This morning was the Red Dress Run at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford Ct. It was another race put on by the Hartford Marathon Foundation. We were up bright and early to get to to the Park by 7:30 to get registered and settled in before the race started at 8:30.
I love this event. Lots of runners, really great support, and tons of excited spectators. Its a women's only race, which gives the run a different feel. Not necessarily better, but there is definitely a different vibe to the event. I have mixed feelings about gender exclusive events, but for this run the focus is on women's health and they don't seem overly pushy or restrictive... so I'm not going to complain. They maintain a really positive atmosphere.
Michy, Laurel, and I rocked our tutus, and were even asked to be in a promo picture for a local car dealership that was sponsoring the race.
At 8:15 there was a kids fun run. Since the minimum age is two, the munchkin will have to wait until next year to join in the fun. They did 1 mile, 1/2 mile. and 1/4 mile races for the kids, and everyone got medals at the end. It was very cute. It's great to see kids exited to be outside and getting exercise. I will definitely encourage the munchkin to run with me if he is interested.
The three of us stuck together and cheered each other on and had silly goofy fun for the entire run. We came in a 41:58, which beat Michy's last 5k time by several minutes. W00t!
After the race we headed back to Laurel's house to clean up a bit before heading out to lunch at It's Only Natural. Post-race lunch at ION is starting to become a tradition for us. ION is a delicious vegetarian/ vegan restaurant in Middletown, CT. They make the best sweet potato fries I have ever had. Seriously! I got tempeh "crabcakes" that were to die for... and I'm normally not a huge tempeh fan. They also make amazing baked tofu. It is so delicious... we always get an order for the baby and everyone steals bites.
I love this event. Lots of runners, really great support, and tons of excited spectators. Its a women's only race, which gives the run a different feel. Not necessarily better, but there is definitely a different vibe to the event. I have mixed feelings about gender exclusive events, but for this run the focus is on women's health and they don't seem overly pushy or restrictive... so I'm not going to complain. They maintain a really positive atmosphere.
At 8:15 there was a kids fun run. Since the minimum age is two, the munchkin will have to wait until next year to join in the fun. They did 1 mile, 1/2 mile. and 1/4 mile races for the kids, and everyone got medals at the end. It was very cute. It's great to see kids exited to be outside and getting exercise. I will definitely encourage the munchkin to run with me if he is interested.
The three of us stuck together and cheered each other on and had silly goofy fun for the entire run. We came in a 41:58, which beat Michy's last 5k time by several minutes. W00t!
After the race we headed back to Laurel's house to clean up a bit before heading out to lunch at It's Only Natural. Post-race lunch at ION is starting to become a tradition for us. ION is a delicious vegetarian/ vegan restaurant in Middletown, CT. They make the best sweet potato fries I have ever had. Seriously! I got tempeh "crabcakes" that were to die for... and I'm normally not a huge tempeh fan. They also make amazing baked tofu. It is so delicious... we always get an order for the baby and everyone steals bites.
Chalkboard tables are great munchkin-entertainment
So good.
nom nom nom tofu
After lunch we grabbed some dessert and headed back to Laurel's for a bit before heading back home.
The munchkin fell asleep in the car and is still sacked out from his day full of adventure. Though I should probably see if I can get him to stir so he will go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.
sleepy little munchkin
Happy Saturday!
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