On Sunday, May 3rd I will be heading to Providence, Rhode Island to run the Providence Marathon. You  might think I am crazy to run another marathon but this year I have a good reason to run 26.2 miles. (Okay, I might be a little bit crazy, too)

My father, Mike, has been diagnosed with MSA, also known as Multiple System Atrophy. If you are like me, prior to my dad’s diagnosis I had never heard of MSA and so as we continue the  journey through the world of MSA I wander through the confusion as to what the disease is and have begun exploring the nuanced facets of a disease so few people know about.

The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition has a primary purpose of assisting researchers to find a cure. In the meantime, The Coalition also provides much needed patient and caregiver support, educational resources, and advocacy to create awareness and to fight for issues important to the MSA community.

My dad has always been there for me and now it’s time to do my part and I ask you to join me in trying to find a cure for MSA. I wish there was a simple answer with this disease; that with “x” treatment or with “y” pill he would be better but I understand it’s just not this simple.

Running 26.2 mile sure isn’t easy but when compared to what my dad and all those battling MSA are up again it pales in comparison. Pounding the pavement to raise awareness and funds for MSA; let’s do this!

So, will you join me in helping work to find a cure for MSA?

Please consider supporting my efforts with a donation today. Click here to donate online!

Woohoo! Proud to have been chosen as a 2020 Nuun Hydration Ambassador! Loved serving as an ambassador in 2019 and look forward to another great year ahead!

For more information about Nuun, please be sure to check out their website by clicking here.

Looking for a late spring run this year? Join me at The Providence Marathon in Providence, Rhode Island!

The Providence Marathon (formerly known as Rhode Races Providence) is returning on May 3, 2020 for another fun day of running through the heart of beautiful Providence, Rhode Island! Join thousands of runners across three distances and experience this scenic spring race with new ownership committed to making it the premier running event in the region. With all races starting and finishing right in downtown Providence, you’ll celebrate with a revamped after party featuring delicious craft beer, free food, great tunes, and some incredible race swag!

The race features something for runners of all distances with a full marathon, half-marathon and a 5K option available for runners.

To register for one of The Providence Marathon races, please click here.

See you at the starting line!

Happy New Year, running friends! Hope you have a great year ahead of meeting running goals, having fun, running in new places and supporting many great causes through charity running. Please keep in touch throughout 2020 so we can share running tips, race reviews and maybe even run together!

This morning Mrs. Running Griffin and I made our way up to Needham, Massachusetts for the Needham New Year’s Day 5K. We have not done this race before so were looking forward to tackling a new course. Race conditions were quite nice for January 1st and though I toyed with the idea of running in shorts, thankfully I kept the running pants on as there was a cool breeze that swept across the course from time to time.

In the first mile I had an added challenge of having to hurdle a young kid who tripped when two dog leases (one running, one on the sidelines) became tangled and took the young lad to the ground. Thankfully I was spry enough to avoid trampling the kid!

The course was a really nice run and took runners through mainly residential roads of Needham. The Needham community was quite nice and many houses were what we will just say are a touch out of our price range. There were some fans out on the course cheering runners on which is always a nice touch on a 5K course. Each mile was marked on the course and the only real drawback to the race was that there was no water stop on the course. I know it’s January and I know it is a 5K but to me each race should have a water stop on the course.

In the 3rd mile of the race was a nice hill that had an added element of strong headwind to contend with but I cruised along the uphill stretch quite well. Overall, I felt solid on the course and crossed the finish line with a time of 23:57, good for 7:42/miles. Not a bad way to start off the new year and look forward to some more good running over the next 365 days!

Last weekend was a back-to-back race weekend with the Winter Lights 5K on Friday night followed by the Randolph Food Pantry 5K on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning I made my way up Route 24 to Randolph, Massachusetts for the Randolph Food Pantry 5K which started and ended at an absolutely amazing Randolph Intergenerational Center. This community center features a gym, reading and game room, basketball courts and made for a great place to kick off a road race.

The Race Director for this race also has organized the successful Dedham Pack the Pantry 5K that I have also participated in and the cause of raising funds and food for those who are in need is a great one! Runners were asked to bring non-perishable items to also donate at registration and for each item donated runners received a ticket good for the raffle table. By the time runners were ready to head out onto the course the table was overflowing with items; a very successful food drive for sure!

It was cold with a few corners hiding a touch of black ice here and there but overall the course was in really good shape. The course was marshaled by both volunteers and members of the Randolph Police Department where needed and cones kept runners inside the traffic where needed.

The course was a really good one. There was a nice mix of uphills and downhills that allowed the legs to be nicely stretched out on the course. There was a water stop at the halfway point which certainly came in handy given the extra work on the uphills. The race was a nice mix of roads around the area and took runners through a couple different neighborhood stretches. I really liked this course!

Felt good out on the course despite racing the night before and wanted to keep up a strong pace on both the uphills and downhills and was able to do so rather successfully. I finished the race with a time of 24:23 good for 7:51/miles.

Highly recommend this race when it comes back on the docket in 2020 and would love to see more of these food pantry races in the future!