Went to my first run in August and it was a great event. The raffle prizes are terrific and I…read morewalked away with The $500 prize of great runner gear to include new running shoes. I will definitely be at the next event in August. Great group of friendly runners of all abilities! Have to add, our Columbia RR staff are still tops!

One time. That's all it took. ONE Adventure Run and I'm hooked. (First Thursday of the month, April…read more- October. Run starts at 6:30) My fiancee, neighbor, and I went to the August '16 AR, each for our first time. We got there probably 20 minutes before the "run" part started and had to park a few businesses down since it was so busy. Also, the vendors use space in the parking lot. The vendors there were really relevant. Running groups, race representatives (like Ragnar), shoe specialists from New Balance, and more. Each vendor gave more tickets for the soon-to-come raffle as well. We all decided to get the AR shirts because they were only $8 each (price drops when there are only 3 runs left for the year). Even if it was the last run I would have bought it. That thing is comfortable! Anyway, time for the race to start. The MC drops a giant rolled up map on the side of the building, revealing where all the ticket stops are around the Rockville area. Everyone snaps shots with their cell phone (BRING YOU CELL PHONE - or a friend that has one) and takes of running. I had no idea what was going on. I also later found out that the initial sense of urgency wasn't needed. Overall it was about 3.5 miles of running and you have a full hour to do it. Some of the stops include a quick workout, like pushups or squats. Each stop gives you tickets for making it there and double if you're in the AR shirt. One of the locations (Silver Diner) didn't exactly understand the concept of the tickets and gave the first dozen people only half of the ticket, which makes no sense based on the way the raffle works later. Another runner later corrected him and it went smoothly from there on. While running, we just happened to notice another runner near us. We invited her to join our mini-group and made a new friend in the process. It was her first run too. Everyone there is super happy, friendly, and inviting. Great way to meet new people that are into running. By the end, we had hit all stops over the 3.5 miles and had about 20 minutes to spare. We tore off all our ticket stubs, dropped them in the large raffle bucket, and just chilled while eating watermelon. It was great. The raffle itself gave away around $3,000 worth of items, including a few pairs of new New Balance running shoes. Other items included a free entry with MDA running group to run one of 6 different major races, including the Marine Corps Marathon or NYC Marathon (and a technical tee for the team) - we actually won that one :) . There were a TON of giftcards too. We won a few bags of those, which included about $30 at silver diner, $30 at tutti fruti, and more. Seemed like there were lots of small groups at the end and I think at least one person from each group won something. Lots of giveaways. After the raffle, there was an after party at TGI Fridays. We all got 20% off our bill and they gave away another pair of shoes to people that went there. In hindsight, I could have skipped this part. Not because it wasn't organized well, but I'm just not a huge fan of Friday's and big groups are always tough on restaurants. Takes extra long to get food and drinks, but I don't put that fault on Road Runner Sports, so no points deducted. My only warnings: be careful when running! That area of Rockville has a lot of high-speed roads and people need to make sure they're careful when crossing streets. A giant group of 50+ people just taking off in the middle of rush hour traffic in Rockville has got to be infuriating for the drivers when the runners aren't respecting the road and traffic. Also, get there early if you wanna park closer. Wear shorts with pockets so you can easily carry your tickets too. We'll be going back for September!

I am reducing my review down one star because I hate people…read more Not the runners and spectators tho, I love you all, hugs and kisses! I mean the tourists. That's right, the tourists that take a grilled cheese and a banana from the runners. You know like when the runners are waiting in line for Cabot (the race sponsor) to get grilled cheeses and you walk up with your dog and grab the last two and then proceed to only eat half of each and throw them away in front of us. AT LEAST GIVE THEM TO YOUR DOG. That's fine, I just ran 9.46 miles (the race was shortened this year due to an accident), I don't need nourishment. I'll sit here and snack on my saliva. Never mind I have no saliva, I'm dehydrated. Oh wait, are you carrying bottled water that says "Cherry Blossom 10 miler" on it? Where did you get those? Why are there 3 extras in your pockets? Hey you want this t-shirt and medal too? I bet you are going to go home and telling your friends, "you must visit DC they give away free bananas, bottled water and grilled cheeses on the streets." Then more of your moron friends will visit next year and take bananas and grilled cheeses. I hope that eventually the race has a runners/spectators only where people can pick up their after race treats, but as usual, the race course was lovely this year, and the blooms were in full force. There was a last minute glitch this year (a pedestrian was hit and hurt before the race) and the race organizers routed us around it. It cut off more than a half mile, but it's amazing they were so effective and responsive with such short notice. This year was the only year that having a race at the same time as having thousands of tourists in town and I guess this really bothered me because everything became a 1,000x more inconvenient. It's the only time where the race coincided with peak blossom too. It even impacted traffic to the packet pick up as well. Whether you drove or metroed to the pick up at the National Building Museum there was still hella traffic. Next year, I plan on just training hard so I can finish faster and then guard all the post race snacks. I'll be like the race Robin Hood and give to the needy and not the greedy. Despite these gripes, I would still totally do the race again, but this time I would order a medal, so I can use it to knock someone upside the head with it so I can get my grilled cheese on. By the way, whoever said "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy" is a liar.

First time in the Cherry Blossom but it won't be my last…read more Parking: People that ran the 10 mile race had to find their own transportation. Thankfully the run happened on a Sunday, so it was free parking on the side streets. Park a little early, because it does fill up with people coming from MD and VA. What I found strange, was they had their own section for the medals. You had to walk through the crowd and find a tent for the medals. Overall, it was a great race. The cherry blossoms were bloomy and the tourist was hyping and cheering the racers pass the finish line. It was a great experience.

Hey, guess what? I…read morejust sneezed a rainbow! That's right, I tasted the rainbow and my body spit it out! If you run the color run, be prepared to have colored chalk in places you didn't think of. Ears, nasal passages, coating the cilia in your lungs (like asbestos fibers do and then develop into mesothelioma). After the Hot Chocolate 15k, I was hesitant to run another race at the National Harbor, but this race went off without a hitch. Parking was free and plentiful with police guiding us to the correct garages. The race started early, the course was fun, and the volunteers were great. Also they had unicorns. Please note this race is just frivolous fun. It's not timed, very few people are legitimately running, no elite runners flew in from Kenya, so just get your friends together, wear your nastiest and oldest set of sneakers, get the kids and make a fun Sunday morning out of it. Stick around for the after party too, it feels like a rave. Be sure to register early too!

I don't know how they did it but Color Run had me paying $35 bones to run: a free activity that I…read moreusually avoid like the plague. But I took their promise of it being "the happiest run on Earth" seriously and was pleasantly surprised for being fully satisfied with my experience. A few things to note: - Sign up early! This event sold out within forty five minutes. - Pick up your packet up before the event to avoid a major headache. - Arrive early -- traffic getting into the National Harbor is horrendous! - This event is not timed so if you are more of a walk with swagger kind of gal like myself you won't feel uncomfortable. They also release participants in waves so you won't get trampled by crazed speed demons on the way out. - Stay for the color party on the way out, spectators can join in as well! I had so much fun running in and out of the color sprays at every kilometer and then throwing the color packets at the dance party at the end. What's better is that the color fun lasts for a few full days! Imagine my surprise when my sister coughed and purple dust came flying out of her mouth or when I cleaned my ears out and found an orange and green Q-tip surprise! This is the closest thing I've gotten to becoming an actual rainbow breathing unicorn in my entire life.

I've done this race over ten times but this will probably be my last one. The logistics are a…read morenightmare and they seem to be getting worse as the race field keeps getting larger. The Metro used to open at 5am for this race. Now it opens at 7am. The first train got there at 7:50am. So definitely find another way to get there if you are in waves 1-4. The start and finish used to be near bag check. This changed a long time ago but it still sucks and the shuttle lines are longer than ever. The start/finish areas are really confusing due to the sheer volume of people in the area. It's not completely clear where and how far everything is. The race, itself, is great. The course has changed but it's still nice and the atmosphere is awesome. There aren't as many people cheering as Cherry Blossom or Marine Corps Marathon but it's still fun. It's very crowded but that should be expected and other DC races are just as crowded. If you can park at the Pentagon, you're staying nearby, or can run/bike over you're probably fine. For anyone taking the Metro, plan on joining wave 6 or later. Maybe wave 4-5 if you go straight to the start without stopping.

The Army Ten Miler takes my breath away…read more Cue song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4a6ampIGao). Literally. Yesterday was my second attempt at running the Army Ten Miler. My first attempt was in 2010, I had an asthma attack and found metro at mile 3 to go to urgent care. This year, I was determined to finish, although I had tight lungs and difficulties early on. I don't know what it is about this race or the time of year, it's weird cause I only have issues with asthma only twice in the last decade, so maybe I'm allergic to men in uniforms (in that case I'm jumping off a bridge now cause that makes me sad), or maybe unbeknownst to my knowledge the race course is filled with dust and cat dander (only two triggers I can think of). Overall, I'm glad I at least finished and would have to say it's well run and well organized race. But let's break this down into the official rules, the good and the bad: Rules: -Mobile phones, mp3 players, ipods, and headphones are prohibited. No joke.There are security checks and you are subject to so they may find these items and make you check them in. I saw people stopped for headphones on the course too. I suggest you bring your own pedometer, because although they say they have mile markers for every mile, no one in my wave saw signs for the first three miles, I had to ask someone with a pedometer where I was. I felt so lost without my run keeper app on my iphone. -Bag check in requires that you use the clear plastic bags they provide. You will need to dump out the contents of any purse or bag into the plastic bag. -The race is organized by waves by pace, you can move down a wave to a slower pace but not move up. The Good: It's just awe inspiring to run one of the world's largest ten mile races along side wounded warriors, ROTC, and Santa Claus. The course is as flat as can be. The Army volunteers are amazing. Little do people know that many of them have been there since 1:30 am setting up, and by the time our wave rolled around they were getting a little loopy and hilarious on their megaphones. They joked about getting the water from the Potomac, warned against peeing off course etc. etc. This race is loaded with spectators, with clever signs. The runners were actually thanking them for coming out, and then they were thanking us, it was just a race of shiny, happy people all around. The bands along the way are even good (they never played Journey! YES!) Tons of people who saw me running in a Red Sox cap shouted predictions about them winning the world series. I love you all. My friend found me at the finish line, and didn't cheer for the wrong person this year!!! The Bad: -The last two miles are a let down and utterly boring. I would have killed for some music or entertainment at this point other than a witnessing a road rage incident on the 14th street bridge. There are no spectators, and it's along side a highway. The finish line will not come into sight until you are few feet away. -It's a healthy twenty minute walk from the finish line to the start line, and there are no signs to tell how to get back to where you started. There are shuttles available though. -Because this event is so popular, expect lines for everything, getting on the metro, getting off the metro, getting through security to go into the corrals, bag check, shuttles and food/water at the end.I would recommend adding time to travel to accommodate. -Although the packet picket at the Stadium Armory is pretty efficient and they offer free parking, I would recommend never driving there. The traffic is awful, the lots are often full and the DC parking enforcement is out in full force ticketing (just walking up to the stadium I saw an entire row of cars with pink tickets although the signs indicated it was ok to park at those hours). Metro is the right way to go. I would say this is one of the must do DC races, I might need a lung transplant to do it again but Hooah!!

Great park with diverse scenery: creeks, trails, bridges, and forests. There's also a school…read morenearby with a running track. I really enjoyed daily walks here with the dog when I visited. Great for walkers, runners, cyclists, and nature lovers.

Have taken my daughters (10 and 12) on walks on this trail a few times. It's a nice flat path with…read morelots of tree cover. Great for walking, jogging and biking. There is a stream running through it that the girls like to stop and play in. The trail runs along Sligo Creek Parkway and there are a number of places to park to jump on the trail. Overall a great walking trail and would recommend.

For those of you running the national marathon or national half marathon on March 29 - the biggest…read morehill (over 200 ft elevation) is on Connecticut Avenue. It's a burner - but run this a few times before the race and you're set. A good 5 mile training run follows: Start at 21 & N Take 21st to L Street NW Down L St NW to 16th Street NW Turn left up on to 16th Street NW Turn left up on to M Street NW Turn right up on to 18th Street Take 18th to Connecticut Avenue (base of hill) Connecticut Ave to Columbia Street (ascending the hill) Columbia until Biltmore (Goes through Woodley) From there turn back down 18th Street NW (Goes through Adams Morgan - rolling hills) Stay on 18th for a while - then jog back on to Connecticut Ave. Take Connecticut Ave/18th Street NW to M Street NW M Street NW until 16th Street NW (Right turn) Turn Right on to L Street NW Turn Right on to 21st Go up 21st until N. DONE

Excitement? Adventure? A Jedi craves not these things…read more.. But if you're not a Jedi and you want to get in shape and have a little adventure in the mean time, this club is GREAT! First, unlike Road Runners clubs, the crowd here is a little younger -- the average age looks to be about 25-35 and just about half female/half male. If you're intimidated by how in-shape everyone might be, don't be. Looking around at the New Triathlete Program meeting, I'd say the new folks range from Couch Potato to Boston Qualifier, with most people just wondering how they will ever train up to swim a mile in open water. Me? I'm in it for the adventure of the swim, bike, run-- they start you off at either Sprint or Olympic Distance (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run)... Sprint is about half that. I genuinely thought when I signed up that there was a good possibility I'd drown. Now, just a few months later I've lost 23 pounds, can swim a mile and a half, and just the other day, my own free personal mentor helped me size my bike to, "Keep your legs from turning into tree stumps before the run..." Fair enough. If you, like me, don't know what you're doing, they have great clinics on important topics like: How to swim efficiently How to swim in open water How to buy a bike How to take care of your bike How to run without dying How to stretch What to eat Great positive attitudes all around. No evidence yet of meat-head elitists. My personal mentor has finished five Iron Man distance races and treats us newbies like kings of the world. Can't wait to race...

If you're a total beginner and wish to train for your first triathlon, then I highly recommend the…read moreNTP (New Triathlete Program) by DC Tri. Friendly atmosphere, total support, and all the education/knowledge you need. It starts in Jan/Feb each year. They have other programs and also if you just wanted to join and learn more.

Loved this hike! Beautiful foliage and you can take the lake view hike…read more It's beautiful and not too strenuous. It's about 5 miles round trip. I was staying at Rio in Gaithersburg and it was only a 15 minute drive. Highly recommend. Great to be in nature and gorgeous this time of year.

This park is such a lovely place for all ages. Plenty of trails and along the water, it's very…read moretherapeutic and relaxing. I did 5 miles and I didn't even scratch the surface. Great for dogs too. As a dog owner, if you know that your dog does not understand your commands and you don't know how they will react with others, please do not approach other dogs. Please spread awareness about pets, some dogs do not like other dogs and you cannot force them to like them. Protect their boundaries because you are their only advocate.