Motivated to Succeed

December 21, 2024

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Location:

Pittsfield,MA,

Member Since:

Jul 02, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

 

 

  •  2006 Mohawk Hudson River Marathon (NY)
  • 2007 Vermont City Marathon (VT)
  • 2011 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2011 Mind the Ducks 12 Hour (NY)
  • 2012 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2012 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #2 (IN)
  • 2012 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2012 Mind the Ducks 12 Hour (NY)
  • 2012 Memorial Day Marathon (MA)
  • 2012 Around the Lake 12 Hour (MA)
  • 2012 Hancock Shaker Village 50 (MA) 
  • 2012 Bay State Marathon (MA)
  • 2012 First Descents Marathon (DE) 
  • 2013 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2013 Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon #2 (IN) 
  • 2013 Circular Logic Marathon (IN)
  • 2013 Lake Waramaug 50M (CT)
  • 2013 BPAC 6 Hour Run (NY)
  • 2013 Ragnar Cape Cod Ultra Team (MA) 
  • 2013 Memorial Day Marathon (MA)
  • 2013 Relay For Life No. Berkshire (MA)
  • 2013 Ragnar Adirondack Ultra Team (MA)
  • 2013 BayState Marathon (MA)
  • 2013 One Day At the Fair Marathon (NJ)
  • 2013 West Palm Beaches Marathon (FL)
  • 2014 Arena Attack XL Center Marathon (CT)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #1 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #2 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #3 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #4 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #5 (IN)
  • 2014 Maple City 6-Pack Marathon #6 (IN)
  • 2014 Circular Logic Marathon (IN)

 Personal Bests:

  • 400 - 1:01 (2004)
  • 800 - 2:16 (2004)
  • Mile - 5:12 (2004)
  • 2Mile - 11:27 (2004)
  • 5k - 19:44 (2005)
  • 10k 40:46 (11/22/07)
  • 15k - 1:07:40 (11/11/07)
  • 13.11 Half - 1:38:31 (12/9/07)
  • Marathon 3:59:18 (1/25/14)
  • 50 miles 11:44 (5/14/11)

Eagle Scout with Bronze and Gold Palms (2002)

Biked from Ticonderoga, New York to Old Orchard Beach, Maine in August of 2005 (Total of about 290 miles

Short-Term Running Goals:

200 miles @ 72 Hour Race in May

Under 200 #

Sub 4:00 Marathon

 

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

QUALIFY AND RUN IN THE BOSTON MARATHON.

Personal:

I am 27.  Have done 33 marathons and ultras. Really trying to get in shape to get back to running the miles I want to. I love to read and worked for four years in a bookstore. I like to keep track of the books I read. Currently I work as a 6th & 7th grade history teacher at the only charter school in Berkshire County, as well as serve as the coach for the cross country team! Been experimenting as a pescatarian (eating only fish) since August 10, 2011. 

 

Just earned my Master's Degree in Adolescent Education for Social Studies. I have the most wonderful WIFE in the entire world.. EMMA! October 16, 2010

Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must. Just never give up! - Dean Karnazes -

We are all teachers and we are all students in this sport. - Dean Karnazes -

The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward at an accelerated rate can be one of life's greatest - and simplest - pleasures. ~Dean Karnazes 

"Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny." - MK Gandhi 

"The marathon mercilessly rips off the outer layers of our defenses and leaves the raw human, vulnerable and naked. It is here you get an honest glimpse into the soul of an individual. Every insecurity and character flaw is open and on display for all the world to see. No communication is ever more real, no expression ever more honest. There is nothing left to hide behind. The marathon is the great equalizer. Ever movement, every word spoken and unspoken, is radiant truth. The veil has been obliterated. These are the profound moments of human interaction that I live for." - Dean Karnazes 

 

Benn Griffin


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2014 Books I've Read: 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 367.52
Vibram Komodo Sports (yellow) Lifetime Miles: 570.38
Vibram Bikilas (red) Lifetime Miles: 655.87
Vibram Bikilas (blue) Lifetime Miles: 414.89
Altra Lone Peak Lifetime Miles: 155.19
Lizzy Miles 2012 Lifetime Miles: 58.60
Vibram Komodo Sport (black) Lifetime Miles: 195.60
NB Trail Minimus (orange) Lifetime Miles: 101.74
Altra Instinct (grey) Lifetime Miles: 389.78
Vibram Bikilas (red #2) Lifetime Miles: 10.60
Vibram Bikilas (green) Lifetime Miles: 230.05
Altra Adams Lifetime Miles: 2.00
Merrell Road Glove Lifetime Miles: 46.11
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
11.500.0013.00

Honeymoon Footnotes:

Monday: Went to Bushkill Falls and did about 2.5 miles of hiking. Really nice place. They have 8 separate waterfalls. We especially liked the Main Falls and Bridal Veil and Bridesmaid falls. What a great start to the week. Saw a black bear back at the house.

Tuesday: Went with Emm to the McDade Trail and we had two options. Either run on the flat gravel path to the right of where we parked or go to the left on the wooded unmarked trail. Of course we picked the latter! Ran out about 11 minutes, then turned and came back with the intention of going and running a couple minutes on the gravel path. Well Poor Emm told me she lost our camera when we got back to the RAV. She checked and checked and couldn't find it. I said I'd run back out to where we had turned around, looking as I went, and then come back and meet her in the middle and walk back. If it fell out we'd find it. Well we did that and I ran the full trail again and she said she would walk out and back because 2 sets of eyes are better than one. I went back to the RAV and ripped it apart and couldn't find it. Went back and met her and told her it was okay. Well we get back to the car and decide we need to go to Walmart as our new camera's battery had died and we had left the charger back at home in Massachusetts. We get in and are about .25 miles down the road when she looks out the window and sees it down in the front of the dash below the wipers. I pull over she grabs it and instantly bursts out in tears. She is such a cutie! Love this girl!

Later in the day we went and played mini golf at the development. They have 2 x 18 hole courses. We played both until it was about dark! "Queen of the Deuces" Emm had like 8 or 9 hole - in - 2's! Insane!

Also saw a couple dead raccoons along Rte 206, a lot of deer, more deer. We also decided to name the RAV Cordelia. I think it fits! 

Wednesday:  biked on the Ironton Rail Trail in Whitehall Pennsylvania. Did two full loops. A really nice circle. Saw a couple guys out to kill a time trial. We ended up doing about 13 miles in 47 minutes. Felt really great. Got a nice picture of us inside a toy train at the start where we parked the car.

Afterwards we went to the largest General Store in the USA "Country Junction" off of Hwy Interchange. They had a crazy assortment of animals, chickens, goats, pig, llama, a cute little brown puppy, as well as furniture, stuffed taxidermied animals on the inside, and all kinds of baked goods. We bought some kick butt sugar free fudge and candy. Yum!

Afterwards we were looking for things to do and found the Asa Pakcer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, PA. Emm and I laughed because it was called Asa Packer. Walked around there and then drove home to rest up for the trip to Philadelphia tomorrow.

Thursday: Got up and left early for Philadelphia. Emm slept a lot on the way down, resting up for a day of fun. We hit the zoo for nearly 5 hours. We saw all types of things. There was a cute baby orangutan, flamingos, peacocks just running around everywhere and Emm's favorite: at the bird sanctuary there were two little birds about the size of midsize yearling chickens. They were building a nest together. One would go ahead, pick up a piece of straw/grass and throw it over his shoulder while the other one would come behind pick it up and do the same thing to get it closer to the nest. They would repeat this process until they got it back to the corner. Cute! We also saw the cutest 11 minute animated film about a little bird living in Philly that had to migrate during the winter to Central America. There were lights, sounds, WIND!! (YES WIND!) and other special effects. We echoed one of the four year olds that walked out saying "Man that was the coolest movie in the entire WORLD!"

After grabbing dinner at a cute Afghanistan restaurant, we went back to the zoo parking area, boarded a "ghost" bus and went to the Eastern State Penitentiary, the coolest and neatest haunted house. The jail sits on 2 square city blocks with 30 foot tall walls. It's insanely huge. Al Capone stayed here for a year or two back in the day. Well we got there at 730 and found out it was so popular the next available tour was not until 10! So Emm and I decided we were here so we might as well wait. We went across the street to a neat cafe called "Mugshots" with a little jailbird on the front of the logo. We got tea and a cookie and waited. The haunted house was pretty nice, though a group of about 9 football macho heads in front of us ruined it. We ended up listening to a couple of the guys who were with us that said to wait and then go without flashlights and see how far we could get. Got back to the house about 130am, a 2 hour ride back.

Friday: Freezing cold. We went to Dingman's Falls off of Rte 206. Really nice waterfall. Neat because there is like a 1/2 mile long planked walkway to and from the falls. Afterwards we drove to New Jersey and went to see a state forest in New Jersey. We hung out at the lakefront. We were the only ones really there. We went to get food at a firehouse restaurant. Really good turkey spinach wrap. Yum! Hung out back at the house. Went to the Gem and Keystone and got some really good pumpkin ravioli, caesar salad, grilled brook trout, and grilled tofu and veggies. YuM! They had good porters and beer here too!

Saturday: Last day in PA. Went running with Emm. We ran at another part of McDade Trail. We picked a super hilly part! Oii! Ran about 3.5 miles. Saw what we thought was a hunter but turned out to be a lady and her dog, both with orange vests. They warn people to get hunting vests because there is hunting permitted in the Delaware Water Gap. Went to Bamboo House for our last full day here in PA. Yummy!

Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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