On Monday afternoon, in the heat of the day, I met old Benedict Sloane up at Lake Frank. I intended to trick him into a run and then have my fox friends ambush him. Ahead of us, two such foxes were passing the time menacingly flipping coins and polishing their fingernails...just waiting to pounce! But, a couple minutes into the run I had a change of heart. I let out a canine-like yip, which signaled my fox friends to "stand down" and they did just that. With my fox friends now dispersed, we looped around Lake Needwood and got in 10. The first few miles were rough (hot and humid) but I gradually settled into the conditions.
On Tuesday morning, I ran a slow and slugging 8.5 miles
On Wednesday, I ran an even slower and sluggish 7.5 miles. It was one of those runs I couldn't wait to finish. Just tired.
On Thursday morning, I met Outlaw, Wiggy and old Sloane at Riley's Lock. We kept the pace fairly pedestrian for the most part. An interesting stat - all 4 of us ran sub-31 for 10k this spring. We got in 13.
On Friday, I ran the Walter Reed Annex Loop. I took my time and enjoyed the soft surfaces of the Pig Trail. Near the end of that section I came across a a bouquet of flowers laying against a recently cut tree. Sadly, less than two weeks ago, a young man was killed here when a tree, or a tree limb, fell down atop of him during a storm. He was doing something as innocent as riding a bike - something that I would have been doing at his age. A freak accident for sure. I picked up a couple of flowers which had fallen off the tree, placed them back and said a little something, then proceeded home. It was another reminder to always run safely and use discretion - whether you're on a busy street or in the middle of the woods. I got in 10.5.
On Saturday morning, I met Dickson, Dwyer and this new kid Kieran at Edward's Ferry for the Large Animal Loop. I had had one too many beers the night before, which isn't unusual for a Friday night I suppose, but it was a brutally honest reminder to drink more fluids the night before and the morning of a long run. This seems to happen at the beginning of every summer. Worse still, the water pump at mile 3.75 was dry, so there was no chance to wet ones whistle at all during the run. The first few miles were slow and steady, but once we hit River Rd we picked it up a tad. Dwyer peeled off at 8 while the rest of us took to the rolling hills of Poolesville. The bright sun combined with the hills made the going tough. Despite the conditions, I did my best to push the rolling sections, but by the time I hit the last uphill, I folded like a cheap suit. My tongue was dry and I was longing for water and Gatorade. I slowed to what I thought was a shuffle (but was pleasantly surprised to find I was still running 6:00s). Meanwhile, Kieran and Dickson stormed ahead. After the run, I learned Kieran had finished 22nd (8th American) at Boston back in 2012 - the HOT year. Yeah. Obviously, the heat wasn't a problem for him today in Poolesville.
On Sunday, I met Stefan, Dickson, Charlie and Bain at The Line. Some of us, having run long on Saturday, opted to run just 10. It was already raining by the time we started, but a couple of miles later, it was really coming down - cat and dogs style. It was a refreshing reprieve from the warm weather as of late. We seemed to push the hills. Dickson, who is looking super strong, and Stefan, who boasts a Boston PR of 2:26, pushed the pace and together we ran our last mile in the vicinity of 5:33 through the deluge. It was a great run for sure.
74 miles for the week.
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