WASHINGTON -- Five a.m. is an early wake-up call, even for the mayor of the nation's capital.

But Adrian Fenty has a personal goal to accomplish, before all the phone calls and meetings begin, and before his twin boys wake up.

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Mayor Fenty runs every other day for at least an hour. He logs some 40 miles a week.

Now he's training for the upcoming Wirefly National Marathon, his eighth marathon to date.

"What could be better than running downtown amongst the monuments?" said Fenty. "Hopefully I won't be so tired that I don't notice them."

Fenty said he hopes the marathon will inspire more people to run, walk and just get in shape. He said it's good for the body and the soul.

"I love running because it's a good release," said Fenty. "It takes you away from the normal day to day grind. While l love what I do as mayor, it's good to get away from the day-to-day stuff."

Fenty has been running for more than 20 years. He ran track and cross country in high school and college. His parents were runners.

But the running bug first bit him when he got a job in 10th grade.

"It was an ice cream store," said Fenty. "It closed at 11, 12 o’clock. It was too late to catch a bus so I started to run home. That's when I started running. I picked it up and have been doing it ever since."