Hello from Washington, D.C.!
This morning I revisited an old favorite — the C&O Canal trail.
Tied with the Mt. Vernon Trail along the Potomac, the C&O Canal remains my favorite trail in the D.C. area. I couldn’t believe my last visit was back in August.
The beauty of the C&O Canal is its length — it stretches south toward Georgetown and north into Maryland, all the way to Great Falls Park. It’s one of those routes that invites long runs and endless exploration.
I have many fond memories on this trail. My friend Ashley and I used the canal for most of our long training runs when preparing for events like the Army Ten-Miler, the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, and our first half marathon. Those miles really add up — and they build memories.
I’ve run here in every condition:
- When it was freezing cold — I even saw kids playing hockey on the frozen canal
- On casual, easy runs just for fun
- Through snowy trails
- On days I wasn’t feeling my best
- And on days I felt strong and fast
- When the trail was muddy and challenging
- During solo runs when I needed time to myself
- With friends for company and motivation
- And even the time someone swiped my water bottle mid-run
So many great running memories live on this path.
Today my legs felt a bit sore after a six-mile trail run on Monday and a tough power yoga class on Tuesday, so I took it easy: running when I felt like it, walking when I needed a break, and stopping often to take pictures.
I ended up covering about five miles in an hour, which felt just right. The weather was beautiful, and small signs of fall were starting to appear along the path.
After the run I spent the morning catching up on biostatistics homework — even during break there’s plenty to do — and then I ran some errands. First, though, a satisfying lunch.
Two scrambled eggs mixed with tomato and a slice of peppery deli turkey, served over toast:
An arugula and spinach salad topped with sugar snap peas, beets, green peppers, feta, and a balsamic vinaigrette rounded out the meal.
Delicious and energizing — just what I needed after a peaceful morning on the trail. Have a great day!