Distance today = 50.72 km; Total distance = 13,052.76 km; Location = Scranton – 41 27.272′ N, 75 38.906′ W; Start time = 0813, Finish time = 1558

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/232675082

It was a wintery day – just perfect for running. And I’m getting back into the top end of the Appalachian Mountains, with the hills popping up more regularly.

I finished the day in the town of Scranton, which happens to be VP Joe Biden’s home town. It’s a very hilly and quite picturesque region, but the lack of consideration by town planners for pedestrians remains a problem. Coming into town, I ran through suburbs where residents would need to have driven just to see a neighbour two doors down. Seriously, there was nowhere to go but into the traffic, and it was heavy. No wonder I see no-one running, or even walking. It must surely be one of the contributors to the obesity problem.

Distance today = 50.72 km; Total distance = 13,103.48 km; Location = Mt Pocono – 41 07.757′ N, 75 21.730′ W; Start time = 0801, Finish time = 1551

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233028288

Today’s distance was exactly the same as yesterday’s. While this was a fluke, you have probably noticed how my daily distance is usually a little over 50 km. I have found that this distance is fairly comfortable for me, both physically and psychologically. Therefore, each day now I try to plan for a distance of about 50 km. Google Maps comes in very handy for this task. While it does occasionally lead me down a wrong path, in the main I find Google Maps invaluable. It ensures I take a lot more correct turns than wrong ones.

The day was again very hilly, with much of it on a highway that had pretty severe cambers. All the same, I had a good day. I’m sure a lot of this had to do with the great dinner Carmel made last night – eye fillet, mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and fresh asparagus.

This region, in the northern Appalachians, reminds me a lot of the NSW Southern Highlands, complete with the log fire aroma one smells at the Surveyor General Hotel in Berrima. Perfect geography and weather to run in.

Distance today = 53.87 km; Total distance = 13,157.35 km; Location = Nazareth – 40 43.177′ N, 75 17.252′ W; Start time = 0839, Finish time = 1715

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233536108

A huge milestone today – I reached 13,116 km, which is half the distance I’ll be covering on my run around the world. That means I’m now half way around the Earth.

But it was not a good day on the roads. They had little or no shoulders, steep cambers, and were very busy – a running nightmare. The roads did improve a bit near the end, though, and I knocked over nearly 54 km.

I finished just outside the town of Nazareth. Believe it or not, there is also a Bethlehem just down the road. This used to be one of the biggest steel producing towns in the US, but closed down some decades ago. It’s right next to Allentown, and this closure is the subject of Billy Joel’s song, Allentown.

The town of Nazareth is actually very nice, with lots of well kept buildings that originate from as far back as the mid 1700s. And the hotel we’re staying in tonight, the Towne Place Suites, is as good as any we’ve been in during the run. They also gave us a good discount – thanks!

Tomorrow I will run into the state of New Jersey, on my way to Princeton.

Distance today = 53.11 km; Total distance = 13,210.46 km; Location = Flemington – 40 30.880′ N, 74 49.396′ W; Start time = 0822, Finish time = 1622

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233865545

Not a bad day, despite the afternoon being wet. There was also a monster hill about half way, with a gradient of at least 20%.

I began with a run through the town of Easton in Pennsylvania, before crossing the Delaware River and entering New Jersey. This is my 22nd US state of the world run so far.

Early today I also passed 7,000 miles run in the US. I wonder if anyone else has ever run that far in the US in one year, without a single step being run over the same ground?

Tomorrow I head to Princeton, to catch up with my old mate, Craig Wallace. More on that to follow.