Motivated by patriotic duty and a rumor of better weather, I trekked down to our nation's capital. The four-hour Chinatown bus ride was well worth it. I walked around the national mall for about six hours, jaw dropped. Of all the cities we have visited so far, this is one that feels the most regal (or at least this area of town). A plaza is formed between the US Capitol, the Supreme Court building, and the Library of Congress and I forget that I am in the land of strip malls and box stores and believe I could be in the Red Square. The awe I felt did not abate as I continued along the mall to the Smithsonian, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial, among others. At times it is easy to feel disconnected from this country but coming here, immersing myself among the hallowed buildings, instilled a pride and patriotism I did not think I possessed.

 I was also sold on this area being a runner's haven. There are several, wide trails and paths that will convey you from one stunning monument to the next, and on this particular day the weather was inviting enough that dozens could be seen in shorts and t-shirts. Central Park in New York may be a comparable, urban park and although this is a bit smaller, it is also less trafficked. Additionally, Rock Creek park, nearly twice the size as Central Park, is only a few miles north of Capitol Hill.

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Follow our adventures at RunnerSpace.com/Travels! We'll be posting a blog update each day until "RunnerSpace Travels Season 1" is done at the end of June. You can also expect school visits and fun adventures to be posted along the way as we hit up many of the top meets from around the country to provide the RunnerSpace meet coverage we all know and love! Make sure to leave a comment below about this update or post on our guestbook to say hi!