Hope that you know that I was kidding.
You may want to retrace your steps for the return, thus avoiding the Beltway. At this stage, it's hard to tell.
Suggest that you listen to a portable radio the last 1/2 hour or so of the FReep and get traffic reports. If the Western outer loop of the Beltway is announced as having bad traffic, you go south through the city to I-395 to I-95. If no outer loop problems for that stretch, go back using your usual return route.
bump for a great job, wish I could be there...