The Running Griffin would like to welcome Karhu to our Running Related Business listings.

KARHU, meaning “bear” in Finnish, is a leading running brand in Europe and has provided technical running and outdoor gear for nearly 100 years. With an authentic heritage in running and a deep connection to the outdoors, KARHU follows the Finnish principles of design simplicity and running purity. KARHU shoes have been worn on the feet of some of the greatest Finnish runners, including Boston Marathon champion Olavi Suomalainen, and Paavo Nurmi, giving rise to the Flying Finns.

I have been using the Karhu Flow Fulcrums for my short distance runs and they have been working splendidly. The sneakers are super lightweight but offer just the right amount of foot support to ensure running stability. The sneakers, bright red in color, provide both a good look out on the race course but more importantly have held up over a series of races.

Keep an eye out at races for the Karhu Airstream camper and meet-up with the friendly and helpful Karhu staffers/runners who are both informative and downright great people.

Thanks to Karhu for joining The Running Griffin!

 

(If you would like your running related business added to The Running Griffin, please email therunninggriffin@gmail.com.)

 

It’s time for another marathon!

This May you can join The Running Griffin at the Buffalo Marathon. Now in its 13th year, the Buffalo Marathon is a fast, scenic Boston Marathon qualifier, taking you through the best streets, parks and waterways in Buffalo. Runners come for the great course, ideal weather, excellent value and Niagara Falls is only 20 minutes away.

Having never been to Buffalo before, it will be a great time to check out a new city and run a marathon that I have heard nothing but good things about! The Buffalo Marathon registration comes with a pre-race pasta dinner, a runner’s expo and post-race party, as well!

I have already booked my flight and hotel room in Buffalo and I hope you will consider joining me in registering for this race. If you are not ready for a full marathon, there is also a half-marathon and relay option, as well.

Registration for the Buffalo Marathon can be found by clicking here. Who’s with me?

What better way to start of the new year than with a 5 miler?

This morning it was off to Norton, Massachusetts for the FOP Lodge #28 Frozen Five New Years Day Run. The race started and finished at the VFW Hall in Norton and for an inaugural race was exceptionally well run! Money from the race went to benefit the work that the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police take part in.

The course was a scenic five miles through rolling residential roads of Norton. The race time temperature was a touch above 30 degrees so the conditions were quite nice for a January 1st run. The snow still left hanging on the tree branches was slowly melting and having some snow still along the side of the course made for a true winter run feel. The last stretch of the run also added to that as a compacted snow footing along the last wooded, 100 yards of the race made for additional focus needing to be paid to each stride as you glided into the finish line.

A great post-race breakfast was available with bagels, eggs, sausage, juice and coffee which was a nice touch and helped to take the chill out of the runners after they crossed the finish line.

I finished the FOP Lodge #28 Frozen Five New Years Day Run with a time of 38:00 good for 7:36/miles which also landed me 2nd place in my age division. Starting off the year with a medal win is a pretty good way to kick off the 2013 running!

 

This morning it was into Boston for a Christmas Eve Eve fun run with about 15 other Thirsty Irish Runners. We started from the Savin Hill Yacht Club and hugged the Atlantic Ocean for most of the run. The route was relatively flat however the headwind was something to contend with for a good chunk of the run.

We ran out past some of the course of the POW-MIA 5 Miler and out onto Morrissey Boulevard as we made our way down toward Castle Island. As we ran out back on the loop back toward Savin Hill Yacht Club the wind became quite strong and the resistance running really began to kick in. The legs began to feel a bit heavier, the breathing got a little bit more difficult and the miles seemed to last a little bit longer.

Thanks to Anne and Bob from the TIR’s for working to keep me honest and vice-versa, we were able to log 10.3 miles today with a pace of 8:43/miles. For a training run, I was quite pleased logging some good miles at a relatively nice training pace. Does running 10.3 miles today mean I can have an extra piece of Yule Log?

Today was a cold December morning and it was off to Lexington, MA for a 10 mile training run along the Lexington Battle Road with some fellow Thirsty Irish Runners. We hit the trail at 9AM which allowed us to get in 10 miles before the freezing rain of New England worked its way in later in the day.

The Battle Road is a great, historic trail that maps out the path the British soldiers took in the American Revolution which ultimately led to the famous battle on Lexington Green. One of the fellow runners mentioned today that “these woods have a lot of ghosts  was in them” and thinking about all of the soldiers who fought along the way certainly was easy to picture.

The Battle Road consists of compacted dirt which makes the running a bit easier on the legs and makes for a really enjoyable course. There are a couple of hills mixed into the course and since you head out and back you get to enjoy both sides of them. The Battle Road had a good mix of runners, walkers and even a couple of bikers today. A group of folks walking their greyhounds, about 50 in total, made me glad I left the bunny rabbit suit at home today.

If you are looking for an amazing place to log some miles, I highly recommend the Lexington Battle Road course. Let me know if you are heading there sometime and I will meet you there!