Tag: 5K

Race Recaps

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Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Were you able to get a Turkey Trot in?

Last Sunday I made my way to Mansfield, Massachusetts for the Red, White & Blue 5K. The weather was pretty gross with a rain gracing the course the entire time but at least the temperatures were somewhat moderate. The race took place in an industrial/office park which featured gradual inclines throughout the race.

While running, I could see the first and second place males ahead of me and felt rather comfortable while running. I knew I was running pretty well and because of a somewhat smaller entry field knew that I had some space between me and the fourth place male. I began to coast a little bit into the race and focused on finishing the race strong. Unfortunately, there was no water stop available on the course which even for 5K races I think is a must. I finished the race with a time of 24:33, good for 7:54/miles and good to take home third place male finisher. Heading home with the third place prize, I also took home a $25 gift card for Marathon Sports.

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The Red , White & Blue 5K supported Fisher House Foundation, an amazing organization that supports veterans in need of medical care. I first became exposed to Fisher House Foundation when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon for them several years ago and appreciate all the work they do on behalf of our veterans.

For Thanksgiving, Mrs. Running Griffin and I picked up the babysitter at 7AM and took the Lil’ Griffins with us to our race in Braintree, Massachusetts which kicked off nice and early at 8AM.

The 18th Annual Braintree High School Athletic Association Turkey Day 5K features a great race that brought a nice crowd of runners out to burn some pre-Thanksgiving meal calories. The course started and finished at Braintree High School and took runners on a loop through the neighborhood abutting the high school. There were some nice hills mixed into the course, particularly in the final mile, which required a little extra kick heading up them. Though the course was open to traffic, a nice early start on Thanksgiving morning kept the roads quite clear of traffic and Braintree Police patrolled the course to ensure runner safety.

I finished the Braintree High School Athletic Association Turkey Day 5K with a time of 24:08, good for 7:48/miles, an improvement over the time I finished the Red, White & Blue 5K with. A great morning of running followed by a nice, warm coffee to warm up and a great Thanksgiving dinner complete with food, football on the TV and feet up on the couch!

St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry 5K

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Last weekend in Middleborough, Massachusetts the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry 5K took place on another pristine fall weekend. The weather was clear and was a touch warm for the latter part of September but given the fact the shovels will be out before we know it, no complaints here!

The Food Pantry 5K is a very well-organized race that does a great job raising funds and food for the local food pantry in Middleborough. In addition to the registration fee, runners are encouraged to bring cans of food to the race to help stock the shelves of the food pantry and it was nice to see the boxes at registration filling up quickly!

The race course is a loop 5k course and there were two water stops on the course which came in handy given the warmer temperatures. After a downhill start, runners head into a rolling residential route as they make their way back to the school grounds where the race started. The race finishes on a Heartbreak Hill-esque uphill into the finish line and the calves were working double duty as they headed up the hill and battled against the heat. A young lad tossing his cookies on the hill made for a quick mental hurdle to get past but I finished the race one foot in front of the other and did alright battling up the hill.

I finished the Food Pantry 5K with a time of 25:23 or 8:10/miles.

New Personal Course Record

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Gotta love when there is a 5K right in the town you call home! With the hectic season of school, soccer, yoga classes and more now consuming the weekdays and weekends thanks to the kids, it can sometimes be a challenge to find time to get to a race. However, when there is a race just down the road that fits into your calendar it is a beautiful thing!

This year was the 10th Anniversary of the Frances F. Morast 5K Walk and Run to Beat Ovarian Cancer. I have participated in this 5K twice previously and each time have been impressed with the passion put into organizing a race in memory of an educator who lived within the local community and passed away from ovarian cancer. The race is organized by Morast’s family and they do a nice job raising funds for Ovations, which is working to find a cure for ovarian cancer.

The course for the race is rather pancake flat which makes for some nice running. Saturday was a bit of an off, September morning with temperatures somewhat mild but the humidity off the charts. Thankfully there was a bit of a cloud cover at the start of the race which helped as if the sun was out with the humidity as bad as it was it would have been a real rough morning of running.

About half-way into the race in front of St. Thomas Aquinas Church there were bottles of water runners could help themselves to and police patrolled the one major road crossing of the run. The course takes place on an open course that loops runners around the general downtown area of Bridgewater and finishes back in front of the Williams School where the race kicks off from.

This year, I knew I ran the course pretty well and only had one fast runner ahead of me on the route. We stuck together for the first mile or so but then his speed was just too much to keep up with. I still maintained a strong pace and finished the race with a time of 22:10, good for 7:08/miles. This is the fastest I have run this race and is one of my better paces for the year! It certainly pays to know the course and to have no real pressure when you are running in second place for the duration of the race!

First Annual Edgewood 5K

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Sunday morning it was just a quick jump away over to Raynham, Massachusetts for the First Annual Edgewood 5K. Hosted at Edgewood Pool & Tennis Club, the Edgewood 5K was organized by members of the club and featured a great 5K course through the streets abutting the club.

The race featured a nice layout with four left turns making it impossible to get lost on the course and to keep runners honest there were a few, rolling hills mixed into the route.

For the first mile and a half making my way to North Main Street in Raynham I was in first place but noticed a young runner closing in on me. I continued to maintain a rather solid pace but could not maintain the increasing pace my challenger not presented and slipped to second place which is where I finished overall in the race. Even though the field of runners was small, I was quite pleased with how well I ran and felt no sense of disappointment coming in second place overall.

I finished the Edgewood 5K with a time of 23:28, good for 7:33/miles. A great morning of running at a very well organized race that will be sure to continue to grow each year! I look forward to next year’s race already!

Mike’s 5K to Crush Substance Abuse

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Registration is now open for Mike’s 5K to Crush Substance Abuse. The proceeds of the 5K will be split evenly between Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the Gavin Foundation located at 675 East 4th Street in South Boston. The race takes place in beautiful downtown Milton, Massachusetts.

The Milton Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition was founded in 2014 to address substance abuse challenges in the town of Milton. The Coalition has a special emphasis on prevention programs for youth in the town and counts many teens among its membership. The Coalition is sponsored by the Milton Public Health Department.

The Gavin Foundation is a multi-service nonprofit agency providing comprehensive, community-based substance abuse treatment, education, and prevention programs. They serve more than 5,000 individuals each year through their adult, youth and community programs. The Gavin Foundation works from a deep commitment to the community, including the widespread community of individuals and families in recovery. It is considered the gold standard of halfway houses for recovering addicts. Mike was a resident at the Gavin Foundation and was at peace while living there with the education, support and love that he received.

Mike’s 5K to Crush Substance Abuse is a great activity for the whole family to enjoy on a beautiful October Saturday morning. The first 100 people to register for Mike’s 5K will receive a free, long sleeve race t-shirt.

To register for Mike’s 5K to Crush Substance Abuse, please click here.