Meriden to Grantham

This was hands down the toughest leg to date. Very grateful that Haley could share it with me and that Nancy was there to provide the support and take memorable pics.

There is no more beautiful time in New England (in my opinion) than in the fall - and it is optimal running season as well. It was a perfect weather day and the foliage was peak and vivid.

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Before getting started we stopped in at Plainfield Town Hall for the annual Maxfield Parrish art showing and vintage print sale.  The stage backdrop and light show they put on dates back to 1916.  We saw a print that caught our eye -- Twilight.  Beautiful landscape print - reminds me I'm in the twilight of my running .... squeezing every run out that I can!

The mileage for this leg was about the same that I cover in a week and with Methodist Hill looming I wasn't sure what to expect, but happy report that I passed the test. Haley aced it and is in great shape ready to take on the Philadelphia Marathon next month!

Experience is a great teacher - for me. I knew that I needed to look at this challenge in smaller chunks and pace myself to make it to the finish. Usually "the wall" happens when you hit 3x your average daily mileage. 17 miles is well past my wall, so being smart was key.

The first section out of Plainfield/Meriden along Chellis road was stunning. It included the first hill climb, but being early in the run wasn't a factor. Got the heart pumping. Chellis emptied on to 120 North around 1.8 miles in and then another 1.5 miles to the base of Methodist Hill. Chunk 1 done - legs loose and blood flowing.

Section 2 -- 2 miles up a 6% grade Methodist hill and then another 2 miles down similar grade to the other side. Haley left me in the dust, but was great at checking to make sure I was going to make it .... which I did!

Section 3 -- bike path along route 89. This was deceptive and tougher than expected. The highway is a gradual incline, the bike is rolling up and down with more up than anticipated. There are two bike path sections, needing to cross under 89 (exit 15) on to Old Route 10 which connects to 2nd uphill bike path section.

At that point it empties back to Route 10 at mile 11 and the last 6 miles are mostly down hill, but very much a test as the legs were dead and battery drained.

Made it to the end with the last of the energy I had left.

A great experience - thank you Haley for joining me - and Nancy for the support!