THE ANTICS OF RUNNING IN DC

Allesandra Plourde

DC running is a game of strategy, and mental preparation is necessary. Preparation in itself is the sport in the nation’s capital. Sometimes the hardest part is just to start and find a good rhythm. Overall, it goes a little something like this: stop, wait, cross, go, repeat. Following the traffic patterns down the same route every time. It’s. So. Hard. But, if you plan it perfectly to avoid rush hour or school dismissal and if you miss the cut off you better be prepared for the sidewalks to be mobbed. As if running wasn’t hard enough, the people certainly don’t help.

By mile two fatigue starts to set in. My quads ache. Next I feel like my entire body is shutting down. Actually, I’m just being dramatic as everyone is when they exercise. But I certainly convince myself that by 3 miles I will keel over on the side of the road. Soon it will be time to turn back. My breath becomes heavy. Passing through a pedestrian’s smoky exhale, who knows that doesn’t help.

Now to dodge the dogs on leashes. A fun game. Oh, which way they will go? Accommodating uneven terrain is a necessary skill one must master in order to run in D.C. From sidewalk to grass to dirt, especially at the National Mall, you almost always have to look at where you place your feet. Then pebbles get in the tread of my shoe, eventually rubbing against the pavement when I make my way back to the road. This drives me crazy; I feel as though the slightest dip in my balance disrupts my entire focus. Then it’s a whole process to remove the rock before returning to a steady jog. “Why did I do this?”

At least the views are pretty at The National Mall. The Washington Monument at one end and Lincoln at the other. Tourists add a whole new element to the equation. They are figuring out which direction to go while stopped in the middle of the path. This drives the rest of us runners crazy, we have to dodge and weave to not lose our pace. Sometimes laughing at their indecisiveness is enough to forget about the next mile or so. All of us running avoid eye contact to evade questions about directions. Is that just part of living here? Other runners nod and acknowledge your existence while some prefer a scowl. Either way it doesn’t bother me, I just continue on.

Don’t even get me started on the electric scooters. The constant zooming by during my never ending run makes me so jealous. Yes, I know you can go faster than me, and no I will not move out of your way. I remember I need some water and ask myself, “am I done yet??” Just another mile to go up past the Smithsonian’s and straight for the Capitol. Staffers in suits all along the walkways, many on phone calls, most likely with some very important people. You overhear the occasional argument, or brag. Those are my favorites; they make the run a little more amusing.

I begin my cool down and make my way back to my apartment where my whole run began 5 miles earlier. Except now I am exhausted, parched and sweaty. I feel rewarded as my run is complete. I stand and stretch along a stone wall. There is a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. The tree next to me has to be at least 100 years old. I wonder if the pioneers of our nation have stood in its shade, just as I am now. To run in the city, you have to be aware, or you’ll miss the history and beauty that is Washington DC.

Abby Greenberg