I’m pretty sure I won’t be around for the next centennial celebration in East Bridgewater so how could I pass up running the East Bridgewater Bicentennial 5K last weekend? Just a town over from where I live, 200 years is nothing to sneeze at so Happy Birthday, East Bridgewater!

The race was part of a group of fesitivities commemorating the bicentennial of East Bridgewater and a nice crowd gathered the morning of the run. The race was familiar to me as it was the same course as the Run for Jess so I knew there’d be some climbing along the way and planned for that heading out of the starting line. The course takes runners through the town of East Bridgewater and though the roads were open to traffic the local constabulary did a great job patrolling the course and keeping runners safe along the way. There was a water stop about half-way through the run which came in handy as even though it wasn’t scorching hot there was a bit of mugginess in the air so the water hit the spot.

Felt good out on the course and maintained a relatively consistent pace along the 5K route. I noted the course to be long (3.22 miles) and other runners commented on same but given this wasn’t an Olympic trial or anything I didn’t sweat pounding out the extra .12 mile for the race. I finished up the race with a time of 25:21 which is good for an official 5K pace of 8:19/miles.

Right in the heart of the West Roxbury section of Boston is an Irish pub (not surprising) called the Corrib. The pub is owned and operated by a family who has the same last name as me (Bligh) which is a bit surprising given there aren’t a whole heck of a lot of Bligh’s running around.

The pub puts on an absolutely great 5K road race that raises a boatload of money that is put right back into the local community thanks to the charitable foundation that the race supports. There’s a great atmosphere at the race with many local dignitaries present, food and beer post-run, ice cream trucks and games for the kids and more.

The Corrib Pub Classic 5K was the June Grand Prix race this year for my running club, the Thirsty Irish Runners, so there was a sizable contingent of TIRs present which always makes the run more fun. Race time temps were pretty ideal for running and on the cooler side for a race that has had some really hot days in its history.

The course for the Corrib is a rather challenging 5K course through West Roxbury with some rather tricky uphill climbs mixed into the residential neighborhoods for good measure. I love to see local politicians and families hosting more than enough water stops along the course as it builds a nice neighborhood feel to the run. People are out cheering, runners are smiling and it’s an all-around great race. There’s an awesome downhill finish where you lean forward and let gravity help you along that is a perfect way to end a race.

I finished the Corrib Pub Classic 5K with a time of 27:15 good for 8:47/miles.

A little bit of a delay with this race recap but a few weekends ago it was off to Stoughton, Massachusetts to run the Once a Knight Always a Knight 5K. This race is held in memory of four high school students from Stoughton who were tragically killed in a car accident and funds raised from the 5K support youth activities in town sponsored by the Stoughton Recreation Department.

The race takes place on the town’s school campus where both the high school and other schools are located and runners remain on campus for the entire race. The race takes you quickly through the parking lot before you make your way onto a crushed stone path for a bit and then head onto a grass section of the course. Runners make 4 laps on the crushed stone and grass section before heading back quickly into the parking lot to make your way to the finish line. I haven’t run on grass in a while so that was an unique addition but the course was precisely laid out to ensure runners hit the 3.1 miles before heading into the finishing chute.

Post-race water and bananas were provided by the local Ikea store.

I finished the Once a Knight Always a Knight 5K with a time of 25:59 good for 8:22/miles.

Our hectic kids’ soccer schedule (which I wouldn’t trade for the world) has certainly slowed down the number of road races we are able to run however yesterday the soccer calendar called for a 3PM game so we were able to make our way to Norwood for the Run for a Vet Five Mile race. This race also happened to be our running club (Thirsty Irish Runners) Grand Prix race for the month of May so it was great to see so many familiar faces at the starting line.

The race kicked off at 10AM after a few speeches by some veterans, the national anthem performed by a local high school band and an introduction to the non-profit organization 22 Mohawks.

It was sneakily warm as the race kicked off as runners made their way down a nice downhill stretch before some of the real climbing began. The course was part of the same route as the Norwood Turkey Trot but then went off on its own course. The course was very well marshaled by police and volunteers alike and there were more than a few hills mixed into the run which made for some pretty decent climbing along the way. With the heat, the one water stop on the course came in handy but after climbing toward the Mile 4 marker an extra water stop really could have been used.

I cruised into the finish line feeling pretty good along the way and finished with a time of 45:18, good for 9:04/miles. Not too shabby given the warm weather and the hills and overall a result to be relatively pleased with.

Not to sound all Forrest Gump on you, but the weather in New England is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get!

Yesterday morning it was off to Rochester, Massachusetts for the Frosty Runner 10.5 Mile Road Race. Though the race has the name “frosty” in it and is held at the end of January yesterday’s race conditions were nothing short of perfect for a late January race. The temperature was in the mid 40’s to low 50’s for the race and there was not a touch of snow or ice on the course to contend with. There was an interesting wind at certain points of the race but all in all it was a great morning for a run!

I’ve been getting four or five milers in lately but a 10.5 mile race was a bit aggressive but I felt pretty good out on the course for the most part. This was probably one of my longer runs since running the virtual 2020 Providence Marathon in the midst of the COVID outbreak so it felt great to get out there and challenge myself for a longer run. I’ve been keeping active running and rocking the Peloton and the gym but pounding the pavement for 10.5 miles was a nice challenge and now I’m looking forward to some more longer runs soon.

The course for the Frosty Runner 10.5 Mile Road Race was a really nice stretch of roads through Rochester. There was a good balance of flat stretches and some rolling hills and a few moderate hills mixed in for good measure. The course took runners past some ponds and farm lands and there certainly was a rural feel to most of the run. Though the roads were open to traffic, runners ran into traffic and drivers were courteous and trickier intersections were manned by police officers from the Rochester Police Department. There were three water stops on the course which during normal years probably would have been fine but yesterday’s warmer temps (relatively) had me jonesing for one extra water stop to be mixed in somewhere. That said, I drank plenty of water post-run and the race organizers had snacks inside complete with some sandwich wraps, fruit, chips and more.

I went out with the mindset of putting one foot in front of the other and running a good race overall. Largely, I stuck to the plan and in the final two miles certainly felt myself getting more sore so dropped the pace some and kept focus on breathing and moving. I finished the Frosty Runner 10.5 Mile Road Race with a time of 1:43:00, good for 9:49/miles. Could have been better, could have been worse but happy to be back out there and finish up a good, long run!