Kicked off the morning tackling a 5K course in Bridgewater for the 2021 virtual edition of the Run for Jess 5K. The Run for Jess is an annual Labor Day favorite held in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts but due to COVID has moved to be a virtual run last year and again this year.

With a trip a road trip to a soccer game for our youngest daughter scheduled for the morning, my normal early wake up time allowed me to tackle the 5K course before the sun was even fully up. It was a great morning for running with ideal temps sitting right around 60 degrees when I kicked off and headed out onto the course. For the whole race I felt like I had a consistent and steady pace going and was pleased as I cruised into the finish line with a time of 24:11, good for 7:48/miles.

The run for Jess is held in remembrance of Jessica Thurston, who passed away from breast cancer at the age of 29. Jessica fought her battle for 2 years but ultimately succumbed to the disease on 8/30/2013. Jessica was an an avid runner and lover of life.

To honor her memory the Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Fund was established by her family and friends. The Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Fund is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. In response to the Fund’s most recent annual gift the family of Jess was thrilled to hear from Jessica’s Oncologist at Mass General Hospital.  She has expressed her appreciation for the gifts to the MGH Breast Cancer Center. The donations are directly supporting clinical trials for patients with metastatic breast cancer.  In Dr. Kuter’s words…“I will never forget Jessica and what she went through, and remembering her suffering spurs us on to keep searching for new solutions.”

Please join me on October 16th for the Move Over MSA Kurt Williams Memorial Run. This virtual run can be run wherever you call home! I’ll be running in Bridgewater, Massachusetts so if you want to join me for a 5K course let me know!

As many of you know, my father is battling Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) so this virtual run is something very near and dear to me. The Move Over MSA 5K was started by a family whose family was also affected by an MSA diagnosis and I am happy to join this race and support their efforts to raise funds which will be donated directly to The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition.

To register for the Move Over MSA 5K virtual race, please click here. Please be sure to also give a “Like” to Move Over MSA on Facebook by clicking here.

This past week it has become more noticeable that each day the early morning runs are starting to become much darker. It’s hard to believe that September is already here and the 5:30 AM run times is starting to require a little extra safety precaution as the morning sun begins to rise later heading into fall.

I recently came across the Bkin Wearable Safety Beacon and started using the product on my early morning runs. The Bkin is a lightweight, easy to utilize safety beacon that provides good extra-warning to early morning motorists that I am out there running and the versatility of the product is quite nice.

The Bkin has a clip that I attach either to the back of my shirt when running on a sidewalk with traffic and then can unclip it and move it to my hat (which I wear backwards while running) when running into traffic. The Bkin has both a steady and a pulse mode available and the light gives off enough of a glow to be seen up to 1/2 mile away. In addition to the pulse or steady option, Bkin also allows you to set the brightness at either 100% or 50% which will impact the overall battery utilization of the device, as well.

This product has a built in USB charging port that plugs easily into any USB charger and the device recharges quickly. In addition to being used while running, Bkin could also be attached to a bike, a backpack or a dog leash providing quick versatility and added safety whenever needed.

To learn more about Bkin and to order your Bkin today, please click here to visit their website. Right now you will find a good sale on their two pack Bkin units, as well!

Be sure to also “Like” Bkin on Facebook by clicking here.

Stay safe out there running friends!

Join me for the virtual edition of the Trot for Special Tots 5K on October 2nd. This race has both a live and virtual option available for runners and I’ll be running the virtual race option in my own town while the in-person option is being held in Andover, Massachusetts.

This will be the 29th Annual running of the Trot for Special Tots 5K and is coming off a remarkable pandemic-induced virtual 2020 race that raised more than $50,000 for The Professional Center for Child Development.

The Professional Center for Child Development’s staff is trained to serve children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, varying metabolic disorders, autism, and many other conditions, and equipped to assist children who need feeding tubes, have tracheotomies or seizures. They continuously expand our children’s access to “kid-friendly” and adaptive equipment, developmental toys and technologies and enhance our programs and services to meet the needs of children of all abilities throughout Northeast Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

To register for either the live or virtual race and for more race details, please click here.

This Monday evening it was time for another Monday Night Fun Run sponsored by the Colonial Road Runners in Raynham, Massachusetts. Race conditions were quite good with a bit of heat in the air but overall very comfortable conditions in store for the weekly 3.25 mile road race.

Started the first mile off a bit slower than normal to try and add a little extra gas in the tank for the latter part of the run. All in all, seemed to be a pretty good strategy as I finished Monday’s run with a time of 25:00 for a pace of 7:41/mile. Felt strong sort of from start to finish and was quite pleased with the finishing time.

Just a few more weeks of the Monday Night Fun Run still in store. Check out the race next Monday at 6:30 PM and visit the Colonial’s website to learn more.