Cool Lakes, Steep Hills, and the Best Porta-Pottie Ever

Ran 13.5 miles @ 8:24/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 153/170
Paved roads.
Extremely hilly.
Mid-upper 70s, partly cloudy.



My mother is in town for a visit, and she was gung-ho on going to some big quilting supply store located near Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Not really my cup of tea, so what worked out well for the both of us was that she'd shop for quilting stuff while I got in a run. To say that it turned out to be an adventure would be fairly accurate.

Before we drove over, I had a huge breakfast of pancakes, bacon and home fries at the local diner (so much for the healthy diet I swore I'd be adopting). I thought I would have it digested by the start of my run, nearly two hours later, but nope. As a result, I had to stop and take a few rest breaks throughout. In short, I felt like a slug.

One bright note was about four miles into the run when nature called. And did I find the answer. I have no problem with going in the woods, but whenever a porta-pottie happens to be along the route, it's usually a nice treat. This one was heaven. Super clean, three types of quilted toilet paper, two different kinds of hand sanitizers, and an aerosol can. Wow. The only thing missing was a magazine rack.

Was off again and swung back by the car and downed some diluted Gatorade. My already upset stomach wasn't happy with this at all. I slogged my way up a hill along a different street and stopped to take a break under a shady tree at an old cemetery. After a few minutes, my stomach felt okay again and I was off again. Continued up a hill and made a left turn on another side street. Up and up and up. Jeez, this was kicking my butt. Loved it, but the lingering breakfast in my gut made it not so enjoyable.

Finally reached the top and it started down, but I reached a T in the road and had to turn left or right. I turned right, but after a while I realized I was heading away from town and should have turned left. Crap. Luckily, my good ole Garmin came to the rescue with the navigation feature and I found a side street that would seemingly take me back to where I needed to go. It did, and a few miles later I was glad to be done.

My mother had just finished her shopping when I returned for good, so it was perfect timing. We drove down to the lake and I took a very refreshing swim before we headed back. Good run in all, but that breakfast really worked against me and helped turn the run into a slogfest. Still, got in some good miles at pace that seemed much slower and on some very insane hills to boot. Not a bad day after all.

Also, my buddies Stephen and Ian have managed to pull off putting together what looks to be a really great trail race in late October. L.L. Bean has agreed to sponsor it and it'll take place at Bradbury Mountain. In the next few days, I will write a separate blog entry with more details, but want to gather a few more facts first. One thing for certain, it will be grand! Stay tuned...