8+ miles @ ~13.5 min/mi

At Caren Jew's home I greet her husband Walter and lovely daughters Ashley and Jenna. Walter, an extraordinarily strong amateur golfer, has an early afternoon tee time so Caren and I are on the clock. We carpool to Mt Airy in north central Maryland. Caren navigates unerringly as a maze of country roads leads through gently rolling terrain to a vineyard. She knows the way, having done this race for the past few years. Now I see why she recommends it: the course winds across grassy fields, over gentle (and not-so-gentle) hills, between rows of sere grapevines, and through sweet-smelling piney forests. There's a big crowd and even though I registered late I get a garishly-decorated but well-made shirt. Of the 483 finishers our pace of about 12.5 min/mi puts us 437th and 438th respectively, more than 10 minutes behind fellow MCRRC member Michele McLeod who ran with me two years ago along Seneca Creek (cf. MudDance, 5 Apr 2007). At the finish line we receive commemorative wineglasses. We snack and drink; there's no free wine, alas. At Caren's suggestion then we rerun the course but at a leisurely rate, starting a bit before mile 2 and chatting about life as we navigate and enjoy the scenery. We're back in plenty of time for Walter's golf and our respective household duties. Thanks, Caren!