Saturday morning brought forth some really nice weather and as a family we made our way to Dedham, Massachusetts for the Pack the Pantry 5K. Mrs. Running Griffin and I were tackling the 5K race while our two daughters opted to run the .5 mile fun run. The race was hosted by St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and raised funds for the Dedham Food Pantry.

The kids fun run featured a lapped race and I’m happy to report that our oldest daughter came in first place in the fun run! Way to go!

When the 5K was ready to kick off, runners made their way out onto the course following a quick blessing and fair warning from the race director that there were some hills mixed into the race. I ran this race last year and the race director was spot on in his assessment so it was out onto the course and time to gear up for some hills.

I felt good throughout the entire stretch of the run and realized that I was in fifth place overall as I was running the race. I wanted to maintain a healthy pace on both the flat stretches but more importantly on the uphill sections of the race and tried maintaining a pace and focused on keeping steady. There was a much needed water stop around the midpoint of the race right before tackling the steepest section of hills which was certainly needed with the warm temperatures of June starting to greet the region.  After making the final right turn of the race onto the main road heading about .5 miles into the finish line the terrain changed to a downhill straightaway allowing for a little bit of a kick into the finish line.

I finished in fifth place overall in the race and ended with a time of 23:43, good for 7:39/miles.

Yesterday morning I hit the road for Weymouth, Massachusetts and made my way to the Wessagusset 5k. This section of Weymouth I have not previously run in so some uncharted roads and a race not previously run made for a nice event to tackle on a Sunday morning.

The race kicked off at 9AM and all proceeds from the race benefit the Wessagusset School Parent Council. A great team of volunteers greeted runners at the starting line and took care of registration duties and ensured the race kicked off right on time.

The course was a nice, challenging 5k course with some really good rolling hills mixed into the first two miles as runners ran through mainly residential roads. A quick turnaround about half-way through and runners made their way back to the school area.

However, the course was not an out-and-back so right after the second mile marker runners then turned right and made their way up a really steep uphill section which then gave way to a sharp downhill before the remainder of the race leveled off before a very slight uphill stretch leading into the final quarter mile of the race. All in all, some good hills for a 5k race that certainly could be felt upon racing into the finish line.

Despite the hilly terrain, I felt good out on the course and tackled most of the hills quite well. The major uphill in the final mile was a beast but I put my head down and worked up it at a little slower pace than some of the other hills but still crested the hill and made my way toward the downhill stretch.

I finished the hilly Wessagusset 5k with an overall time of 24:37, good for 7:55/miles.

After a three year hiatus, the one mile, Bridgewater Kids Road Race, open to Bridgewater, Massachusetts children in grades K-8, will be staged again this coming fall, on Sunday afternoon October 6th , at 2:00 p.m., on the campus of Bridgewater State University.

The race was a fixture in Town from 1980 through 2015, a 36 consecutive year run. The 37th edition is being conducted under the aegis of Bridgewater State Athletics (track and cross country teams), with support from Northeast Race Management, Colonial Road Runners and the Bridgewater Police Foundation.

Be on the lookout for on-line sign-ups in late summer and early fall.

For more info, contact race director, Sam Baumgarten, at 774-208-2933, or sbaumgarten@verizon.net.

When finishing up a half-marathon what does any sane runner immediately do? Sign up for another half-marathon!

After finishing last weekend’s Fargo Half-Marathon, it was time to search for another half-marathon and fortunately an annual baseball stadium trip with lifelong friends is bringing us to Atlanta, Georgia in September and the timing coincides perfectly with the Craft Classic Half-Marathon. The Craft Classic Half Marathon offers a unique Atlanta course starting at historic Grant Park and featuring great views, a challenging hill or two and a delicious craft beer reward from Monday Night Brewing at the finish line. Race giveaways for all participants include a commemorative event shirt and beer glass, special finisher’s medal, a free beer from Monday Night Brewing and free race photos.

My friend Matt and I will both be tackling the half-marathon and each time we get together we have been fortunate to tackle a race ranging from 5Ks in Massachusetts or Pittsburgh to half-marathons in Cincinnati, Kentucky and now Atlanta. Great way to check out a new city and with this race kicking off nice and early, it will be a perfect way to kick off a guy’s weekend day!

To join us at the Craft Classic Half-Marathon or 5K race, please click here to register online. We look forward to potentially meeting some other runners in Atlanta in September!

It could have been the increased level of training. It might have been the no alcohol for 30+ days. Perhaps it was just a good day running. But, I think there is more to it.

This morning I ran the Fargo Half-Marathon in Fargo, North Dakota. Having never been to the state before, I am now able to cross another state off the half-marathon list and certainly earned today’s medal on the course. The weather this morning brought quite a bit of rain, gusty winds of 35+ MPH and cooler temperatures in the mid 40s to the Fargo area but no matter what was thrown at me, I was going to have a good race today.

Throughout the course, the rain came down pretty much from start to finish and the headwind seemed the toughest in the final three miles of the race. But even with that, I kept the legs moving and focused on my pacing, hydration and breathing and felt quite strong from start to finish.

The race starts and finishes inside the Fargodome, a large field house home to North Dakota State University. Half-marathon runners kicked off right at 7:15 AM and made our way out onto the rain soaked course. Kudos to the strong folks of Fargo for still coming out and supporting runners along the way with bands, DJs, signs and fans cheering throughout the course.

The course itself was pancake flat just about the entire way with some of the more gradual hills noted to be underneath overpasses so they passed quite quickly. The route took runners through residential neighborhoods of Fargo, through historic downtown Fargo and then back into the Fargodome for the finish line. Inside the Fargodome at the finish line, runners could be seen on the Jumbotron and an announcer called out runners’ names as they made their way in. After finishing the race, runners were given a water and their finisher medal and then were corralled past tables of food where I chose to have some Nutter Butter cookies and chocolate milk. A cover band played tunes inside the Fargodome and rocked out an amazing array of songs ranging from Africa to Piano Man to 867-5309.

As I noted previously, today I was running for something bigger than myself. As I have posted previously, today’s Fargo Half-Marathon I dubbed Miles for MSA and ran the race to raise funds for The MSA Coalition in honor of my dad who is currently courageously battling MSA with a strength and attitude that can only be described as inspirational. Thanks to so many friends, family members and even a few random strangers, I raised $3,175 for The MSA Coalition!

Multiple system atrophy is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of symptoms that affect both the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary action such as blood pressure or digestion) and movement. The number of Americans affected by the disease is less than 50,000. It’s a wildly unknown disease, one without a playbook for how to wade through it and one without a cure as of this time.

Being able to bring awareness to MSA and to be able to run in honor of my dad is honestly the least I could do after all that my dad has given to me throughout the years. I tagged my sneaker heel with Miles for MSA and when I talked to my dad last night he told me to have a good run and thanked me for running (and of course added a bit of humor noting that the most running he has done was on the basketball court in his high school glory days). Running 13.1 miles today was made easier today despite the wind, despite the rain and despite the cool temperatures simply knowing I was running for a purpose. And you can bet that this is the first of many Miles for MSA runs I will be doing! (If you want to still help with a donation, please click here to donate online)

And with that added motivation, I scored by second best half-marathon ever! Rain, wind and cool temps were no match for me today and I finished the Fargo Half-Marathon with a time of 1:49:38 good for 8:22/miles! Great race for a great cause in honor of the best dad. #MilesForMSA