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SLR - 14 Miles MBT Catholic

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

The heat is here, but we'll get a break for tomorrow so we'll keep our start time at 8 AM (and, again, you'll get a longer notice than the day before when we do switch). If you trust the Weather Channel, it'll be a bit of a washout, but if you're an Apple Weather person then there's very little chance of rain in the morning. So grab your rain jacket or at least be prepared for some puddles! Now let's get into it:

The Route: Do you like the MBT and Rock Creek Park and everything in between in? Well Catholic MBT (strava, gps, pdf) is the route for you! We'll head east along the Mall to the Capitol where we'll take a trek up the MBT before crossing the city and heading down Rock Creek Park to make a nice big loop. Check out the largest Catholic Church in North America while you're up there!

Want Something Shorter? The MBT makes for an easy out and back from 10 to 12 miles depending on where you turn around. Alternatively, looping the Capitol instead of going towards Union Station will give you a nice 9 mile route.

Need a Longer Route? For some extra hills and another big church, combine this route with Cathedral Clintons for a nearly exactly 18 miler (continue straight on Calvert Street and pick up Cathedral Clintons from there). I like to call that one Catholic Cathedral Clintons which is also a fun tongue twister. If you've had enough hills for one day, going north on the Rock Creek Trail instead of south gives you an easy way to add any number of miles.

Thirsty? The water fountains on the Mall are fully functional and lifesavers! The MBT also has water fountains at Eckington Dog Park at mile 5.8 and at mile 6.5 near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. After the MBT there are limited water opportunities, so bring your own for the second half of the run! The one saving grace, however, is the water fountain at the start of the C&O canal near the canal boat is back on after being off since 2020!

Need a Bathroom? There are bathrooms at the Washington Monument and Union Station, as well as a few Starbucks and CVSs across the city that make for good options in a pinch.

The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there.

Happy Running!

Anna

SLR: 12 Miles Piney Branch

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

First and most important: It would appear the cooler and drinks last week were stolen from SLR some time between when Hope dropped them off at 8 AM and when the first group of people got back at 10 AM. If anyone saw anything, came back between those times and noticed something, or took it home themselves by mistake, please let me know! We're hoping this was an innocent mistake and not the start of a pattern. The weather tomorrow looks like the perfect spring morning, with temperatures in the mid-50s and little wind. This may be one of the last cooler SLRs of the season and we will be moving back to our summer 7 AM starts within the next few weeks (but not this week, and we'll send out plenty of notice both the Wednesday and Friday ahead of time before it happens). Now let's get into it:

The Route: We're heading back into Rock Creek Park this week to explore Piney Branch (strava, pdf, gps) which is newly renovated after a couple years of closures. I like to think of Piney Branch as the cooler younger sister of Ross Ridge: she goes out in Dupont Circle, runs through the gorgeous Meridian Hill Park, and then comes back down Rock Creek just like her big sister.

Want Something Shorter? Aside from the usual out and back option, another way to shorten this route to around 8 miles is to take a left onto Connecticut Ave at Dupont Circle and follow it to Calvert Street. Take a left on Calvert and an immediate left on Shorham Drive to go into Rock Creek Park and continue along the RCP Trail as the original route states.

Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto this that isn't "out and back on the canal" is to take a right instead of a left when you get into Rock Creek Park and add on a Ross-Ridge loop to make this route 17 miles. Otherwise, just adding on to Pierce Mill is another option for a few more miles!

Thirsty? Unfortunately the only option for water on this route is the fountain at the Lincoln Memorial around mile 1.7. This route does not go all the way to Pierce Mill, so unless you want to add on some miles there is no water in Rock Creek Park. The fountains at Meridian Hill Park are also not turned on (and neither is the cascading fountain for that matter). This is all to say: please bring water tomorrow! It's also Kristine Gift's last SLR tomorrow before moving to Minneapolis so she's clearing out her car of all the leftover waters she had from the last time she brought drinks! Thanks Kristine and enjoy exploring chain of lakes and the river parkway!

Need a Bathroom? Those are also a bit few and far between tomorrow. There are some portopotties that may be available at the Lincoln Memorial depending on the construction. The Dupont Circle CVS is also a good bet in a pinch at mile 3.5. Otherwise there are plenty of businesses on 16th street that may be available, but your mileage may very.

The next club happy hour is Thursday May 23rd at Four Courts (time coming as soon as I remember to ask Nate)! It's also not too early to start planning for the Bunion Derby, signups are now open for the first few races, including the Women's Distance Festival on June 9th.

Happy Running!
Anna