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SLR July 30 - Ross Drive

Hello Saturday Runners!

The route this week, on Saturday July 30, will be a 14.5 mile run to Ross Drive (additoinal map here). Thankfully it will be a relatively shaded route to keep us a little bit cooler, but there are a few significant hills to keep in mind. To go shorter than 14.5 mi you can run out & back along the early part of the route, or to go longer (which I probably wouldn't recommend in this weather) one option is additional laps of Beach Dr to Ross Dr at about 3.5 mi each.

The weather will be hot again this Saturday, with temperatures reaching the 80s by 10:00 am, but a high temperature of about 85 deg shouldn't be as severe as last week. Please still take extra precautions running in the heat, run at a slower pace than usual, carry extra fluids, and be aware of any warning signs for dehydration both in yourself and your fellow runners. We unfortuantely do not have a mid-run drink station this week due to lack of a volunteer, but there are water fountains along the route that we can catch in both directions at Key Park (in Georgetown), at the Zoo (about 50 m off of the bike path), and at Pierce Mill.

Thank you Eunja Rau for post-run drinks, both this week and over the past month! I'd also like to send a big thank you to all of the volunteers who have contacted me recently, since we have now completely filled our schedule for post-run beverages through the Marine Corps Marathon! However... we still need lots of mid-run volunteers, including this week! Up-to-date future volunteer needs and a route schedule are always posted on our web page, and you can email me any time to schedule your slot. Our drink stations are entirely volunteer supported, so please do your part to help support them!

Happy running!

Mike

SLR July 23 - EARLY START 6:00 am - DC Sightseer Loop

Hello Saturday Runners!

Due to very high predicted temperatures and humidity on Saturday morning, July 23, this week only we will be moving the group's start time one hour earlier to 6:00 am. Please be cautious running in hot weather, slow your pace, and be sure to stay hydrated both before and during your run. Pay attention to not only the temperature, but also the dew point, and add the two together to get an "index". The forecasted temperature plus dew point index for Saturday morning is roughly 150, which indicates that you should use caution on a long run.

This week's run will be the DC Sightseer Loop (additional map here), which is about 13 miles. With the heat in mind, please consider shortening the run to 10 miles by skipping the loop of the Tidal Basin, and heading directly back over Memorial Bridge.

Thanks this week go to Eric Pico for our post-run drinks, and Ed Grant & Deborah Margraff for our mid-run drinks! Mid-run drinks will be located around mile 6.5, on the National Mall near the Smithsonian castle. There are also numerous water fountains along this week's route (find them using the OpenCycle map overlay on the Milermeter course map linked above), so be sure to stay hydrated! We're in pretty good shape for post-run drinks, though one more two-week slot still needs to be filled, but we need mid-run drink volunteers starting next week. Email me to schedule your volunteer dates!

Up-to-date future volunteer needs and a route schedule are always posted on our web page, and you can email me any time to schedule your slot. For mid-run beverages, any week you're able to volunteer is appreciated, but for post-run beverages it's best if you can cover two (or more!) consecutive weeks at a time, to cut down on hand-offs of the bins. If you enjoy or benefit from the entirely volunteer-supported beverages at our runs, please do your part - it's easy, and you'll be reimbursed for all expenses.

I'm unfortunately not going to be able to make it to SLR this week due to travel plans, but I'm leaving you in the enthusiastic and capable hands of Coach Kathy, our director of the Marathon Training Program!

Happy running!

Mike