Tuesday, May 21, 2013

To the Max (without Max)

I love running in DC but its hard work because I am not used to either hills or trails.  Unfortunately, I was not able to coordinate with Max so I tackled two very different routes on my own before and after my conference at George Mason (imagine a series of reasonably balanced panel speaking to an audience chanting "Markets are magic."). 

My first run was on the Potomac Heritage Trail on the Virginia heading north from the parking lot with the bridge to Roosevelt Island.  Its a narrow trail littered with rocks, roots, fallen trees, and lots of ups and downs.  I ran most of the way to the Chain Bridge but got tired of picking my way over and around the various obstacles so I headed back and did a partial loop of Roosevelt Island and called it a day. 

After the conference, I had a day off where I met with various FTC folks.  The next morning I meandered mostly uphill from Thomas Circle through the streets of Georgetown and beyond (Glover Park?).  I turned around somewhere around 40th and Garfield and headed back mostly down hill back to the hotel.

I think both runs were in the 8-9 mile range but I am going mostly on time.  Challengingg because of the heat, humidity, hills, and the trails and a great break from the flats of the Chicago lakefront.  But missed the chance to catch up in person with Max and try to Mt Vernon trail that we had originally planned.

5 comments:

  1. My loss! That sounds like a great trip and two great runs. I did find our e-mail chain planning for Friday, by the way, so this was entirely my fault. (To onlookers: an amusing, if somewhat horrifying, circumstance when Spencer called to ask if I was on my way for our run, when in fact I was on my way . . . to go biking in Indianapolis.)

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  2. Not unlike the text I once got reminding me I was supposed to be at a birthday party in Yonkers when I was on my bike in Bay Ridge . . . I hate it when that happens.

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  3. I live about 1/2 mile off of the Potomac Heritage Trail, and I've never worked up the courage to run there. It seems a little to gnarly to get any real work done.

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  4. Seems like a daring choice to me too, given the availability of the towpath, the Capital Crescent Trail, the Mall, the network of bike/running paths on the Virginia side of the river, Rock Creek, etc. That said, a good trail run is lots of fun for variety.

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  5. It was gnarly indeed but also about 1/2 mile from my hotel so I gave it a try.

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