~12 miles @ ~10.7 min/mi

At 5:40am fog hovers over Ray's Meadow as Cara Marie Manlandro and I park at the Ohr Kodesh Congregation synagogue and quietly head downstream. A large deer crosses Beach Dr in front of us. The temperature is 75°F, the humidity 75%, and we're both dripping sweat within a few miles. Before we start I warn CM that I may have to drop, given yesterday's meltdown on the W&OD. Fortunately that's not necessary. CM leads all the way as we follow Rock Creek Trail to Military Rd, then head west to the Capital Crescent Trail via Western Av and River Rd. Our loop hits amazingly close to CM's 12 mile goal, her longest run since November.

(mile splits: 10:48 + 10:51 + 10:16 + 13:16 (water fountain & bathroom break) + 11:46 (poison ivy identification lecture) + 10:54 + 10:27 + 10:15 + 10:23 + 10:37 (CCT Bethesda water stop) + 9:28 + 9:24)

(map by http://gpsvisualizer.com; cf. 2004-07-17 - Rock Creek and Capital Crescent Mini-loop, 2008-12-13 - Rock Creek West Loop, ...) - ^z - 2010-06-14