NOTE--Running through the more touristy areas will keep you from going astray. The tourist areas are safe and heavily patrolled by the multitude of police departments within Washington. Running in the monumental areas, downtown, Georgetown, Rock Creek Park, and across the bridges into Virginia would be my suggestions. Some of the 'bad' areas of DC are fairly close to the tourist areas, so keep aware of your surroundings. I have never had a problem while running anywhere in the city. However, Washington is a city. And with cities anywhere you need to keep aware of what is going on around you a bit more than when running in your backyard.

Inauguration Run
One popular course is to recreate the Presidents steps if they were a runner and allowed to run the Inauguration. Beginning near the White House, get onto Pennsylvania Avenue heading east. Follow Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol Building, entering the road through the grounds at the point where Pennsylvania Avenue deadends. This road will follow a gentle arc up Capitol Hill to the back side. You can either stay in the parking lot behind the building, or head over to the first road, which is Second Street. On Second Street you will pass the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. Continue around the Capitol Building and back down the road through the grounds on the other side of the building you came up. Head back over to Pennsylvania Avenue and back towards the White House. This road has nice wide shoulders to hold the Inauguration bleachers, so there is plenty of running room off of the road surface. Finishing back at the White House gives a run of about 3.5 miles. [MAP]

Twin Bridges Run
The Bridges Run makes a loop of the 14th Street and Memorial Bridges, across the river into Virginia. This run has one of the best views of the monuments in DC. The run can be run in either direction, so choose you route according to the wind direction. The Virginia shoreline has a bike trail, while in DC the East and West Potomac Parks road or nearby sidewalks are better than the sidewalk next to the sea wall. Both bridges have large sidewalks, but the Memorial Bridge sidewalk is much preferable. The sidewalk alongside the Virginia bound lanes of the 14th Street Bridge are narrow and directly next to the heavy traffic on the bridge. The fumes from the cars can get bad, and is disconcerting to run next to high-speed traffic, even if you are protected by a cement barrier. Many runners prefer to use Memorial Bridge, head toward National Airport on the trail, and do an out-and-back course.

The Mall Run
The Mall has been called the nation's front yard. It is also the nation's playground, including scads of runners. Numerous runners can be seen trundling up and down the Mall, day and night. Staying on the traffic-free pea gravel pathways of the center sections provide a soft surface and spectacularly patriotic views. Framed on each end by the Lincoln Memorial and the other by the Capitol Building, there are always numerous sights to be seen. The run is generally flat, except for the hills going up past the Washington Monument and up Capitol Hill. The Mall is bigger than it looks, with it being about 3 miles from the Capitol to Lincoln. The trails here are lit at night, so if a nighttime run is necessary, this is a good location. Much of the Marine Corps Marathon is run up and down the Mall. [MAP]

Burdette Road Quad Burner
Near the River Road interchange with the Beltway is Burdette Road. If you are looking for a tough hill workout, here it is. Not a road to run at night, as it is narrow and dark, the continuous upward rolls of this road make for a quad-burning run. The South end of the road is at River Road, while the North end is at Greentree Road a little past Bradley Blvd. [MAP]

The Capital Crescent Trail
A new addition to the running paths of Washington is the Capital Crescent Trail. Located on an abandoned railroad bed, the trail looped through Maryland's suburbs just outside the DC line from Bethesda to above Georgetown. The trail is an eight-mile long, flat, smooth surface that is generally shaded with more and more bridge crossings over the busy roads. The trail gets heavy usage from bike commuters, so keep to the right. You can access the North end of the Capital Crescent in Bethesda off Bethesda Avenue. The South end of the trail has a few miles that parallel the Potomac River and the C&O Towpath.[MAP]

Glover Archbold Trail
Another north-south trail through North-West DC, Glover-Archbold is much less known or developed. Glover-Archibald runs from the Georgetown waterfront to the Van Ness area of Washington, running through a mostly wild stream valley. On the north end, you can connect with Rock Creek by running east on Van Ness Road until you hit the Melvin Hazen spur of Rock Creek Park at 34th Street and Tilden. Heading out the other direction, you can connect to Battery Kemble Park

The C&O Canal Towpath
Beginning in Georgetown, the C&O heads west for 186 miles, so this could be a fine location for your long run. A packed dirt trail, it generally is next to the river and is flat and fairly smooth. The two major floods of 1996 submerged the trail, but work is on-going to repair the damage. The Towpath is one of the quickest ways to escape the bustle of the city, at times getting fairly remote. The first group runs for the M@Deads were on the Towpath from Fletcher's Boathouse. There are water fountains during the summer for much of the early sections of the trail. The C&O Canal Towpath is also popular with biking groups.[MAP]

Teddy Roosevelt Island
Accessible from Virginia along the George Washington Parkway, Teddy Roosevelt is an island preserved as a memorial to the President who created the first National Park. A fitting memorial for this Roosevelt, the island also provides some excellent running opportunities. While only 88 acres, the trails looping the island are very runnable trails through near wilderness within the city. Occasionally, you will be greeted with monumental views of Washington. These trails, especially the well-named Swamp Trail, can be very moist after rains.[MAP]

The W&OD Regional Park
Another converted railway line, the W&OD (Washington and Old Dominion) is a flat 42 mile long trail through Northern Virginia. Beginning in the urban Arlington and heading out of town to the rural areas of Loudoun County near the mountains. [MAP]

The Washington Running Club
Distance Running Routes
The Washington Running Club has a new website that features some of the club member's favorite running routes. This excellent list of routes are broken down into three categories: Runs originating from Georgetown, runs from Pierce Mill in Rock Creek Park and runs out of Capital Hill/Downtown.

The Washington Running Report
Race Calendar
The Washington Running Report has a race calendar that covers events in the Washington and Baltimore areas. If it is races you are looking for, this is the place to look. The WRR has begun a trail running series that will be about the trails around the Washington, DC area, and rating them on their own set of merits.

Race Packet
Race Calendar
RacePacket also has a race calendar that covers events in the Washington and Baltimore areas. They also have online entries to many races.

D.C. Online
Trail Guide
The D.C. Online Trail Guide covers the more than 50 miles of hiking trails in northwest Washington, DC that are within easy walking distance of Metro stations.