Friendship Heights Run/Walk: It Takes Two

This one was a whole thing, y'all.

Friendship Heights is on the Red Line about four miles from my house. I had to make it hard though.

I like to actually ride the Metro to or from my end point because I feel as if that is the best way to really experience it. Like, I could have someone drop me off at a Metro station, but that isn't really the same as taking the train to the station. There is, however, no rule that says I have to take the longest fucking route to a station. Yet here we are.

Could someone have dropped me off at Bethesda and let me take a five minute train ride? Did I do that?

I didn't want to put out my family and have them drive me ten minutes to Bethesda instead of five minutes to Forest Glen, so I decided to ride allllllllll the way around the line. It took a long time.

Friendship Heights is your standard one-platform/two-track station deep under ground.

These people are more than 100 feet under ground.

The station is one of only 11 constructed with "rock tunneling," which is why it is so deep and why the escalator ride takes a full minute and a half to get you up top. Or at least that's what Wikipedia says. I didn't time it. In fact, there are two sets of escalators to the exit I took: One from the platform and one to the street.

This theatrical space is between them.

There's a mall (read: bathrooms) that you access directly from this space-ship like area or you can go ahead and travel on up to the street.

One really fun thing about this station is that it has five exits. Two of them let you out in Maryland and three of them let you out in DC! Take that, Four Corners!

I was pretty excited about this run because I was taking a straight path from the station down Military Road to Rock Creek Park, where I was going to run the West Ridge Trail down through the park. To do so, I was wearing my brand new trail running shoes, which I purchased for all the fun trail running I was planning.

Snazzy!

I have unfortunate information about these shoes -- and the trail -- coming up, but first we have to run up and down Military Road in the dead heat of DC summer into the park. It is here that I will show you the elevation map of this run.

Spoiler alert: This map is from my second attempt at this Metro station because I didn't make it the first time.

The first mile or so was on the sidewalk and was hot. There was a lot of downhill, but the uphill sections were UP HILL. I was really excited to get to what I was really considering the beginning of my run.

I love this park.

I have sad news for anyone trying out new trail running shoes though. The West Ridge Trail is almost entirely paved. So I didn't really need shoes with stiffer midsoles and better traction. I also have what I have determined is a bunion that was really hurting at the time. It was also 78-million degrees and this run quickly turned into a run/walk.

Eventually my foot was hurting so much that I gave up and called Alex to come pick me up less than a couple of miles from my house. It was really discouraging. I considered returning the shoes immediately, but I've worn them a couple of times on shorter runs since then and they haven't hurt. My bunion (I AM ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD) has not been hurting as much either, so I'm hanging on to them.

STATS for Run One:

Metro station: Friendship Heights
Line: Red Line
Distance: 4.70 miles
Time: 1:06:43
Pace: 14:11 min/mi
Crow sightings: none
Interesting tidbit: I wore trail shoes because I wanted to run on a trail, but this trail is paved. How much was dirt trail out of the whole thing? About a third of a mile.

I was not about to give up on this station though, so about three weeks later, I headed out again. Having not learned my lesson, I again took the Metro all the way through DC. Fun fact: The weekend I chose had scheduled track work on part of the Red Line, requiring me to get off of the train, take a shuttle bus two stops, then get back on the train to continue my journey. 

It was some bullshit.

Agreed. This whole process is TRASH.

The whole trip from Forest Glen to Friendship Heights took, like, seventeen hours. I considered running from a different station, but by the time I realized I was going to have to take a shuttle bus, it would have been an 8 or 9 mile run and I wasn't ready for that. It was a whole Thing.

Eventually I arrived at my station, wandered around the shopping center until I found a bathroom, endured some low-key male harassment, and then took off on my run. I knew what I was in for this time though and even though it was still a gajillion degrees, I settled in at a slow run and headed out. It took a lot longer before this run turned into a run/walk. I was doing a really good job for the first few miles, but eventually I just decided to embrace some walk breaks.

Running the hypotenuse might have been smarter.

Happily I made it the whole way this time. It would have been a bummer if I had to do it a third time. I did learn that I no longer give a shit about being considerate to my family and they can drive me to Bethesda next time I run from a station on the other end of the Red Line "U."

I sat on a bench after my run for a long time.

STATS for The Real Run:

Metro station: Friendship Heights
Line: Red Line 
Distance: 6.19 miles
Time: 1:26:55
Pace: 14:02
Crow sightings: none
Interesting tidbit: This was the first time I have ever been forced to take a shuttle bus on a Metro trip.

Silver Spring Run: Project Penguin

I was astonished when I looked at a Metro map a couple of weeks ago and noticed that I hadn't run from Silver Spring yet. Why astonishing? Because it's one of the closest Metro stations to my house and eaaaaasy to run from. So...

It was bustling on a Saturday morning.

This station is pretty standard. There is one platform and two tracks on either side.

You can see the MARC train station to the left there.

The Silver Spring Metro station is adjacent to the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center, which is a station for a bunch of buses and trains. 

This map shows the location of all the bus stops. It was all very complicated. It is multi-level and was constructed since I've lived in DC, so it's not very old. I remember when it was built and there were some very serious design and construction defects so people made all kinds of jokes about not wanting to stand under it. 

The transit station opened in 2015, which was five whole years behind schedule.

In addition to the current public transit offerings, the map indicated that there was a "TRIPS Commuter Store." I figured it was a place where they sold tickets and stuff but I was hopeful that maybe there was some public transit merch I could procure. No such luck. 

I'm glad I made the trip up to it though because I passed this oddly stationary pigeon on the steps on the way up and back. I couldn't tell if he was injured or just didn't give a fuck. I'm hoping for the latter.

It didn't seem like normal pigeon behavior though.

I don't come to this Metro station often, so I was surprised and amused to find that there is a mural titled Penguin Rush Hour hanging at this station.

I mean...

But then I turned the corner and was confronted with the rest of this mural, which is actually 100 feet long and I think I might have audibly gasped. I find this to be just about the most delightful public art I have ever seen.

This mural was originally placed at the station in the 1990s and was painted by Sally Callmer Thompson.

In 2004 the mural was removed for restoration by the artist, but it was decided to not put it back until the new transit center was built.

This is actually a digital copy of the mural painted on aluminum sheets for durability and was installed in 2017.

The only flaw I can find in this mural is that there is no angry penguin sitting on the train screaming at the top of his lungs, because that person is ALWAYS on my train car.

Also, they are clearly pre-COVID penguins.

The only other thing I will say about this station is that the transit center signage was excellent.

Weird choice of words.

I don't think I know what "alighting" means. I'm not sure if it means getting on or getting off the bus. *checks the dictionary* Okay. It means to come down from something. So you can't get on -- or *checks the thesaurus* bestride -- the bus from here. 

From there I had a very simple run home. I took off westbound down East-West Highway and swung right on Rock Creek Trail when I reached the bottom.

I like running down East-West Highway because there is a lot of downhill.

I always forget about that middle hill though.

It was a pretty uneventful run. I'm working on base building this summer, so I am intentionally running slow and not worrying about my time. It was a nice run if not very long. Just as I predicted: eaaaaaasy.

STATS:

Metro station: Silver Spring
Line: Red
Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 40 minutes exactly
Pace: 12:18 min/mi
Crow sightings: 0
Interesting tidbit: I now have three kids who can drive by themselves, so even though Alex was out of town when I did this run, I didn't have to hitchhike to the station to start! (Kidding. Don't hitchhike, friends. Stay sexy and don't get murdered.)

Takoma Run: Mid-city Trail Running

 I almost forgot to post this one! I ran it two whole weeks ago. So without further ado, I present to you: Takoma Station!

It's not a very exciting station.

This is your basic two-track, one-platform station on the Red Line. It was one of the first Metro stations opened in 1976. This station serves both Takoma Park, MD AND the Takoma, DC neighborhood. They're not the same place, something it took me a while to figure out.

The platform looks like every other platform.

The station itself is down a couple of escalators and seems to be pretty much under construction.

I just noticed that painting, but I don't think it is part of the station. I think it is across the street.

I headed off on my run, actually in the opposite direction of home, but there was a dog park a couple of blocks away that I wanted to check out. It was disappointing though because there were only two dogs wandering around.

My route that day cut through Rock Creek Park on the Valley Trail. I love running through Rock Creek Park so much because even though it is in the middle of the city, it can seem like you are completely alone in the woods. I mean, if I were dumping a body, I'd do it here. 

You can see the road there in the middle of the photo, but once you're a quarter mile in you're alone.

This is my route map, which shows my path through the park. The dotted part indicates that it is trail, but doesn't differentiate between dirt and asphalt.

I ran  bottom to top.

I don't do a lot of trail running, largely because it's easier to find a road to run on than a trail, but also because I am prone to tripping on things and I feel as if it would be a lot easier to lose a tooth on a rock or break a shin on a log out there than on a sidewalk.

That said, I might have to do more of it, because good lord it is beautiful out there.

I mean...

Many of the Rock Creek Park trails converge and dump out at the DC/Maryland line, which is about two or three miles from my house. This trail did as well. The trail turns into asphalt when you enter Maryland and it is much closer to roads and also a route I run so often that I could run it with my eyes closed. You know, if I wasn't likely to trip on the first crack in the trail.

I passed another dog park, but there were no dogs there either. Fortunately, the trail to my house passes a horse stable, so at least I got to see some large mammals.

They fetched nothing, however.

I also saw these ducks.

They are rarer than dogs in my neighborhood, so I felt pretty good about them.

That's about it. It was a pretty chill little run--one that I could see myself taking again. I do like the elevation map even though it is fairly misleading. That big drop was from the road into the park, and it really wasn't as dramatic as this chart makes it seem.

But look! I ran a mostly uphill slope and didn't complain about it! Too much.

 

STATS:

Metro station: Takoma
Line: Red Line
Distance: 6.39 miles
Time: 1:18:26
Pace: 12:16/mi
Crow sightings: One! 
Interesting tidbit: I ran into my friend Vickie partway through my run, which not only gave me an excellent opportunity to chat with her, but a nice pause in my run.

How the Half Marathon Turned Out

 It didn't.

Remember how I was all, "I'm running a half marathon!" And then I was like, "Running long distances is hard," and finally I said, "I don't think I want to run a half marathon."

Well, the week after that last statement I tried to run from my house to the West Hyattsville station, which would have been 12 miles, but I didn't make it. My legs weren't having it and I had to call Alex to pick me up. He showed up with pickles and Diet Coke and drove me home while I thought about my musculoskeletal system and how I think it needed more time to prepare for 13 miles. 

So...I pivoted, downgraded from the half marathon to the 5k distance and crushed it!

The half marathon medal was way cooler. :(

I still plan to run more half marathons and one day I really, really wanna run the NYC Marathon, but I'm going to build up a little more slowly. No fear though, I'm still doing Project Crow. I did a run last weekend and will have a post up about it soon!

Smithsonian Run: I Don't Really Want to Run a Half Marathon

Remember my last run when I said I wouldn't be running Connecticut Avenue again any time soon? Well, just one week later (I did this run a couple of weeks before writing this post), I was back on Connecticut. This time, however, I was running the opposite direction. 

See, I decided that I was torturing myself by insisting on running to my neighborhood from Metro stations, so I made an executive decision that I could also run from my neighborhood to Metro stations. My project, my rules, right?

That is why I set off from my home on February 26 and ran DOWN Connecticut into DC. My goal: The Smithsonian station.

Fun fact: I was on the wrong platform.

Before we get there however, I would like to tell you that a mere mile and a half from my home, I found this here crow trying to collect some materials from a construction barrier. My presence and fumbling for my phone camera scared him off the ground into a tree.

He was doing crow stuff.

Here is my route into DC. It's that long, straight orange line again.

And check it -- my elevation graph was so much more pleasant this time. It was nice to get most of my uphills out of the way in the first few miles.

Right at the DC line there is a traffic circle. As I was waiting to cross a street, I ran across a couple with two tiny dogs. "Look at you, champion," the man said, nodding toward my hydration vest, warm morning outfit, and clearly badass running self. That's right, I thought: I AM a champion.

But to where was this champion running and into what? Well, she was running to this escalator entrance to the Smithsonian Metro station that is located on the National Mall. If you're headed to one of the Smithsonian museums, you're probably headed to this Metro station.

Who in the world is Carmen E. Turner?

This station is dedicated to Carmen E. Turner, something I learned as I was traveling down into the station. It turns out that she served as General Manager of WMATA in the 80s, when it was named the nation's best public transportation system by the American Public Transit Association. I know. There was a time when people praised Metro. Who woulda thunk it? Ms. Turner was the first Black woman to lead a major public transit agency. She moved on from Metro in 1990 to become Under Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. What an incredible woman who I'd never heard of and what a very appropriate dedication. 

The station itself is a regular ol' two-platform station on the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines.

I swear that this isn't the same photo from my McPherson post.

This station was built in the 70s after some controversy. The station had been planned, but the National Capital Planning Commission decided that the station entrance near the museums would impinge upon the National Mall view and WMATA very sneakily, without notifying anyone outside of Metro's core planning group, eliminated the entrance, then claimed that since no one had commented on this change, it was aaaaallll good.

The Smithsonian and a couple other organizations formed a strong coalition in favor of the Mall station entrance and WMATA was all, "That's cool, but the money we already said we'd use for this station has now been used for other stations so if you want this thing, you're going to have to raise the funds yourself."

In 1972, after some pretty hard lobbying, Congress passed a law that, among other things, provided almost $8 million for this station entrance (and the Arlington station). And thus it was that I was able to descend the elevators directly from the mall between museums into the Metro.

So back to the running. I was about 7 miles into my run when I started to think, "Do I really want to run a half marathon?" I was about 8-1/2 miles in when I determined, "No, I really don't want to run a half marathon." You guys, running is hard. My mileage increase has been faster than I'd been planning. I'd originally wanted to run a fall half marathon, but Alex suggested this March one and stupid Past Jean hopped on board like an asshole.

I spent a couple of miles really cursing out Past Jean and Alex From All Times. But then I got into DC and running in DC is just always really lovely and fun. There is so much to look at and it's mostly flat and my half marathon is in DC, so maybe it won't be so bad. 

Present Jean is cautiously optimistic.

I took a reverse tour of some of the sights from my last run from McPherson Square, including Black Lives Matter Plaza.

I love that this is there.

I also stopped for a few minutes to take in a pro-Ukraine demonstration in front of the White House fences. Two weeks later and the situation there just gets worse and worse. It's all so horrifying.

At least no WWIII. Yet.

I took a quick selfie in front of the Washington Monument because that is what you do when you are near the Washington Monument.

Don't I look well rested and not at all like I want to die?

I had never been to this Metro entrance before, at least so far as I can remember, so I wasn't really sure how to find it. Fortunately, the National Mall sign people were there to help me out.

I guess I'll go thatta way.

Fun story: I was stopped to take this photo and as I started running again, a passing woman said, "You're doing great, girl!" It was very nice and very encouraging, but I always wonder what it is about me that makes strangers shout encouragement at me. Do I look like I need it that bad? Am I visibly suffering? What is it?

I offer my splits to you here just because they are not as awful as the McPherson run.

I was aiming for an easy 12:30 pace.

I had thought ahead and brought two jackets so I wouldn't be super cold sitting in my sweaty clothes on the way home so I was feeling pretty good as I waited on the platform for my train.

Look at confident Jean!

I got on the train and rode it for several stops before I realized that I was headed away from where I wanted to go and had to disembark and wait for a train going the opposite direction.

God. Dammit.

Look at dumb Jean!

Here I am passing through the Smithsonian station again on my way back.

Grrrr.

I eventually found my way to my transfer station, then back to my Red Line train, and finally to my home station where Alex picked my now shivering ass up. It was a long trip back.

But there you have it! My triumphant return to Connecticut Avenue.

STATS:

 

 

  Metro station: Smithsonian
  Line: Orange/Blue/Silver
  Distance: 9.98 miles
  Time: 2:03:19
  Pace: 12:21 min/mi
  Crow sightings: One!
  Interesting tidbit: The subtitle "National Mall" was added to the station name in 2017.