~25 miles @ ~12.5 min/mi

"Not the best bad plan, just the worst good plan!" - and it turns out quite well. Today's trek is longer than originally expected, after a friend calls in sick and can't make a C&O Canal towpath rendezvous to do a few miles together. Temperatures begin in the upper 20's and the sun is brilliant. Frost-diamonds sparkle on the wooden bridge high above Rock Creek.

Dog-water in the bowl by a fountain on the Capital Crescent Trail is frozen solid into a disc. Take the same route as 2015-09-07 - Cheetos at Glen Echo, but instead of fried orange corn curls snag a (relatively) healthier Gatorade at the convenience store. Feathery-ferny rime decorates the surface of the canal in shady spots. Two big mallard ducks swim by.

Zig through Georgetown and zag by the Kennedy Center. Pause for selfies in front of urban wall art and at the Zero Milestone just south of the White House. Remove cap, gloves, and windbreaker as the day warms into the mid-40's. Dodge tourists and take 16th Street due north. Resolve to find beauty in ordinary things. Enjoy the feeling of effortless running for much of the journey, as the tune by One Direction "Best Song Ever" plays on heavy mental rotation.

GPS glitches in the tunnel under Wisconsin Ave, in restrooms, and at the Glen Echo 7-11 combine to add half a mile or more to the computed distance; a conservative estimate is ~25 miles at ~12.5 min/mi overall. Weight at the finish is still >150 lbs, alas. Blame en route consumption of 4 energy gels, 9 Succeed! electrolyte capsules, a bottle of Gatorade, and lots of water.

(trackfile) - ^z - 2016-01-08