Tag: Running

Race Recap: Winter Lights 5K

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Last night we made our way to Pembroke, Massachusetts for the 14th Annual Winter Lights 5K. This is the first year we have done the race since it moved to Pembroke from Plymouth so we were excited to check out a new course and tackle the race that kicks off at 6:30 PM and features runners wearing festive holiday gear and lights for the holiday season 5K.

Certainly not a knock against the race or the organizers but the Plymouth location was just so much better for the run. The atmosphere in downtown Plymouth for years had a different vibe to it as the downtown streets were closed off for the run, a small parade, Christmas tree lighting and more. The local stores and restaurants were packed with people and there were multiples the amount of runners as there were in Pembroke last night. That said, the Pembroke race provided a good course and runners all having a good time while out on the course.

The weather was interesting as there was a brief bit of rain earlier in the late afternoon and moisture in the air made for some tricky icy spots on the course that runners called out while traveling the route. Sidewalks and road shoulders were the iciest spots but there was a good amount of black ice along the way that you needed to be careful on while running to ensure you didn’t end up slipping on but runners took care of each other and called out icier spots as they noticed them.

The course for the Winter Lights 5K in Pembroke was a good one and the roads were nicely patrolled and controlled by the Pembroke Police Department ensuring runners had a good experience while out on the streets. There was a really steep hill in the back half of the race that made for some challenging climbing and a few rollers here and there were sprinkled in for good measure. Many residents along the route were out cheering the illuminated runners on, some adorning their own holiday gear; others with fire pits, food, drink and merriment out at the end of the driveway. For those Grinches who lived along the race route and didn’t come outside to cheer runners along, you missed a good opportunity for some holiday cheer and “Bah Humbug” I say to you.

Mrs. Running Griffin and I ran the Winter Lights 5K together and clocked in a time of 31:16, good for 10:03/miles. With some ice and hills, not a bad time at all for us running together along the way.

Race Recap: Fast Five Turkey Trot

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Yesterday morning it was off to Marlborough, Massachusetts for a little post-Thanksgiving run at the Fast Five Turkey Trot. Organized by the Highland City Striders, this race features a ten miler and a five miler option that both kick off at the same time and split off partway through the five mile course.

The race registration fee is each runner needs to bring fifteen (15) non-perishable food items to the starting line for their race entry; I couldn’t love this any more! With more than 200 runners hitting the starting line of the race, the race organizers stuffed three vehicles full of food to be donated to the local food banks at the Hudson Food Pantry and Marlborough Community Cupboard! 1.5 tons of food donated thanks to all the runners yesterday; awesome!

Mrs. Running Griffin and I decided to run the five miler together and stuck with each other during the run. This was more of a fun run sort of thing for us so never a bad thing to go out for a run with your significant other and have a nice workout!

The course was beautiful for the five miler and featured almost all residential roads with some fall foliage still gracing some of the trees but the transition between fall to winter fully in flight. There were even a few flurries in the final mile of the race that added to the winter feel. If you like hills, well, this course is a good one for you to check out in future years as there was a good amount of climbing throughout the five mile course. Not just rolling hills, either, but instead some rollers mixed with larger, more significant inclines along the way. It certainly felt like you were climbing more than descending but we both really enjoyed the route.

We finished the race with a time of 53:50, good for 10:46/miles.

Post-run we made our way to one of our favorite coffee shops Lost Shoe Brewing & Roasting Company and enjoyed some nice warm coffee to warm us up post-run and grabbed a bag of beans and their non-alcoholic hop water to head home with, as well!

Race Recap: Wrentham Turkeywacker 5K

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It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a turkey trot, right?

The past several Thanksgivings we have headed off to Disney World in Orlando, Florida but this year decided to stay closer to home so finding a 5K the morning of Thanksgiving was a must. This was going to be a full family-affair so all four of us woke up on Thanksgiving morning and made our way to Wrentham, Massachusetts for the Turkeywacker 5K.

The race kicks off at 8:30 AM which allowed the teenagers a bit longer to sleep in before we made our way up Route 495 to Wrentham. Perhaps best known for the shopping outlets there, Wrentham is just next to the perhaps more well-known Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots!

The Turkeywacker is a trail run and certainly running on trails adds a different complexity to a race than running on asphalt. Though we had a touch of rain the days leading up to the run, the course was in very good condition with only a few spots having a couple wet patches. As you can expect with a Thanksgiving Day turkey trot, there was a sea of families at the race as parents, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and more toed the starting line before heading off to crush copious amounts of stuffing and pie.

I felt pretty good out on the course but knew pretty early into the race that the trail run terrain coupled with more than 800 runners hitting the 5K trail course was not going to result in any sort of PR for me out on the course. But that’s not what the run was about. The run was about spending time with Mrs. Running Griffin and our two daughters and having a good time out doing something healthy together and reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for.

I finished up the Turkeywacker 5K with a time of 28:31, good for 9:10/miles. All four of us had very respectable runs and celebrated hitting up one of our favorite coffee shops on the way home to warm up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Narragansett Summer Nights 5K

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On Thursday night it was off to Bristol, Rhode Island to run in the Narragansett Summer Nights 5K. Bristol is about a 55 minute drive and the race takes place on the beautiful grounds of Mt. Hope Farm.

The race kicks off at 7:30 PM and the farm area is the ideal spot for an evening road race. A nice breeze coming off the ocean helped take a bit out of the sting of the heat yesterday and the venue provides a nice, family-friendly start and finish line. The course is a moderately challenging one with some rolling hills mixed in, some part of the run being done on grass, crushed stone and other stretches on paved trails through the grounds. The heat certainly took a toll yesterday but thankfully there were two water stops on the course that came in handy. The finishing stretch is a nice, gradual uphill into the chute that definitely pushes you to get up the hill as fast as you can!

For a good duration of the race, I didn’t feel my best and had a deep pain running across my stomach. It wasn’t clear if it was muscular in nature or something else but the pain was sharp and definitely impacted my ability to run well. These things happen; you can’t run your best every day. But still, I was a bit disappointed with my running yesterday.

I finished the race with a time of 29:12, good for 9:23/miles. Certainly not my best racing of late but finishing another 5K is never anything to frown upon.

The post-race vibes are absolutely dynamite at this race. I don’t drink so the two free beer tickets weren’t for me (Pssst, Narragansett. Please come out with a non-alcoholic option) so it was more water and free pizza for me. Shoutout to Piezonis for putting out some delicious pizza that hit the spot post-run. A little live music being played as dusk was setting in; truly a perfect summer night out there!

Race Recap: Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5K

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When you race after a full day of work you never really know what to expect. 7PM races can always be an interesting challenge to ensure you have properly hydrated throughout the day, ate the right amount of fuel but not too much and still have enough energy in the tank to tackle the race well even after putting in a full day of work.

On Thursday, it was out to South Boston for the 31st Annual Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5K. This is an exceptionally good race put on by the L Street Running Club and takes runners along a relatively flat and typically hot 5K course alongside Carson Beach in Southie. The road is shut down to traffic for the quick time the race takes place and runners have the road to themselves as they make their way out onto the course.

The race is known to have featured some tough warm temperatures in prior years and given you are in the sun the entire way this 5K course can certainly take a toll when the weather is hot. Fortunately, this Thursday night was an absolutely gorgeous night with temperatures still warm but not scorching, absolutely no humidity in the air and a gentle breeze from time to time coming off the water. When compared to the brutally warm conditions from last year’s race, this year was a simply perfect night to run a 5K.

In this year’s Jim Kane Sugar Bowl 5K, I felt strong making my way out onto the course and it seemed as though it was going to be one of those running days where you just sort of know you have it. The out-and-back 5K course allows you to hit the water stop twice which certainly came in handy and through more than 3/4 of the race I kept up a nice pace. I could feel myself fading a little bit as I hit the 3 mile marker but knowing there was just a tenth of a mile left to go I dug deep and finished with a time of 23:07, good for 7:27/miles.

A great result and proving just how nice of a night it was for a run in last year’s scorcher I ran an 8:44/pace so shaving more than a minute per mile off I couldn’t be more pleased with that result!

Be sure to “Like” the Jim Kane Sugar Bowl’s Facebook page by clicking here and I will see you at next year’s race!