Registration is now open for the Move Over MSA Virtual Fun Run and I hope you will consider joining me in running this virtual race as we raise funds for the Multiple System Atrophy Coalition! The Move Over MSA Virtual Fun Run will take place on October 8th!

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of symptoms that affect both the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary action such as blood pressure or digestion) and movement. The symptoms reflect the progressive loss of function and death of different types of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. MSA is a rare disease, affecting potentially 15,000 to 50,000 Americans, including men and women and all racial groups.

Move Over MSA was started by the family of Kurt Williams who bravely battled MSA. They created Move Over MSA to help raise funds toward finding a cure for MSA.

My own father has been battling Multiple System Atrophy so running this virtual run is very personal to me and my family and we’d be honored if you’d consider joining in on the fun. The beauty of the race, you can run/walk from wherever you call home and know that you are doing good in the world with each step hopefully getting us closer to finding a cure for Multiple System Atrophy.

To register for the Move Over MSA Virtual Fun Run, please click here.

Please be sure to “Like” Move Over MSA on Facebook, as well, by clicking here.

The Shawshank Redemption has always been one of my favorite films so when I came across the Shawshank Hustle a few years ago it was quickly added to my bucket list of races to run.

The Shawshank Hustle is held in Mansfield, Ohio and starts and runs from the prison and through the town where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed. Runners are split into two groups, guards and inmates, and the run is jam packed with some awesome Shawshank references.

The race starts bright and early at 8AM and upon parking in a field just across the street from the Ohio State Reformatory you then walk down a few steps and see the immense prison campus that the movie made famous. It’s majestic and creepy all at the same time and you can’t help but say out loud, “This is going to be pretty cool.”

Some runners take to full character dressing up as Andy, a guard or even the one runner who was dressed as the record player Andy used to pump opera music into the prison in the movie. Right before the race started, a police car with lights and sirens led the warden in on a motorcycle who then started the run and actually ran the entire course in a suit.

For a 4.6 mile course, the course was a nice and challenging route with some early morning heat mixed in and some decent hills throughout the run. Race organizers had plenty of water and volunteers out on the course and even a few musicians were out on the route adding to a really awesome atmosphere. As you came through downtown Mansfield, the impact of the movie being filmed there could still be seen as markers are in different spots around town where various scenes from the movie were filmed. For instance, a marker could be seen outside the old hotel Brooks moved into after being paroled (just the facade; his bedroom was actually filmed inside the old prison) and another marker was at the park bench Brooks sat on, as well.

After tackling the hilly course, it was then a quick downhill finish into the finish line back in front of the Ohio State Reformatory. I finished the Shawshank Hustle with a time of 40:32, good for 8:48/miles.

Post-run, runners were awarded perhaps one of the best race medals to ever exist. The medal seems to weigh about 4 pounds and is a complete replica of the safe that was in the warden’s office in the movie where Andy put the ledger each night only to replace the ledger the night of his escape with the hollowed out bible with a stone ax inside. The medal opens up, has a safe turn dial and is absolutely amazing!

Water, bananas, bars, ice cream sandwiches and freeze pops were available after the race and after a bit of a cool down we then used our race-provided tickets for a tour of the old Ohio State Reformatory. into a The prison has been turned into a museum with the front section completely overhauled into exhibits about not just the movie but also about the prison in general with sections about the electric chair, for example. As you make your way through the cleaned up, renovated section of the museum it is then into the actual section of cells, the infirmary and solitary confinement. This section was eerie to say the least, especially when in the infirmary it noted that paranormal activity has been witnessed there. That was enough to get us to giddy up and turn the other way.

After we were done our tour of the prison, it was then to downtown Mansfield to redeem the other free ticket for a ride on the refurbished carousel in the center of downtown. The girls took a ride on the carousel and the comfortable rocking chairs felt pretty good post-run as they took their ride. We found a great coffee shop with dynamite baked goods right next door to the carousel that hit the spot so we sat in the park for a bit and enjoyed the old-time feel of the downtown.

In addition to the race, we made a family getaway out of the trip and stayed in Columbus, about an hour away, and hit up a Columbus Clippers baseball game, the COSI museum (a science and innovation museum that was great!) visited a few different sections of the Columbus area and capped off our stay taking in a Columbus Crew soccer match. A great vacation!

It was great to once again participate in the virtual option of the Dan Cavanagh Memorial Running Over MSA and help raise funds for The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition. As many of you know, my father has been diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, a rare disease that I knew nothing about until it affected our own family, so helping out another family in their quest to raise money and find a cure for MSA is the least that I can do!

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that can cause a multitude of symptoms in any combination including impairments to balance, difficulty with movement, poor coordination, bladder dysfunction, sleep disturbances and poor blood pressure control. 

Please be sure to give a “Like” to the race’s Facebook page by clicking here. Help them spread awareness about Multiple System Atrophy!

The live race is held in Chatsworth, Illinois and perhaps one year I will be able to make my way there for the in-person race but for the past few years I have participated in the virtual race option which still comes complete with a race shirt and other goodies, as well! The in-person festivities also include live music and a poker rally and looks to be a great time!

I ran the virtual run on the same day as the in-person race and separately timed a 5K while running the Little Compton Road Race. I ran the 2022 Running Over MSA 5K with a time of 24:36, good for 7:57/miles.

This past Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a road race and it was off to Little Compton, Rhode Island for the 41st Annual Little Compton Road Race.

I ran this race last year and loved the course and the overall race vibe so when registration opened up for this year’s run it was a no-brainer to sign up. The race is hosted in the idyllic, New England town of Little Compton and comes complete with a church fair on the town green hosting local artisans, some food options, music and all all around perfect atmosphere. We brought the kids with us to the run and they walked around while we ran and then we checked out the fair post-run and made a great morning out of it.

The course is a 4.8 mile loop through rural roads of Little Compton with no traffic, plenty of farmside running and glimpses of the ocean along stretches. Locals are out on the course cheering runners along and there are plenty of water stops throughout the 4.8 miles including one hosted close to the finish line by a local business with an appropriate sign noting, “Last Sip Before the Sprint.”

Overall, the course has some rolling hills mixed in and between the Mile 3 and Mile 4 marker you are climbing at a relatively decent clip. In the last mile there is a bit of a downhill stretch only to be met by a quick but sharp little left hand turn uphill before turning right into the finish line. Runners names are called out making their way into the chute and water, bananas and bagels meet runners at a tent just to the side of the finish line.

The race is one that is easy to understand why people head back to it year after year and is definitely one that I will run again, as well. I finished this year’s Little Compton Road Race with a time of 39:46, good for 8:16/miles.

It’s been a bit since I have raced but last night it felt good to be back out there racing at the Abington Founders Day 5K. The race kicked off at 6PM and was held as part of the celebration commemorating the 310th anniversary of the founding of Abington, Massachusetts.

Earlier in the day I ran a 10K training run but then had adequate time to relax around the house until it was time to make our way to Abington. The race kicked off at a school where a festival was taking place and where fireworks would take place later in the evening.

The course was familiar as it had parts of the Sgt. Daniel Vasselian Memorial Road Race and the Abington Police Community Partners 5K courses mixed it into but was unique in and of itself. The race headed into the grounds of a cemetery first before making your way out onto the road past the Abington Police Department. As you made your way up a slight hill about halfway into the run, a right hand turn took us down a road I have not run previously. We then crossed a bridge over a pond and ran up stairs into a park where as part of the celebration a Civil War re-enactment was taking place. This part of the course was on dirt and running up the stairs was an interesting challenge mixed in before making our way back out on the road to head back in to the grounds of the cemetery. There was about a half-mile through the cemetery before heading on a quick path back out to the grounds of the school and into the finish line.

Even having run a 10K earlier in the day, I felt pretty good out there running and finished in 9th place overall with a time of 25:52, good for 8:19/miles.

Bottles of water and watermelon were available post-run and hit the spot. All in all, a nice night of running and felt good to be back out there racing once again!