Running Scared 5K

On October 26, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

This morning it was a beautiful fall day ideal for a 5K run just down the road starting and finishing at the Bridgewater Youth Soccer fields. The Bridgewater Youth Soccer Association sponsored this morning’s Running Scared 5K and did an absolutely great job putting on the event.

The race started in front of Rainbow’s End Playground and made its way through residential streets of Bridgewater. Though I have run many of these streets in the past, while racing along them it became pretty noticeable how there were some decent inclines on Bradley Lane and Conant Street. The Bridgewater Police Department did a nice job pacing the race and controlling traffic along the race course. Each turn along the course was marked with volunteers and a water stop was placed about half-way into the race.

After running about 2.5 miles on the pavement, runners made a left hand turn onto a dirt path which then took runners onto the grass of the soccer fields. A nice kick on the grass into the finish line made runners reminisce back to when they may have played soccer back in their own youth.

I finished the Running Scared 5K with a time of 22:33, good for 7:15/miles. The race was a nice way to spend some time this morning close to home and I certainly look forward to running next year’s Running Scared 5K, as well!

Dog & Grog Jog in Providence, RI

On October 19, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Last Sunday afternoon it was down to Providence, Rhode Island for the Dog & Grog Jog hosted at the Wild Colonial Tavern in the heart of downtown Providence.

This race is like none other. If you have done a really race before you sort of understand the gist: run your leg and then your partner takes off and the first team to finish wins. However, the Dog & Grog Jog adds a little excitement to the mix. Teams are made up of four runners and our team (named Corned Beef and Kapusta paying homage to the Irish and Polish lineages of the team members) heard about what to expect at the relay and conquered the challenge with some smiles and belching.

You see, runners run 1.25 miles, a quick jaunt along one of the Providence canals and rather pancake flat running at that. Once the runner has completed the 1.25 mile run they then have to eat a saugy (a remarkably delicious hot dog) and drink a ‘Gansett before the next runner can go. The hot dog actually was not all that bad to get down but the ‘Gansett was a bit more tricky. Some runners were extreme in their techniques of conquering the challenge and others were quite precise in putting condiments on the dog, sipped the beer like a nice summer day on a porch or had to adjust their costume before taking on the dog and beer. You see, the race also features some pretty awesome costumes ranging from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Duck Dynasty, Glam Clams to Beach Bums and cereal characters to bumble bees.

Let it be known that next year, we likely will be back with a new name, some costumes and our eyes on taking down more and more teams. If anyone wants to assist with the training, please reach out for my mailing address to send packs of saugys and cases of Narragansett.

Register for the Monson Memorial Classic

On October 14, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

The Running Griffin encourages readers to register for the Monson Memorial Classic. As part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, Monson Memorial Classic donated to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance in memory of our buddy Matt at Matt Reno Logo‘s mom who passed away from ovarian cancer several years ago.

The 19th Annual Monson Memorial Classic is a half-marathon and will be held on Sunday, November 9th. There is also a 5K option held on the same day. The Monson Memorial Classic road race was started in 1996, shortly after the deaths of Kelly Waldron and Kathy Waldron Perry. These sisters died eight months apart from different types of cancer. Kathy suffered with melanoma, and Kelly had breast, bone, and liver cancer. They were wonderful, loving people. This race is in their memory, and past proceeds have gone to American Cancer Association of Western Mass, American Lung Association, Quaboag Valley Hospice, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year they are giving proceeds to Griffin’s Friends and Melanoma Education Foundation.

To register for the Monson Memorial Classic, please click here and be sure to thank them for supporting great causes!

Tower of Terror 10 Miler

On October 10, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

You really can’t get better than a trip to Disney World with the family. The rides, the characters, the food, the pools, the sun, the smiles and so much more really make the trip to Disney World worth every penny! When you mix in a 10 mile road race, now you really have a vacation.

Thanks to Mrs. Running Griffin’s mother and aunt in tow for this jaunt to Florida we were able to leave the little Running Griffins with them while we made our way to Hollywood Studios to partake in the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. As with all Disney races, the race takes place outside of normal park hours and therefore has a moonlight starting time of 10PM. Runners arrived at Hollywood Studios and were greeted with a DJ blasting the tunes, a wall of what seemed to be 1000 port-a-potties, some food vendors and a lot of anxious, sleepy and runners ready to head out onto the course.

After getting into our corals, runners made their way toward the starting line and waves went off just about every two minutes to the second. Upon the start of each wave, fireworks and a laser show sent runners through the starting line and out onto the course.

At each mile marker on the course was a different Disney villain including Jafar, The Big Bad Wolf, the hyenas from the Lion King and more. What was interesting is that there clearly were a lot of people not interested in their running time and instead they queued up for an autograph and photo with each villain along the way. The highway was closed down completely (which only Disney can do) and runners traversed along the highway and into Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, ESPN Wide World of Sports and Hollywood Studios finishing directly next to a giant party at the Tower of Terror. Some of the most enjoyable running was inside of ESPN Wide World of Sports where we were able to run on a track, on a cross country path and into the baseball stadium the Atlanta Braves play Spring Training games at. The stadium had eerie music blaring, fans in the stands and smoke adding to the haunted ambiance of the run.

Mrs. Running Griffin and I decided that we would run the race together and had a great time running the race side-by-side. For a race that had thousands of people participating there was absolutely no way to get lonely on the course but it is always nice to be able to run with someone. We finished the 10 miler with a time of 1:44:19 and crossed the finish line right around midnight. After a quick beer and a bite to eat it was then off to Uber back to the hotel and head to bed!

Sacred Heart Food Pantry 5K

On September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

On Sunday morning it was off to Middleborough, Massachusetts for the Sacred Heart Food Pantry 5K. The Food Pantry 5K Run/Walk is an important fundraising effort organized by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to support the Sacred Heart Food Pantry. It provides an opportunity for walkers and runners to participate in the mission of feeding the hungry in the communities we serve, while raising awareness of the challenges faced by the nation’s needy.

The race directors could not have asked for a more perfect day for a run. The sun was beating down and the skies were clear for the race and race time temperature was quite warm for later in September. A sea of runners and walkers flocked to the starting line and the race was nicely chip-timed to allow for accurate race results. Kudos to the runners and walkers along with the sponsors for raising more than $12,000 to combat hunger in Southeastern Massachusetts.

The race course started with a rather drastic downhill first half-mile which basically is a good foreshadowing of things to come later in the race. The race then hit the side roads surrounding the school that served as the race start and finish. It was great to see one of the TIRs out on the course cheering on the runners. As you made your way through the final mile it was back into the school grounds to tackle the reverse path of the downhill start. The hill certainly seemed much more pronounced on the last half-mile of the race than it did at the start and each step really needed an extra push of the will.

I finished the Sacred Heart Food Pantry 5K with a time of 23:21, good for 7:32/miles. For a back to back race weekend coupled with a tough course and hot temperatures, a good race result in my book!