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SLR: 12 Miles RFK

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Marine Corps Marathon weekend is finally here and the city is already buzzing! The weather looks excellent for both SLR tomorrow and the race on Sunday (furiously knocks on wood). Good luck to everyone racing and thank you in advance to everyone working the water stop and cheering!! Now let's get into it:

The Route: Cue "I'm Still Standing"! This week we'll be doing an old classic (and the first SLR route I ever ran with the club!): RFK (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head down the Mall and through Capitol Hill, which always has some fantastic Halloween decorations out, so keep your eyes peeled! After that we'll run to the ever-degrading RFK Stadium, named for Robert Kennedy (no, not that one), before heading back to the park at North Meade Street.

Racing this Weekend? SLR is also hosting a shakeout run (strava) tomorrow morning in conjunction with our normal long run! Come out to get a nice last jog in before race day and meet up at Compass Coffee/Bethesda Bagels afterwards for breakfast (even if you aren't racing this weekend, come get some breakfast, talk about the weather, and give all your best pre-race advice that isn't already on NBC4)! Good luck to everyone tackling big races this weekend! The city is yours, go and take it! Before the race, former SLR leader and current ultra-marathoner extraordinaire Erik Price is helping organize a DCRR meetup at the northwest end of Bag Drop (closest to the exit where you'll head to the start) at 7:20. Meet up with your training partners before the start and get in the zone!

Want Something Shorter? This route is an out and back, which makes it pretty easy to cut off any amount of mileage. Just turn around halfway from where you'd like to end the run. Turning around at the top of Capitol Hill will get you 9 miles and Lincoln Park will get you 11 if you want some landmarks!

Need a Longer Route? Continuing back around RFK past the stadium will lead to the Anacostia Riverwalk, which is a wonderful way to add a few miles onto the route and possibly check out the Halloween decorations at the Wharf if you make a loop out of it! The Congressional Cemetery is also wonderful this time of year if you're looking for a different way to add on a few miles!

Thirsty? As far as I know the Mall Park Rangers have smiled upon us favorably and haven't turned off the water fountains yet, but it's anyone's guess when they will (and it's a safe bet that it will be on a hot day and you will be depending on them, so we're probably safe this weekend). There are also fountains at Lincoln Park that are questionably reliable, so bring some water if you're planning on doing the full route!

Need a Bathroom? The bathrooms outside the Washington Monument and the temporary ones outside the Lincoln Memorial are always a safe bet! Otherwise there will likely be a LOT of portopotties scattered throughout the Mall for the marathon on Sunday. Don't let these fool you, they will almost certainly all be locked until the morning of the race, as is sacred tradition among these parts.

Don't Have Plans on Sunday? DCRR is hosting a cheer zone at mile 16 on the Mall next to the Washington Monument along with working the water stop in the same area! Come out and cheer on your favorite training partners!

The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! This one of my favorite races in the region (and the metro is even open to get to the start)! We also need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep this race running smoothly, so please consider helping out either race morning or the week before with packet pickup if you're in the area for the holiday! DCRR Memberships expire on November 30th! Renew yours today, tell your friends to renew theirs, and have them tell their friends to renew theirs!

Happy Running!

Anna

SLR: 8 AM Start!! 10 Miles Chain Bridge Loop

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

SLR is starting at 8 AM this week and throughout the winter until next summer! Alright, now that the people who only read the first sentence of these know the important stuff, happy fall y'all. We're looking at a lovely morning for a long run tomorrow and some excellent C&O canal time before we start to have to worry about icy patches. Come get your last long run in before your fall marathons (unless you're doing CIM, then come get some good mileage in and enjoy the beautiful weather). Now let's get into it:

The Route: This week we're doing a DCRR classic and one of my favorites, the Chain Bridge Loop (strava , pdf, gpx). We'll start by going up the Rosslyn Hill and then following Military Road up four very nice climbs (that's only five hills total! You can do five hills!) before a nice run back down the C&O Canal. Need something to look forward to on the hills? There are quite a few really good halloween houses throughout and a cute little rainbow drawing on the sidewalk on top of the third one!

Want Something Shorter? This route doesn't have a lot of great ways to shorten it, but an out and back on Military Road is never a bad run (though it is a hilly one).

Need a Longer Route? This route is easily extended by going over any of the other bridges to return back to the park at North Meade Street. 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 is a staple. 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 next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! This is the club's largest race of the year and we need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep it running smoothly. Help out at packet pickup, bring the whole family out for a fun five miler, and enjoy this great club event!

Happy Running!

Anna