I had been wanting to run on the New section of the Q for quite some time as this trail is very near and dear to me. I grew up in Prospect and used to run and hike on the Quinnipiac a lot. I started in Prospect on Boardman Drive, ran to the southern end on Hartford Tpke and returned the same way. The new section is nice (mostly old farm roads) but added about 1.5 miles compared to the old course. I was able to work around a good weather day in December and timed my daylight just right. I carried 2L of water and many snacks. I knew there was a health food take-out place right on the trail (Whitney Avenue) so I figured I would take advantage of that on my way back. You cross a river going into and back out of Sleeping Giant SP but I do not care to filter and drink water flowing through such a heavily populated area. I will admit that I thought I might be able to get a one way FKT on the way out but I rolled my ankle at around 12 miles and decided to back off quite a bit to survive completing the whole thing and to not injure myself for a big race in 4 weeks. This time of year there are a lot of dry, slippery leaves piled on the trail and the sun was directly in my eyes on the way out and the way back. The trail has been well maintained and easy to follow.