Runner relocating to Northern Virginia needs help (Reston, Annandale: new home, high school)

[adolpho]

Burke or Clifton would be worth a look, too.

[stuntmonkey]

The W&OD Trail is the best place for distance running in Northern Virginia. It's flat, scenic, and well-marked. If you can swing it, you'd probably love a home where you could walk to the trail.

Some ideas:
Vienna
Reston
Herndon
Sterling
Ashburn

When you look at houses, pull them up on google maps and you will be able to see how close to the trail they are. The trail is on all their online maps.

If you're working near Fair Oaks Mall, you could commute from any of those locations. I know Ashburn Village has some nice homes that back to the trail.

[DC Oldtimer]

This web page that shows trails maintained by the county may be helpful:

Trails and Sidewalks Committee - Maps*- Fairfax County, Virginia

My advice would be to find a place east of your job so that you will be traveling in the opposite direction from most of the traffic. I think traffic from Reston would probably be pretty unbearable during rush hour.

My favorite neighborhood in Fairfax is Ridgelea Hills. It's wonderful and in your price range.

[arlingtonChris]

This site is also a good resource for local running trails (best viewed with MS Internet Explorer): Trail Guide

[Caladium]

I'm not sure I'd recommend running on the W&OD. A lot of cyclists use that, sometimes it can be hairy to run there.

[stuntmonkey]

Originally Posted by Caladium

I'm not sure I'd recommend running on the W&OD. A lot of cyclists use that, sometimes it can be hairy to run there.

True, a lot of cyclists use the trail, but it is just the perfect long-distance running spot, too. There are mile markers every 1/2 mile, it's flat, has parking at several spots, and even has portapotties in a few locations. I don't know if I'd use it for a short 20 minute jog, but if you're going to do distance, it's an awesome trail to run. (I've trained for a marathon and several halves on it.)

[SteelCityRising]

I'm an avid distance runner who lives in East Central Reston. I often walk down to the W & OD Trail and then run through Reston and Herndon and back, or I like run from my home and then around Lake Anne and back (shorter loop). The Reston Runners are very popular here. Also, during warmer weather there are so many people out running in Reston in general you feel like you're in a sea of fitness enthusiasts. That's one thing I like about Reston, even though I'm a frequent critic of the town...errr...HOA. Crime is a non-issue in Reston. The town...errr...HOA...has 65,000 residents. I believe there was only 1 murder in 2009, and that was domestic in nature. There is a fair amount of petty property crime in South Reston where you'll find the more lower-income neighborhoods, but that's still not a "bad" area either. I personally HATE this whole "idealistic Stepford planned HOA" baloney, which is why I probably won't be a long-term Reston resident, but it's not bad if you don't mind living in bland suburbia.

[ShannonMilligan]

I am in Ashburn and we have a lot of runners who use the WOD trail. Loudoun has great schools too. In addition there is Belmont Country Club which is gated. Commute would be more like 40 minutes to Fair Oaks. (I know as I used to work near there. Some days it would take me 30 minutes to get there and other days 45.)

Good luck with your move!

[lchoro]

Reston Runners usually run on the W&OD trail every Sunday morning. Reston is quite safe. People are very nervous about the crime in South Central Reston though because of the ever-present gang graffiti and the assaults on the path. South Lakes High has a good track. It's also a good safe distance away from South Central as us locals like to refer to that part of town.

[CTBBFAN]

Not sure how this topic got picked up again, but I thought I would give an update. We found a place in Ashburn that is close to the W&OD trail and I have used it extensively, running multiple 20M training runs for a fall marathon, in both directions (I like heading toward Reston better than Leesburg however) and I love it.

I do wish that they would plow it, however, as there are spots that are still completely covered with ice from the storm a few weeks ago. Not a big deal but it would be nice for runners (and bikers who commute).

The commute from Ashburn to Fairfax, on the other hand, has been less of a success story. It seems that my commute gets longer by about a minute a month (moved in March) as it took me 35 minutes then and it is closer to 45 minutes now.........I hate to think about what it will be like in two years!

Thanks for everyones input. I am sure it will be beneficial to other runners moving to the area.