11+ miles @ ~11 min/mi

An orbit from home to Bethesda via the Georgetown Branch Trail, then north and east along sidewalks (Arlington Rd., Old Georgetown Rd., Cedar La.) to join Rock Creek Trail, thence home again — the reversal of a route I took on 10 March (see ThreeNewLoopRuns). Average pace on the first four miles is ~10:20.

Thunderstorms yesterday evening bequeath big puddles to a cool and clear spring morning, along with plenty of cyclists, strolling couples, dog-walkers, and — most eye-opening — a variety of seriously fit birds, some traveling solo, others in small flocks (see a dictionary of British slang for further explanation). I consume a Clif Bar during the first 50 minutes of the outing, one bite per walk break, and that energizes me to fartlek dashes along Rock Creek, including blitzy splits of 9:07 and 9:38 for miles 7.5-9.5 of the jog.