Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Summer has officially come to an end according to Capital Weather Gang and this weekend should be the coolest SLR in quite some time. It should be barely over 65 by the time the run is over, which compared to the last few months is a really nice change. It also comes at a great time for everyone who is racing this weekend! Good luck to everyone and hopefully the good weather will continue into the marathon season! Now let's get into it:
The Route: In terms of DC Running, The Big Loop (strava, gps, pdf) might be the most famous long run route of all time. It also happens to be one of my favorite routes in the area, but don't just take my word for it, Christie Wetzel, Coach Big Guy, and many others are also huge fans! We'll embark on a journey up Rock Creek Park, cross Maryland via Leland St (which does turn a few times as mentioned on the cue sheet, when in doubt follow signs for Leland!!), and finish all the way down the Capital Crescent Trail. Running this loop is a big accomplishment (pun intended) and no marathon training cycle is complete without it! I also always shorten this route to 20 miles and end at Baked & Wired (the best cupcakes in DC) for some cupcakes afterwards as a celebration. I know for a lot of folks this is the first 20 miler of your training cycles (and in some cases ever!!), you should be proud of your accomplishment this weekend and know you're one step closer to crushing it on race day!
Want Something Shorter? The Bethesda Metro Station around mile 13 is a great midway point to ensure you get all of the fun hills in this route for a few less miles on the back end! If you're looking for something other than a metro route or an out and back in Rock Creek Park, the wonderful Ross Ridge Loop is a great way to get 14 miles in, take in the sights of Rock Creek, and still have company for a good chunk of the route.
Need a Longer Route? Do you really? For a couple extra miles, continuing down through Georgetown and across the Memorial Bridge instead of the Key Bridge will add a couple miles to an already long day!
Thirsty? Thank you to Bonnie Harvey for pre and post run drinks this week! Sean Hicks will also be at the Honda Dealership in Bethesda as soon as you get on the Capital Crescent Trail around mile 13 with mid-run drinks! There are some great water options every 5-8 miles along this route, so bring a bottle but expect some nice filling points! My favorites are at mile 5.5 just before you get on Beach Drive, along the Capital Crescent around mile 15 before the little bridge near the water treatment center, and at Fletcher's Boathouse around mile 17.7 as a good last fill before finishing out strong! As these runs get longer, fueling becomes more and more important! Don't forget to bring a few gels tomorrow so you're still feeling strong on that long downhill!!
Need a Bathroom? Those also come roughly the same frequency as the water fountains! Mile 5.5 just before getting on Beach Drive has two different sets of bathrooms (pro tip: going up the hill by the community garden and Mill gets you private bathrooms instead of the multi-stall ones). There are additional bathrooms along Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park every 1-2 miles, keep your eyes out for them along the side of the road near the various picnic areas! There aren't a ton of great options along the Capital Crescent trail aside from Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 17.7, but there are a few gas stations along the way that make a good stop in a pinch!
The next club race is the National Capital 20 Miler and Janet Braunstein 5 Miler next Sunday the 24th! We need a lot of volunteers to keep this event running smoothly, so please consider helping out (especially if you still need Bunion Derby credit)! On that note, we also need volunteers for SLR drinks throughout the month of October (and beyond!), this will count towards Snowball Series volunteer credit (and is also just an awesome thing to do)!
Happy Running!
Anna
