She Runs by the Seashore

When I’m in a new place, no matter for how short, I always like to get a run in. So, when I had a meeting for work in Rockville, Maryland, in October, and stayed overnight, I planned out a run.

I started from the EVEN Hotel Rockville. I drove there, but the Twinbrook Metro stop is also nearby.

After about a mile of running through the city — there were sidewalks on every road I encountered, which I was a huge fan of! — I made it to the Twinbrook Connector Trail. There was a paved surface, then a bridge and then a technical trail.

After a little less than a mile, I reached the Rock Creek Trail, a paved trail that runs from Washington, D.C. to Rock Creek Regional Park at Lake Needwood. This trail had great signage, and when I entered the trail, I came to a marker that said “Rock Creek Trail” at the top, then an arrow to the left for “DC Boundary 10.5” and “Lake Needwood 3.9.”

I took the trail toward the D.C. Boundary, and along the way, I saw a deer right off the trail. There was also a steep hill on this trail, which I later saw was named “Silencer Hill” on Strava, with 9.6 percent grade.

I followed the Rock Creek Trail to Randolph Road, hitting that point at about 3.5 miles. I’d been taking it at a pretty easy and taking photos and video, but I knew I needed to get back to the hotel so I could get ready for my meeting, so I sped up during the last two miles, which were on sidewalks.

I ended with six miles before the meeting. I’m glad I got out there to explore!