7+ miles @ ~11 min/mi

As I approach the nexus of the Beltway, Grosvenor, Beach, and Wisconsin it's clear that the sun is setting, I'm getting tired, I don't have a flashlight, and if I proceed on to Old Georgetown Road and Comrade Ken's house (to snag the Thursday Nats tickets he has waiting for me) I probably won't make it home in time to pick up the kids from College Park. And the sushi and fried cheesecake (both yummy!) that I ate for lunch are reminding me that I should be cautious this afternoon, esp. in a wealthy suburban neighborhood where the natives may not appreciate any in extremis use of their bushes.

So after ~3 miles starting in downtown Kensington and trotting via Knowles to Beach, I return to Rock Creek Trail and head for home. My face-saving excuse: I still need to burn a CD of photos for Ken from his Frederick Marathon two days ago. Maybe I can get home before dark, do that, and then drive by his house to trade it for the baseball tix? Speedwork (or what I consider speedwork) also couldn't do me any harm, so I blast (so to speak) along RCT from mileposts 5-4-3 with splits of 9:41 (!) and 8:52 (!!) before slowing down to climb the final hills home.