On Saturday morning before the late morning/afternoon rush of soccer craziness took place it was off to Middleborough, Massachusetts for the Middleborough Fire Department 5K. This race took place through the streets of an over-55 community so traffic wasn’t much to contend with and the morning turned out to be a nice one for running after what has seemed to be weekend after weekend of rain for the past several months.

The race had a nice contingent of runners at the starting line and some walkers also lined up making it a nice group of participants heading out on the course. The first mile went by relatively easily and there was a water stop just shy of the halfway mark of the run. However, the second half of the race was a much different story with a whole lot of climbing mixed into the course. One local resident walking his dog noted a hill to be the “Heartbreak Hill” of the course but after cresting that one and leveling off for a bit there was more climbing to be done. The downhill stretches of the course didn’t seem to match the uphill climbs even closely so the race definitely had a challenge to it that was palpable.

After the climbing in the second half of the 5K, things leveled off quickly as you made your way into the finish line complete with a Middleborough fire truck hoisting a large American flag over runners as they made their way into the finishing chute.

With all that climbing, my legs felt junky toward the end of the run but still was able to pull off a decent pace of 8:29/miles for the 5K. If they do this race again next year, definitely recommend it for runners who like a little climbing in their races and supporting a local fire department with a 5K is not a bad cause, either!

Have you ever run in a sauna?

Yesterday it was off to Canton, Massachusetts for the Irish Cultural Centre 5K. The race was the September Grand Prix Race for the Thirsty Irish Runners (talk about a match made in heaven) and a great group of runners toed the starting line on the grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre. Before heading out onto the course, beautiful renditions of the Irish and American national anthems were sung and a moment of silence in memory of September 11th was held.

Yesterday was humid, brutally humid. The race kicked off at 11:30 AM and it was noticeable that the humidity was going to play a factor immediately when just walking from the parking lot to the grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre. Out on the course, the humidity was soupy and the storms that would roll through just after the race concluded could almost be felt with each step made during the run.

The course for this race is relatively flat as other than the short stretch on the scenic grounds of the Irish Cultural Centre you are running through an industrial park. There were a couple water stops around the halfway point of the run which certainly came in handy given the warm and humid conditions. Unfortunately, water was relatively non-existent at the finish line and for future years having some cases of water at the finish line would be a nice addition. Volunteers were working hard to fill one container of water but it simply wasn’t enough.

I felt pretty good out on the course and had a strong finishing time of 25:47, good for 8:20/miles. Some decent running lately and feeling good!

If a road race has the word “hills” in it I suppose you can’t be surprised when the run is a hilly one!

On Labor Day, it was off to Marshfield, Massachusetts for the Marshfield Run for the Hills 5K. This race takes place in the Marshfield Hills section of Marshfield and kicks off just around the corner from the Marshfield Hills General Store which is owned by Steve Carell of “The Office” and is an iconic local general store smack dab in the middle of a this quaint residential area.

The race kicked off at 10AM and a Labor Day heatwave made for warmer temperatures even relatively early in the day. I’ve done this race before so knew all too well that a massive uphill finish for about the final mile was in store therefore took a relatively measured pace in the 8:15/mile range early in the run. I hit up a water stop about halfway through the course which certainly was needed before tackling the real uphill climb. The last stretch of the run is no joke; the uphill climb makes your legs feel like jello and you need to keep reminding yourself to catch your breathing as you make the uphill climb.

I finished up the Marshfield Run for the Hills with a time of 27:59, good for 9:01/miles. Not a bad result for such a challenging race!

(Here’s me [170] after finishing up the run!)

Off to Weymouth, Massachusetts this morning for the August Thirsty Irish Runners‘ Grand Prix Race, the Barrel House Z 5K. There is a summer edition of this run and a Super Sunday race the morning of the Super Bowl and today brought and absolutely perfect day for running. Temps were moderate and some cloud cover kept the sun away as runners made our way out onto the course with a 9:30 AM race time.

The Barrel House Z 5K kicks off on the road of Barrel House Z and heads out into residential neighborhoods in Weymouth. The course has some nice climbing mixed into it making the 5K a great run with a little bit of a challenge included. There is a water stop at the half-way point which came in handy and each mile is marked with a mile marker. Huge shoutout to the Weymouth Police Department and volunteers who managed the course perfectly.

There was a great showing of Thirsty Irish Runners out on the course which always helps keep the legs moving, especially when you hear a belting “Thirsty Irish Runners Rule” while running along. The race announcer noted that this was the largest showing at a Barrel House Z showing that the running community is really enjoying this course and race. Each runner received a ticket for a free beer from Barrel House Z post-run but given I have given up alcohol for more than a year now I opted for a can of Kit NA Brewing‘s IPA that Barrel House Z had available for purchase. There was some live music post-run and a vendor selling homemade donuts providing a cool post-run vibe.

I finished up the Barrel House Z 5K with a gun time of 26:53, good for 8:39/miles. Not a bad overall finishing time and a great morning for a run!