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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

SLR: 22 Miles North Anacostia

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Good luck to everyone running the Club Challenge 10 Miler tomorrow! Remember, the hills come at the end of the race, so make it a strategic positive split and save something for miles 6 and 8. If you are running the Club Challenge and don't want to run 22 miles the day before, fear not, we've got options! Now let's get into it:

The Route: Tomorrow brings us the longest of the long runs along the North Anacostia (strava, pdf, gpx). This will take us to new and exciting parts of the city (hello Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens) and along old familiar areas (did someone say MBT part two?!). We'll begin our journey across the Mall via the Memorial bridge before continuing past the Capitol and up North Carolina Ave and C Street until we cross the Benning Road bridge. From here, we'll snake our way all the way up the Anacostia Riverwalk to Bladensburg, Maryland before crossing Cottage City via Bunker Hill Road, Rhode Island Ave, and Monroe Street. This will lead us to the ever-familiar Metropolitan Branch Trail and we'll follow that down to the Mall and back to the park for a nice 22 miles.

Want Something Shorter? My favorite way to cut this route to an easy 14 miles is to hop on the metro at Brookland - CUA and ride down the MBT and across the city on WMATA. If you want a couple more miles there are plenty other metro stops along the way that can get you pretty much anything from 14-18 miles!

Want Something Even Shorter? We've got a Club Challenge Shakeout route for anyone racing Sunday! Join us for 6 miles as we stratagize on how to most effectively split the race, figure out which other clubs we really need to keep an eye out for, and select the perfect pump up playlist for the bus ride up in the morning.

Thirsty? There are a few water fountains along the MBT that are generally safe bets, but as usual in the winter those are few and far between. It's a long route tomorrow and staying hydrated is imperative for staying fresh and strong through those last miles!

Need a Bathroom? The ones at Bladensburg were open the last time I ran by, but that's not to say they will be tomorrow. Other options include Union Station and The Washington Monument, both of which are pretty consistent!

The next club race is the Burke Lake 12K on March 3rd! We're still in need of volunteers for the event as well, so sign up and get those snowball series credits out of the way early! Signups for the Banquet on March 10th are also open! Come out and hang out with your best running friends, eat some delicious Italian food, and still get back in time for an early night before work on Monday.

Happy Running!
Anna