Cape Cod Marathon Relay

On October 30, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Last Sunday morning it was an early departure to head down to Falmouth to take part in the Cape Cod Marathon Relay. My running club, Thirsty Irish Runners, had five teams entered into the relay race with five runners on each team to tackle a leg of the 26.2 mile course. The weather was absolutely perfect fall weather running conditions and myself and four teammates packed into a car and made our way out onto the course.

The marathon relay course runs along with the runners tackling the full marathon and there is no loneliness out on the course as plenty of runners are on the course and there are fans cheering runners along throughout the course. The transition points for the relay are great for runners and spectators alike and the cheering at these points becomes quite loud. For relay teams, you can keep track of how many other relay runners you have picked off along the way making for an extra sort of incentive to run fast for your assigned leg.

I ran the third leg of the relay which was just shy of 6 miles of running. The route was moderately hilly with some decent elevation climbs mixed into the route. I always forget how hilly sections of Cape Cod really are with a healthy dose of rolling hills and more marked hills making up a nice chunk of my run. The best part of my leg was when we ran underneath a highway overpass and there was a string band made up of seniors playing folks music and jamming away as runners made their way past.

Marathon relays are a great team event and a perfect way to spend some time with some running friends. The Cape Cod Marathon relay is definitely a race that running clubs should look to send teams to next year to tackle a good, challenging course all while building upon running friendships and camaraderie!

4th Place Overall at the Crescent Classic 5K

On October 21, 2015October 20, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

On Sunday morning, it was a breezy and chilly morning in Bridgewater, Massachusetts as I made my way across town to Bridgewater State University for the Crescent Classic 5K. This race was sponsored by the Gamma Phi Beta sorority on campus and raised over $1000 for Girls on the Run.

The race was fully contained within the grounds of the campus and featured a fully paved course throughout campus. The race started near the Moakley Science Center and ran away from the center of campus before looping back in toward the campus center. After running up a nice hill just past the mile marker, it was down the notorious Great Hill that Bridgewater runners know all too well. Not knowing what the course entailed, running down the hill didn’t seem all that bad until there was a turn back around instructed sending runners back up the hill that seems to never end. Once cresting the hill, it was down the other side of Great Hill into the MBTA commuter parking lot and back through campus toward the finish line.

There was one snag in the race where the two lead runners were not instructed to turn back up Great Hill and ended up going completely off course. While knowing I was in fifth place for most of the race, I quickly ended up in third place heading into the last mile. The race organizers awarded first place to one of the lost runners since they crossed the finish first; a technical snag but not the end of the world.

The race results show me as finishing in fourth place overall but more importantly my pace on Sunday morning was quite strong finishing with a time of 21:56, or 7:03/miles. Perhaps it was the cool, fall breezes pushing me along but I felt really strong running on Sunday and was thrilled with one of my better race times this season!

Register for the Franklin Park Turkey Trot

On October 20, 2015October 20, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Registration is now open for the Franklin Park Coalition’s Annual Turkey Trot Run.

The Franklin Park Turkey Trot takes place on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th at 9:00 AM. Start your holiday with a 5K walk/run through the jewel of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. Runners will run through beautiful woods, over an old stone bridge, and past picturesque ruins. Runners are encouraged to organize a family team to participate or cheer, all ages are welcome. Prizes will be awarded for different age category winners and the best costume! This is a chip-timed race with the starting and finish line at the Golf Clubhouse located at One Circuit Drive, Dorchester, MA 02121.

For more information please visit www.franklinparkcoalition.org or call 617-442-4141. Volunteers are needed to assist with this race so please call if you can help. Online registration is available at http://www.franklinparkcoalition.org/turkey-trot-5k/.

Saint Bridget School PTO Freaky Family 5K

On October 18, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Fall was certainly in the air yesterday morning as we made our way over to the Saint Bridget School PTO Freaky Family 5K in Abington, Massachusetts. The race kicked off nice and early at 9AM and our oldest daughter took part in the kids’ run half-mile race before the main 5K event. The kids run participants were each awarded a great pumpkin medal which was a nice touch. The race is complete with several raffles, a bouncy house, a playground for the kids and a nice post-race spread of food.

The race course was largely similar to other Abington runs such as the Abington Police Department 5K and the Sgt. Daniel Vasselian Memorial 5K. The course is a nice loop that takes runners through the streets of Abington and for Halloween the appropriate course through a cemetery. The race announcement told runners to be on the lookout for ghouls and goblins while running through the cemetery so I was convinced people would be jumping out from behind trees or something and sprinted my way through that section but thankfully did not see anyone jumping out.

After the first 2 miles of the run you make your way up a rather nice, gradual incline that stretches for about a half-mile. After making that climb it is a slow, downhill grade before making the final right hand turn onto the final road of the race. The last stretch is flat and fast and allows runners to give it one final kick into the finishing chute.

I finished the Saint Bridget School PTO Freaky 5K with a time of 23:53, good for 7:41/miles.

The Bad Idea That Keeps Getting Worse

On October 12, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Ventured down to Providence, Rhode Island yesterday for my second ever Dog & Grog Jog hosted by the Wild Colonial Tavern. This race is not like many others and focuses more on merriment than running but boy oh boy is this a good time.

The race is a four person relay run where each runner hits the downtown Providence roads for a 1.25 mile loop along the canal. Once done sprinting or jogging your leg you then need to eat a hot dog and down a Narragansett beer before your next teammate can go. Our team was Proud to be Americans and we donned some good gear inclusive of hunting camo Budweiser hats, a Donald Trump Make America Great Again hat and shirts that read “Running this shit since 1776.”

The run itself is pancake flat and goes by rather quickly. As you make your way into the chute to grab your Saugy and a Gansett, you need to first try to catch your breath before tackling the food and beer challenge. Bystanders yell at you telling you how you should eat it or give you tips for maximizing consumption potential but in reality you just need to focus on not tossing your cookies and finishing everything as quickly as possible. A couple teams succumbed to the violent puking potential which always gets bystanders to get a fired up “Booooooo” going.

Outfits range from the normal racing attire to a team of dudes in speedos, to naughty elves, Disney princesses, a guy that looked exactly like Erlich from Silicon Valley (though we are not sure if that’s what he was going for) to bar flies and more! The event is an absolute blast of a time and with the Patriots game on right after the race it makes for a great afternoon down in Rhode Island. Proceeds from the event benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.