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!

Runners know the importance of maintaining proper fueling during a race but the importance of putting the right things in our stomach is not simply a race-time necessity but instead is something that we should focus on at all times. Now, thanks to Crafted Energy, runners have the ability to fuel with some absolutely delicious bars that are sure to make a difference with your running results.

The Crafted Energy bars are made with only the finest raw and natural plant-based ingredients like fruits, nuts, and seeds. The brand has a few different flavors of bars each with a unique recipe aimed at runners, bikers, hikers and climbers. The ingredients in each bar are meant to focus on the right targets for each audience but certainly a runners could eat the hiker bar without any adverse impact. The Cyclist Blueberry Cashew was probably my favorite bar in the lineup with the Runner Cherry Walnut being a close second.

I’d recommend checking out the sampler pack so you can try the different flavors and then pick the functional energy bar that works best for you. To learn more about the Crafted Energy bars and order your bars, click here.

With our daughters’ busy schedules, sneaking in runs is generally much more difficult than it was when they were much younger but we wouldn’t change that for the world. That said, as early birds we can also head out for a run before they are even awake sometimes and yesterday was just one of those days. We made our way to Cohasset, Massachusetts for a change of scenery run and ran the Whitney Spur Rail Trail and belted out a five miler.

To access the trail, you can park in the Cohasset MBTA commuter rail lot where spaces are designated for free parking for those taking advantage of the rail trail. The Whitney Spur Rail Trails is a beautiful stretch of both crushed stone path and paved roads and there is really nice tree cover for most of the trail which makes it a perfect spot for either a run or a bike ride. The trail is an out-and-back offering but at the end of the first leg is the larger Wompatuck State Park which has a visitor center (good for a bio break, if needed) and has an entirely separate network of trails along that can be tackled, a well. Also abutting the Rail Trail is another preservation property that is operated by The Trustees which makes the entire area a spot that you could run, hike, bike and explore for hours or come back several times and always enjoy a different stretch.

After our early morning five miler, coffee was certainly in order so we hit up Seabird Coffee Co. in downtown Cohasset which was just a four minute drive away from the start of the trail. A perfect morning and all of this completed by 8:30 AM!

For the past year I have given up alcohol but thankfully the non-alcoholic craft beer scene is booming and there are plenty of really good options available. This personal decision by me has been driven by both general health reasons and simply a desire to feel better and for runners cutting out a bit of alcohol is never a bad thing. Even if you are not going to go full non-alcoholic, it’s nice to have some options available if you don’t always want to go the fully leaded beer route.

One of the nice things about non-alcoholic beers is that they are able to be shipped directly to your doorstep, something that for other craft beers in certain states is not available. I came across RationAle Brewing recently and ordered some of their offerings and was highly impressed with the quality they bring to the table.

Brewed in California, RationAle Brewing has a solid lineup of non-alcoholic offerings including a New England IPA, a Citrus Hazy IPA, a Mexican Lager and a West Coast IPA. I ordered all four of the brews to help fill the fridge and each offering was exceptionally crafted and tasted amazing. If you provided one of these to someone who enjoys a good craft beer, they may be hard pressed to determine that these brews had no alcohol in them. The New England IPA and the West Coast IPA were probably my two top favorites but honestly you couldn’t go wrong with any of them.

If you’re looking for a a good non-alcoholic beer option for whatever the reason, be sure to check out RationAle Brewing today! Be sure to use code runninggriffin at checkout to also save 10% off your order!