Hi Runners --
Welcome to Week 6 and some of the coldest temperatures this area has seen for some time. We had a great turnout last week for a 14-mile run up 16th ST NW in the snow. This weekend will present a different set of challenges. You'll also notice that this is a new format for the weekly email distribution. This information, in addition to the email you receive, will be captured as an article located at https://www.dcroadrunners.org/activities/2018-spring-marathon-training.html. If there are specific training program documents, I will send those out in a separate email, so be on the lookout just in case.
This week's route is the 16-mile Arlington Triangle. It's one of my favorite routes that includes pieces of Mt. Vernon, Four Mile Run, W&OD, and Custis all in one. The first part of this route is pretty flat, then climbs on the W&OD portion, and goes back downhill (generally) on Custis. Full route details are located on the SLR page, which is located here.
Weather this Saturday morning will be mostly clear with a run-time temperature around 10 deg F. Given that there will be a NW wind of 10-15 mph, the windchill values will be around -5 deg F -- gusts could be as high as 25 mph. Layers will be key to staying warm and safe. Please consider these temperatures and dress accordingly. Hourly weather.gov details can be found at this link. A few weeks back I mentioned an article, The Newbie Guide to Running When It’s Cold; check it out again and consider it when getting ready for our run this Saturday. Keep in mind that you may be outside for a lot longer than a 3-6 mile run you did earlier this week. As always, questions are welcome.
As a reminder, now that we are getting into the meat of the training program, quality workouts (e.g., tempo/stead state runs, track workouts, etc.) outside of SLR are essential to having both a good target race as well as staving off injury during the remainder of the training program. As mentioned in emails earlier this season, the club has several organized workouts in addition to the Saturday Long Run -- there are more details here. I have some more information to provide regarding track workouts, which I will distribute tomorrow.
To close out this week's email, a few annoucements:
- Volunteer and Race Opportunities
- We need more SLR post-run drink volunteers after next week -- please contact mike@dcroadrunners.org if you would like to help out.
- On Saturday January 13, we have the JFK 20K & MLK 5K in Carderock, Maryland. Volunteer at this link.
- On Saturday February 10, we have the Langley 8K in McLean, Virginia. Volunteer at this link.
- On Sunday February 18 DCRRC holds the annual George Washington’s Birthday Marathon and Relay. We need a lot of volunteers for this event, so please consider signing up here. You can also race this event using up to a 3-person relay, with legs of 9.7, 7.3, and 9.2 miles -- it can serve as a good tune up.
- One last call this week for 2017 club award nominations (to be presented at the Club Banquet in March 2018). We could use more nominations in any category, but especially for the volunteer award as well as masters runners' awards, so think back on all of the great accomplishments within the club this year and help your training buddies get recognized!
Take care, stay warm, and see you in a few days.
Best,
Jonny and all your friendly DCRRC volunteers!
