Run 31: Washington, D.C.

Miles: 7.5

Other Runners: yes and yes!

The nice thing about being a grad student studying law and migration is that I get to go to fancy conferences with fancy speakers (like the first ladies of Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico) and attorneys who dress only in greys and blacks and spit out acronyms like you wouldn’t believe. An example from my notes: “HHS through DCS does accept BI recs- UNHCR with BID guidelines, USCIS still developing regs.” The conference finished yesterday afternoon, and rather than sifting through my scribbles as planned, I’m going to enjoy the sun and free museums today.

It’s been a good week. I flew in on Monday, when it was very cold, and walked and walked and walked. I crossed the Potomac and strolled around Arlington Cemetery, crossed the Potomac again and visited every major monument and the portrait gallery. It snowed for a minute, and I was often alone- a strange phenomenon in such a history-hungry tourist city.

When the conference closed yesterday, I changed out of my decidedly not black or gray business casual and went for a run. I ran about 2.5 miles more than I should have, but I am willing my knee to be on the mend. (Isn’t that how it works?)

Here is why I couldn’t stop running:

• Hills!
• Brightly colored homes
• Rose vines and ferns and manicured bushes and sprawling shade trees
• Fountains, other marble monuments
• Who are we kidding? Everything that’s marble
• Free museums (which are great when not running, of course, but also good if you’ve consumed too much water and need to use a restroom)
• Lots of other runners wearing interesting t-shirts
• Historical markers everywhere! I paused at a stop light (grumbling to myself at having to pause at a stop light), then scooted over to read a plaque posted on a rather shambly-looking red brick building. It read something like, “On the top floor of this building, the first ever wireless telephone call was placed by Alexander Graham Bell…” Well, shoot.
• People I’d like to think are very famous and influential walking around. One of them even winked at me, which was awkward, but maybe he thought I was part of his constituency. I frowned at him and ran on.

Here is why I did stop running:

• My knee
• Humidity (there’s a reason why I’m not posting a photo of myself, and it has everything to do with what this city’s done to my hair)
• Bikers on sidewalks- come on!

The city is colorful and sweet-smelling and full of energy, and while I’m still not confident throwing around legalese (I tried to find a spot here to write “pursuant to” but couldn’t), it’s been a lovely week.