~6 miles @ ~11 min/mi

"Merry Christmas!" a passing runner gasps out to me; "Merry Christmas to you!" I return, panting. Paulette has given me permission to run a bit on her birthday, so I trek eastward to Sligo Creek and then head downstream, nibbling at a seasonal pumpkin spice Clif Bar and sipping my electrolyte blend. A brisk mile between trail markers near Forest Glen Rd and Colesville Rd flows by in 8:25, which confirms my plan to go all in for a mile on the Old Blair track. So I slow down, walk half a lap when I arrive at the field, doff my vest, and recite bits of Henry V's St. Crispin Day speech to inspire me. A new PR apparently results, with laps 1:45 + 1:46 + 1:45 + 1:41 for a total of 6:58.4 taking roundoff into account. Wow! Of course, the track may be short, my watch may be off, and I may just be a brain in a vat deluded by a Cartesian demon—but I don't really care, if I can go sub-7 again some day. I walk a few minutes to get my heart rate down and take Dale Dr home. Police cars lurk on side streets and one zips past with sirens on; perhaps a local VIP is slumming today?

(cf. 2008-07-11 - MidSummer Night's Mile, 2008-12-09 - Dose of Insanity, ...) - ^z - 2008-12-29