Nothing like a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot to give you all the more reason to crush an extra piece of pie (or two). Who cares if it was a 5K? You’ve earned that pie as far as I’m concerned.

Yesterday morning it was down to Fairhaven, Massachusetts with Mrs. Running Griffin for the Fairhaven Turkey Trot. I was signed up to run this race last year but spent Thanksgiving last year in COVID quarantine so wanted to sign back up for the run and tackle the race this Thanksgiving morning. The race kicks off bright and early at 8AM and the race is a fundraiser for the Shepherd’s Pantry food pantry and since 2010 has raised more than $80K for food pantries and has donated thousands of pounds of food donated by runners pre-race.

The race started right on time at Cushman Park and the first mile of the run takes runners toward the historic Fort Phoenix, an American Revolutionary War era fort right on the Fairhaven waterfront. After running past the Fort, it was back down a residential street with some amazing homes before heading onto Main Street in Fairhaven. There was a nice contingent of folks out on the course cheering runners along and a water stop was present about halfway through the run. A few final stretches through some residential roads were tackled before runners made our way onto a track for a final 3/4 loop around the track before hitting the finish line.

The race was timed but results were not officially reported but my watch showed a finishing time of 24:05, good for 7:46/miles. Quite happy with this pace and this course was a good mix of flats and a few residential rollers mixed in for good measure. All in all a great morning of running; hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, as well!

Yesterday morning it was off to Hingham, Massachusetts for the South Elementary School 5K hosted at Bare Cove Park. The race was a fundraiser for the school’s PTO and a perfect fall morning greeted runners at the time of the race with a crispness in the air that felt very much how a race should in November.

The 5K race started right on time at 9AM and we made our way out onto the course which for was a nice mix of some paved sections and some trail sections that reminded me of my senior year in high school stint on the cross-country team. There’s something about running some trails in the fall that is special and though my pace generally slows on the trails to ensure I don’t trip and knock my teeth out (no one wants a missing tooth right before Thanksgiving) I didn’t mind dialing back the pace a bit and enjoying the run on the mixed terrain. There were some nice hills mixed into the course and a couple quick hill sprints around turns; like the one that you bolted up as you made your way to the water stop just past the two mile mark.

I’ve never been to Bare Cove Park before but definitely would look to head back at some point as there were additional trails and paths that were not part of the race that looked great for a run or a family walk/hike with the dog.

I finished the race with a time of 26:05 good for 8:24/miles. Good running and a great course!

Sunday morning it was over to the small town of Hanson, Massachusetts for Damien’s Freaky 5K. This race is held at the local watering hole Damien’s Pub and featured runners of all speeds and qualifications and a nice crowd graced the streets of Hanson on what was an absolutely gorgeous fall morning.

Mrs. Running Griffin and I were both able to toe the starting line in between soccer practices and games thanks to a few family and friends providing rides to different locations. At the starting line it was good to bump into some friendly faces from the Thirsty Irish Runners and several runners had great costumes on to run the race in which added some good laughs.

I really enjoyed the course for Damien’s Freaky 5K. The course was a good out and back sort of course that took runners down a main road for the first stretch before looping through a residential neighborhood before making its way back onto the main road. There was a good amount of climbing throughout the course and the hills allowed for the legs to work a little harder along the way. Water stops were available along the course and heading back toward the finish line there was a nice crowd of supporters cheering you into the chute.

I finished the race with a time of 24:31, good for 7:54/miles. Some great running and quite happy with that pace! All in all, a great run!

Join me this weekend at Damien’s Freaky 5K!

This is a great race and it would be awesome to see some running friends there! Beer and burgers served post race!

Date: Sunday, October 30th
Time: 10AM
Location: Hanson, MA

Click here to register and look forward to seeing you at the starting line!

Today after my oldest daughter’s soccer game I ran the Move Over MSA Virtual 5K. This race is held live and in-person in Idaho in memory of Kurt Williams and the family has hosted a virtual 5K option for the past few years, as well. The race raises funds for The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, a cause quite near and dear to my heart as my own dad continues to battle MSA like a champ!

I decided to run the Move Over MSA Virtual 5K in Raynham, Massachusetts on the familiar Monday Night Fun Run course the Colonial Road Runners host each Monday night during the summer. I altered it a bit starting and finishing at different spots but the loop of the course was the same. It was a perfect fall day for a run and conditions around 1PM were absolutely great. The course has a nice hill mixed in that I hit in the 2nd mile and felt good running throughout the run. I finished the Move Over MSA Virtual 5K with a time of 26:02, good for 8:23/miles.

Please be sure to follow Move Over MSA on Facebook to keep up to date with future events!