~5.5 miles @ ~9.6 min/mi

Rumblers — growlers — flash-bangs — low jet flyovers with afterburner — cracks — distant thrums — ... From 4 to 5pm all the varieties of thunder develop as I trot along the Northwest Branch Trail from milepost 4.5 to the end of Oakview Dr and back. Half a dozen kids, likely high-school aged, perch on the edge of the stream and guiltily quaff beers. The steep gravel hill is a heart-pounding climb. During the descent the GPS display shows a grade ranging as high as a ridiculous -41%. Sewage stench and rainfall rate increase on the return jog. Sun peeks out near the finish, but alas no rainbows appear. Newly discovered trail shoes from a long-forgotten box in the basement get wet on their first excursion. The shirt is abandoned in the car from the start, in hopes of keeping it dry enough to wear into Marathon Deli for after-run salty french fries and veggie gyro feast.

(cf. GPS trackfile, 2007-09-12 - Oakview Hill Work, 2007-11-28 - Northwest Branch Tempo Run and Hill Work, 2008-09-11 - NWB Hill Work, 2010-04-01 - Northwest Branch Trail, 2010-10-11 - Northwest Branch Trail, ...) - ^z - 2011-08-28