For a number of years, I lived outside of downtown Silver Spring, a block away from a wooded trail that ran along Sligo Creek. I used the hill between my house and the trail for hill workouts and the trail itself for everything else. As time went on, I stopped running anywhere else.

There's something primal about speed work. No scenic distractions, no conquering elevation—just you, the pavement, and the clock. DC's topography might be famous for its hills (looking at you, Rock Creek Park), but the city delivers when you need pancake-flat terrain to hammer out tempo runs, intervals, or those soul-crushing 400-meter repeats.

Here's where to find your speed in the District and beyond.

Once you’ve mastered the DC classics (Rock Creek Park, National Mall, MBT, Anacostia, and the Capital Crescent), you may be looking for somewhere new to run. Fortunately, for DC runners willing to travel a little further from home, the area is chock full of interesting routes to test your fitness. Some of these are metro accessible, and some will require four wheels, but they’re all worth the trip.

DC is home to many great trails. Here are the five that all runners should know.