Great Running at the 2015 Ireland 5K

On March 1, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

If you have been in New England at all over the past few weeks you can surely attest to the fact that running conditions up here have nothing short of sucked. There, I said it. With snow that did not stop for most of February coupled with frigid temperatures, runners have likely spent more time with a shovel in their hand tackling the driveway than actually being able to hit the pavement and go for a run. So this morning it was a welcome treat to have a 5K to tackle in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

The 2015 Ireland 5K is put on by the dynamic duo of Charles Breagy and Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith. The race is hosted at Slainte Irish Bar in New Bedford and the starting line was complete with Irish tunes greeting the runners prior to setting off on the course. Today was still a bone-chilling sort of morning and being right on the Atlantic Ocean added an extra little crispness to the air.

The race was described at the starting line as being pancake thin which was a rather fair assessment. The course is a sort of quintessential New Bedford run taking runners through the fish processing industrial park where the smell of the catch could be noticed through the cold air. The course was well staffed with both New Bedford Police officers and volunteers and most of the course was on roads with little to no traffic on them.

Race participants were given both a long sleeve shirt and a beautiful Guinness glass as part of the registration fee. Post-race, runners were invited back to Slainte for live Irish music and good ole’ fashioned Irish libations, as well.

Even having been knocked off running plans over the past few weeks, I still was able to turn in a rather decent performance with an overall time of 23:10, good for 7:28/miles. Let’s hope the month of March has some more good running days in the forecast; that’s something we all can toast a pint of Guinness to!

Join The Running Griffin at the 2015 Bourbon Derby!

On February 20, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Join The Running Griffin this June in Paris, Kentucky for the 2015 Bourbon Derby! The race takes place on June 13th and I am looking forward to running my first race in Kentucky. The Bourbon Derby features a half-marathon, a ten miler and a 4 mile road race option making it the perfect race for runners of all abilities. I will be running in the half-marathon and encourage you to come and join me!

Runners will be a part of our unique course traveling through three beautiful horse farms, Whispering Oaks, Adena Springs, Hillcroft, and Bluegrass countryside. This one-of-a-kind race experience has scenes to behold, with a challenging but fair paved course throughout whole course route. Runners will travel along on three main roads, Glenn, Jackstown, and Tarr Road on which the three farms are located on that runners will turn off and proceed through for periods of the miles before returning back onto the main roads.

The Bourbon Derby was created as one of the annual fundraisers for the Thoroughbred Breeders Museum a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. This race gives runners something no other race does: more than just running by prestigious horse farms, they actually get the chance to run through these usually private gems.

The race offers some top-notch amenities such as:

Registrants will receive commemorative Dry- Fit technical tee
Finishers’ medals
One of the kind overall and age group awards
8 hydration stations serving water, and SWORD Hydration
13 available locations for bathroom stops

Definitely register now to lock in at a very reasonable $50 price for the half-marathon before the price goes up on March 2nd.

For more information about the 2015 Bourbon Derby, check out their website by clicking here. You can also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here.

I look forward to having you join me in Kentucky in June for the 2015 Bourbon Derby. See you there!

The Running Griffin Welcomed to the Honey Stinger Hive

On February 15, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

The Running Griffin is excited to join the Honey Stinger Hive for the 2015 running year! Thanks to Honey Stinger for sponsoring The Running Griffin; looking forward to a solid year of running ahead!

Located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Honey Stinger makes nutritious and great tasting honey-based foods including energy bars, protein bars, energy gels, organic waffles, organic chews, kids specific snacks and our very own Organic Wildflower Honey. Fueling more than just the country’s top cyclists, runners, triathletes and teams, Honey Stinger products may be found at specialty sporting goods retailers, natural food grocers and honeystinger.com.

> Honey is rich in carbohydrates, making it ideal fuel for working muscles.
> Before exercise: When eaten before activity, it is released into the system at a steady rate throughout the activity.
> During exercise: Helps muscles stay nourished longer, delays fatigue.
> After exercise: Research shows ingesting a combination of carbohydrates and protein immediately following exercise refuels and decreases muscle soreness.

As a runner, we all need the right fuel to help us keep an active lifestyle and the Honey Stinger line is some of the best stuff around. The Honey Stinger Organic Waffles are a great snack to take on the go with you and are the only organic snack waffles available on the market.

Honey Stinger offers a complete line of products including the waffles, energy bars, protein bars, gel packs and even raw honey. Regardless of what your energy of choice is, Honey Stinger has the right fuel for you and their products offer runners healthy, organic options that will fit your running dietary plans.

For more information about Honey Stinger, be sure to check out their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter.

Norwood Turkey Trot

On November 23, 2014 By The Running Griffin1 Comment

Last night we rocked out to a cover band, had a couple of Guinness and stayed out later than we normally do thanks to the in-laws keeping the kids for a sleepover. This morning there was a little dusting off of the cobwebs as we made our way to Norwood for the Turkey Trot but once we arrived we both felt good to go and ready to run. Which was too bad since we showed up thinking the race started at 10AM when it in fact started at 11AM. We could have gone to breakfast…

Alas, we made a good decision to forgo corned beef hash and eggs and instead stuck around for the race. The Norwood Turkey Trot was a Thirsty Irish Runners Grand Prix race so a see of green flocked to Norwood High School for the race. Thanks to Marathon Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation for the pre-race stretching which helped loosen up the old dance muscles!

The Norwood Turkey Trot is a four mile race that takes runners through residential neighborhoods of Norwood. Runners start and finish at Norwood High School and this year there were over 700 runners who hit the starting line for the run. The race course is staffed by volunteers and members of the Norwood High School football team; the race benefits the Norwood Boosters Club.

The first mile of the course has a nice down hill stretch which reminds you just how bad the uphill finish is going to be. The last mile of the race is a dramatic uphill run that is difficult to say the least. I felt pretty strong throughout the run but that hill has a way of impacting even the strongest of runners.

I finished today’s Norwood Turkey Trot with a time of 30:09 which is equates to 7:34/minutes. The weather was perfect, the running was great and an all around good race day leading into the Thanksgiving holiday!

Support the Kickstarter Campaign for Budstraps

On November 17, 2014November 17, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Runners are one of the most tight-knit communities I have ever encountered. We support one another, support charities that are near and dear to each of us and support businesses that aim to bring joy to the sport of running. The Running Griffin is proud to announce its support of a new and innovative running accessory called Budstraps.

To learn more about Budstraps, check out their Kickstarter video by clicking here. You can support Budstraps and score some Budstraps schwag through their Kickstarter campaign by clicking here.