Tag: Training

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!

16 Mile Training Run

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ImageYesterday morning it was off to Norwood, Massachusetts for a 16 mile training run. Sponsored by the amazing folks at Charles River Running, this fun run took runners through various towns including Norwood, Westwood, Dover and more.

The run was a nice mix of flats and hills but some of the roads proved to be a little tricky to run along. With high snow banks to the left and drivers simply flying on some of the roads (notably Route 109), the dodging of cars certainly took its toll and added an additional element of fear into the run. For anyone who sees runners out there training, please slow down, get off your cell phone and perhaps even think for a moment about the myriad of charities, people and causes that runners might be running the Boston Marathon for in April. This will help to put into perspective that the text message you are reading is probably not all that important.

Several members of the Thirsty Irish Runners joined me in completing the fun run and having friends out there as you bust out a 16 mile training run is always helpful. An added bonus was the fact that Charles River Running had volunteers meet us every three miles with water, Gatorade and energy packets.

After the 16+ miles were complete, it was back to Charles River Running for some post-run refreshments including fresh fruit, water, yogurt, granola and amazing bagels from The Spot. Since I am a creature of habit, I also hit up Perks Coffee House which is next door to Charles River Running and is a most-stop coffee house anytime I am in the Norwood area.

With 16 miles done for the weekend, today is going to be a good rest day!

TR Performance & Fitness

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ImageIf you are a runner in the Brooklyn, New York area you must check out our friends at TR Performance & Fitness to help you train for your next race.

Whether you are just starting to work out or are training for your third Ironman, TR Performance & Fitness can help you reach your goals. They specialize in creating flexible programs that cater to your busy life. Founded by Tom Reynolds who has worked with some of the best athletes in the nation, TR Performance & Fitness will create a plan that overcomes the biggest hurdle in any training goal: life. Your life is constantly changing, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your fitness goals. 

Proper goal setting, Needs Analysis, and Body/Movement Assessments, are a few tools that provides Tom the information he needs to build your program. This is the foundation for a specific and individualized program tailored to you. With his education, professional experience, and nationally recognized certifications, Tom has the expertise to assist you in attaining your goals.

So if you are in need of a trainer and are located in the Brooklyn area, please check out TR Performance & Fitness and your fitness goals will be right around the corner!