"Pike's Peek" is a play on words. It's also an annual Sunday morning scamper down Rockville Pike, a major suburban Maryland street that on weekdays is clogged with automotive traffic. I ran it once, in 2002 (see Soggy Jog). This year on 27 April I'm a volunteer race official for the Montgomery County Road Runners Club that puts on the event. Before dawn I'm at the finish line, taking photographs and helping set up the fences and banners and chairs. Upon telephoned signal we start the big display clocks. Less than half an hour later the leaders appear, blasting out 10 km at a sub-5 minute/mile pace.

The trickle soon grows into a flood, and after a few thousand runners have passed I'm startled to see friend Mary Ewell appear in my camera's viewfinder. Soon after comes comrade Christine Caravoulias. After they've caught their breath we visit, chat, and make plans for future runs. At home I scan through more than a thousand photos and upload the majority of them to the MCRRC photo server. Most are of little interest except to the runners depicted in them; a few, however, catch my eye as having some small artistic merit. I must study them and see what happened right in those rare cases. The key element, I think is sharp focus — of the light on the sensor, and of the subject on the moment.

Meanwhile, some recent recovery excursions since the Bull Run Run 2008 a fortnight ago:

• 2008-04-17: The Firebirds Mile is a Thursday evening track meet at a local high school. Son Robin comes with me and, in spite of minimal prior training, blasts out a fine sub-7:50 mile as I take photographs. When my turn comes I get an official time of 7:19, a new PR if correct — my watch, however, suggests something closer to 7:26. I decline the medal offered me at the finish line. Christina, Wayne, and CM are there and have good runs as the sun sets.
• 2008-04-19: Seneca Creek Greenway Trail (~6 miles @ ~14 min/mi) — Caren & CM meet me at the MD-355 parking lot early Saturday morning and at 0615 we set off northward along the trail. Soon we startle a small herd of deer, then another group, and another, for perhaps a total of a dozen or more of the big timid beasties. CM entertains us by answering my naïve questions about competitive swimming. We reach Watkins Mill Road and pause to drink near the halfway house (an abused/homeless women's shelter) before turning back. A light rain begins to fall on us and CM slips on a muddy slope, fortunately without significant injury. She's an official trail runner now! Back at our cars near 0730 we find Ed Schultze's group preparing for their outing. Ed is there in his truck and shows me impressive scars on his knees from his recent surgeries.
• 2008-04-26: Bethesda Loop (~11 miles @ ~11 min/mi) — "Hi Mark!" the lady in the minivan shouts to me as I'm jogging down Cedar Lane near NIH. It's Patti Rich, on her way to a run, but I don't recognize her at the time. (She sees me at Pike's Peek the next day and explains.) The day is already warm; I started from home about 0830, and run the entire distance without walk breaks, not counting minor pauses at traffic lights and water fountains.
• 2008-04-29: Purple Line (3+ miles @ ~13 min/mi) — At home on Tuesday evening all's quiet; Paulette is still out at a Library meeting, so I take advantage of the lull to get in a quick jaunt around the neighborhood, again without walk breaks except at dangerous rocks, fallen trees, and stream crossings. I follow the Seminary-Forest Glen-Linden-Woodland trail route to Ireland Drive. A brisk counter-clockwise circuit on the lavender-blazed path alongside Rock Creek reveals numerous boggy patches but minimal poison ivy thus far this year. Small birds flee my approach.

(cf. Massanutten Mountain South Training Run (2008-01-22), Icy Half Marathon (2008-01-25), Thirteen Eagles (2008-01-28), Seneca Creek Stumble (2008-02-03), Comfortably Numb (2008-03-13), Sunrise Service at Seneca Creek (2008-03-24), ...) - ^z - 2008-04-30

(correlates: PlanWorkLearn, 2008-07-11 - MidSummer Night's Mile, 2008-06-11 - Rickety Ladder Speedwork, ...)