Part of my self written challenge is to traverse New Hampshire town by town one county at a time. Starting in Dublin on 11-14-21, nearly 7 months later (6-12-22) after 25 hours on the road over 157 miles I completed the first NH county out of 10. Technically I still have one last stretch in Cheshire that will come at the very end, whenever that may be, when I take the final run (leg 234) from Peterborough to Dublin. But for now, I'm calling Cheshire complete and in the books!
Cheshire County was a great place to start this journey. The first half dozen legs were a good way to get into a rhythm for how to prepare, scout and run point to point. Not too tough, but long enough and hilly enough to get a glimpse into whether the challenge was possible. I still have lingering doubts for how I'll handle Coos county, but as this is my challenge I reserve the right to tweak the guide rules once I've scouted in person.
Here are some Cheshire County highlights:
Toughest run: I ran legs 12 (Keene to Roxbury) & 13 (Roxbury to Harrisville) back to back because I thought leg 12 was short and I could knock them both off. That put me over 12 miles with tough hills on the last section. Not a wise move as I injured myself, but a lesson learned none the less. Listen to your body and mind!
Wake up check: Leg 10 (Hinsdale to Chesterfield) was where I first encountered ridiculous hill climbing. There was plenty more to follow in other legs, but this one brought the reality of the road (and hills ahead) into focus. The leg starts on a climb and just keeps going. Was glad Haley could meet up with me once I cleared the hilly start.
Most Memorable: Leg 23 (Stoddard to Washington) had a section (Kings Highway) that couldn't be scouted. We scouted the leg multiple times and Haley joined me for the "unknown" section. Washington is one of the prettiest village centers in Cheshire County.
Scenic: Leg 19 (Surry to Walpole) was both difficult and scenic. Beautiful weather was an added bonus. Climbing up Joslin right out of the gate was a challenge. The Apple watch logged over 100 flights of stairs, which was a first. Walpole is quintessential New England and running into town was invigorating. Just beautiful.
Here are some recommendations about what I've learned so far:
Start close to home. Each leg requires driving and by starting close to home I was able to initially focus more on the running part of the journey and get acclimated with point to point running and logistics.
Scout (drive) each leg ahead of time. When possible I tried to scout two legs ahead to help get mentally prepared about what to expect and make sure the route was clear for both me and for Nancy who was driving support. Be sure to scout the route near the time you plan to run it (at least within the same season) to get a sense of conditions. I use mapmyrun.com (signed up for premium) to plot out each route ahead of time and print it out. I'm able to play see the terrain and options for adjusting to find the optimal route.
Have an Atlas / Physical Maps on hand. The internet and smart phones are great, but there are plenty of times where we haven't had cell service when scouting routes and old fashioned maps are a huge help - especially when driving along and coming to a road that is on the route, but no cars are able to drive. This happens more frequently than I was expecting.
Be flexible and creative. New Hampshire has 4 seasons (5 if you count Mud Season). Each season offers different challenges for the terrain and route options. While my goal is to travel the road (or trail) less travelled time of year makes a huge difference. For example, leg 22 (Stoddard to Washington) required my running through an old rocky carriage road (Kings Highway) not passable by car with a lead in section not plowed. The optional route is 20 miles (instead of 7) around Highland Lake. Winter was not possible --- for me. Fortunately I got to this leg in spring after snows and mud and things worked out.
Don't worry about time - enjoy the surroundings. Let's face it, New Hampshire is hilly. The average up elevation for legs in Cheshire was 500 ft. There were very few flat or downhill runs, and even those always had some hills lurking.
Encourage and inspire yourself - Surround yourself with the journey. For me I've built a spreadsheet where I have information about every run logged. I have maps up on my walls where I show the route I've travelled so far.
Document your journey. I have a binder where I keep a map of every run, with some select pictures. I write an entry following every run that I post to this website. I run with an Apple watch and I log every run (via Under Armour / Mapmyrun app). I am then able to save the route for access via website as documented proof of the run. I also post an entry on Instagram as another way to document that the run actually took place.
Have fun with it -- if I can help inspire people to get out and run (jog, walk, bike, whatever) and enjoy the outside in this beautiful state I will feel very satisfied.
I come back to the saying that I feature on the website and I try to keep this in the forefront of my mind with each step I take - "The quality of a journey is not only measured by the time spent and distance traveled, but also by the effort and spirit put forth"
COMING LATER THIS SUMMER: My personal challenge to you -- I am going to set up a page where I list out the Public access maps to all of the runs I have completed to date and encourage/challenge people to give one a try and post comments on how it went and the experience.
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