May My Run: The Tuesday Tour

DC is a great place to run if you can get past the weather. There's plenty of pleasant scenery, and nearly always someone else on the trail ahead of you to allow you to test your speed/endurance. I can handle pretty much any weather element with the exception of wind, and unfortunately DC is a fairly windy city. To combat this annoyance I try to select running routes that have a lot of "turns" in them so as to avoid prolonged exposure to the wind. Anyhow, the route below has quickly become one of my favorites.

The first couple of miles are relatively flat, with the exception of Capitol Hill. If you can handle the alarmingly-high presence of police officers (whose squad cars ALWAYS block crosswalks) the terrain and scenery are very good. Once you descend on the other side of Capitol Hill and enter the Mall area the terrain is flat and you become one of many runners making their way towards the Washington Monument.

As an aside, one of the benefits of crappy DC weather is that it serves to filter out the slower runners. Not only does the weather alleviate congestion, but it also serves as a warning to you because, chances are, the remaining runners are talented, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will be run down from behind (every runners worst nightmare, right?)

The route also takes you behind the White House near Lafayette Park. Again, police are everywhere (you know, to keep us safe), and you can expect to be re-routed on a whim should a motorcade be expected. The other day I was told by an out-of-shape police officer (or do I repeat myself?) to 'get across the street' because the sidewalk closest to the White House was off limits. Why it was off limits, I do not know...and I wasn't about to let some overfed, overpaid agent of the government ruin my run.

After you come down a slight hill towards Constitution Ave. you begin the longest, uninterrupted segment of the run. DC traffic lights are notoriously poorly timed, meaning that in the miles preceding the loop around the White House you can plan on being delayed by unorganized traffic patters in the city. This inconvenience is a small concession to make when you consider the grand plan involved with the design of the city!

After you making you way around the Lincoln Memorial you begin my favorite portion of the run: Potomac Park/Haines Point. For nearly the balance of the run you are running along the Potomac River. The terrain is flat and fast and, depending on the time of day and the weather, this stretch is usually light on both foot and vehicle traffic. To course leads you past my favorite DC landmark, the Jefferson Memorial, and along a golf course on your way out to Haines Point. Haines Point is the main leg of the DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler, one of the hardest races to get in to based on demand. Cherry trees line the entire (approximately) 4 mile loop on Haines point.

After you've rounded Haines Point your final mile is rather uneventful. The DC fish market announces itself rather abruptly, but the odor soon fades as you make your way back to G St. SW. Overall for 11.5 miles, this is an excellent route, perfect for the first (longer) distance run of the week.