In just 6 short weeks, I’ll be in Washington, D.C. for the 37^th running of the Marine Corps Marathon. I’m sure the energy will be electric as 30,000 runners hit the streets of our nation’s capital (a week before the Presidential election no less!). And speaking of energy, I recently got a sneak peak of what’s in store for me as race day approaches!

Last week, I was in Washington, D.C. for a business meeting. Ironically enough, Mr. rUnladylike was too. We took advantage of the 5 hours of free time we both had by taking a night bike tour with Capital City Bike Tours. While I don’t think I can count any of the 6.5 miles we pedaled toward my training for the ESi Augusta 70.3 Half Ironman coming up in 13 days (eek!!!), it was an incredible experience. For those of you who want to make sure travel doesn’t unravel your exercise schedule, it was the perfect combination of activity, sightseeing and fun.

Next time I see many of these sights again, it will be from the vantage point of running along the marathon course. Until then, enjoy this view from our bikes!

Our tour started at the Capital City Bike Tours headquarters located at Columbia Plaza off of 23rd Street NW. Since we were the only ones signed up for the evening, we ended up getting a private tour!

This was our cool ride. Not exactly carbon fiber, but it did have 3 whole gears!

We kicked off the tour at the White House.

Our next stop was the Washington Monument.

Then we were off to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We even got to see a couple get engaged on the steps as the sun was setting. Everyone clapped and we took a photo for them!

Next we were off to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. I’d never been here before and I thought it was awesome. There were waterfalls and quotes written in stone throughout the monument.

Then we parked our bikes and took a 45-minute boat cruise up and down the Potomac River. We got to see the city from a beautiful vantage point all lit up at night.

After the boat cruise it was off to the Lincoln Memorial. I would highly recommend visiting at night as it is even more dramatic lit up in the dark. We also walked along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall which is about 200 yards away.

Our final stop was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, which is only about a year old. A larger than life sculpture of MLK towers over you as you read many of his most interesting and meaningful quotes etched in stone.

This was definitely an evening to remember, and it got me even more excited for the marathon. I’m officially in a Marine Corps Marathon state of mind! Be on the lookout for my recap of last Saturday’s 21-miler this week.

But first things first: the Augusta 70.3 Half Ironman commences in 13 days! Woo hoo!

Have you ever run the Marine Corps Marathon? If so, what is your best memory of the race? What additional things would you suggest people do in Washington D.C. who are traveling to the marathon in October?