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Disclaimers
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Running is a rigorous
physical activity. Even conditioned
and experienced runners have succumbed to injury or even death while running.
Auto accidents, heart attacks, strokes, dehydration, falls, lightning
strike and assault are real possibilities for every runner.
The decision over whether to attempt routes listed here is strictly up to
the runner. The author does not
encourage the use of the information provided as the sole basis for deciding
whether or not to try a route. Runners
should consult doctors, and do their own investigations of trail safety.
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Water, restroom facilities
and phones have often been noted in the route directions of the guide.
The areas
outdoor water fountains are usually turned-off November through April.
Sometimes they are not turned on at all in efforts by the park services
to save money. Make your own
precautions for water and restrooms.
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Many routes listed cover
difficult terrain. Others encounter
significant auto or bicycle traffic. Parents
should decide whether their children are ready to safely explore and use the
routes listed.
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Great care was taken in
trying to get and organize the vast amount of information contained in Running
Around Town: Washington, D.C. It
was primarily gathered during 1999. Every
route listed was personally traveled by the author.
However, geographic information changes.
Signs get removed, street names change, new roads and trails get added,
old ones disappear or get replaced. These
changes may make it hard to follow the instructions and maps that have been
provided. Use caution and common
sense. It takes some skill on your
part to read a map. Don't
rely on your memory alone when trying out a new area.
Print the directions and map then take them with you.
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Trail measurements were
made either by using a measuring wheel, or by using a bicycle that was
calibrated to the wheel. The wheel
measured in one foot increments. Almost
all of the bicycle measurements were made to the one-hundredth of a mile.
On average, features such as intersections, bridges and facilities on the
routes were recorded with distance information every tenth of a mile.
Well over two thousand total miles were covered during the research
phase. The information was later
organized on spreadsheets for individual trails or routes.
Though the data has been checked, it is easily possible that
transcription or computational errors have been made.
These might increase the listed route distance or even shorten it.
Such errors, if they have been made, are regrettable but are a normal
part of geographic exploration. For
instance, many mile markers installed on the C&O Canal Towpath are off by as
much as ten percent.
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Events listed may be
canceled at any time. By providing
event information to the public, the author does not endorse the events or vouch
for the reliability of the event organizer's
publications.
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