~10+ miles @ ~12:30 min/mi

I'm off work today for a routine eye-doctor appointment, and in early afternoon have a debate with myself: go buy some trail running shoes, or take a jog? The jog wins, because: (0) it's free (I'm a cheapskate!); (1) time is tight, as I've gotta do some more family laundry today; and (2) I've just cooked up a double-sized batch of tapioca pudding and it needs to chill before I can suck down a bowlful. I drive to the University of Maryland campus and gamble (successfully) on not getting a parking ticket during the between-semester break. The route is my customary Northwest Branch / Northeast Branch / Paint Branch circuit [1]. All goes uneventfully, albeit slowly, with extensive walk breaks and brief pauses every half-mile to take photos of trail marker posts for use someday on web pages. Unseasonably warm weather (~60°F) makes me roll up my sleeves and be glad that I'm wearing only thin shorts, no hat, and no gloves. A pint of gatorade, a root beer barrel, and a cola Clif Shot fuel the journey. At the end I rendezvous with #1 Son (the chem grad student) and give him a ride home — and then it's off to the laundromat!