilled cheese samples from Melty. I’ll tell you what, those smoothies definitely were a magic post-race elixir especially given the heat!

I felt strong out there running despite the heat and ran a pretty good race. Thank to one of my Thirsty Irish Runners teammates for pushing me a bit on one of the residential rolling hills; always nice to have some support out there. I finished the race with a time of 25:59, good for 8:22/miles. Some of my better running of late; we’ll take it!

This morning it was off to Trillium Brewing to run the 21st Annual Canton Road Race. The 10K option (there is both a 5K and a 10K) was the September Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and it was great to see so many familiar runners at the starting line and out on the course.

The race kicked off at 10AM and the clouds from earlier in the morning burned off just in time for the race which made for an added challenge as when the sun came out so did the heat. It was toasty out there on the course but it felt good to sweat a little extra while running.

The 10K kicks off from Trillium Brewing and the whole route is contained within an office/industrial park. The 10K is, in essence, a double loop of the 5K course with a couple extra stretches but the course is actually pretty nice while running. Runners run the grounds of the old Reebok headquarters and a few other stretches that add some decent shade that certainly came in handy today. There was a really nice showing of volunteers out on the course who helped direct runners and also handed out water at various spots along the course.

Before the race, there was some good chatter about the hills on the course which certainly lived up to their expectations. And because the 10K was a double loop of the 5K the same hills had to be battled twice. The hills were no joke and definitely kept the legs honest as you made your way both up and down the hills and the second time heading back up the major hill toward the 6 mile marker definitely started shredding the calve muscles.

Felt pretty strong while running today other than some persistent plantar pain that has been flaring up for months and each TIR out there cheering you on while on the double loop always helps. Finished up the Canton Road Race with a time of 58:54, good for 9:28/miles.

Here’s a finishing photo of me heading into the finish line! (I’m in the green shirt.)