Iwo Jima Memorial

Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.

Our start time is at 8:00 AM for the rest of the year. Every Saturday we meet at North Meade Street Park, a small park northwest of the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Rosslyn. The closest address for mapping purposes is 1300 Arlington Blvd, and street parking is available in the neighborhoods adjacent to N. Meade Street. Be mindful of parking signs, since Arlington County enforces them enthusiastically, and please do not park on Marine Memorial Circle (inside Iwo Jima), because this parking area is for memorial use only. At least one porta-john is available year-round near the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the memorial's water fountain is usually on during the summer.

We run rain or shine! In cases of extreme weather (snow, ice, thunderstorms, heat waves) we do occasionally either change our meeting time or cancel the run for safety, but the run will be held as planned unless otherwise posted via email/twitter/facebook and here on the SLR web page.

All are welcome! We're an informal group, and there are no requirements for speed, racing experience, or what distance means "long" for you, other than the suggested route that most of our group will be running each week. If you don't want to run the same distance or course as the main group, you can go out for half of your own target distance and re-trace your steps back to Iwo Jima. More specific route info and mileage options will be given in the email/post preceding each Saturday's run. SLR always features a run from our extensive Route Catalog, which gives us a wide range of options to keep things fresh for you each week. We have routes that are flat, hilly, looped, out & back, roads, sidewalks, trails, and more, reaching all around the local area of DC, VA, and MD!

For more details about Saturday Long Runs please read our Frequently Asked Questions to get a sense for what it's like to run with us, or send an email to Anna if you have any other questions that are not covered.

To receive weekly SLR updates via email, please log in and check your email subscriptions.

Schedule:

Date Miles Route Map Navigation Downloads Post/Mid-Run Beverages
3/2 14 Ross Drive Cue Sheet & GPS  
3/9 10 Chain Bridge Cue Sheet & GPS  
3/16 14 Southeast DC - Magnolias!! Cue Sheet & GPS  
3/23 12 Water Route - Cherry Blossoms!! Cue Sheet & GPS   
3/30 21 Big Loop Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/6 15 Iron Triangle Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/13 14 Long Bridge Park Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/20 12 Piney Branch Cue Sheet & GPS  
4/27 18 Arboretum - Azaleas!! Cue Sheet & GPS  

SLR: 12 Miles Bluemont L Loop

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Good luck to everyone racing at either Rock and Roll or Virginia Beach this weekend! Rock and Roll is this Saturday at 8 AM starting downtown and closing the Memorial Bridge, so plan ahead when getting to SLR! As such, we'll also be changing the route up in order to avoid the area (which unfortunately means we'll miss the Magnolia trees in the Haupt Garden, highly recommend going if you get the chance). The weather looks lovely for tomorrow, with temperatures in the upper 40s, with sun and no wind!

The Route: This week we'll be avoiding downtown and any bridges with a classic Bluemont L Loop (strava, gps, pdf). We'll start by heading up to Ballston via Wilson Boulevard then heading down the Bluemont Trail to the W&OD. From here we'll head west until making a right onto the Custis trail, which we'll follow down to the Mount Vernon Trail, under the Memorial Bridge, and back to the park via the 110 Trail. There are some lovely trees blooming along the way that are sure to be a treat!

Want Something Shorter? Instead of heading onto the Bluemont Trail, take a right and go down Custis for about 9 miles instead of 12. Another way to cut off some distance and miss some of the hills is to turn at Lynn Street back into Rosslyn instead of going on the Mount Vernon Trail. This will also net you a little over 9 miles.

Need a Longer Route? An out and back along the W&OD or Mount Vernon Trail makes it easy to get some more mileage. My personal favorite is to head down near the 14th Street Bridge for some views of the not-quite-blooming-yet cherry trees across the river.

Thirsty? The water fountains along the W&OD and Custis have been on all winter and it's a safe bet they'll stay that way. Check them out at the corner of the W&OD and Custis and along Custis right after Ballston!

Need a Bathroom? The ones along the W&OD should be opening momentarily (if anyone knows the date off the top of their head let me know! Usually it's mid-November to mid-March). Otherwise there are plenty of Starbucks along Wilson that I've used many times in a pinch.

The next club race is the Finally-Back-At-Fort-Hunt 10K this Sunday! Register or better yet, volunteer and get those Snowball Series credits out of the way!

Happy Running!

Anna

 

SLR: 10 Miles Chain Bridge Loop

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

For those running Shamrock next weekend, congratulations! You've made it to the last long run of the training cycle and that's something to be proud of. The weather tomorrow looks, well, bad quite frankly. Low 40s and raining is no ones favorite conditions, but remember: better now than on race day (flashback to 2018 Boston, which was much worse). Now let's get into it:

The Route: What I've affectionately nicknamed The Hilly Loop: it's Chain Bridge (strava, gps, pdf) week at SLR! We'll head up the Rosslyn hill before making a sharp left down the bike path and following it to Lorcom Lane up the hill before making a right onto Nelly Custis Drive where we'll crest the hill and veer right through the traffic circle onto Military Road. We'll climb two more hills along Military, the last of which will lead us to the corner of Old North Glebe, where we'll take a right then a left onto North Randolph Street and a right down the bike path and the big hill to the Chain Bridge. From here we'll enjoy a gradual downhill back to Georgetown and across the bridge to Rosslyn.

Want Something Shorter? An out and back on Military Road is your best bet for a shorter run. Alternatively, make it a loop and head back a slightly different direction to Custis (most roads lead there eventually).

Need a Longer Route? We've got plenty of options for bridges this week! Taking Memorial Bridge back and going straight to the park will make it 12 miles and taking Memorial Bridge and going up through Rosslyn will be 13. The 14th Street Bridge makes for a convenient 14 miler if you come back up by the Cemetery and 15 miles if you go through Rosslyn. For any more than that, throw in a loop of Hains for 18+.

Thirsty? The water fountain at mile 3.5 at Zachary Taylor Park has been a lifesaver on many, many runs. Additional water can be found at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse, just take a right off the canal and head down the steps and it's on the left.

Need a Bathroom? There's a portopotty around mile 4.3 at the Nature Center and working bathrooms (with indoor plumbing!) at Fletcher's Cove! I've also had a lot of luck with construction sites in front yards, so keep an eye out.

The Banquet is this Sunday March 10th at 4:30 at Maggiano's Little Italy in Friendship Heights and we need your help to hit quorum! In order to elect officers for the next calendar year, we need at least 50 attendees who are members in good standing. Sign up today!

Anna

 

SLR: 16 Miles Ross Drive

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Sorry for the delay in updating the website, we've now got runs planned out to the end of April (though I anticipate a few will change based on when the lovely flowers in the area decide to bloom). You know what they say, early March showers bring April flowers and we'll be getting plenty of those tomorrow morning. I won't sugarcoat it, upper 40s and raining isn't generally the nicest weather, but it'll be great practice for your spring races and a good opportunity to figure out what the heck to wear in this kind of weather (I'm partial to a rainjacket and ball cap but to each their own). Now let's get into it:

The Route: After having to miss it earlier this cycle, we're doing Ross Drive (strava, pdf, gpx) by popular demand! Due to the rainy conditions, we will not be taking the Lover's Lane/Dumbarton Oaks trail and will instead be running up Rock Creek Park (which yes, make this a 15.5ish mile run instead of 14). When we get to Beach Drive, we'll head straight up until we hit Military Road, where we'll make a left onto Ross Drive then Ridge Road to come back down Rock Creek Park the same way we came.

Want Something Shorter? An out and back in Rock Creek park is the way to go! If you're looking for around 12 and want a loop, a reverse Piney Branch will do the trick (however with the rain I can't say I'd recommend streetlight hopping for that many miles, but to each their own).

Need a Longer Route? Running extra Ross Drive loops will get you around 3.6 miles each, so adding on in those increments is a breeze. Otherwise returning over the Memorial Bridge instead of Key will get you a couple more miles as well, if you're looking for more but less. Trying to do a marathon tomorrow because you entered that Tokyo lottery and forgot about it until they emailed you saying it was starting and now you need to run that far? A loop of Ross Ridge then continuing up Rock Creek Park and doing the Big Loop will get you a little over 24. Head across Memorial Bridge instead of Key Bridge for your last additional miles and cross your fingers for the drawing!

Thirsty? The water fountains at Peirce (yes it's spelled like that) Mill are always a good go-to in a pinch. The water falling from the sky is also mostly potable, but bringing your own tomorrow is a better idea!

Need a Bathroom? Peirce Mill is also a lifesaver in that regard and better yet we'll hit both their bathrooms twice, once before and once after the Ross Drive loop.

Signups for the Banquet are open and we have a fantastic lineup of speakers for the event. Come out next Sunday March 10th and hear Hope Seck, Sean Hicks, Lauren Firey, Jerry McEnerney, and myself give some rapid fire talks about running, life, and much more! The next club race is Sunday's Burke Lake 12K and we are in desperate need of volunteers for the event. Please help out if you can!

Happy Running!

Anna

 

Page 1 of 384

 DCRRlogotypeRRCA member

The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability.