Voluntown is one of those names that sticks in your mind once you’ve seen it once. I imagined it was founded by volunteers, and people with an affinity for playing that game where you smush two words together to make a new one. An early morning race in an elusive town was a good way to start getting back on track after two weeks of less than healthy living while I was away at a conference and film festival.

It was a small race, about a hundred people or so, along a single-lane dirt road through Pachaug State Forest. Picturesque, hilly, and varied, it was a good but tough course. I’m still not up to my 5K times from last year, and this one was a little slower thanks to being out of shape and some extra hills. I was trailing two guys nearly the whole race but didn’t have the juice to catch them at the finish, and ended up second in my age group. This race marks nearly one quarter of the way to 169, and next month will mark two years since I joined the group.

Voluntown Youth Services Bureau Super 5K | 5K | 5/13/17 | 24:08 | 42/169