Key West Half-Marathon

On January 24, 2016January 24, 2016 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

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As I sit here dreading heading out to shovel the walkway and driveway, now seems like a good time to reminisce about last week’s Key West Half-Marathon. Mrs. Running Griffin and I headed down to Key West with a squad from the Thirsty Irish Runners and made a little long weekend for ourselves that included plenty of things contradictory to running a half-marathon like copious amounts of fresh seafood, brewery tours, watching the Patriots win their way to the AFC Championship and a night of karaoke that no one will soon forget!

The day before the race we headed over to the starting line area where race numbers could be picked up. There was a small race expo with a couple of vendors present and the bib pickup was nice and efficient. Everyone had their eyes on the weather as a rather bad storm was set to hit Key West the night before the race into race morning and with a 7AM race start knowing the conditions was critical to planning.

Race morning arrived and upon waking up you could hear the rain absolutely pouring down and the wind was nothing short of fierce. The local news channels had their eye on the storm and a tornado warning was in effect with tornadoes actually touching down in another part of Florida. The race organizers wisely decided to delay the start of the race by one hour. We purchased disposable ponchos the night before the race and after gearing up made our walk about a quarter-mile to the starting line in driving wind but far less rain.

While at the starting line, the rain continued to lighten up but the wind was still quite strong. The race started promptly at 8AM and runners were off into the streets of Key West for the half-marathon. The course took runners first down the iconic Duvall Street and past several of our favorite haunts from the nights leading up to the race. One of the highlights of the run was passing the Southernmost Point marker, which we ran to the day before the run during our shake-out run. Several runners stopped to take a photo here during the race.
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The conditions for the race were a challenge to say the least. The course itself was pancake flat but the storm before the race added some interesting complexities into the race. The rain left a whole lot of water on the roads as Key West is not known for its stellar drainage systems. During the first half of the run as runners made their way past the ocean, the road was covered with remnants of the sea swelling over the sea wall so running on top of thick sea weed and dodging jellyfish was a new running challenge I have never experienced before. I’ve run past my fair share of squished squirrels, but jellyfish?

You could tell for the first half of this out-and-back race that the wind was at your back but perhaps it was deceiving how much that may have been true. Once turning around at the half-way cone, it immediately became clear how bad the wind really was. The headwind was a force to be reckoned with and with the wind blowing 50-60 MPH head-on, there were times where you expended a whole lot of energy trying to move forward but the legs just would not move. I tried drafting in the middle of a group of runners, no luck. I found a bigger guy to run behind, no luck. If anyone tells you they met their pace goal on this run, they are probably lying. Mrs. Running Griffin noted that in the second half of her run the wind blew a palm tree branch into a transformer causing it to blow and catch on fire.

Aside from the burning legs challenged by the winds, I felt pretty good while running the Key West Half-Marathon. The conditions made things quite difficult running-wise but the course was a great course and the group of running friends couldn’t have been better. I finished the Key West Half-Marathon with a time of 2:00:39, good for 9:13/miles. Not a bad end time given the adverse conditions caused from both the weather and a night of good karaoke.

The race ended immediately in front of Waterfront Brewery and they were sponsoring runner specials of $3/drafts for any of their brews. If you are traveling to Key West you must check out this great brewery featuring some really good microbrews served fresh overlooking the ocean.

Race the Lake Marathon & Half-Marathon

On November 8, 2015November 7, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Looking for a marathon or half-marathon to add to your 2016 racing schedule? Registration is now open for Race the Lake Marathon & Half-Marathon.

Race The Lake Marathon and Half marathon will take racers around beautiful Otsego lake in Cooperstown NY. You will run past such landmarks as the Otesaga Hotel, The Farmers Museum, The Fenimore Art Museum and The Baseball Hall Of Fame.

The lake will always be on your right with awesome views of the surrounding area. The course is very challenging and runs on small county route roads through small villages . Both the full and the half are certified by the USATF ,the race can be used as a Boston Marathon qualifier . The course is also completely staffed with many local volunteers. Numerous water and aid stations and also bicycle patrols that ensure a safe and directed run. Finishers will have included in the registration fee a bbq with finish line food . Awards to the overall male and female of both races and also age group awards will be given to the top three in each . Tech shirts to those who register before May 15th 2016 are guaranteed. All finishers will receive a medal as well

Narragansett Summer Running Festival Half-Marathon

On July 17, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Is there anything better than cracking open a nice cold beer on a hot summer day? I submit not. But how does a beer taste on a hot summer day after having just run a half-marathon? Well, let me tell you.

On Sunday it as just a skip away to Easton, Massachusetts for the Narragansett Summer Running Festival Half-Marathon. The festival took place on the grounds of Stonehill College and featured a 5K and 10K race offering on Saturday with the half-marathon reserved for Sunday. In the past, all three races took place on the same day therefore splitting up the events was a great way to bring more people to the run and have better logistics around the weekend.

Though the half-marathon kicked off nice and early, last weekend was the hottest weekend of the summer and the heat did not disappoint. The course took runners through residential roads of Easton for the most part and part of the course was through trails of the Natural Resource Trust’s Sheep Pasture. The heat was certainly noticeable on the course but the race directors did a nice job ensuring that there was plenty of water and Gatorade on the course for runners. Right around Mile 9 I passed a snake in the middle of the road who met his maker likely due to some heat related issue and for a brief moment I thought, “Why couldn’t I be that snake, at least the race would be over for me.” But I continued on knowing that the finish line was in the near future.

At the end of the race, runners make their way back onto the absolutely beautiful Stonehill College campus through the roads of the college and a brief half-lap on the track around the football field.

The final stretch of the half-marathon takes runners up a hill that is quite steep and particularly painful given its placement around 12.9 miles into the half. But the booming voice of the announcer coupled with fans cheering, a band playing and the wafts of Narragansett beer floating through the air make pushing it into the finish line all the better.

Certainly not my best half-marathon time but due to the weather this was more of a survival sort of run with getting to the finish line being the main goal. I finished with a time of 2:10:58 or 9:56/miles. The past few years this race has featured some hot conditions but that’s part of the challenge. Let’s see what next year brings.

Great Time Running the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon

On June 8, 2015 By The Running Griffin3 Comments

Yesterday morning was an absolutely great day to tackle the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon in the Woodstock/Quechee area of Vermont and the ideal race conditions made for some really good running. I have run the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon twice previously and shaved 12 minutes off my PR there finishing with a time of 1:47:42 good for 8:13/miles.

The Covered Bridges Half-Marathon is consistently ranked one of the top most-scenic runs and the fact that the race sells out in record time is a true testament to the desire of many runners to get into this race. The course takes runners through some idyllic New England streets, along a brook, through the woods and even over a covered bridge indeed. The race kicks off bright and early at 8:15 from Suicide Six Ski Area and takes runners along 13.1 miles of truly some of the best scenery you can find. Though I was hoping to see a moose or a bear with a trout in its mouth along the course, nothing could disappoint when running this course and the fan support is of the highest caliber with people cheering, ringing cow bells or busting out some beats on pots and pans or old paint buckets.

The night before the race we opted to carbo-load at Harpoon Brewery just down the road in Windsor and enjoyed food, a pint and live music with the fresh Vermont air really making you consider to grab the real estate listings before heading back home. A microbrew around a fire pit with some live music playing is about all this runner needs to get into a good pre-race mindset, that’s for sure.

The race directors for the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon do a really nice job getting the logistics right from busing runners to the starting line where number pickup takes place to funneling runners into the chute post-run to gather the race medal and tech-shirt. Live music is present on the course ranging from polka bands to drum corps and a band rocked the finish line after-party where runners could refuel with plenty of snacks and fresh offerings for those over 21 from our friends at Harpoon Brewery. The only down side to the post-race party was the line for the massage tables was moving at a snail’s pace and there weren’t enough hands to keep up with the demand.

The Covered Bridges Half-Marathon is sort of a bucket list race that those who love running and those that love the half-marathon distance need to tackle. Registration sells out fast so you need to be sure to follow the race on Twitter and Facebook to ensure you don’t miss registration announcements.

Blackstone Valley Half Marathon

On April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Yesterday morning it was off to Pawtucket, Rhode Island to compete in the Blackstone Valley Half Marathon. The race kicked off bright and early at 8AM in downtown Pawtucket and this was my first time competing in this half marathon event. The race also features a 5K option that started after the half marathoners made their way out onto the course.

The race was reasonably priced and featured a nice technical running shirt, a pair of Asics socks and a rather flashy finisher medal. Couple those amenities with a course that was a scenic and challenging course complete with plenty of on-course support and this half-marathon is certainly one that I would gladly recommend runners look into racing next year. The half marathon course had 11 aide stations on the course featuring water, Gatorade and Gu (Mile 6) and the race volunteers and members of the Pawtucket, Central Falls and Lincoln Police Departments did a great job supporting the race course.

As runners made their way out of downtown Pawtucket a series of small rolling hills were mixed into the first half of the race. Most of this section of the race was competed in residential and business roads but the best stretch of the race was as runners made their way into the Blackstone Valley Bikeway, which is an absolutely beautiful stretch of paved paths alongside the Blackstone River. This path is some of the best running scenery around and the natural beauty made the run all the more enjoyable.

After leaving the Bikeway section of the race, runners made the final 5k course back along the roads and headed back toward downtown Pawtucket for the finish line. The finish line had a healthy amount of fans cheering you into the finish line and a DJ who was playing all the most catchy running-themed finish line tunes.

I finished the Blackstone Valley Half Marathon with a time of 1:51:49 which was good for 8:32/miles. This was almost five minutes faster than my last half marathon in Washington, DC. and shows some nice improvement over the running year already!