We dropped our oldest daughter off at Logan Airport this morning at 4:45 AM as she is off to Jamaica for a mission trip with some of her high school classmates for the week. After we ensured she was off through the security line and ready to go, we decided since we were up so early why not go for a run through Boston and run off some of the emotions of seeing her head off to Jamaica.

We started off near South Station and made our way down the Rose Kennedy Greenway and toward the North End of Boston. While running, we both noted how different it is running in the city (even at the crack of dawn) as there is just so much to take in while out on the run. Plus, running along Boston Harbor is never a bad thing!

Passed by the TD Garden and then made our way toward Charles Street, hands down one of my favorite streets in Boston. The vibe, the shops, the brick sidewalks. That street is just amazing! After making our way down Charles Street it was through the iconic Boston Common before we made our way back through Downtown Crossing and back toward the Seaport where we wrapped up our run.

Post-run we had some time to kill before taking a train back home so we went to PopUp Bagels which I have been eyeing for a while. This spot is something else and the bagels were simply amazing. Hot, a good crunch on the outside and fluffy in the middle. Seriously, these were probably some of the finest bagels we have ever had. Next level good!

On our way toward South Station, we picked up coffees at the new Little Wolf Coffee Roasters. Having awoken at 3:20 AM to make our way to the airport, needless to say the coffee was beyond needed at that point but it also was a really amazing cup of coffee. Definitely will be hitting up this coffee shop again shortly!

Love it when you can walk down the street to get to the starting line of a race and today was a great morning for running. We walked about a mile to our neighborhood brewery Black Hat Brew Works for the first running of the Black Hat Brew 5K held in conjunction with GetFit.

For the first annual running of the race, a really nice crowd assembled at the starting line as the race was about to kick off. Awesome to see a good group of runners and walkers ready to tackle the course and help raise funds for the Fire for Effect Foundation. Fire for Effect Foundation’s mission is to honor and empower veterans, first responders, and their families by providing essential resources, support, and community-building initiatives that foster resilience, restore hope, and strengthen the fabric of the community.

The race took place in the industrial park where both Black Hat and GetFit are located and it can’t get much more local than this. The race took runners through three loops of the industrial park which was tougher than one might think as the course featured a good amount of hills mixed in which, of course, needed to be tackled three times. There was a water stop out on the course which came in handy as the hills and a sun certainly warmed you up out on the course.

The only hiccup with the race was that the course was a touch long clocking in at 3.6 miles but the race directors did well to work with the timing company and ensure the official results were based upon the 3.6 miles ran rather than the 3.1 mile, 5K distance. These things happen and for a first annual run it’s something that can be rectified next year. Based upon the 3.6 mile distance, I finished the race with a time of 31:34, good for 8:46/miles. Not bad for a back-to-back race weekend!

Post-run, all runners were given a ticket for a free drink inside the brewery. As many of you know, I gave up drinking almost three years ago but Black Hat let the ticket be used for one of the non-alcoholic beers they offer at the brewery from Go Brewing. Awesome! After the run plenty of runners and walkers stuck around, enjoyed the outside area of the brewery, hit up the offerings of the brewery and took advantage of the Just the Dip food truck on site, too.

We walked back home from the race which provided some extra steps on the running watch.

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Feeling good in Quincy, Massachusetts this morning! Today was the June Grand Prix Race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and the Squirrel Run 5K did not disappoint. This is the 27th running of the Squirrel Run and somehow I have never done this race before but I sure am glad the TIRs picked this race for our June Grand Prix this year as the race was great!

Held just outside of Boston in nearby Quincy, the The 27th Annual Jimmy Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS, (The Squirrel Run XXVI), included a 5K run, 2.5-mile fitness walk and family fun day. 

Proceeds from the Squirrel Run benefit The Angel Fund for ALS Research. Jimmy Kennedy lost his courageous battle with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 1997 at the age of 31 and the race is held in his memory.

The race had a very nice crowd of runners and walkers and people did well to line up according to likely pace. I really enjoyed the course which took runners through some residential streets and then alongside the ocean at one point which provided some nice views. There was a pretty gradual uphill climb in the final mile that kept you honest and a sharp uphill sprint into the finish line challenged the legs. It was sneakily muggy out during the run but thankfully the clouds and some trees along the course provided some nice cover otherwise it could have gotten really tricky out on the course.

The Quincy Police Department provided both bicycle and motorcycle support along the course and it’s always cool to have the motorcycles flying up and down the course with their lights on. A bagpiper greeted runners into the final stretch of the run.

I ran pretty well this morning and thankfully there was a water stop right around the halfway point to help hydrate along the way. Finished up the Squirrel Run 5K with a time of 26:01, good for 8:24/miles.

Double race weekend this weekend with the Black Hat Brew 5K tomorrow morning!

I’ve been eyeing the Father Bullock 5K in Sharon, Massachusetts for a few years as something about a Sunday evening run just strikes me as being pretty darn cool. Though in the past we have had something that prevented us from running, this past Sunday the calendar was looking good so we registered for the race and made our way over to Sharon for a 5:45 PM race time.

First off, shout out to the race directors for still allowing paper applications to be mailed in complete with a check. Sure, call me old-fashioned but even with the price of postage also sneaking up, I’d take paper applications and a check for a race registration any day of the week over the asinine registration fees being tacked onto online race registrations these days. Rant over but well done here, Father Bullock 5K team!

The night was a really nice night for running with the temperatures very comfortable but a sneaky wind mixed into the course. The wind definitely helped you on the downhills and then pushed you to run harder on the uphills.

Loved the course for this 5K and it definitely mixed in the right balance of a challenge along the way. The first mile was a really nice downhill stretch that the tailwind certainly helped push you down. The second mile then had a good chunk of climbing, after all, what goes down must come up, right? And then in the third mile there was a healthy mix of rolling hills with a slight uphill stretch bringing you toward the finish line.

The race finished right in front of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish and a nice crowd of family, friends and neighbors cheered runners into the finish line.

The race is in held in memory of Father Bullock. Here is some information about who he was:

In 2004, we lost a magnificent person who truly made a difference during his life and service as a Catholic Priest and as a volunteer. Shortly after his passing, Facing History and Ourselves, an educational organization for which he acted as Chair of the Board of Directors and later as Chair of the Board of Scholars, noted his outstanding contributions to its cause. Widely known as a teacher and scholar, Father Bullock touched the lives of educators and students alike. According to Facing History and Ourselves, his legacy lives on through the Father Robert W. Bullock International Fellows Program. More can be learned about this vital education program, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a model program, by visiting Facing History and Ourselves.

Finished up the Father Bullock 5K feeling pretty good especially with a touch of pain in my foot having really been bothering me lately. I finished the race with a time of 27:04, good for 8:43/miles.