This run is for Brian! He donated a while ago, but I was holding out for a DC run to dedicate to him, as a former denizen of the Nation's Capital.
I'm going to go ahead and call the trip to DC the final excuse in a late burst of roadblocks to my effective training. Early wake up calls, late nights, travel days, etc. are cramping my style and leaving more holes in my running calendar than a Michael Bay plot line.
Anyway, four days in DC yielded only one run. Due to work business, other AESers were in DC too. Gene planned a great tour run. (For once I didn't have to plan the run!) How great is it to run in 'Merica with friends from Delhi? You're the greatest, Gene! I'm so glad that we were able to do this run together. It was an absolutely awesome day, humid as hell (that's DC in summer), but breezy and early enough to avoid the crowds. Having lived in Metro DC, it was a lot of fun to get out and see the sights again, and visit the new monuments that have been built since my last trip.
Gene and set out by Metro early Tuesday morning to avoid having to do a loop and to maximize our ability to sightsee along the way! We arrived to Capitol South Metro stop, passed the offices of Congress and headed toward the National Mall via the Capitol.
As soon as we passed the Capitol, I had to stop and take this picture of the sun rising over the Nation's Capitol like the dawning light of new hope moving forward. "God Bless the U-S-A!" Can you stand it? The patriotism one feels in DC is awe-inspiring! Let's pass some laws! Let's test some constitutionality!
We ran along the mall, passing other early-morning do-gooders, running tourists, congressional interns, and various other fitness buffs. The city is full of runners. It's quite a change from Delhi, where often the only other people running are in flip-flops, trousers and button-downs on their way late to work. The highlights here were the US Botanical Garden, the American Indian Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, Air and Space, the future African American Museum, Smithsonian Castle, Freer Gallery and the USDA(!). And that was just on our left. On the right, were a whole slew of other Smithsonians. All the while we had eyes on the Washington Monument dead ahead.
We turned left at the former World's Tallest Structure (damn you Eiffel Tower!) and headed toward the Tidal Basin. On our left, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum was opening for the day. A beagle on a leash was patrolling the premises, making sure it was safe for another day of operation. Skirting the Tidal Basin, we came upon the Jefferson Memorial, marking new DC territory for Gene. Excited by the chance to play tour guide, we detoured up the steps and inside.
The next stop after the Jefferson Memorial is the FDR Memorial. This has always been one of my favorites in DC. The layout is so great, very park-like with lots of fitting tributes to a great man. Gene was equally impressed with the stop.
The next new stop was the also controversial World War II Memorial. I thought it was tastefully done and not an imposition on the Mall. Especially considering that we entered from the Mall, then could barely see it from the Lincoln Memorial.
The next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, complete with folktales about the American Sign Language "A" and "L" in Abe's hands and the optimistic/pessimistic profile views. Obviously, we reflected this in our selfie.
One more stop in the National Mall area: the Korean War Memorial. This one has always blown my mind and the geometry of the space involved got me to thinking about how much of the meaning and planning of Memorial/Monument architecture must go unnoticed by us. For example, after reading the Wikipedia article, I learned that there are 19 soldiers in this field. When they reflect on the granite wall, there are 38, which represents the 38th parallel.
I'm going to go ahead and call the trip to DC the final excuse in a late burst of roadblocks to my effective training. Early wake up calls, late nights, travel days, etc. are cramping my style and leaving more holes in my running calendar than a Michael Bay plot line.
Anyway, four days in DC yielded only one run. Due to work business, other AESers were in DC too. Gene planned a great tour run. (For once I didn't have to plan the run!) How great is it to run in 'Merica with friends from Delhi? You're the greatest, Gene! I'm so glad that we were able to do this run together. It was an absolutely awesome day, humid as hell (that's DC in summer), but breezy and early enough to avoid the crowds. Having lived in Metro DC, it was a lot of fun to get out and see the sights again, and visit the new monuments that have been built since my last trip.
Gene and set out by Metro early Tuesday morning to avoid having to do a loop and to maximize our ability to sightsee along the way! We arrived to Capitol South Metro stop, passed the offices of Congress and headed toward the National Mall via the Capitol.
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| Tried to grab Gene in this pic, but he's too fast! |
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| Pictured: Metaphor for new hope |
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| Stoplight selfie! Everyone in DC waits at red lights. Weird. |
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| TJ: Simpsons quote-"Nobody ever comes to see me." |
Moving along the Tidal Basin, the next two stops were new to me. I was excited to check out the MLK memorial. It is indeed impressive, and reading about the controversies that surround it doesn't take away from it's imposing presence.
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| Washington Monument as seen from the MLK Memorial. |
The next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, complete with folktales about the American Sign Language "A" and "L" in Abe's hands and the optimistic/pessimistic profile views. Obviously, we reflected this in our selfie.
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| Lincoln Memorial Steps Selfie! Who's who? |
From the Korean War Memorial, we headed across the bridge back into Virginia, dodged highway traffic and found ourselves on the lovely Mount Vernon Trail. Most of this trail was a wooded boardwalk through the forest. It passes Teddy Roosevelt Island, which I should have run the day before, but couldn't motivate myself given the excuses in the beginning of this post.
All in all, it was a great day running in DC. Thanks to Brian for the inspiration and Gene for the company and for planning the route!
This run belongs to Bamlani with special shoutouts to Gene!
I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!
I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!
RUN STATS:
Distance - 6.80 miles
Time - 59:30
Soundtrack - Not sure, too much great convo with Gene-O!
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