~10 miles @ ~10.6 min/mi

"I don't see the attraction of running more than 50k," Rebecca Rosenberg says, an hour or so into our run along Rock Creek Trail.

I laugh and ask, "Do you know how that sentence sounds to a normal person?"

Earlier this morning I'm late leaving home for the rendezvous. I phone Rebecca, who tells me that she and Emaad Burki and Barry Smith are about to start at Ken-Gar, RCT milepost 7 heading north. At Milepost 8 when I park the car they're nowhere to be seen. I walk about, phone, get no answer, try again, and eventually learn that the gang ran faster than anticipated and have already passed by. Forget about milepost 9! I head to the big soccer fields on Veirs Mill Rd near Aspen HIll Rd and start running south at milepost 10. A few steps later they materialize.

Much good conversation ensues as we return together to Ken-Gar where Barry, who last weekend ran two marathons, stops. Rebecca and Emaad and I continue downstream to milepost 5 and then return finally to milepost 7 at Ken-Gar again. Rebecca's offer of a ride back to my car is tempting but I resist. The solo run to milepost 10 where I began is brisk. Splits by my GPS: 10:54 ⇒ 11:54 ⇒ 10:52 ⇒ 13:25 ⇒ 11:00 ⇒ 11:02 ⇒ 11:12 ⇒ 9:00 ⇒ 9:05 ⇒ 8:42 — whew!

^z - 2012-05-01