~5 miles @ ~10.5 min/mi

Temps in the lower 20s but minimal winds make today feel gentler than yesterday morning. Blitz from home via CCT to Candy Cane has first two mile splits 9:30 and 8:23 by the Garmin GPS; Runkeeper app is more generous with 9:04 and 8:19. Joyce in her MINI Cooper waves as she passes me, and Stephanie Fonda rolls down her window to offer greetings as I stop to pick up the water bottle that bounces out of my fanny pack. At 8am Santa Steve and a pair of ladies whose names both begin with "C" start their cruise down Rock Creek Trail, run:walk::5:1, Stephanie and I tagging along. One of us takes a break to enjoy the woods, then catches up. Along Beach Dr in DC we continue ahead, me chattering too much. At West Beach we tag the car gate and turn back, Steve & C & C continuing onward. When Stephanie gets to her 3 mile goal we do a cooldown walk back to her car, then share breakfast at the nearby Parkway Deli. Stephanie describes the Insanity Workout system for core strength development and the Vivobarefoot minimalist shoes that dear friend Betty Smith recommends. I vow to try them.

^z - 2013-02-22