Frigid Fiver

Thank goodness for the warm weather.  I'll be running the Frigid Fiver in Newburyport on Sunday.  First race since October, so I am excited.  This will kick off my 2014 racing season, and I couldn't be more excited.  First of all, it looks like the weather is going to be perfect for racing, at about 46 degrees (I guess that's not all that frigid, huh!).  Second, a nice 5 mile race in familiar territory excites me.  This race is is my own back yard, so that's what excites me so much!

Now that I live in Newburyport, I plan to do my warmup run by running from my house to the starting line.  Hows that for a close race!?!

It'll be nice to be outside running again.  I've been hitting the treadmill over the last few weeks, which is not all that fun.  Considering the alternative of freezing my buns off, the treadmill has been my only option.  At least I've been able to stay fit, right!

Anyway, looking forward to the race this weekend, regardless of the cold, or lack there of!  Let's just hope I don't melt before I cross the finish line!  Happy running!

One Run For Boston II

On July 1st 2013, One Run For Boston made running history when runners crossed the Boston Marathon finish line carrying a baton that started in Venice Beach, California and was passed from person to person across the US, thus becoming the first non-stop relay to cross.  Here I am holding Miles, the baton that crossed America, last year!

Over 2000 runners helped complete the 3300 mile journey, raising $91,000 for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.  In the process an inspirational running community was born.  I have made friends doing this run that I hope to have for the rest of my life!  One Run For Boston, or ORFB for short, has become a symbol of hope and positivity that inspired a powerful grassroots movement which continues to unite the running community at races across the country!

This year One Run For Boston returns to blaze an even brighter trail across America and will coincide with the first anniversary of the Boston bombings. This time the One Run For Boston family of the relay hope to raise $1,000,000 for the One Fund Boston. 

The journey starts March 16, 2014 in Santa Monica, California with stage 1 of 336 stages. I am running stage 335.  The finale arrives in Boston on April 13, 2014 - 8 days before the Boston Marathon.

I’d love you to be part of it. I am writing to ask for your sponsorship to help raise funds for the One Fund Boston. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino announced the formation of the One Fund Boston on April 16, 2013, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during the 2013 Boston Marathon.

My desire is to honor the victims, encourage the survivors and support the families by running in this relay. To sponsor me, simply click on the link below, then click on “sponsor me”.

http://www.onerunforboston.org/u/nealgrasso/

Thank you so very much for your thoughtful consideration and generosity.

Happy Running!
Neal

Discover more about One Run For Boston online at:

• http://www.onerunforboston.org
• http://www.facebook.com/onerunforboston
• http://www.twitter.com/onerunforboston

Donation details:Donations for this event are collected by the One Run For Boston Fund, a fund of the Essex County Community Foundation. Donations to this fund will be passed on to the One Fund Boston. Essex County Community Foundation will send a tax acknowledgement letter to donors of all donations of $250.00 and above. Essex County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  Tax exemption number 043-407-816

Catching up

The holiday season makes it hard to stay on top of things.  While I did not let my fitness routine falter, I took a hiatus in writing this blog.  So, I thought I would catchup on things today. 

First, I've successfully maintained my fitness routine despite the busy holiday schedule and inclement weather.  I've been out for a few runs over the last few weeks and even though there was plenty of ice and difficult running conditions, I only face planted once.  While I love winter running, sometimes, for safety sake, you have to suck it up and hit the treadmill instead.  Needless to say, I have done just that over the past few weeks. 

One of my outdoor runs was at Maudslay State Park, which is just beautiful in the snow.  This park is such a pleasure to be in at any time, regardless of the season.    I started running there this fall and I have been trying to hit the trails at least once a week ever since.  However, icy conditions have made it kind of hard to get there often over the last month or so.  I was only there once.

As I mentioned above, I have been spending quite a bit of time on the treadmill these past few weeks.  I always loath running on treadmills, but the alternative is not running at all or risking injury, and I don't like those options.  I still cross train on a regular basis, but I try to run at least 3 days a week to maintain form and efficiency.  So far so good!

I'm looking forward to a little more daylight and a little less ice in the coming weeks so that I can spend more time outdoors.  Until then I will have to be satisfied with the treadmill and cross training.  I will also do my best to keep up with the blog!  We'll see how it goes.

Until then, happy new year, and