The “elusive” status of Westbrook was enough to overcome the fact that the forecast predicted solid rain all day (to the point where the race website posted a pop-up indicating that the race would go on, rain or shine). The town is one of the closer targets left on my list, now numbering less than 50, and I set out in the downpour, up 95 to Westbrook, where I don’t think I’ve ever been before. Despite the rain requiring some double-time wipers and making visibility on the drive pretty poor, it calmed down by the time I arrived, and the race itself wasn’t bad.
Again, 25:00 seems to be the new 23:00, which I keep trying to touch again, but it wasn’t to be, especially with a back muscle that seized up at mile one and the stiff breeze along Long Island Sound on the way back. I managed a decent finish, in a race that was won by a 17 year-old who finished a full two minutes ahead of the next finisher.
Daisy Dash | 5K | 3/23/24 | 25:20 | 125/169
Tags:Running
Crossing over 120 has somehow made 169 seem not as far out of reach, so I’ve been adding races to the calendar and trying to knock off as many as I can, when I can. It’s not going to happen in the “under ten years since I started” or “before I turn 50” milestones like I once imagined, but I am energized to get it done.
This one was a real muddle: it was supposedly in the town of Ledyard, but the directions were to an address in Gales Ferry (passing the Submarine Museum entrance on the way), and the bibs were left over from the 60th Annual Ocean Beach John & Jessie Kelley Road Race… The rain died down to a light drizzle before the start, and the race, a two-loop affair, was nice, through the neighborhood around the town center. I thought I came in under 25:00, but apparently I missed it by a second or two.
O’Ledyard Grad Dash | 5K | 3/17/24 | 25:01 | 124/169
Tags:Running
January 28th, 2024 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #123: East Hartford
Trying to keep a shorter gap between races over the winter—last year I went four months—I was glad to find a January race that wasn’t too far away. It was far enough away that there was snow on the ground, though, which we no longer have down here. It felt like a slog, honestly, as I haven’t run outside in months and I’ve gotten soft. 25:00 is the new 24:00…
Brian Aselton Snow Dash | 5K | 1/28/24 | 25:26 | 84/169
Tags:Running
December 2nd, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #122: Berlin
I always thought the minimum to count for a town race was a 5K, but apparently that’s not the case. This two mile race was a nice change of pace. While the girls headed off for their CMEA auditions, I headed to Berlin for this race. Lots of runners in costumes, and Christmas music was blaring, but with no song and 47º, it didn’t feel that wintry. I pushed myself harder than usual, with the short distance, and finished in just over 15 minutes. I thought I wasn’t going to place again, as I saw who’d come in before me, but thanks to the weirdest age groups I’ve ever seen, I managed to take home a first place trophy for the men’s 42-49 group. Of course!
Tinsel Fun Run | 2M | 1/28/24 | 15:01 | 92/169
Tags:Running
November 12th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #121: North Haven
After last weekend’s race, Dad and I had talked about doing another one this weekend, but I was a little surprised he was up for it on his vacation. North Haven has been a surprisingly elusive town for me, so close but not a town I’ve managed to get to during all these years. The fact that the race was only 20 minutes away was hugely convenient.
I pushed it early on, with a 7:35 pace over the first mile, which was a little ambitious. I lagged a bit in the middle, but got back on pace by the last mile and put in my fastest time since last fall. While I came in my customary 4th place in my age group, Dad won his and was cheered for having come from so far away.
Tessa Marie Memorial 5K | 5K | 11/12/23 | 24:15 | 121/169
Tags:Running
November 4th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #120: Stonington
This time, Grace put her foot down and insisted on sleeping in, but my dad was up for a 5K, so we headed to Stonington and parked in the lot at the Mystic Aquarium. Having a pair of African penguins at the start was definitely a first. The race was well organized, heavily staffed, and with nice tech t-shirts, but there weren’t really that many runners, under 150, which was a surprise. I came in 25th and managed to get in under 25:00, so my new goal is to avoid getting any slower before I’m in the new age group next year.
Run/Walk for the Penguins | 5K | 11/4/23 | 24:50 | 120/169
Tags:Running
October 29th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #s 117, 118, 119: Ashford, Hampton, Chaplin
Grace and I got up without too much trouble at 6:45 and made it to the Quiet Corner of the state for the 9 a.m. start in Ashford. I pulled off the road into the Ashford Park entrance, next to another car but more importantly, right on top of a concrete culvert hidden from view. My left front tire went off the edge with a decisive thunk and was left floating above the ground. No amount of rocking back and forth was going to get us anywhere, and we didn’t have long before the start, so we headed to the pavilion and put our out of commission car out of our minds.
The first race was the longest, nearly a 5K at 2.6 miles, and it went well. I tried to see if we might get someone to push us out after the race, but we didn’t have the time or tools. We caught a ride from Alex and Alexis to the next race, the shortest of the three at under two miles. It was raining in Hampton, but we were all in at this point. Our new friends gave us another ride to Chaplin, and we finished strong, with the cumulative 10K now under our belts. We caught an Uber back to Ashford, and with the help of Megan, Bernie, and their son, who jacked up our car and pushed us out, we were on our way home. I was proud of Grace for sticking with it, and glad that even though our insurance provider found no one in the Quiet Corner of the state who could tow us out on a Sunday afternoon (now that I say it that way, I doesn’t sound that unlikely), we didn’t have to spend all day dealing with my bad luck.
Quiet Corner Challenge: Ashford | 2.6m | 6/12/21 | 25:25 | 117/169
Quiet Corner Challenge: Hampton | 1.6m | 6/12/21 | 15:37 | 118/169
Quiet Corner Challenge: Chaplin | 2m | 6/12/21 | 24:52 | 119/169
Tags:Running
October 22nd, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #116: Farmington
Grace and I drove up to Farmington for a really nice 5K trail race at Winding Trails camp today. She was plagued by the same leg pain that bothered her during the ski season last year, so we took it slow, but she kept at it and ran most of the way. We’ve got out three-race day next weekend, so I’m glad we go out there, even if it wasn’t a banner day.
Farmington Valley Pumpkin Run | 5K trail | 10/22/23 | 40:56 | 116/169
Tags:Running
September 24th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #115: Simsbury
I had four races to choose from this morning, and went for the one I could get to in time, with a 10:30 start in Simsbury. The rain was steady the whole way up, and I only got there 20 minutes before the start. Another first: QR code, credit card-enabled registration on site, after which you tell the volunteer the bib number that you got, a quick and easy solution.
The course was an interesting mix, starting on neighborhood streets and then cutting off into the woods for a trail run. A sub-25:00 is where I am these days, I guess, despite feeling like I was giving it what I could in the moment. When 24th overall is 11th in my age group, it’s time for a new age group.
Run Back to School 5K | 5K | 9/24/23 | 24:52 | 115/169
Tags:Running
September 17th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #114: Greenwich
I’m getting closing sewing up all of New Haven and Fairfield Counties, so it was finally time to head back to Greenwich for maybe the second or third time since leaving there in 2000. I wonder if any of my former students’ families were running today… It’s been long enough that I don’t know if I’d recognize anyone, anyway.
There was, weirdly, absolutely no mention of the course in the opening words from the organizers; rather, they spent time thanking the sponsors and detailing the giveaways, which included a camouflage diaper bag from “Tactical Baby” (?) and a dumpster for use in a home renovation. Wow. Somewhat annoyingly, the course was .35m too short, so while it was a nice course at Tod’s Point, my under 24:00 time, for the first time in awhile, wasn’t legit.
Golden Lights Fun Run | 5K | 9/17/23 | 23:06 | 119/169
Tags:Running
September 9th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #113: Harwinton
Grace and I have made a plan to run three races in one day next month, so we’re trying to get in shape with some races leading up to the big day. Another first: the race was run from a private home, a massive home on 70 acres, where the course began and ended. The in between was the tough part: it was hilly. It was both physically and mentally tough for Grace, and we were slower than we had hoped to be, but had some good stories.
Kailey Jaie Prenoveau Scholarship Run | 5K | 9/9/23 | 40:44 | 113/169
Tags:Running
September 2nd, 2023 · Comments Off on 168 Towns #112: Plymouth
I’ve become little hesitant about trail races, but this one, at Camp Mattatuck, less than a half hour away, seemed like a good opportunity. Every race is different, but this one had some interesting features: for “day of” registration, a guy scribbled my details on a piece of paper which I was then instructed to hand to the timer at the start in order to get a number. On the other hand, though, my $25 got me a technical T-shirt, a water bottle, a bottled water, and three snacks in a reusable bag. Very nice.
The race was really well run, with three water stops on a three mile trail race, and despite another minor ankle roll (seriously, again?), I held off another runner who was running about the same pace, and finished seventh.
Big Joe’s Jog | 5K trail race | 9/2/23 | 29:26 | 1123/169
Tags:Running
August 27th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #111: New Milford
Another long break with two trips to the U.K., the festival in Bologna, then Canada and Alaska, it’s been three months since I ran. The race was free, but also featured a first: custom-printed bibs with the name of the race on them…but no timing! I can’t recall the last race that didn’t use one of the many local and regional timing companies to track the racers. Even more unorthodox was the fact that the organizers held a raffle before the start, meaning racers about to run a 5K were left quizzically holding gift baskets.
The course was a little odd: not a word of it was spoken in advance, maybe because it was a pretty boring out and back, but there were also other strange elements: the water stop was really oddly placed, off the course, and featured hundreds of cups that weren’t going to be used. After 110+ races you start noticing things like this, I guess… Anyway, I never caught all the people I thought I would, and am just not as fast as I used to be, but knocked off another town.
Sgt Scoular’s Overdose Awareness and Recovery Run | 5k | 8/27/23 | 24:41 | 111/169
Tags:Running
May 21st, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #110: Lebanon
This race had an unorthodox 1:30 p.m. start, allowing me to mow the lawn before the race. It was a small race, which explains how I came in fifth overall and grabbed the first place trophy for men 40-49. The race took place in farm country, not far from Hartford, in the part of Connecticut with place names like Hebron and Gilead. Now that I’m well past the 100 towns marker, it feels like I should be nearer to being done, but it’s still a long, shapless slog ahead.
Bailey’s Garden 5K | 5k | 6/12/21 | 24:45 | 110/169
Tags:Running
May 6th, 2023 · Comments Off on 169 Towns #109: Granby
Happy to get back to racing with Grace, though it’s clear that by bringing her along on these early morning trips, I’m denying her some much-needed time to sleep in. We found ourselves driving up to Granby at 7 a.m., and she was pretty tired, having not run with me since last September. This was another big race, with more than 200 racers, and it was fairly slow going, but she finished strong, as always.
Granby Road Race | 5K | 5/6/23 | 33:20 | 109/169
Tags:Running