The weather in Washington has finally made up its mind. And it's cold. I have to smile when I see the double-decker buses pass by, topped with a few miserable-looking tourists. Even though hot coffee is never more than a block away (D.C. has the highest number per capita of Starbucks in the country), what makes a person brave the bitter cold from the windy upper deck of a bus? Most of them probably have a limited time in the city and can't think of a better way to cram in all those outdoor sights. My solution: Go for a run. It's healthy, it's free, it's environmentally friendly, and best of all, it's warm.If you're healthy and motivated enough, running is perhaps the best way to see a new city--or to see an old city in new ways. So pull those sneaks out of retirement and lace up. You'll be surprised where they can take you. My first marathon training program took me across the mountainous coastline of the French Riviera, from Nice to Monaco, and finally to Barcelona for the race. While training for this year's Marine Corps Marathon, which took place in October, I plodded my happy little feet through locations from Maine to Florida. In a single week, I ran through Boston, New York City, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. And of course, I got to know my home city of the District really, really well.
Maybe it's the endorphins, but I pick up the little details while on a
jog that I would otherwise miss. For example, did you know that hidden
in a corner of Central Park is a beautiful bronze statue of
Alice in Wonderland? The surrounding sidewalk is covered in such
classic Lewis Carroll quotes as "Speak roughly to your little boy and
beat him when he sneezes/He only does it to annoy because he knows it
teases."
If you watch the ground while crossing Boston's Harvard Bridge, you'll notice it's marked in smoots, a unit of measurement derived from Oliver Smoot, a former student at MIT who measured the bridge in 1958
for a fraternity pledge, using himself as a distance marker. And in D.C.,
there is no other reason I would ever have gotten up in time to watch the sunrise from the Jefferson Memorial, alone and free from the usual throng of tourists. (As an aside, I have learned that squirrels on the DC Mall
are also up in the early mornings, and are prone to unprovoked attacks.
Especially a half-albino one I named Fred. Don't make any sudden moves
near Fred. You'll regret it.)
Marathon tourism is gaining momentum, but you don't have to tackle extreme distances to be an on-foot explorer. A run of any length will do. It's easy to get going: Several websites feature maps of running routes in cities across the U.S., contributed by local runners. The Route Finder on the Runner's World magazine website is a particularly good one. Want to create your own? Try my favorite site: Gmaps Pedometer. Here you can map your own path, past landmarks that you want to see, and the pedometer will measure the distance for you. Check out this 6-mile run I created of the DC Mall and Tidal Basin. If you're a real beginner, you'll find some good tips on how to get started running here.
Worried about safety? Going somewhere a little more obscure than a large city? Contact a local running club (as I did when I ran in the Florida Keys). Communities of runners are tight-knit and excited to welcome visitors. They'll eagerly give you the scoop on the prettiest and safest running routes. It's likely you'll even find a homegrown running buddy, who can act as a de facto tour guide as well as a jogging companion (we featured running tours on IT once before, but this approach is free and it's more personal). Once you're done, go ahead and grab that warm coffee - but maybe forgo the Starbucks for a local joint, because once those endorphins are gone, you'll need a new buzz to give you an authentic sense of place.
Read more: Check out Tim Cahill's tale in Traveler about running the Dublin marathon while yearning for a pint of Guinness. And for extreme inspiration, read Boyd Matson's adventure story about running an ultramarathon (six marathons in seven days) across Chile's Atacama desert, in the Unbound column. Both are in our September issue.
Photos: Above, Running along the coast of the French Riviera affords striking views, like this one of Nice. By Kristen Gunderson. Below, ctankcycles via Flickr
If you watch the ground while crossing Boston's Harvard Bridge, you'll notice it's marked in smoots, a unit of measurement derived from Oliver Smoot, a former student at MIT who measured the bridge in 1958
for a fraternity pledge, using himself as a distance marker. And in D.C.,
there is no other reason I would ever have gotten up in time to watch the sunrise from the Jefferson Memorial, alone and free from the usual throng of tourists. (As an aside, I have learned that squirrels on the DC Mall
are also up in the early mornings, and are prone to unprovoked attacks.
Especially a half-albino one I named Fred. Don't make any sudden moves
near Fred. You'll regret it.)Marathon tourism is gaining momentum, but you don't have to tackle extreme distances to be an on-foot explorer. A run of any length will do. It's easy to get going: Several websites feature maps of running routes in cities across the U.S., contributed by local runners. The Route Finder on the Runner's World magazine website is a particularly good one. Want to create your own? Try my favorite site: Gmaps Pedometer. Here you can map your own path, past landmarks that you want to see, and the pedometer will measure the distance for you. Check out this 6-mile run I created of the DC Mall and Tidal Basin. If you're a real beginner, you'll find some good tips on how to get started running here.
Worried about safety? Going somewhere a little more obscure than a large city? Contact a local running club (as I did when I ran in the Florida Keys). Communities of runners are tight-knit and excited to welcome visitors. They'll eagerly give you the scoop on the prettiest and safest running routes. It's likely you'll even find a homegrown running buddy, who can act as a de facto tour guide as well as a jogging companion (we featured running tours on IT once before, but this approach is free and it's more personal). Once you're done, go ahead and grab that warm coffee - but maybe forgo the Starbucks for a local joint, because once those endorphins are gone, you'll need a new buzz to give you an authentic sense of place.
Read more: Check out Tim Cahill's tale in Traveler about running the Dublin marathon while yearning for a pint of Guinness. And for extreme inspiration, read Boyd Matson's adventure story about running an ultramarathon (six marathons in seven days) across Chile's Atacama desert, in the Unbound column. Both are in our September issue.
Photos: Above, Running along the coast of the French Riviera affords striking views, like this one of Nice. By Kristen Gunderson. Below, ctankcycles via Flickr
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