Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.
Our start time is at 8:00 AM until next summer! 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 |
| 4/5 | 14 | Marymount Chain Bridge | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/12 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/19 | 13 | Cathedral Clintons | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/26 | 18 | National Arboretum | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/3 | 12 | Potomac Overlook Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/10 | 13 | Southeast DC | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/17 | 16 | Around the World in Fourteen Miles | Cue Sheet & GPS | 62 Embassies! New Route! |
| 5/24 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 5/31 | 15 | Long Bridge Park | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: 21 Miles - The Big Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Summer has officially come to an end according to Capital Weather Gang and this weekend should be the coolest SLR in quite some time. It should be barely over 65 by the time the run is over, which compared to the last few months is a really nice change. It also comes at a great time for everyone who is racing this weekend! Good luck to everyone and hopefully the good weather will continue into the marathon season! Now let's get into it:
The Route: In terms of DC Running, The Big Loop (strava, gps, pdf) might be the most famous long run route of all time. It also happens to be one of my favorite routes in the area, but don't just take my word for it, Christie Wetzel, Coach Big Guy, and many others are also huge fans! We'll embark on a journey up Rock Creek Park, cross Maryland via Leland St (which does turn a few times as mentioned on the cue sheet, when in doubt follow signs for Leland!!), and finish all the way down the Capital Crescent Trail. Running this loop is a big accomplishment (pun intended) and no marathon training cycle is complete without it! I also always shorten this route to 20 miles and end at Baked & Wired (the best cupcakes in DC) for some cupcakes afterwards as a celebration. I know for a lot of folks this is the first 20 miler of your training cycles (and in some cases ever!!), you should be proud of your accomplishment this weekend and know you're one step closer to crushing it on race day!
Want Something Shorter? The Bethesda Metro Station around mile 13 is a great midway point to ensure you get all of the fun hills in this route for a few less miles on the back end! If you're looking for something other than a metro route or an out and back in Rock Creek Park, the wonderful Ross Ridge Loop is a great way to get 14 miles in, take in the sights of Rock Creek, and still have company for a good chunk of the route.
Need a Longer Route? Do you really? For a couple extra miles, continuing down through Georgetown and across the Memorial Bridge instead of the Key Bridge will add a couple miles to an already long day!
Thirsty? Thank you to Bonnie Harvey for pre and post run drinks this week! Sean Hicks will also be at the Honda Dealership in Bethesda as soon as you get on the Capital Crescent Trail around mile 13 with mid-run drinks! There are some great water options every 5-8 miles along this route, so bring a bottle but expect some nice filling points! My favorites are at mile 5.5 just before you get on Beach Drive, along the Capital Crescent around mile 15 before the little bridge near the water treatment center, and at Fletcher's Boathouse around mile 17.7 as a good last fill before finishing out strong! As these runs get longer, fueling becomes more and more important! Don't forget to bring a few gels tomorrow so you're still feeling strong on that long downhill!!
Need a Bathroom? Those also come roughly the same frequency as the water fountains! Mile 5.5 just before getting on Beach Drive has two different sets of bathrooms (pro tip: going up the hill by the community garden and Mill gets you private bathrooms instead of the multi-stall ones). There are additional bathrooms along Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park every 1-2 miles, keep your eyes out for them along the side of the road near the various picnic areas! There aren't a ton of great options along the Capital Crescent trail aside from Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 17.7, but there are a few gas stations along the way that make a good stop in a pinch!
The next club race is the National Capital 20 Miler and Janet Braunstein 5 Miler next Sunday the 24th! We need a lot of volunteers to keep this event running smoothly, so please consider helping out (especially if you still need Bunion Derby credit)! On that note, we also need volunteers for SLR drinks throughout the month of October (and beyond!), this will count towards Snowball Series volunteer credit (and is also just an awesome thing to do)!
Happy Running!
Anna
New Balance Gear Distribution at SLR 9/9
Hey Folks!
Sorry for the double ping! Two quick things before tomorrow:
1. If you're planning on taking the metro, don't forget to bring a shirt along with your metro card! Had a station manager the other week get pretty annoyed when I wasn't wearing one (though they did still let me ride), but would like to spare everyone from that experience.
2. Speaking of shirts: the New Balance gear that was available for purchase back in June has arrived and Steve will be at SLR tomorrow to distribute! If you can't make SLR tomorrow, he'll also be at Monday Chill Run and Tuesday Night Track this upcoming week. Email steve@dcroadrunners.org with any questions and to coordinate pickup!
Happy Running and see you all tomorrow!
Anna
SLR: **Metro Route** 16 Miles The Awakening
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
For those of you who only read the first sentence of this e-mail:This week's route is Point to Point and will require a Metro card. I've got ~20 extras loaded up with $2 (thank you, weekend flat fares!) so if you don't have a metro card, no need to run out and buy one tonight. I'll have them before the start and will drop a few off at mid-run drinks in case anyone decides to switch plans last minute. Otherwise we're looking at a better morning tomorrow than what we've had this week, but still warm and humid. The 10+ Minute crews will be starting at 6:15, but for everyone else I'll see you at the park at 7AM! Though we have some drink stops on this route, please bring hydration! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Ever driven across that massive bridge between National Harbor and Alexandria and wished you could run over it instead becasuse 495 traffic is so gosh darn slow? Miss when The Awakening used to be at the end of Hains Point so at least there was something interesting out there? Love Randy Clarke and what he's done for the DC Metro? Well this is the week for you with The Awakening (strava, gps, pdf). We'll travel down the Mount Vernon Trail to Alexandria and across the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor. After giving The Awakening the biggest high five, we'll head back across and to the Braddock Road Metro station to take the Blue Line back to the Rosslyn station.
Don't Have the Time for the Metro Tomorrow? An out and back on the Mount Vernon Trail is also a lovely way to start off your morning! Although you'll miss out on the adventure to Maryland, Bob and Ida Draim have wonderfully volunteered for a second mid-run drinks stop at Daingerfield Island (approximately mile 6 on this route), so you'll still have drinks and company for the first half! If you're planning to do an out and back, please let them know and they will wait for you to return (otherwise running the route will have folks only hit them once)!
Want a Longer Route? It's a perfect 24 mile out and back if you don't take the metro for anyone who needs some peak week marathon mileage! Otherwise, continuing along the Blue Line towards Rosslyn will allow you to get in some extra miles and cut down the commute. For about 18 miles, continue up Washington until it becomes Abington Street and take Slater's Lane to the Potomac Yard trail and metro stop (the newest in the DC area)! Crystal City is also a great option for anyone looking to go around 20 miles, just follow the Mount Vernon Trail up to the Crystal City connector and get off that way.
Need Something Shorter?There isn't a great way to get less mileage on this route and still go into National Harbor, but turning around partially across the bridge or after getting into Maryland will allow you to cut off between 1-2 miles. Otherwise as I mentioned in the "Don't Have Time for the Metro Tomorrow" section we've got drinks at 6 miles and an out and back is still a wonderful run!
Thirsty? Thank you so much to all our drink volunteers this week! Ken Strazzerri will be at the park at North Meade Street after the run for post run drinks (and especially for anyone not taking the metro). Bob and Ida Draim will be at Daingerfield Island at Mile 6 for mid-run drinks! And Jana will be down in Alexandria near Jones Point Park/the Wilson Bridge for mid-run drinks around mile 9.5 and pseudo-post run drinks at mile 14.5. Make sure to swing by her before getting on the metro if you want some extra liquids for the trip back! There's a few additional water fountains on the route, most notably along the Mount Vernon Trail near the airport, under the WIlson Bridge, and (possibly) just across the Wilson Bridge (though 50/50 that it's on). Make sure to thank all our volunteers and take advantage as the other options are limited!
Need a Bathroom? There are a few excellent options (and some that are, well, less excellent). Starting off with my favorite public bathrooms in the greater DC Area (and yes, this is saying a lot): there are some incredible restrooms located under the Wilson Bridge that have always been reliably clean and open. Gravelly Point also has some portopotties and there are usually additional ones across the Wilson Bridge (but seriously, use the ones under the bridge, or just go check them out and have a glimmer of hope for what public restrooms could look like).
The next club race is the National Capital 20 Miler and Janet Braunstein 5 Miler, both great tuneup races for all your fall training plans on Sunday the 24th of September. This is also your last option to get Bunion Derby volunteer credit, so help out if you can. The book club is meeting on Sunday as well and Choosing to Run is such a quick read you can probably get through it by then if you start on Saturday!
Happy Running!
Anna