~8 miles @ ~10.5 min/mi

Trekking along today I get a blister—on my hand! The small black bag in which I'm carrying pants, book, etc. has double drawstrings. It bounces too much on my back when I run, so to keep tension I tuck thumbs under the nylon cords, and don't realize until an hour later that the friction burn has torn up the skin between right thumb and index finger. Ouch!

Today is a recap of the 2009-04-09 - WOD Reston to Dunn Loring Metro journey. Early in the run a long-time colleague, Wilson, pulls up next to me and rolls down the window. "You're not running home from here?!" he asks. "No, just to Dunn Loring," I reply. Four miles later, near the Vienna Inn, another co-worker from decades ago approaches and does a double take. "I thought that was you!" Steven says. He's on his way to pick up his bicycle from the repair shop. I explain my mission as we pass.

On the W&OD Trail the bikes zoom past, but most riders seem careful and give warning. Long ago kind comrade Caren Jew gave me some "Nuun" electrolyte tablets. I experiment with them in my water bottle. They taste fine but need to be supplemented with hard candy since they're sugar-free; the fizzy effect is highly entertaining, especially when pressure builds up and I get mini-spritzed opening the nozzle. Splits between mileposts 16 and 10: 10:01 + 10:00 + 10:22 + 10:12 + 11:14 (including a pause to refill my bottle at the Caboose water fountain) + 10:04.

^z - 2010-06-05