Attended another one of the Colonial Summer Series runs this Monday evening in Raynham, Massachusetts and had another great post-work run. This week, finished up the 3.25 mile run with a time of 24:28, good for 7:32/miles.

Right around the three mile mark a high school team of runners passed in front of me and pride kicked in a bit. As an “old guy” in comparison, I kicked it in the final .25 miles of the run and hanged with them into the finish line. Though they may have been more causally running than normal, having some youngsters help motivate and pace you into a final kick into the finish line never hurts!

The Race to the Row 5K is hosted by the Somerville Road Runners in Somerville, Massachusetts and this is one race you will not want to miss!

This race takes place on Sunday, August 25th and features a series of fun events through Assembly Square and along the Mystic River. There is a Fast Mile, a 5K and a FREE Kids Fun Run! The 5K is open to runners, walkers, teams and families of all ages and abilities, ending with a fun-filled post-race party with food, drinks and beer served from the local restaurants and businesses!

All proceeds from the Race to the Row will benefit East Somerville Main Streets as well as Somerville TrackPAC.

The course is a USATF-certified 5K that winds through and around Assembly Square in Somerville. It’s a semi-double-loop that starts and finishes by the intersection of Grand Union Blvd and Artisan Way. The route is flat and fast and all on roads making it a great course to try and PR on!

After coming through the finish of the 5K, runners will be guided back to the post-race party. Bananas aplenty will be available thanks to Boston Organics and post-race meal will be provided by Ernesto’s Pizza. Quench your thirst with beer from Harpoon (21+ only). Other beverages will be provided, as well, and dessert comes from another local favorite and one of the race’s big sponsors, JP Licks, who is providing multiple flavors of ice cream to choose from.

To register for the Race to the Row, please click here.  Be sure to also give a “Like” to the race on Facebook.

Summer weather is finally making its way to New England which means it’s time for Monday Night Fun Runs in Raynham, Massachusetts!

These runs are sponsored by the Colonial Road Runners and take place each Monday night and feature a 3.25 mile course that is timed and costs a bargain price of just $2 each week! At the finish line, runners also have water and Gatorade available and the race results are posted to CoolRunning allowing for runners to compete against themselves and try to best their previous weeks’ finishing times.

This past Monday night my oldest daughter and I decided to run the race together and headed off onto the course. The first mile of the course is nice and flat and runners run along residential roads of Raynham the entire way. In the second mile there is a gradual incline prior to making your way toward the Mile 2 marker and immediately following the marker there is a much more significant climb before runners are greeted with a nice downhill stretch heading to the third mile marker. The legs definitely start burning heading up the hill and then racing downhill, and it’s a significant one, a different muscle set can be felt. As you hit the mile 3 marker the course then levels out and runners then have a flat stretch the final .25 miles of the run.

Great first Monday night fun run for my daughter and she ran the entire 3.25 miles at a very even pace and without stopping, even on the hills. At one point on the uphill, I caught her working to slow down her breathing and breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Proud running dad moment!

We finished the race with a time of 32:10, good for 9:54/miles. Great way to kick off the series and looking forward to more summer family runs coming up soon!

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.