My first March race is in the books. Today I ran the Cambridge 5K Craicfest race.

This was a flat, fast course through Cambridge,  Mass. Eddie O’Connor and his team at Cambridge 5k always put on well-organized races. The races are well laid out, the packet pickups are well organized, and they throw good after parties with plenty of local breweries. Because of the weather, this race after party was actually in part of the garage under the CambridgeSide Galleria Mall. We also were able to wait in the mall before the race. (Remember what I wrote about waiting for a race to start in the cold?)

The DJ at the after party, with a special Craicfest mural.

If you get a chance to run one of the Cambridge 5K races, then you should do it. It will be a good racing experience.

For this race, my chip time was 25:55, giving me a pace of 8:21! On my own GPS watch, I had myself moving a bit slower, but I guess that is to be expected. I did not expect to turn in such a good time, especially given that my race time in February was 26:38. I think part of the good time was due to the course being relatively easy. I also think that having much of the snow melted means that there was room to maneuver around slower runners. Finally, the fencing as alternate cardio, hiking in the snow, and shoveling all helped to keep me in some kind of shape.

After this race, I did something I have meant to do a few times, but not always followed through. I sent an e-mail to CambridgeSide Galleria to thank them for hosting the race and to the Cambridge Police to thank them for helping make the race happen. Here is what I sent to the police.

Dear Cambridge Police,

Thank you to all the officers and staff who helped out the the Cambridge 5k Craicfest race today (March 15, 2015). While I try to thank the officers, it can be tough while you are out there running. So, I thought I should send an e-mail. Thanks for supporting the racer and having officers out there to direct traffic and runners and keep us safe.

Sincerely,

Ben Jackson, a runner

We should take a minute to thank the volunteers and hosts and people who make the races possible. They are out there for us as runners. It also makes the world a nicer place when we all show some appreciation.

Another Craicfest mural.