~5 miles @ ~9.5 min/mi

A deer by Jones Mill Rd runs away in haste when I make kissy sounds at her. I'm a casualty of the Transit of Venus: yesterday I hurt my lower back bending over to bring an old telescope upstairs from the basement (and it was cloudy anyway).

What to do about the lumbar pain? "Up Your Mileage", of course! After the first mile tight muscles begin to loosen up and I accelerate. The 2011-12-17 - Rock Creek Trail - Tempo Run with CM comes to mind when I pass the water fountain in Ray's Meadow near East-West Highway.

During mile 5 on the National Park Seminary grounds I pause to photograph the statue of the dying pet stag being mourned by the naked youth who accidentally shot it (cf. Cyparissus).

The mermaid/horsehead fountain after many dry years actually has water flowing in it. One mermaid in the fountain looks up toward heaven, one demurely downward, and the third casts her eyes to one side. Fond memories: when I began running loops around the neighborhood a decade ago this lovely sculpture was a major reward for my efforts, the midpoint of a then-long ~1.25 mile loop. The beauty remains ...

The Garmin 205 wrist GPS says 5.11 miles at a 9:29 min/mi pace; Runens on the iPhone estimates 5.06 miles at 9:34 min/mi. Comparing splits:

^z - 2012-06-26