Great early summer conditions for this morning’s Pack the Pantry 5K in Dedham, Massachusetts. Hosted and sponsored by St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Dedham, the Pack the Pantry 5K  raised money for the Dedham Food Pantry and runners had the option to bring canned goods to donate to the Food Pantry, as well.

The race was a nice run through residential roads of Dedham and when the race organizer quipped before the race that, “You can’t run in Dedham and not have some hills,” he wasn’t kidding.

The race started off with some really nice uphills in the first mile followed by a significant downhill right around the one mile marker. The course was open to traffic but coned off on main roads and while running through the neighborhoods there wasn’t much traffic to contend with. A water stop was present at the half-way mark which proved to be important as runners made their way up another really good uphill stretch around the two mile mark. After tackling the hill it was then into another looped neighborhood stretch before runners made a right turn back onto the road the church was on for a good downhill and flat stretch heading into the finish line.

Race organizers welcomed runners back into the church grounds and encouraged runners to head inside for a pancake breakfast. I opted for a water and some watermelon but those pancakes smelled amazing!

My calves felt a little tight on the hills this morning so when I noticed Westwood-based Accelerated Performance Rehabilitation (APR) at the finish line providing stretches and massage, I had to take advantage. It actually wasn’t my calves that needed the most work but was more my thighs and IT-band and the five minutes on the table along with education on home stretching was exactly what was needed.

I finished the Pack the Pantry 5K with a time of 24:39, good for 7:56/miles. With a good amount of hills, not a bad overall result! Back at it again tomorrow morning at The Bridge Center 5K in Bridgewater, Massachusetts!

With the Memorial Day long weekend affording us an extra day away from work, Monday morning it was off to West Bridgewater, Massachusetts for the 16th Annual Christopher’s Run 5K. This 5K race is held in honor of local resident Christopher Nelson who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was two years old and all proceeds from the race go toward the work that the American Diabetes Association is conducting to find a cure for diabetes.

The course for Christopher’s run is a real gem of a 5K and it was great to see a nice turnout of runners toeing the starting line. Christopher’s father Frank is a local runner and triathlete and a nice contingent of runners from Colonial Road Runners and HFC Striders Running Club made their way to the race to join all the other runners who tackled the 5K course to help raise funds to find a cure for diabetes.

The 5K route takes runners on a closed road course where runners climb gradual hills in the first 1.5 miles or so. There is a water stop at the halfway point right where the road turns into a relatively flat stretch in a residential neighborhood. Once you hit the two mile marker, the course takes a rather downward trajectory which allows the legs to run a bit free as they tire later in the race.

Felt nice and strong at Monday’s race and found some great runners to help keep the pace with during the run. I finished Christopher’s Run with a time of 22:45, good for 7:20/miles. Feels great to be logging some nice sub-8 minute miles lately; need to keep the momentum up!

This Sunday morning the Esplanade 5K took place on the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts and though a touch of humidity was in the air it was a great morning for a run.

Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, proceeds from the race went to benefit The Esplanade Association so in addition to being able to run a great course runners also had the opportunity to support a great cause. The Esplanade Association is a 100% privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to revitalize and enhance the Charles River Esplanade, sustain the natural green space, and build community by providing educational, cultural, and recreational programs for everyone. Working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Esplanade Association is dedicated to improving the experiences of the millions of visitors who enjoy Boston’s iconic riverside park.

The race course itself was a nice and flat course aside from a few quick inclines up bridges over water within the Esplanade. Each mile was marked on the course and volunteers directed runners along the course route at each turn. A water stop was present at the half-way point of the run , as well. The paths within the Esplanade were open to casual runners, walkers and bikers not taking part in the race and for the most part they did an okay job keeping the course free and open as runners made their way by.

When it comes to running in Boston, the Esplanade is one of the best spots you can find and Sunday’s race was great! A nice, small assortment of vendors has tents post-race including Polar Seltzers which made for some nice hydration post run.

Having raced on Saturday, as well, quite pleased with a finishing time of 23:24, good for 7:32/miles. Great back-to-back race weekend and the Esplanade 5K is definitely one you will want to keep on the radar in 2019!

It was a two 5K in one weekend sort of weekend with Saturday’s race taking place right within the town I live in and housed on the grounds of Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The Run to End Addiction 5K was held to support the Teen Challenge program in Brockton, Massachusetts which aims to help those afflicted by the grips of addiction.

The race had a great social media presence leading up to the race and more than 1900 runners and walkers took part in the race, an increase from the 700 participants that took part in the event last year. With such a nice increase in the participants, the day was sure to be a huge fundraiser for the Teen Challenge program and post-race the organizers sent an email thanking everyone for participating in the event and noted that the race raised $110,000! I’d call that a success for the second annual event!

The Run to End Addiction 5K took place right at 9AM and fortunately some rain that was in the forecast held off for the entire race. The run took runners through the Bridgewater State University campus and briefly out onto a main road just outside the campus and included a downhill and uphill stretch on the appropriately named Great Hill. A water stop took place about half-way into the race which came in handy after cruising down Great Hill and then trudging back up it after a quick turnaround.

Throughout the race were signs lining the road showing people who passed away due to addiction. However, some of the most moving signs along the road were those signs showing before and after photos of Teen Challenge members with those individuals standing next to their signs thanking and cheering on runners each step of the way. A truly moving way to put a personal face on addiction and the importance of racing to raise money to help others battling addiction.

With the Great Hill of BSU mixed into the race course I knew I’d have to trust my legs and push on the downhill and on the uphills and to speed through the rest of the course to make up any lost time on the hilly parts. I finished the Run to End Addiction with a time of 22:59, good for 7:23/miles. A great race and a nice finishing time!

If you are interested in registering for next year’s Run to End Addiction 5K, be sure to register by tomorrow to take advantage of a great offer! All you have to do is register at www.runtoendaddiction.com and use the coupon code “Hope” and you will get 50% OFF any and all registrations that you complete!

Saturday turned out to be a pretty rainy and gross day all around but fortunately the rain clouds held off for the most part so the The 2nd Annual Honor Thy Mother 5K could take place without too much of the added excitement of a rainy challenge being mixed into the race.

The 2nd Annual Honor Thy Mother 5K took place in Lakeville, Massachusetts and was hosted by and supported the Mullein Hill Christian Academy. The race director prior to kicking off the race noted that the 5K was the school’s largest fundraiser so it was nice to see a healthy amount of walkers and runners toeing the starting line and heading out onto the course.

The course itself was an out-and-back loop taking runners away from the school and then into a large residential neighborhood, with some really splendid homes to look at along the way. Each mile was marked on the course and the course itself was pretty much pancake flat save a slight incline heading into the finishing half-mile or so. A water stop was at the half-way turnaround point and though the temperatures weren’t too warm it was a tad bit humid so the water certainly came in handy. The benefit of this out-and-back course is that you had plenty of runners and walkers cheering you along as you made your way through the second half of the race.

I knew as I was running along that I was maintaining a nice pace and certainly felt strong as I made my way throughout the course. The benefit of a flat course certainly is always nice to have but you also want to ensure you don’t push too soon and burn out midway through the race. Coming into the finishing chute, I was pleasantly surprised to see an official finish time of 22:36, good for 7:16/miles. Great to have a nice, fast pace on this race and here’s to hoping some more fast paces are in the not-so-distant future!