Yesterday morning in honor of May the 4th it was over to Halifax, Massachusetts for the Hop for HOPS 5K. This race was originally held as a fundraiser for Halifax Open Play Space, an organization whose mission was to raise funds for a playground in Halifax, and with the playground now built funds raised from this race now go to support the ongoing maintenance and care of the beautiful playground space.

With the race being held on May 4th there had to be at least some opportunity for some Star Wars theme to the run and with a few Star Wars songs at the starting line and Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker out on the course the organizers infused a bit of Star Wars into the run.

The course for the run was an out-and-back 5K and even though the race ran through residential side streets the roads were closed to traffic throughout the race. Several spectators came out to the end of their driveways along the course and cheered on runners and three water stops were available to runners.

The race started with a nice downhill start and then smoothed itself out for a stretch. However, that downhill start became a much more noticeable uphill stretch starting around the two mile marker as runners made their way back on the course. The final quarter mile of the race was a nice little uphill sprint into the finish line where fans cheered runners into the finishing chute.

I felt really strong on the course yesterday and even with an uphill finish kept the legs moving well throughout the run. Overall, I finished in 4th place in the run with a time of 22:44, good for 7:19/miles. One of my better 5K finishes in a bit and a nice way to start off a two race weekend! Now it is off to Canton for the Foley’s Backstreet Grille 5K; stay tuned for a race recap soon!

As runners, we all know that the laundry basket can very quickly begin to fill up with running gear. All that running gear needing to be cleaned calls for a whole lot of detergent to be used and thanks to Dropps there is now an ecofriendly solution to laundry detergent worth checking out.

Dropps offers effective, plant-based cleaning products by eliminating excess water, additives, artificial colors, and animal testing. They’re delivered direct to your door in eco-responsible compostable packaging. Good for you, good for the environment.

Dropps is committed to delivering superior cleaning in the safest, most sustainable, and most convenient way possible. They have a great corporate philosophy where Dropps sources ingredients and packaging from suppliers that meet high quality standards and share our responsible, ethical, and sustainable vision. Dropps boxes are corrugated packaging contains recycled material, and is recyclable, repulpable, and compostable.

For more information about Dropps and to order your shipment of drops to ship directly to your house, please click here.

Gotta love a race where the windshield time to get to the race is less than five minutes!

This morning the Crush Cancer 5K took place in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and though earlier forecasts called for a deluge all day today for the 9AM race time a few sprinkles here and there were all we had to contend with relative to rain but the humidity and headwind at points made for a nice challenge. The race starts and finishes at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School and is organized by Northeast Race Management who in the past few years of organizing the run has raised more than $30,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In addition to the 5K run, there is also a 3K walk and combined the race brought more than 500 runners and walkers to the starting line to raise money for a great cause!

The course took a quick stretch on the B-R High School grounds before runners made their way right onto North Street. There, runners ran for about a mile and a quarter before turning right onto Aldrich Street and then right onto Center Street before turning back into the high school grounds for the final stretch. At about the halfway point a water station was present and overall the course rolled ever so gently but was predominantly flat throughout the race.

The race started perfectly on time and I felt strong on the course, particularly in the first half of the race. A nice headwind in the second half of the race made for some extra exertion to be required but overall a really good morning for running. After finishing up the race knowing there was more rain and Easter Brunch on the way tomorrow morning, I opted to log an additional two miles, as well.

I finished this morning’s Crush Cancer 5K with a time of 24:04, good for 7:46/miles.

Registration is now open for the 2nd Annual Foxboro Cares 5K. This race will be held on Saturday, June 1st in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Foxborough Cares 5K is a collaboration of efforts from community volunteers who wanted to continue a long-standing, beloved tradition of gathering to run for a cause on the first Saturday of June each year. The proceeds of this 5k will benefit 3 local non-profits:

• The Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center at the Orpheum run by a non-profit organization whose mission is to keep our theater vibrant for the community.
• ConfiKids, a non-profit that builds kids confidence by providing financial support for recreational, enrichment, sports and arts programs to families with financial challenges.
• The Foxborough Police Relief Association who provides scholarships and relief funds to community residents and programs.

The first 200 registered runners will receive a commemorative t-shirt so don’t delay and register for this great community-focused road race today!

To register for the 2nd Annual Foxborough Cares 5K please click here. Be sure to also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here.

A rainy spring morning greeted locals early yesterday morning before the rain gave way to an absolutely perfect afternoon. It was a quick shot over to nearby Raynham, Massachusetts for the Raynham Knights of Columbus 5 Miler where the spring rain and a touch of humidity in the air made for a good springtime run!

For those familiar with the Colonial Road Runners Monday night fun runs, this race took runners on a reverse course featuring sections of that run and then an added couple of additional neighborhoods, as well. The course itself had a somewhat gradual uphill grade to it and the King Phillip Road hill was in the final mile of the race which made for a very solid uphill run as you hit the mile four marker which then gave way to a slightly downhill finish in the last mile.

Felt decent on the course but definitely could have used a tad thinner of a rain coat as by the time I was around 3.5 miles in the heat could certainly be felt. It was only the high 50’s but the humidity and rain added a different element to the run I battled through. Overall, pleased with my time at the race finishing with a gun time finish of 41:11, good for 8:14/miles.

Post-race, runners are welcome to stick around for a full pancake breakfast. I picked up a banana, water and some cranberry juice and then made my way to a coffee shop for post-run coffee!