It was a perfect, New England autumn day today and it was off to Carver, Massachusetts for the Edvaille Rail Run 5 Miler. This race takes place on the grounds of Edaville USA which is a small park surrounding cranberry bogs and heavily focused on a train track that runs through the bogs.

The Edaville 5 Miler runs along the cranberry bogs and along a crushed stone course. In the past, the weather can get a little chilly with the wind whipping across the bogs but today was absolutely perfect. The course is remarkably flat and the race has grown into a really great race with a huge regional draw.

The Edaville Rail Run raises money for the Dorine Merritt Memorial Fund which is a scholarship founded in memory of Dorine Merritt who died in a car accident.

The shirt giveaway at this race was a great black and red long sleeve tech-shirt which made the entry fee even more reasonable. Water was available just shy of the two mile mark and at the four mile mark along the course.

I finished the Edaville Rail Run with a time of 39:05 good for 7:50/miles. A great race and an all-around great time in Carver today!

It was a back-to-back weekend with the Friar 5K in Providence on Saturday followed by the Boston Firefighter 10k on Sunday. The Boston Firefighter 10k was a Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and the weather was ideal for running a 10k with a crisp coolness in the air to start off the race, warming slightly during the race and with a light breeze blowing across the course.

The race starts at the Florian Hall in Dorchester which is the social center for the Boston Fire Department. The start was complete with bagpipers, fire engines, firefighters and a giant American flag. The race started promptly following the Star Spangled Banner and off we were.

Runners ran through Dorchester and then down toward the water where the Boston Fire Department fire boat greeted the runners with water spraying in the air. After running past the fire boat it was then toward the UMass-Boston campus where a loop around the campus and past the JFK Presidential Museum & Memorial Library took place.

As the course was an out and back loop, runners ran back past the water with a glimpse of the Boston skyline in sight before heading toward a rather flat final mile back into the area of the Florian Hall. Post-race there was plenty of water, oranges and bananas available. Unfortunately we did not have time to enjoy the free beer, however, the line was rather lengthy and would’ve taken a while to get through. The IAFF bus supporting Elizabeth Warren was also at the event.

I finished the Boston Firefighters 10k with a time of 50:05, good for 8:09/miles. I finished last year’s race with a time of 52:54 or 8:32/miles so I was quite pleased with taking some time off especially in light of two races in one weekend!

Holy hills. Not blessed hills. Holy hills.

Today it was down to Providence, Rhode Island for the 3rd Annual Friar 5K sponsored by Providence College. Providence College is a beautiful, Catholic college right in the middle of Providence, Rhode Island and is an idyllic campus within an urban setting. The 3rd Annual Friar 5K was complete with the Providence College friar mascot, a sea of PC alumni and current students, faculty members competing for their department’s bragging rights and a great post-race reception held in front of the Slavin Center on campus.

Providence College is no stranger to producing amazing runners, including Kim Smith who most recently won the BAA Half-Marathon and pocketed a cool $100k for doing so. Given the tough set of hills surrounding the campus it is no surprise that the college is a good groomer of great runners!

The course for this 5K was indeed quite hilly. It seemed as though for a good majority of the race you were climbing hills except for one noticeable downhill just shy of the 2 mile mark. The course weaved throughout some of the streets surrounding the campus and both started and finished right on the college campus. It was unseasonably warm and muggy for a late October road race which certainly could be felt up on the uphills. There was good support on the course with two water stops along the way and plenty of water and Powerade at the finish line. After runners crossed the finish line and grabbed a drink, there was a nice post-race party on the lawn complete with a band, food, coffee, games for the kids and some local vendors.

I finished the 3rd Annual Friar 5K with a time of 24:08 good for 7:44/miles.

Fall was in the air and getting a run in today was most certainly on the agenda. It was over to Spark Bike Run Sports on Route 44 in East Taunton today for a demo of sneakers by the company On. Having not heard of the brand previously I was interested to give the sneakers a try and the staff of Spark and sales rep from On were both cool with allowing folks to take the sneakers for a spin prior to purchasing. I got just over a 3 mile loop in through some of the side roads off of the busy Route 44 and came to really liking the feel of the sneakers.

On’s technology for the sneakers is pretty interesting. From their website the best description comes. “A piece of circular rubber, which absorbs both the vertical and the horizontal impact. As the foot hits the ground with forward momentum, the CloudTec™ element folds back, effectively allowing the foot to glide to a softer halt. After landing, the element is compressed by the weight of the runner, locks together and is fully firm for the push-off.”

Definitely could feel that the way that the sneaker landed was a bit different than other sneakers I have run with. There was a sort cushion in the step that was immediately noticeable and though the sneakers felt lighter on my feet they still maintained good support during the run.

Post-run I opted to purchase the pair of On Cloudrunner’s that I had used for the demo run and scored a nice 20% off the sneakers.

I look forward to logging some more miles in my new pair of On Cloudrunner running sneakers and hope to be able to try the next model when they are released.

Yesterday it was down to Plymouth, Massachusetts for the Plymouth Police/Fire 5K Run. What started off as a crisp, overcast fall morning turned into an absolutely beautiful race day and since this race took off at 11AM the conditions were spot on for a race toward the end of September.

The race benefits the Liam Macomber Memorial Fund and with the added sponsoring of the Plymouth Police and Fire Departments the race has grown quite nicely in recent years. The Liam Macomber Memorial Fund (LMMF) was established in memory of eight month old Liam Matthew, who died unexpectedly in September 2005. The goal of establishing this fund was to assist young adults of the South Shore further their education through scholarship endowments and most importantly, to help families who have experienced a similar loss.

To date, the LMMF has provided financial assistance in excess of $38,000 to area families who have suffered the loss of a child. In addition, over the past six years, twenty four students from Plymouth North and South High Schools have been awarded scholarships totaling $12,000 on behalf of the LMMF to help offset the cost of college expenses.

The race starts right along the Plymouth Harbor and your first leg has you sprinting out along the water and past historic markers such as the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. The course has a couple of really good, fast inclines mixed in and finishes along the water, as well, for a pretty good view the whole way through. Runners make a nice loop through the downtown Plymouth business district with maintains the perfect blend of historic, New England charm and some newer restaurants, bars and shops.

Post-race festivities were held at the beautiful East Bay Grille right on the water with food, drinks and live music making for a great afternoon setting for those wishing to stay.

I finished the Plymouth Police/Fire 5K Run benefiting the Liam Macomber Memorial Fund with a time of 23:29 or 7:34/miles.