January 13th - Arctic Expedition - Manchester, NH - 12

Tonight I was going to just lace up my Nike Air Pegasus +27 (more traction than my other shoes) with my NEW Injinji socks and just run. I was not sure how far or how long I was going to run but I was just going to keep going until I felt tired or unsafe with the road conditions. I really just wanted to get out and get a good run in as the next three days I will be refereeing indoor soccer and am not sure of when I will be able to get my miles in.

Plus, I really want to test out these new socks. Jason swears by them and I now know why. The are weird to get into but once you start running, the are great. They reduce the rubbing of the skin between your toes and eliminates discomfort.

(The most comfortable my toes have ever been!)

I left the house at about 5:15 PM with the last minutes of daylight dwindling. I strapped on my vest and turned on the head lamp. As I left my driveway, all I could think is that the "main" roads best be better than the side ones that I live on. If not, it was going to be a short run. Luckily, once I made it to Candia Road, the roads were clear enough run on the limited shoulder.

I run past mile 1, mile 2, and I feel pretty good. I figured I would just continue on towards Heartache Hill and if I felt good after I reached the top, I would add a couple miles onto the run and if I was exhausted, I would cut it short and make it a 5 miler by cutting through bridge street extension.

I reached the top of of Heartache and felt surprisingly energized. I decided that I would continue on down Welllington Road and continue right on to Bridge Street. I didn't expect this part of the run to be as  difficult as it was. For some reason, some morons decided to park their cars on the street even though there was little to no shoulder. I hope cops were out issuing tickets to these morons. Anyway, I made my way down Bridge Street (this part is all down hill and where the Manchester Mile will be held this summer).

At this point, I have to decide whether to turn left onto N. Maple Street and head toward home or take a right onto N. Beech Street and add a little more onto the run. Can you guess which one I did (Hint, I am at mile 6.25 and I ran 12 total)? THATS RIGHT! I went right and headed towards my aunts house on the North End of Manchester.

I made a pit stop at my aunts house at mile 8.3, grab a water bottle and let my aunt know that I was planning on heading home after I finish the water. That way she could let my mom know that I was going to be about a half hour more and she would not worry. She always worries! Especially when the roads are "slippery".

I finish off my run and end up adding a couple blocks to get a full 12 miles in on the night. I felt pretty good except I should of brought a neck warmer or "turtle fur" so that my face would not of been so cold. It was fine when I left but within a half hour of running I could feel the temperature dropping and knew it was going to be a cold one. I just felt too good to stop even if my face was a little cold . . .

(I think I know how I will be training for Derry's BP 16M)