The location of my office is both a blessing and a curse - it backs up to Glover Park, but is at one of the highest elevations in DC. No matter where I run, I am guaranteed an uphill route back. One of my favorite routes is running downhill through the park then back up the hill on Foxhall Road.
The first time I ran through Glover Park, I hated it. I've always run on pavement and I almost twisted my ankle approximately 18 times during the first mile. Over time, I learned to love it. The mixed terrain forces me to slow down and eases the impact on my knees and shins and the views are unlike anywhere else I've run in the city. I often have the trail to myself and, as I can't hear any traffic or city sounds, it feels like I've completely escaped.
Of course, a picture is worth 1,000 words...
Jealous yet? It feels like a different planet from the cubicle jungle I spend the rest of my day in.
I wish I could say the Foxhall Road stretch of my run is just as picturesque, but that would be a boldfaced lie. Most of it looks like this:
It's hilly, curvy, and boring. It's also really long with quite a few really steep pitches. A lot of my coworkers drive this road every day and don't believe anyone would ever willingly run up it. While I think it looks a lot worse than it actually is, I do feel a sense of accomplishment as I reach the top. It's also nice to turn around and check out the view.
Not that you can tell from my D-grade photo, but you can see across the Potomac to Virginia between the trees.
The total distance is just shy of 6.5 miles, which is long enough to get a decent break from the office, but short enough that my boss doesn't think I skipped out for the afternoon. I've been playing around with different routes and distances but keep coming back to this run.
If you live in DC, you should check out Glover Park - it's far less crowded than Rock Creek Park, but just as pretty (if not more so). It may take a couple of runs to get used to being on a trail, but it's well worth it.
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