Moving to Northern Virginia

Some of it would depend on where you are working.  If you have to drive for a few hours a day commuting would give you less time to train.

Moving  further out would give you less training options actually. 

IMO, the closer in you are the more options you will have.  I live in Arlington and we have access to W&OD, Mt. Vernon and Capital Crescent Trails, plus C&O Canal (last 2 are right over the bridge in georgetown)

3 High Schools have indoor public pools plus multiple neighborhood private pools.

4-5 bike shops and access to some good riding routes into DC and Maryland, plus probably more bike lanes than any other area around.

Also, look at joining a team.

Team Z
RATS (Reston Area)
Team TPR
Fexy

Each one provides a different feel.  I have an affinity for TPR, because my wife is a co-founder.

If I were made of money I'd live in Arlington. Can't beat it. That being said, I live in Centreville, and its not bad for pools, fine for running, and the W&OD is only a short drive away. Its in Western Fairfax County.

A whole lot depends on where and when you will be working. West Springfield is decent as is Lorton, because 123, has a decent trail that runs quite a ways, housing is cheaper and schools are great. As far as swimming, I think anywhere in Northern Virginia has good pools. Alexandria is decent, depending on where. Make sure you check out the area first, because there are a lot of bad areas in Alexandria. The WO&D trail is probably the top trail in my opinion in the area and runs from the city (pretty much DC) to out in Ashburn and further. A lot depends also on if it is just you or you and family. It is a very busy area here. Welcome and please ask any questions.

I'll be working in D.C. (possibly the Pentagon). Stupid question: What is the WO & D? Thanks

It's a 45-mile trail that lots of folks train on, runs from Alexandria, VA, to Purcellville.

http://www.wodfriends.org/

Do you think that you'll take the metro to work?  That can have a lot to do with where you want to live.  Metro accessible = $$$ though.

It's the Washington & Old Dominion trail (it's an old railway that was uprooted and paved over).  Steady inclines and decents, nothing too steep but lots of crossings.  The most annoying thing about the W&OD from Alexandria to Sterling is waiting at every crosswalk for cars to go by.  Once you get out west past Sterling there's bigger gaps of uninterrupted trail.   Just FYI, during the spring/summer/fall it has lots of foot traffic after work, so it gets dicey at some points.

If you want some ideas to riding routes, you can get them here, there's a bunch of these guys that ride with the RBC (Reston Bike Club):

http://www.evolutioncycling.org/new/rides/

A lot of those routes incorporate the W&OD.

I was going to say you should do look at this triathlon site, they had some good resources for me when i moved out to Virginia.  Also another decent place to ask is someone like this Virginia moving company, i asked a few guys that worked there and they seriously knew a lot about the areas.  Hope i can help!

Working at the Pentagon, then you are set. West Springfield is a great area, cause you aren't far from metro (subway system). The Pentagon also has a full gym, with indoor track, pool and good cardio and weights area. If you work for DoD in crystal city or rosslyn, you can use the Pentagon gym

Stay Springfield and north (which excludes Lorton). I don't know what is considered "west" Springfield but if you're going to have to drive to Metro station, try it a couple of times during rush hour before you commit to a living situation so you know exactly what you're getting into.

Cheaper housing further south isn't worth the commute, and swim/bike options are limited (few/overloaded pools and narrow, windy rural roads filled with cranky commuters).

Depending on what kind of housing you're looking for, you might consider DC itself. Making the transition to a job in the city, I lived there for a year and liked it. Closer to the Potomac gets you closer to longer trails.

Good luck with the move!

Glad to hear we have some friends in Centreville!  We are based in Centreville, directly across the street from lifetime fitness.

Working at the pentagon, it would be a big commute, but a lot of people overlook the Gainesville Haymarket area.  I have to say, the riding from Haymarket is great.  2 miles from us, and we have constant rolling countryside terrain.

W&OD is great, but it is way too crowded and the terrain is less than desirable.  Especially leaving from Arlington, you have stop and go from intersecting roads for a long time!  Just some thoughts.

rev3tri.com

I live in Alexandria, and find I can pretty much do everything from here (minus Openwater swims, which, let's face it - nobody in the DC area can do easily/lawfully...).

Alexandria has a bunch of pools (with more in the summer), as well as ones easily accessible in Springfield area.

You've got the major running trails (W&OD via Four Mile Run, Mt. Vernon Trail, Cameron Run, etc...), and tons of great running options.

Cycling there are some hidden gems here and there, but the big item is it's close to the highway so you can zip down to great places like Prince William Forest Park to get endless laps.  Or just simply grab the bike and head south out of Springfield for a good solid couple hour relatively quiet ride.

Of course, to the Pentagon it's a 10-15 minute metro ride at most, in rush hour.

Reston would be a great option.  Very nice for tri training and the bus ride to and from the Pentagon is very convienent.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/595.htm


Jim

i've lived in northern va most of my life (about 24 years) and there are many different parts of NoVa to consider. the closer you are to DC, the more congested and relatively more expensive the housing. however, you can walk to more places (resturants, etc) than further out and your commute may be shorter.

if you live further out, you can get more for you $$ but your commute increases.

there are tri teams in both areas.

things to weigh heavily in NoVa:
distance/time you are willing to commute
cost of housing
quality of life (city vs. suburbs)
training schedule (do you train more on weekends or during the week)

you may want to look west and north of the city as well. there are a multitude of options in NoVa.

W&OD is highly relied upon by people in this area. Fairfax County has numerous rec facilites with pools. Alexandria and Arlington Co. have facilites as well.

Arlington is still way cooler

First off, welcome to NOVA! I would choose where to live in NOVA based on how much money you want to spend on location/convenience. Arlington has some really great communities to live/train in that are also very metro accessible, but you do not get a lot housing for your money in those places. The same holds true for Alexandria.

Personally, I would avoid moving south unless i had no other choice. Like the poster above mentioned, the commutes on I-95 are a *NIGHTMARE*....some of the absolute worst in the DC area.

Instead, if Arlington/Alexandria are a bit out of budget.....look west a bit more. Herndon/Reston/Centreville/Loudon County are all very nice places to live and you can got a lot more house for your money in those locations. The commute would also be a thousand times better to the pentagon as you can park and ride the metro in. Training options are decent out there as well, as there is plenty of room to ride and run, and there a few community rec centers to swim in.

I appreciate everyones response. I look forward to getting involved in one of the TRI clubs in NOVA as well. Thanks again.