Tag Archives: road race

Running with the dogs: Cause 4 Paws 5K

Posted on October 27, 2011 | Comments Off on Running with the dogs: Cause 4 Paws 5K
Cute dog

OK, fine, it's not a photo of the run. But I imagine this is what my lump of a dog may have looked like if he had finished the Cause 4 Paws 5K. And been in Quincy, MA, instead of Sydney, Australia. Still – cute, yes?

My running education has come to a brief halt while I’m in Sydney. There are nowhere near as many events here as I would have thought, which is surprising given Aussies’ tendency to spend as much time outdoors as they can, wearing as little as possible.

So it’s been left to Hubby to carry the running torch in chilly Massachusetts, and a fine job he has been doing. This past weekend, he signed up for the Cause 4 Paws 5K to benefit the Quincy Animal Shelter. I was disappointed at not being able to participate in this one. Not only did it feature many, many puppies, but it was flat! Allow me to reiterate: Puppies! And flat!

You can read about it here. There’s even a video (discerning readers will be able to spot Hubby on the far left in his extra-special running leggings; I can sense a future post on that topic).

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My photo finish!

Posted on September 29, 2011 | 2 comments

Avid readers (!) will recall my previous 5K, during which I ran for beer in Jack Kerouac’s ‘hood. What I didn’t mention was that during this race I demonstrated my first Blisteringly Fast Finish (note: may not actually have been blistering), helped along by my expert – and by now very fast – cheer squad of one.

The reason I bring it up is that I made Run With Ken!* Ken Skier is a New England race-circuit fixture (“the running photographer”) who takes pictures from within the pack. He always runs barefoot and cuts a distinctive figure at a race in his blue shirt and red bandana. He has a proclivity for after-race beer.

Normally there would be no way for me to be immortalized by Ken, as I am too slow (and thank God for that), but he was there at the finish line of the Jack Kerouac 5K to capture my Blisteringly Fast Finish and cheer me on as I crossed.  The words “you guys are on fire” may have been uttered.

Yes, I was on fire. It was written all over my flaming red face.

* The photo in question is on Run With Ken’s Facebook page rather than his main website. I dare you to seek us out (Hubby is there too).

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Two runs, one weekend: Jack Kerouac 5K

Posted on September 28, 2011 | 2 comments
Jack Kerouac

Author Jack Kerouac (he ran with us in spirit).

Where boobs characterized weekend 5K part one, part two was all about beer. (And you wonder why we chose to run both.) Some would probably point out that I’m taking a far-too-lowbrow view of the Jack Kerouac 5K in Lowell, MA, but having read the author’s  classic novel and gotten little out of it, I chose to focus on the event’s post-race libations rather than its high-falutin’ literary pedigree. (Lowell, by the way, is Kerouac’s hometown and where he is buried.)

It wasn’t our first run with beer at the end, but it was our first that started and ended in a pub – Hookslide Kelly’s – which made me infinitely happy. I’m not sure of the health ramifications of post-race ale, but, hell, it’s not like we were drinking before the run.

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Two runs, one weekend: Tanger Outlets 5K

Posted on September 25, 2011 | 4 comments

Tanger Outlets 5K Run/WalkThere are so many races going on every weekend across New England that it’s almost impossible to choose. But many of them have one thing in common: boobs.

Or breast cancer, to be more precise. Yes, the Pinking of America is alive and well in running-land. That’s not to take anything away from the cause, of course, and we were happy to sign up for the Tanger Fit for a Cure 5K Run/Walk in Tilton, NH, which raised money for LRGHealthcare.

However, at the risk of sounding completely shallow, there was another reason for committing to this particular event: shopping.

You really can’t go wrong with a run that provides coupons and encourages post-race consumerism. Can you?

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Police, poignancy and impatience: Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race

Posted on September 12, 2011 | 4 comments
Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race, Quincy, MA.

The Stars and Stripes hovers over the start of the Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race on Sept 11, 2011.

With Hubby away with the Massachusetts National Guard, it was time for my first – gasp – solo 5K. Technically I always run solo, but usually have my other half/cheering squad at the finish line to help me cross.

But I couldn’t resist this race as it was practically on my doorstep: the Officer Jamie Cochrane Memorial Road Race, held in Quincy, MA, the place I currently call home. It was a stunning day for a race, possibly the nicest since I started doing these events. It also happened to be September 11, so it was heavy on the poignancy. The event raised money for various charities.

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