Motivated to Succeed

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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: 

 

 

 

 

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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
50.410.000.00
Vibram Bikilas (red) Miles: 20.00Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 25.30Altra Adams Miles: 2.00Merrell Road Glove Miles: 3.11
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
8.000.000.00

Round 2, Day #37: 8 miles easy and relaxed in 1:10:12, good for 8:47/mile. What a difference :20 or :30 per mile makes. I felt like I could run forever, until my cheapo CVS brand nip guards fell off and chafing ensued. I swear the downfall of any profuse sweater is in the quality of the nip guards! Was nice to recharge the batteries. Trying to ramp up miles this week with a couple a.m. runs to toy with 60 mpw for this week. Then will take a couple weeks to relax before the marathons at Goshen, IN!

Don't reach. Don't push. Feel.
Exodus from denial.
Barefoot miles strengthen. 

“I'm convinced that a lot of people run ultramarathons for the same reason they take mood-altering drugs. I don't mean to minimize the gifts of friendship, achievement, and closeness to nature that I've received in my running carer. But the longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind - a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.” - Scott Jurek 

Vibram Bikilas (red) Miles: 8.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.000.000.00

Round 2, Day #38: 6 miles after going to the doctor for what I found out is an outer ear infection. 50:27, good for 8:25. My fitness is growing. I am a lean, mean Neanderthal machine. More steroid drops prescribed. Finally got them at 8pm from CVS, then hopped on the treadmill and put it into autopilot while I finished reading "Born to Run" for the umpteenth time. Yes, I'm a sap. Yes, I nearly cried reading the second to last chapter. Got to make a renewed effort to eat more fruits and veggies. I feel like I am slacking. This weight has to come off! The run overall was amazing and the only time during the entire day that I didn't dread swallowing, talking, chewing or anything. It's amazing how running is truly the cure for everything!

The doc's scale so lies,
Fatty deposits convince
scale to edge upward.

“I never really discussed this with anyone because it sounds pretentious, but I started running ultras to become a better person. I thought if you could run one hundred miles, you’d be in this Zen state. You’d be the fucking Buddha, bringing peace and a smile to the world. It didn’t work in my case - I’m the same old punk-ass as before - but there’s always that hope that it will turn you into the person you want to be, a better, more peaceful person.
When I’m out on a long run, the only thing in life that matters is finishing the run. For once, m brain isn’t going blehblehbleh all the time. Everything quiets down, and the only thing going on is pure flow. It’s just me and the movement and the motion. That’s what I love - just being a barbarian, running through the woods.” - Jenn Shelton

Vibram Bikilas (red) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.000.000.00

Round 2, Day #39: 6 miles on the treadermill. Did 4 in 28:44 (7:11 pace! yeeeah buddy!) and then the next 2 in 15:19, 7:40 pace. Total 44:04, good for 7:21 average pace. Hm, I like this losing weight thing! Ear was painful today because I forgot my drops, but then I had Emma put some in when I got home today and it was a bit better, minus being 100% deaf in that ear! Made the queso mistake again before the run and nearly saw myself "run" right off the treadmill! Ugh! A trip to get Healthy Choice soups at Stop n Shop so diet is in full swing now.  As Emm aptly stated, soup is the cure all for ear infections too!  Now if I could only finish grading papers somehow.

Slip sliding around,
Trit trot, Trit trot, Vibrams, SNOT!
Can you hear me? No!

"If you really want to understand the Raramuri, you should have been there when this ninety-five-year-old man came hiking twenty-five miles over the mountain. Know why he could do it? Because no one every told him he couldn’t. No one ever told him he oughta be off dying somewhere in an old age home. You live up to your own expectations, man." - Micah True

Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.300.000.00

Round 2, Day #40: 9.3 miles to celebrate 1/3 of the way through Round 2. Total Time was 1:17:15, good for 8:17/ mile. I feel relaxed and comfortable running at this pace. My fitness is improving, yay! Ear was throbbing today. Emma helped me put in ear drops. I spent most of the day resting and correcting midterms that need to be ready for Friday's PD. I wish I could just be sick and rest on my "sick days", but alas, the story of a charter school teacher! Ha! Enjoyed a couple episodes of Family Guy and am looking forward to just sleeping as comfortably as possible with the ear infection.

Cats on the table,
Children at the bar, What's this
world set out for??

"Dream barriers look very high until someone climbs them. They are not barriers anymore." - Lasse Viren

Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 7.30Altra Adams Miles: 2.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.000.000.00

Round 2, Day #41: 6 miles in 49:35, first 3 in 25:35, second 3 in 24:00 flat. Total average was: 8:16/ mile. Felt relaxed. Am planning a nice big one fingered salute run tomorrow. Will be glorious! Indoor marathons are not far away. Two weeks from right now I will be on my way to Goshen, Indiana for what I hope will be a 2 day funfest. Day 1's goal is to set a marathon PR. Day 2's goal is to survive, chat with friends, and try to muscle through the pain! Yeah buddy!! Today I feel old. Harry turned 19. What the hell man. I feel like it was just yesterday that I turned 19!

Lydiard's the man,
Aerobic training's the plan,
Spinach by the can!

"Champions are everywhere, all you have to do is train them properly" - Arthur Lydiard

Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
9.110.000.00

Round 2, Day #42 (Part I): 4am treadmill workout, 3.11 miles in 26:58 @ 5% grade (8:40/mile). School or no school, not going to let my job dictate my life any more. Time to get lean and mean. I got races to prep for! Hoping for a longer Part II tonight, but at least I started the day on a good note.


Sweat in the eyes man,

Stings so friggin' bad. Fat down,

Shorts on the ground, just

White knuckle to the finish.


“I recall being in a training camp at Woodville, in northeast Texas, in 1970 when about thirty of us went for a 22-mile run on a hot, humid day. There were broad smiles when the American boys saw me changing into a pair of women’s cotton briefs. But at the end of the run I was the only one not chafed. The next day, about thirty runners traipsed into the local women’s clothing store and asked for female briefs. The woman attendant looked alarmed until it was explained why so many men wanted women’s underclothes. She did great business.” - Arthur Lydiard, Running the Lydiard Way

 

Round 2, Day #42 (Part II): 6 miles total in 48:24, good for 8:04/ mile average pace. First two were a little slow and last two were a little quick, but not more than a :12 or :14 spread from the 8:04 pace. Happy with the effort. (Red Vibrams)


Run with ambition,

Purity yields wisdom, go!

Tell others! Conquer!


Today's quote comes from our very own Patrick Sweeney: "Went off for a short run through streets of Managua, got lost, saw a bunch of cool touristy stuff, stopped for a a couple of giant beers, played baseball with some local kids, heard my theme song playing as ran past a restaurant barefoot and got a ton of whistles from the local ladies ( well Tyler did that is) I just got chased by wild dogs but on the bright side none of them caught me. Life is good:-)" 

Vibram Bikilas (red) Miles: 6.00Merrell Road Glove Miles: 3.11
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
6.000.000.00

Round 2, Day #43: 6 miles total, 5 miles in 41:15, good for 8:15/mile (Am I getting too cocky if I am saying that this pace is feeling easier and easier?). Then did 1 more mile satellite style with Bob Nicol. Runners support each other, brother! Getting it done one day at a time. You're still a day ahead of me but I'll catch up to you one of these days! Finished "Running With Lydiard". I finally understand why he was so important to the second half of the 20th century in distance running. I wish I had had the chance to meet or write to him! So much still to learn as a youngin' in this sport.

Power shovelin' snow....
New England's cross training! Yet
nothing beats a run!!

"If you can get a boy in his teens and encourage him to train and not race until he is matured, then you have laid the foundations of an Olympic champion." - Gösta Holmér, Swedish coach and inventer of the beloved fartlek workout, otherwise known as the "natural method". 

Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(1)
Running MilesSwimming YardsBike Miles
50.410.000.00
Vibram Bikilas (red) Miles: 20.00Vibram Bikilas (blue) Miles: 25.30Altra Adams Miles: 2.00Merrell Road Glove Miles: 3.11
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
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