Registration is now open for the 6th Annual Pam’s Run which will be held in Wayland, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 14th. Be sure to register for this race today as this is one race you will certainly want to have on your fall racing schedule! Pam’s Run features a 5K run/walk and a 10K run and I highly recommend you push yourself and tackle the 10K route!

Pam’s Run is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Pam Manikas Washek, founder of Neighbor Brigade and a tireless champion for families facing sudden crisis. She founded Neighbor Brigade to help those in crisis with free and immediate services provided by fellow community members. It is a simple idea with tremendous impact in providing relief while strengthening the fabric of a community. Last year, Neighbor Brigade volunteers delivered services to families in 30 communities. Pam’s Run will raise funds critical to Neighbor Brigade’s continuing operations and ability to reach more individuals and families in need of support and assistance.

Having run Pam’s Run twice in the past, I can attest that this race is one of the best 10K courses you will find in eastern Massachusetts. The 10K course is a great run through tree-lined residential roads and then down a dirt road past an area known as Duck Pond Farm. This part of the course was amazingly idyllic and reminded me of stretches of the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon course in Vermont. There’s a nice incline at the fourth mile marker which challenges the legs quite a bit and then another quick uphill sprint was in the final mile. If you are looking for the perfect fall 10K, Pam’s Run is the one for you!

To register for Pam’s Run, please click here. Please be sure to also “Like” the race on Facebook here.

Posting is a bit delayed due to a whirlwind week of business travel last week but on Sunday, June 10th a perfect summer morning made for absolutely ideal running conditions. It’s always nice when there is a race close by, but when there is a race less than 2 miles from your house then it is a real win! The 1st Annual The Bridge Center 5K took place in Bridgewater, Massachusetts just around the corner from my house so it was simply too good to pass up.

The TBC 5K and Fun Run is a community event to benefit The Bridge Center, a 501 (C) 3 organization that provides year-round therapeutic recreation and equine therapy programs for individuals with disabilities. The Bridge Center offers specialized year-round and summer camp opportunities and experiences for all abilities and all ages to work towards independence and improve overall quality of life, in the South Shore of Massachusetts and beyond. The TBC 5k and Fun Run raised funds to support programs, the over 1,700 participants we service annually, and the thousands of others The Bridge Center has yet to serve.

The race had a great group of runners and walkers and for a first annual race was well handled. Runners started with a quick lap through The Bridge Center grounds before making their way onto Pine Street. The Bridgewater Police Department manned the roads and runners had a stretch on Pine Street free of cars prior to making a left hand turn into Olde Scotland Links Golf Course. For about a mile runners ran along the cart paths of the course which made for some great views, quick uphill sprints and even a stretch over a footbridge in the woods between two holes. Wardens were throughout the course and most of the golfers took a few minutes off and cheered along the runners. It was a really unique and interesting road race course and something quite different. After running through the course, runners made their way back onto Pine Street and tackled a nice uphill before turning back into The Bridge Center grounds for a final loop around the grounds and into the finish line.

The course was a bit shy of a true 5K route and next year I’m sure there are some ways to make the course an actual 3.1 mile route. The golf course path running was quite awesome so with just a little bit of mapping, no doubt they’ll get it right next year. A water stop along the course also would be nice, particularly given the June temperatures were in effect on race morning.

Officially, I finished the TBC 5K with a time of 20:27, good for 6:34/miles if the course had been a true 5K. I felt pretty strong running and probably ran closer to a 7:10/mile 5K pace but admittedly did not time myself on the run.

This is a great race and raises money for a really amazing cause and I look forward to next year’s run!

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!