Well, it’s October and here in New England apparently summer just doesn’t want to quit. Yesterday it was off to Dedham, Massachusetts for the Dedham Education Foundation (DEF) Dash 5K and a blast of warmth graced the area with race time temps well in the 80s and the sun absolutely beating down on the course.

Being in New England, we all know that the weather around here can be quite fickle and the warmth of Sunday (and the entire weekend for that matter) was a welcome surprise because we all know what comes next. That said, it was a touch toasty for race time but still an absolutely perfect day for a run.

The DEF Dash 5K starts and finishes at a local park and raises funds for the Dedham Education Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises private funds to support, enhance and enrich public education in Dedham.

The race started off on a nice uphill climb and then took runners through some gorgeous neighborhoods in Dedham. Residential streets, neighbors out cheering for runners, a couple nice residential rolling hills mixed in for good measure. When you think about what you are looking for in a race, the DEF Dash 5K sort of checks all the boxes. After the race, there was a nice offering of post-race treats ranging from free beer from Jack’s Abby Brewing to smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe and even grilled cheese samples from Melty. I’ll tell you what, those smoothies definitely were a magic post-race elixir especially given the heat!

I felt strong out there running despite the heat and ran a pretty good race. Thank to one of my Thirsty Irish Runners teammates for pushing me a bit on one of the residential rolling hills; always nice to have some support out there. I finished the race with a time of 25:59, good for 8:22/miles. Some of my better running of late; we’ll take it!

This morning it was off to Trillium Brewing to run the 21st Annual Canton Road Race. The 10K option (there is both a 5K and a 10K) was the September Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and it was great to see so many familiar runners at the starting line and out on the course.

The race kicked off at 10AM and the clouds from earlier in the morning burned off just in time for the race which made for an added challenge as when the sun came out so did the heat. It was toasty out there on the course but it felt good to sweat a little extra while running.

The 10K kicks off from Trillium Brewing and the whole route is contained within an office/industrial park. The 10K is, in essence, a double loop of the 5K course with a couple extra stretches but the course is actually pretty nice while running. Runners run the grounds of the old Reebok headquarters and a few other stretches that add some decent shade that certainly came in handy today. There was a really nice showing of volunteers out on the course who helped direct runners and also handed out water at various spots along the course.

Before the race, there was some good chatter about the hills on the course which certainly lived up to their expectations. And because the 10K was a double loop of the 5K the same hills had to be battled twice. The hills were no joke and definitely kept the legs honest as you made your way both up and down the hills and the second time heading back up the major hill toward the 6 mile marker definitely started shredding the calve muscles.

Felt pretty strong while running today other than some persistent plantar pain that has been flaring up for months and each TIR out there cheering you on while on the double loop always helps. Finished up the Canton Road Race with a time of 58:54, good for 9:28/miles.

Here’s a finishing photo of me heading into the finish line! (I’m in the green shirt.)

Join me in Medway, Massachusetts on Saturday, October 4th for a nighttime run at the Medway Police Chase 5K. This run is being held at a new location this year but will still feature a nighttime race illuminated by the lights of police cars and the lights of runners out on the course. I have done this race twice and love supporting a local police department and the work they do and enjoy the different experience of running at nighttime.

You can read one of my race recaps from the 2018 running of the Medway Police Chase 5K here.

To register for the Medway Police Chase 5K and join me at the starting line of this year’s race, please be sure to click here and register today!

Labor Day Weekend is here, and HOVSCO is rolling out epic e-bike deals! From August 26th to September 8th, take advantage of limited-time discounts, freebies and bundle offers. Perfect for commuting, running errands or weekend adventures.

HOVSCO is offering an incredible deal where if you buy an e-bike during the sale you’ll be eligible for a fee e-escooter. Be sue to check out the website to learn more about which e-bikes qualify for this amazing deal.

Shop online by clicking here!

Every Monday night in Raynham, Massachusetts the local running club Colonial Road Runners hosts a 3.25 mile fun run taking runners on the same course each week allowing runners to get out and enjoy a nice evening run after the workday comes to a close. With the race kicking off each week at 6:30 PM, the run takes runners along residential roads of Raynham and many familiar faces are seen each week while out on the run. It’s just $2 to run each week and you keep your number for the summer and with the race timed and there being water and sports drink post-run you simply can’t find a better running bargain around!

I have been on the road a bit this summer so haven’t been able to tackle the weekly series each week but two weeks ago it worked out that I could run the race so off to Raynham I went. It was a very hot night that evening with temperatures just short of 90 degrees at the start so it was going to be a sweat-it-out sort of run for sure. The course has a good amount of climbing in the third mile which also had some nice shade present which certainly helped take a little bit of the punch out of the heat that night.

I finished up the Raynham fun run with a time of 30:07, good for 9:16/miles. Not a bad result particularly given the heat and the fact I ran earlier that morning, as well, and definitely hope to make it back out to another fun run in the coming weeks!