Preparing for the start of the Mt. Washington Road Race this weekend, I saw a number of runners with nice-looking shirts featuring the outline of the state of Connecticut, silhouettes of runners, and the words “RUN 169 TOWNS, DEBTICONN.ORG” I looked up the address when I got home, and discovered wonderfully ramshackle website for the Run 169 Towns Society, a group whose members hope to run a race of 5K or longer in all 169 towns in the state, or Do Every Blessed Town In Connecticut. Running? Checking things off a list? A reason to visit every corner of the state? Sign me up.

Once you join, you’re asked to provide a list of the date and race in the towns you’ve already run before joining; I had only three, so before I run my first official race as a member, I’ll recount the others that have given me a starting score of 3/169.

We moved to New Haven in July of 2013, and by September, I was trying to recover from an injury and get ready for the New York City Marathon in November. I decided to take part in New Haven’s biggest race, the Stratton-Faxon New Haven Road Race, also known as the “National 20K Championship” – or at least the 5K that accompanies it. The race was fine, though I felt (and ran) pretty slow. It was nice to run practically right from our doorstep at the Eli, and it was a chance to see some of East Rock which I’d never been through before. A successful run today also gave me some measure of confidence for the marathon in two months.

Stratton-Faxon New Haven Road Race | 5K | 9/2/13 | 24:44 | 1/169