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You are here: Home / half marathons / Lifetime Half #58, State #30: New England Series – Connecticut

Lifetime Half #58, State #30: New England Series – Connecticut

June 1, 2016 by MCM Mama 13 Comments

New England Series: Connecticut
May 20, 2016
2:18:10

Connecticut medal

Temp: low 50s
What I wore: hat, tank top, a Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt, Beer socks, and Altra One 2.5

Connecticut outfit

Happy Global Running Day! I’m celebrating with a beer run this evening, but instead of a Global Running Day post, I’d rather recap my Connecticut race.  It was a really good one!

Connecticut start

This was race six of the New England Series. (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island preceded it.) The race took place on the Iron Horse Greenway in Simsbury, CT. It was one of the longer courses at 2.184 miles, which meant we only had to do 6 laps. This distance is my favorite. It long enough to feel like you are making significant progress with each lap, without being so long that you felt like you were by yourself.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from my body after the previous day’s aches, so I went into this race with no time goals. I also groaned as we started off across grass – I was pretty sure I couldn’t do a whole course of that again.

Connecticut grass field

Luckily, very quickly we moved off of grass onto a paved running path. The path was very similar to one of the paths I run near home, with just a few rolling hills, so I settled into a nice groove. I spent the first two laps chatting with a friend who was the lone woman doing a 50K at all 7 races. Yes, seven 50K races in a row. Her running is amazing, but she’s also this wonderful ray of sunshine on the course – the entire time she’s running. We split after two laps as we spent different amounts of time in the “aid station” AKA land of all the food.

Connecticut course

For the next 3 laps, I chatted and ran at a faster pace than planned and just generally enjoyed myself. People were getting a little slap happy after 5 days of running, so there was plenty of entertainment. I picked up the pace a few times so I could run with a faster friend, but I didn’t push myself too hard. Amazingly, my body felt awesome – no pain in my glute at all!

As I entered the food area to head out for my last lap, I realized that I could beat 2:20 if I kept up a solid pace. Beer Geek joined me as per our custom on this series and helped push me along. (I swear one of these days he’s going to run a half and he’ll run it faster than me…).

Connecticut black cone

We hit the turnaround and I was feeling good, so we picked up the pace a bit and then pushed hard as we approached the finish. I was rewarded by coming in almost 2 minutes under 2:20:00!

Connecticut finish line

After the race, we hit a brewpub for lunch. I ate an unbelievable amount of food. The downside to these series? You are ALWAYS hungry.

post Connecticut beer and sausages

Then we walked across the Walkway over the Hudson – yes, my husband believes in taking in all the sites. No, it doesn’t matter if I’m tired.

Walkway Hudson

After the walk, we visited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Home. One of my areas of focus in undergrad was the Depression, so I really enjoyed the visit. Finally, it was time to head to the hotel and chill out for a bit before our final race on Saturday!

The good:

  • The course was my favorite type and distance of course.
  • My body felt great! No pains and I wasn’t fatigued at all.
  • By this point in the series, everyone is your friend.Connecticut half marathoners

The bad:

  • The wet grass we had to cross going in and out of the start line area. Luckily I managed to not completely soak my foot until the last lap.

The ugly:

  • Starting off our day with NO water at our Inn. There was a water main break, so we had zero water pressure in our 3rd floor room. Thankfully there was enough on the main floor to use the toilet and to get coffee.Connecticut finish line friends

Would I do it again?

I would if I were in the area. This is one of the courses I’d be willing to do a full marathon on.  I’ll likely hit it again when we do our year of running.

30 states (plus DC) done on my quest to run a half marathon in all 50 states! 19 of 23 states done in my journey to Mercury!

Rhode Island medals

 

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  • Half Marathon #83:Appalachian Series – AlabamaHalf Marathon #83:Appalachian Series – Alabama
  • Lifetime Half #59, State #31: New England Series – New YorkLifetime Half #59, State #31: New England Series – New York
  • Lifetime Half #56, State #28: New England Series – MassachusettsLifetime Half #56, State #28: New England Series – Massachusetts
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  • Lifetime Half #53, State #25: New England Series – MaineLifetime Half #53, State #25: New England Series – Maine

Filed Under: half marathons Tagged With: 50 States, connecticut, half marathon, Mainly Marathons

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Comments

  1. Kimberly Hatting says

    June 1, 2016 at 7:45 am

    This series of races looks like a blast! I”m not a beer drinker, but those socks are pretty sweet 😉 Congrats on your sub 2:20 😉
    Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Global Running Day-A Look into my MilesMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Kimberly Greene says

    June 1, 2016 at 7:48 am

    I’m so glad you had a great race in Connecticut – it’s my state!

    Reply
  3. Coco says

    June 1, 2016 at 8:05 am

    Nice finish! Yikes on the lack of water. Thank goodness you could use the main floor bathroom. I love your collection of state medals!
    Coco recently posted…I Can Do Hard ThingsMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says

    June 1, 2016 at 9:23 am

    You look very happy! See you tonight
    Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Celebrating Global Running DayMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says

    June 1, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Really, is being hungry ever a bad thing?

    Great job on this series! I wish I could run your beer run tonight.
    Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Empowered By The Miles: Global Running Day 2016My Profile

    Reply
  6. Kathryn @ Dancing to Running says

    June 1, 2016 at 10:16 am

    I continue to be amazed at your ability to run as many half marathons in a row as you do. And to add sight seeing on top of that…wow!
    Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…June 2016 Monthly GoalsMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Ange // Cowgirl Runs says

    June 1, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    That sounds like such a neat race series!

    And I looooooove your beer socks!
    Ange // Cowgirl Runs recently posted…Happy Global Running Day!My Profile

    Reply
  8. Janelle @ Run With No Regrets says

    June 1, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    Congrats on your race! You did a great job! I’ve never gone running in Connecticut but it looks like it was a nice course. Very cool that you get to make friends along the way for each race in the series!
    Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Global Running Day 2016My Profile

    Reply
  9. Jen @ Pretty Little Grub says

    June 1, 2016 at 1:44 pm

    That medal series is so cool! And your socks are so adorable.
    Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…Tips to Enjoy Long-Distance RunningMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Carmy says

    June 1, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    Love your socks!!
    Carmy recently posted…4 Ways Runners Can Give BackMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Meranda@Fairytalesandfitness says

    June 1, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    Glad this race left you feeling good. Tats a great way to end the series! That stinks about the water main break!

    Reply
  12. Jenn says

    June 1, 2016 at 8:56 pm

    I would have been a mess without water! Yuck!

    Congratulations on a great series and a great finish! This sounds like so much fun! A lot of running, but so much fun!
    Jenn recently posted…happy global running dayMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Toni says

    June 2, 2016 at 7:46 am

    Wow you are amazing! Congrats on getting under 2:20! I love your post race fuel at the brew pub!!
    Toni recently posted…I Am Back! Plus Happy Global Running DayMy Profile

    Reply
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Who is MCM Mama?
A slightly obnoxious mom and wife who loves good beer and running, who struggles a bit with depression especially in the winter and when running isn’t allowed, who’d rather go on a fun vacation than upgrade the kitchen or add a master bath, and has a minor addiction to the Marine Corps Marathon.

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