~32.1 miles @ ~12.3 min/mi

"Different, and Good!" is the mantra for Stephanie's training trek, the first-ever "Fonda 50k". At 0630 as we begin it's sultry, with temps already in the lower 70s and relative humidity above 85%. Fog fills the Dalecarlia Tunnel. A rabbit scampers away in the first block; a chipmunk dashes across our path several miles later. Cormorants perch in a dead tree above the Potomac. A deer munches a mouthful of grass near Rock Creek. Marathon training groups greet us along the Capital Crescent Trail. Cyclists swoop past.

We pause for photos and to refill water bottles, but except for Gatorade I buy at a 7-11 are entirely self-supported. Graduation ceremonies at the Washington Monument force us to backtrack and detour. Stephanie shows me her very favoritest park, a beautiful block near Union Station full of flowers and foliage. Light rain comes and goes throughout the morning. Tourists stop us to ask directions.

Stephanie sets a secret course record, which she refuses to reveal (estimate: ~6.3 hours). Dehydration makes the wheels fall off in the later half of my journey. The scale reads 149 lbs. before and 145 after, even though I drink more than a pint per hour. After cajoling, pleading, and threatening, finally at mile ~26 I manage to persuade Dr Fonda to run ahead and await me at the finish. I walk a couple of miles, pour water over my skull, swallow electrolyte capsules, suck energy gels, and cool down enough to alternate minutes of walking and running for the final few miles. My time, ~15 minutes behind Stephanie, is a 50k PB. Yay!

(trackfile) - ^z - 2015-06-10