Hello Saturday Runners!
On Saturday August 13, our route will be Piney Branch (additional map here), which is about 11.75 miles. To add distance, this route can be extended to 16 miles by continuing straight on 16th Street, past Military Rd., and left on Joyce Rd. This will take you down to Beach Dr. where you can cross and head up Ross Dr. for some scenic views on your way to picking up the route again below Pierce Mill.
The forecast for Saturday is looking typically hot, so as usual everyone should be aware of the heat, and if necessary run at a slower pace than usual, carry extra fluids, and look out for any warning signs for dehydration both in yourself and your fellow runners. Unfortunately we don't have an organized mid-run water stop this week due to lack of a volunteer, but there are at least a number of water fountains along the route. You'll pass them at the Lincoln Memorial (~2 mi), Dupont Circle (~3 mi), 16th St across from Lamont St (~5 mi), the base of the Zoo (~7.5 mi), and on the Canal Towpath (~10.5 mi). To find water fountains along any of our weekly routes, go to the milermeter "additional" map link I always send out, change the map overlay style to "OpenCycle", and zoom in until you see water faucet icons on the map, which are public fountains.
Thank you Wendy Mcnally for post-run drinks! We still have a few openings in the schedule leading up to Marine Corps that need mid-run volunteers, including this week, so please let me know when you can help! 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 staffed, so if you're an SLR regular, do your part to help support them!
I'm going to be out of town once again this Saturday, but Coach Jessie from the Marathon Training Program will be kicking off the run for you on Saturday morning, and I'll see you all again next weekend.
Happy running!
Mike
P.S. One more thing to keep in mind - as far as I know this hasn't been an issue yet, but please remember that we are guests each week in a residential area. While it's perfectly normal for all of us to be psyched and ready to run lots of miles on Saturday morning, not everyone else is in pump-up mode at 6:45 am on the weekend. Particularly around the nearby apartments, it would be best to be mindful of loud music from your cars, or any other noise that might make us less than welcome.
