As I have said far too often in my last few blogs...It's been a while.
I just returned home earlier today from a long weekend and a couple of more runs. Those who have followed my blog, or have listened to me ramble on about running, know that I have a goal of running a race in all 50 states.
This past weekend I set out for Hartford, CT. This was my first trip to any of the New England States and was set to be State #29 and my 5th new state for 2016.
I really thought that a highlight of this trip would be the fall foliage in CT. As the plane came in on the approach to Hartford I noticed two things. One thing I noticed was that there was a lot of trees...I mean A LOT of trees. But I also noticed that most of those trees were still covered in green leaves. Very few had even started to change color. I noticed the same on my drive from the airport in to Hartford on Thursday morning.
I got in to Hartford early enough to get to the runners expo just as it was opening. I got my bib, my t-shirt and all the other race day SWAG and checked out some of the booths. Afterwards I walked a little bit around downtown Hartford, then headed over to the hotel.
On Friday I took advantage of the weather and did a bit of site-seeing. Being a bit of a fan of American History, visiting the homes of Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) and Harriet Beecher Stowe was interesting. I made it out to the Connecticut Fire Academy and the New England Air Museum as well.
I was a little nervous for the race on Saturday. The fact that I'd spent the day before a half marathon on my feet walking around so much, as well as the fact that I ate like crap on Friday, had me wondering how I'd do running 13.1 miles on Saturday morning. However, maybe I've found the secret to a good run....the race went fine, better than I expected for sure. No matter where I ran in Hartford, the people were out cheering on the runners. Weather it was a firehouse, a resident, or even a Valvoline Instant Oil Change, everyone came out. Having that kind of crowd support always makes the runs more fun.
Prior to running on Saturday I met Jackie. Jackie was from MA and, like me, had set a goal of running a race in all 50 states. UNLIKE me, she plans to run a marathon in all 50 states. As we talked over breakfast about the race she jokingly mentioned that there was a Half Marathon in Rhode Island on Sunday, only an hour or so away. Well, after the race on Saturday I did a quick Google search and did find a 5K race the next day in Providence. So...I registered. On Sunday morning I woke up and drove the 90 minutes to Providence and ran in a very wet, rainy 5K race. The course was very nice, circling a park and zoo. Had it not been raining the whole time, I'm sure it would have been nicer.
But even better than adding an unexpected new state to my list, was the drive back to Hartford. I drove back through a lot of wooded state roads. There I was able to admire all that fall foliage I had been hoping to see all weekend. That is the most enjoyable part, for me, of running in the fall. Seeing the trees change to the reds, oranges and yellows. It's like running routes I've run hundreds of times, but never run before in my life.
So now I'm back in Columbus. Tomorrow I head back to work. This week I prepare for my longest run of the year as I tackle the 26.2 miles around Columbus on Sunday. All of this to prepare for the ultimate 2016 race. The New York Marathon in November!!
I just returned home earlier today from a long weekend and a couple of more runs. Those who have followed my blog, or have listened to me ramble on about running, know that I have a goal of running a race in all 50 states.
This past weekend I set out for Hartford, CT. This was my first trip to any of the New England States and was set to be State #29 and my 5th new state for 2016.
I really thought that a highlight of this trip would be the fall foliage in CT. As the plane came in on the approach to Hartford I noticed two things. One thing I noticed was that there was a lot of trees...I mean A LOT of trees. But I also noticed that most of those trees were still covered in green leaves. Very few had even started to change color. I noticed the same on my drive from the airport in to Hartford on Thursday morning.
I got in to Hartford early enough to get to the runners expo just as it was opening. I got my bib, my t-shirt and all the other race day SWAG and checked out some of the booths. Afterwards I walked a little bit around downtown Hartford, then headed over to the hotel.
On Friday I took advantage of the weather and did a bit of site-seeing. Being a bit of a fan of American History, visiting the homes of Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) and Harriet Beecher Stowe was interesting. I made it out to the Connecticut Fire Academy and the New England Air Museum as well.
I was a little nervous for the race on Saturday. The fact that I'd spent the day before a half marathon on my feet walking around so much, as well as the fact that I ate like crap on Friday, had me wondering how I'd do running 13.1 miles on Saturday morning. However, maybe I've found the secret to a good run....the race went fine, better than I expected for sure. No matter where I ran in Hartford, the people were out cheering on the runners. Weather it was a firehouse, a resident, or even a Valvoline Instant Oil Change, everyone came out. Having that kind of crowd support always makes the runs more fun.
Prior to running on Saturday I met Jackie. Jackie was from MA and, like me, had set a goal of running a race in all 50 states. UNLIKE me, she plans to run a marathon in all 50 states. As we talked over breakfast about the race she jokingly mentioned that there was a Half Marathon in Rhode Island on Sunday, only an hour or so away. Well, after the race on Saturday I did a quick Google search and did find a 5K race the next day in Providence. So...I registered. On Sunday morning I woke up and drove the 90 minutes to Providence and ran in a very wet, rainy 5K race. The course was very nice, circling a park and zoo. Had it not been raining the whole time, I'm sure it would have been nicer.
But even better than adding an unexpected new state to my list, was the drive back to Hartford. I drove back through a lot of wooded state roads. There I was able to admire all that fall foliage I had been hoping to see all weekend. That is the most enjoyable part, for me, of running in the fall. Seeing the trees change to the reds, oranges and yellows. It's like running routes I've run hundreds of times, but never run before in my life.
So now I'm back in Columbus. Tomorrow I head back to work. This week I prepare for my longest run of the year as I tackle the 26.2 miles around Columbus on Sunday. All of this to prepare for the ultimate 2016 race. The New York Marathon in November!!
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