The beat goes on....

Running is going well. A few ups and downs but loving being out there. Since my last post, I have had weeks of 19, 28, 21 and 26 miles. My long run was on Thanksgiving morning, 1 hour. It was a slow pace but all felt ok afterwards. As I write this though, hammy is very sore after yetserday's torrid 9 minute per mile pace 52 minute run. I am going to keep on, keepin' on.

The day after Turkey Day, is Peterson family tradition day, we made our way up to Contoocook and Henniker for a little craft shopping for Mom and sightseeing for us. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Daniel's restaurant along the banks of the Contoocook River in Henniker. Some history of the Contoocook River:

The Contoocook River flows for 71 miles from Poole Pond in Rindge, New Hampshire, north to the state capitol, Concord, where it enters the Merrimack River. Encompassing a drainage basin of 766 square miles, the Contoocook has a total drop of over 700 feet which affords one of the premier whitewater boating stretches in New England.

The North Branch River is a major tributary of the Contoocook and flows for 16 miles from its headwaters in Stoddard through Antrim and on to Hillsboro where it joins the mainstem of the Contoocook River. The entire lengths of these two rivers were designated into the NH Rivers Management and Protection Program in June 1991.

History

The Contoocook River's unusual north-northeasterly flow pattern made it an important travel and communication corridor in pre-colonial times and during settlement. The area was home to the Kon-wa-teg-ok trail, which connected the Native American villages along the Contoocook River north to the river's confluence with the Merrimack River. Seven archaeological sites have been recorded along the Contoocook River profiling the Penacook people's lifestyle based primarily on salmon fishing and agriculture. Early European settlers established the villages of East Jaffrey, Peterborough, Bennington, Hillsboro, Henniker, Contoocook and Penacook to take advantage of natural falls or the water power that could be harnessed by dams. Numerous sites in the Contoocook River Valley are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One notable site in Hillsboro, is the homestead of Franklin Pierce, the only New Hampshire native to serve as President of the United States.