HM Recap: Lime Rock Park CT, June 14, 2015

Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens. ~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

As anticipated, the number of entrants was small and the course hilly. The race started at 9:00, temp of 70, reaching 80 by race finish, with little breeze and strong sun but not too humid. I appreciated how the course started and ended on the racetrack, was mostly uphill on the way out (so downhill on the way back), had a segment of packed dirt road in the middle, and had some of the most beautiful, lush and green scenery of any course I've been on. I struck up conversations with two runners and discovered one of them has three sons (who were there so I got to meet them at the end of the race), and the other uses pretzels as her fuel food during a race.  One of the women is part of a CT running group whose objective is to run a race in each of CT's 169 towns.

Highlights of CT:

• The Comstock Covered Bridge over the Salmon River
• Wading in the frigid Atlantic and picking up pretty shells and stones near Madison, CT (great beach and camping facilities for a possible future trip)
• Seafood dinner at Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale
• The picturesque landscape on the drive from Hartford to Lime Rock Park, including a spectacular view driving over a dam
• Most Dunkin' Donuts I've ever seen

Official time: 2:37:51 (Runkeeper showed a distance of 13.9)

Forecast: Muggy CT Race

Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. ~Charles M. Schulz

The 10-day forecast for Lakeville, CT says high of 82, low of 63 with PM rain. And in the days leading up to the race, temps in the 80s and lots of rain. Looks like it's going to be a muggy race.

There are around 80 runners registered for the half--mostly from the New England area, but a few scattered from WI, MO, FL, and SC. Nice small group.

Race is Sunday. Will spend Saturday in CT. Looks like hiking is an option. Though I don't want to overdo it, places like Bear Mountain and Lions Head look promising. The abundance of peaks to hike in the area is probably in direct correlation to the hilliness of the course. Again, I'm in for (and hopefully up to) a challenge.

Know of any other options for activities around Lakeville or Hartford? Please comment.

Pic of Lime Rock with cars: