Saturday Jan. 1st.  To: Kittery.      52.2km     =   32.4 miles

Sunday Jan 2nd.  To:  Kingston, New Hampshire   41.8km  =   26 miles

Monday Jan 3rd. To: Lowell, Ma 45.8km   =  28.5 Miles.

Tuesday Jan 4th. To: Hudson, Ma.     43.6km     =   27 miles

Total for 59 Road Days = 2,652.3  km  =  1,648 miles.  = 62.8Marathons.

Thanks so much to all the wonderful club members from Greater Lowell AC for making my time in your city so memorable.

Thanks Fil for shooting the video below which features:

Night out with the Greater Lowell Road Runners.

Out for the night with the Greater Lowell Road Runners.

Getting ready for the start of my run to Hudson, Ma.

Fil and EJ start with me from Lowell for the run to Hudson. EJ ran the whole 27 miles getting in a long run for his Boston marathon

Running with Fil, Jessica, Glenn and esp EJ (white shirt) who ran the entire 27 miles and pushed Nirvana most of the way.

Thanks so much everyone. I will always remember my time in Lowell with so much affection Tony.

I am taking 2 rest days here in Hudson, Ma. as my aunt Marie and uncle Frank Mangan live here.

Video press >> HERE

Report of My visit from Greater Lowell Road Runners Press >> HERE

Maine Newspaper article >> HERE

Just a quick update to let people know that for the past week I am being taken good care of by many of the members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club. MOAC.

I have gotten so far behind in this blog and feel guilty I haven’t had a chance to post just how wonderful these people are.

It all began when Sandie and Brendan read my Bangor News interview on Christmas Eve. Well they sent me an invite to stay with them when  I got to their town Hope. First they contacted Jim and Anne  of Winterport to arrange for me to stay with them a night.

Thanks Jim and Anne of Winterport.

That Monday sure was pretty stormy. A heavy overnight falling of snow and a blizzard greeted me on the road.

Setting out from Jim and Anne's house in the blizzard.

I got stopped by a cop after an hour. At first I got the impression he wanted me off the road. Then when I showed him documentation of the expedition he saw it was not just a regular Sunday morning jog in the park.

” I would rather you were not on the road but I cant pull you off. ” He said.

That seemed like a 180 to me if ever I heard one but I was not arguing!

Later that day I was to hear that I was being tracked on the police scanners all day!

The snow ploughs were out all day doing a great job. I was of course confined to the hard shoulder and had to deal with about 2 inches of snow or sometimes slush from the snow plough.

I stopped in a service station and didn’t realise I was being filmed when answering someones questions…Later those two videos were to end up on Utube!

Then I went on towards the town of Hope. I got as far as Durham state park when Brendan came to commute me back and forward from my finish locations to his home. Many years ago he had cycled across the USA.

Sandie and Brendan  offered me 2 nights in their lovely.

Brendan, Sandie and Russ had many contacts from the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club that helpd me out so much.

 The house was like a sauna as it was heated by 2 wood-burning stoves with logs from their land. The entire house was powered by solar power and water came from a well on their 170 acre property.

Sandie had organised another night for me in a town called Bath. It was a long day and night time had fallen as I ran into town. My host Ken had stopped on the road a couple of times. I took advantage and unloaded some of Nirvanas baggage.

Ken helped me and put me up for the night in Bath.

Ken came out to escort me up the hill to his beautiful house with views of a nice lake. In his garage he had a beautiful blue BMW sports car which he bought for only about 7,000 euro. It was so beautiful I was afraid Nirvana would roll into it!

After another wonderful shower and they are all wonderful! Ken said we had steak for dinner as he noticed anytime the word steak is mentioned on my blog it is followed by a smiley! Nice to know a new follower has gone through so much blog. Next day I am sitting at Becky and Tracys table  in Yarmouth making a call to Alex and Denis who have offered to put me up for New Years eve and new Years night.

My head is spinning and I geniunly have trouble remembering where my room is; upstairs or downstairs, whose house I am in and who i am talking to so incredible has the hospitality of these great outdoors people of MOAC.

So Becky tells me she had an ice cream stall in the summer and still has some in a huge freezer. She places what looks like a 5 gallon tub on the table and asks me if I have enough!

And so onto Yarmouth. Becky and Tracy are not sure if they have enough ice cream in the house for me

Next day I have to run through Portland with great difficulty as it is a difficult city to find my way around due to sections of the highway that are closed to pedestrians.

I had made arrangements with the Portland Running club to meet me at Starbucks in Falmouth the next day at 11.00am. They did not show.

So I ran towards Portland myself.. Hustling runners and cyclists for directions….If anyone knew the way around the closed to pedestrians  section of  highway they would. I took about 3 hours to get from one side to the other. Light was fading.. I would have to move fast. It was New Years eve. I ran about 45km/ 28 miles today.

Ring out the old…. ring in the new tomorrow..

Saturday Jan. 1st.  To: Kittery.      52.2km       / 32.4 miles

Sunday Jan 2nd.  To:  Kingston, New Hampshire   41.8km /  26 miles

Monday Jan 3rd. To: Lowell, Ma 45.8km / 28.5 Miles.

Total for 58 Road Days = 2,608 km / 1,621 miles.  = 61.8Marathons

.

Had a glorious run today, New Years day..

The couple I am staying with said they would pick me up at Mc Donalds in Kittery some 52 plus km away and return me back there in the morning.

These double night breaks – when my friends don”t mind a bit of driving are always lovely to run free

I had a spring in my step enjoying this luxury. Vary my stride length. Run hands free. Vary my footfall:  One two three four five left foot!  One two three four five right foot. To vary my stride length and a few fast strides are all things I like to do.

It was a beautiful mild morning – almost spring like. So I ran on for a couple of hours feeling overdressed in my windbreaker, hat and gloves. The hat and gloves were soon off and stashed inside my jacket.

I arrived at a convenience store in Kennebunk .  Outside a large sign displayed: ” Free Coffee On The First Day Of Every Month! ”

Too good to pass by I had my large fill of Peppermint Cocoa Cappuccino!  Then I grabbed a 6 pack of Chocolate ring donuts and scoffed off 4 while sitting on a bucket of  ice melt solution while talking to the assistant.

I celebrate the New Year with coffee and donuts on a bucket of ice melt in a conveniece store during my New Years run.

This area of Maine unlike the desolate north is very congested. The traffic was heavy along route 1 all day long. The small towns are very spread out and often running into each other separated by the usual auto dealerships, fast food  joints and lobster restaurants.

People were walking to and from the many beautiful beaches. A jogger or two even left me for dead, too busy to question the World Jog logo on my back. I ran through the picturesque town of Wells.  Stopped in Oguniquit for another coffee and bought a Tracphone for $10. Not a bad deal.  Along with the phone it included a  sim card, charger and 10 minutes of talk time. 60 minutes can be bought for $20 and they have a onetime double your minutes card for $30. This double all your purchase time for a year. I believe it’s 10 cent a minute flat rate to call anywhere in the country. Over here you also get charged for incoming calls.

After about 32km/ 20 miles I was feeling a bit tired…. Sometimes you don’t realize you are getting tired.. It just creeps up on you. Often you just subconsciously accept it and run with it. Today I fought it..

I strengthened my mind, my resolve and didn’t accept fatigue. I used the techniques that served me so well in competition. The techniques that got me my world and Irish records. Experience will get me around the world….I have never been surer of anything in my life. It was a slog for about 5km before York.. Then I was revitalized! I flew up the steep hill enjoying every stride. Then down the other side.

Then on into Kittery.  Half way through the town there is a plaza… Yes there are the golden arches! New Years day, McDonalds and running around the world… I’m lovin’ it!

52.2km/ 32.4 miles… Not bad for the first day of the year. I looked at the map. Today or the first time. I could say.. ” I will be finished my world run the year after next. “  Ah Yes! At last I feel I am making some progress.

I arrived about ten minutes before my hosts Alex and Dennis.

Alex and Denis were a great help to me during my 2 nights in Saco over the New Year.

 They are members of Maine Outdoors Adventure Club. They have hiked the Appalachian Trail CLICK FOR DETAILS a circa 3,500km/ 2,200 trail that stretches north to south through 14 states from the Canadian border to Georgia. I have got to go over a bit of the pass  on the road in a couple of weeks time. Alex and Dennis spent 5 months hiking it. Sometimes they spend their weekend feeding the hikers on a section of the trail they just set up a marque and provide huge amounts of food. They say they put a sign up a few miles before their aid station saying ” Free Food! ” That motivates the hikers says Alex.

” When you receive something like this it’s called ” trail magic ” says Dennis.

” We like to give back. ” says Alex.. That’s why the MOAC people have looked after you so well and passed you on in the last week. ” She added.

NOTE: Sorry I am so far behind with my blog as I have had many issues to deal with in the last couple of weeks and have been so busy.

I will gradually update these and give credit to the wonderful people that have hosted me and are making this world run happen.

Thanks a million MOAC