Washington D.C.: #TBT Summer Running + Bachelorette Parties

Back in 2013, I'd just completed my first half marathon and was officially hooked on running. A month after the race, one of my oldest friends, Julia, held her bachelorette party in Washington, D.C.

Though she lived in Atlanta, Julia figured D.C. was the perfect central location for friends coming from NYC, Maine, Baltimore, and even California. She was right! It also served as the perfect place to eat awesome food, dance the night away, and of course, run a 10k. 

If you've never been to D.C. in the summer, just picture walking through an oppressively hot sauna and then turn that up about 100 degrees. Still, when Julia asked me if I'd run with her the morning of her big party (she was training for her own half in Atlanta), I happily (and nervously) obliged. Shamefully, even though we'd grown up just 40 minutes away in the suburbs of Baltimore, neither of us had seen the White House or the majority of the monuments, so I took the opportunity to plan a sightseeing route.

We started at our AirBnB near Adam's Morgan and promptly got lost in Rock Creek Park. Eventually we found our way back to our route and ran toward the National Mall. Once we reached the Washington Monument, I felt pretty amazing. It was almost surreal to experience the Mall, the White House and all the monuments without boatloads of tourists. (The only way to beat the heat is by running EARLY. Like 6:30 a.m. early.) 

As I'm training in preparation for my fifth half marathon (and Staci's first!), I'm already getting nostalgic for the bagel, iced coffee, and copious amounts of alcohol that followed my 2013 run.

-Jen