Each year instead of purchasing Christmas gifts for one another, my brother and I book a trip to a new city to take in a sporting event, eat some local food, load up on local coffee and enjoy a new spot. This year, we opted to take in a soccer match in Raleigh, North Carolina and made our way to a new city this past weekend.

Looking for a road race to do while in North Carolina, I came across the Bridge the Gap 5K in Raleigh which kicked off bright and early at 8AM on Saturday morning. As an early bird, I love a good, early road race and a quick Lyft ride from the hotel to the starting line brought me to the grounds of a local Baptist church where the race kicked off and finished at.

There was a good group of walkers and runners alike at the starting line before the race started; a nice community event, for sure, welcoming participants of all speeds.

The race left the church grounds and then quickly made its way onto Greenway Path, a nice wooded bike path of paved terrain taking runners through the path and a few wooden bridges before the course dumped some residential side roads. The overall terrain of the course felt a touch hilly with a few good hills mixed into the route for good measure. Though the race started early at 8AM, there still was a touch of humidity in the air that aded a nice challenge but was nicely addressed thanks to a water stop on both sides of this out-and-back course.

I finished the Bridge the Gap 5K with a time of 26:43, good for 8:37/miles. A little slower than I would have liked but not terrible given the hills, humidity and late arriving flight the night before.

The Bridge the Gap 5K is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization Refugee Hope Partners. To learn more about their work, please click here.

Yesterday it was back to the West Island section of Fairhaven to take part in the West Island 5K once again. It has been a number of years since I last ran this race but with an open Sunday morning on the calendar it was great to make my way back to this waterfront little community to participate in the 5K race that calls West Island home.

Funds from this road race go to benefit the local West Island community and also helps to support cross-country teams at Fairhaven High School and funds scholarships for local students, as well . This oceanside community is a great little area and some of the locals head out onto the course and cheer runners on along the way.

It can be deceiving how gradually downhill the first mile is only to then realize in the final mile of the race you are generally climbing each step of the way. As runners make the final right hand turn on the course you then are smacked by a nice, uphill finish that isn’t for the faint of heart but runners had a great day to tackle the hilly finish and throngs of supporters cheering you along up the hill never hurts!

The first mile I definitely enjoyed the downhill start a bit too much and needed to pace myself more in the second and third mile. Fortunately, I was able to balance things out a bit and ran the second and third miles at a bit more of a measured pace. I finished the West Island 5K with a time of 25:52, good for 8:19/miles.

In 2012, Jared Campbell decided to run up and down Salt Lake City’s Grandeur Peak for 24 hours, to raise money for air quality advocacy work. The following year, a few friends joined in. The next year: even more. After 11 years, Campbell’s solo project has morphed into Running Up For Air: a worldwide movement with dozens of races, hundreds of runners and tens of thousands of dollars raised around the globe. This is a story about how running builds community that can jump-start change far beyond the trails.

This morning we made our way over to Foxboro, Massachusetts for Bailey’s Run for Autism. This is a 5K race that raises funds for Bailey’s Team, a regional non-profit organization supporting organizations who fund research and or provide training, resources, services and aid to individuals living with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

Shoutout to the Race Director for putting on an amazing run and for kicking off the race actually 2 minutes ahead of the 10AM starting time. In a running world where races seem to be more likely to start 10-15 minutes late, having the race kick off on time is always appreciated by runners. The course was a really nice, residential course through the roads of Foxboro. The course was open to traffic and the Foxboro Police Department did a great job patrolling the intersections and ensuring the safety of runners each step of the way.

The race time weather was perfect for a run with shorts and a long-sleeve being all that was needed. It was nice to have a brief hiatus from the rain that seems to have not stopped for close to three months here in Massachusetts and the sun poked out this morning just in time for the run.

I felt good out on the course and at the first mile noticed I was cruising along at a good clip and was able to sustain a nice pace for most of the course. I really enjoyed this 5K course and would definitely recommend this race in future years.

Finished up Bailey’s Run for Autism with a time of 23:52, good for 7:41/miles. Great morning of running and quite happy with today’s pace!

Nothing like a celebration of the High Holy Day!

This past weekend it was off to Marshfield, Massachusetts for the Marshfield St. Patrick’s Day 5K and a great morning of running was in store for all the runners who toed the starting line.

The Marshfield St. Patrick’s Day 5K is a fundraiser for the Marshfield Education Foundation and a contingent of more than 3,000 runners and walkers laced up to tackle the course right in the waterfront neighborhood of Marshfield. St. Patrick’s Day races just hit different (in a good way) and with a healthy contingent of Thirsty Irish Runners at the race that served as our March Grand Prix race there was good energy from the starting line all the way through the finish.

With a 5K race, 3000+ runners is a lot so you have to anticipate the course being relatively crowded. The first mile of the race had a bit of weaving and dodging mixed in for good measure but Mrs. Running Griffin and I decided to run together and held our own throughout the early stretch. Sure, if you were hoping for a PR and that is the only thing of importance, this race may not be the one for you. But if you’re looking for a nice course with a sea of smiling fellow runners celebrating St. Patrick’s Day then it definitely is one to check out!

Mrs. Running Griffin has been belting out some absolutely amazing times lately so we used this race as a bit of a push and stuck together throughout the course until about the last half-mile when she told me to leave the rest to her and to push myself to the finish. I finished up the race with a time of 27:34 good for 8:53/miles.

Be sure to also check out Mrs. Running Griffin and her friend’s new running Instagram account by clicking here.