[Alexandria, VA]

We landed in Washington DC around 10 pm Tuesday night. We picked up our rental car – a little sporty Nissan Versa that I really like – and hopped on I-495, also known as the Capital Beltway. The Beltway is notorious for congestion but we were surprised to find bumper to bumper traffic this late in the evening – we were down to one lane because of construction. It didn’t last for long though and we were soon cruising along. We got to our hotel in Old Town Alexandria just in time to get some food from room service before they closed for the night and even though it was only 10 pm Pacific time, we had no trouble falling asleep!

I set my alarm for 7 am hoping to get a morning run in but when the alarm went off this morning, I decided to stay in bed. It seemed cold and dark outside and I thought I’d get some rest before a long day exploring the nation’s capital. However, as I laid in bed, all I could think about was running! I finally gave up trying to get more shut-eye, put on my running shoes and went outside.

The air was crisp and fresh, the sun was just starting to touch the tops of the trees, and the streets were getting busy with people walking their dogs or walking to work. I kept running up and down random streets, my turns being determined only by which light was green. I love running in unfamiliar places because you never know what’s around the corner. So I weaved my way through Old Town Alexandria for a good half hour and I came back to the hotel refreshed, wide awake and ready to explore Washington DC!