Running DC

I've always been interested those running tours that you can do in big cities, so I did my own around DC. It was a really great way to see a lot of sights. Jeremy was headed out for a meeting in the District, so I went along for the ride, and to miss a few days of work. Before leaving I had planned first where to run. I found this awesome trail that goes on for about 20 miles on the Virginia side of the Potomac. It was pretty crowded on the weekend mornings, with all the "warm" weather they were having (so we heard; I don't think 45 is all that warm). But the flowers were budding and some leaves were appearing on the willows. Running right on a real river reminded me so much of Mud Island. And the river was just as dirty too.

We ended up running all around the mall, several times, by the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the yet-to-bud cherry trees, the Capitol, the colorful townhouses behind the Capitol, the WWII and Vietnam War Memorials, and Arlington National Cemetery, for starters. 

And a brief word about the fuel that I ran on. When your usual dining out options include one, maybe two restaurants in town, you might get a little overwhelmed by the choices in a big city. I found every meal to be excellent, and we've even repeated a few restaurants. I'm not sure Alamogordo has heard of Indian food, so I'll be the first to open the Chipotle-style Indian restaurant like they have in DC. And the cafe in the American Indian museum we visited thrice and had different, unusual, and delicious selections every time.

I was  happy to be back home for the warm temperatures, blue skies and work that I love. I think I'll start a running tour of Alamogordo. You know they charge around $10/mi for those? I'd spend a mile talking about that burning smell that persists when it's even remotely warm out, while viewing the mountains and learning how the basin dropped between the ranges. The next mile, I'd talk about all the varieties of cacti we have. We could look for snakes the third mile. And for the hill runners, we could go up in the mountains and do some cougar and bear tracking. It's spring! Time for those baby bears to come out and play.