Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Good luck to everyone racing Valencia and CIM this weekend! I always think of this as the last weekend of fall marathons and want to congratulate everyone for a fantastic, inspiring, and all-around wonderful training cycle. December comes with lots of DCRR Holiday celebrations and SLR is no exception, so keep on the lookout for those in the coming weeks! We'll break our cold spell tomorrow with temperatures in the mid-40s and high humidity, so don't forget to bring water! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be embarking on what might be the most popular loop (at least parts of it) in the Northern Virginia Area: the Bluemont L Loop (strava, gps, pdf). From unicylists to people going on their singular training run of the year before the turkey trot they forgot they signed up for to folks training for the Olympic Trials to that one guy who rucks in shorts and a t-shirt no matter the temperature, a million lives play out along the Custis-W&OD-Bluemont corridor every year. We'll head up Wilson Boulevard to the Bluemont Trail and take that down to the W&OD. From there we will make a right onto the Custis trail and enjoy the rolling downhills all the way to the Memorial Bridge before heading back up to the park.
Want Something Shorter? One of my personal favorite aspects of this loop is the fact that you can make it so many different distances! For 10 miles, take a right on North Lynn Street when you reach Rosslyn and avoid the dreaded cemetery hill. For 7 miles, continue straight at the corner of Fairfax and onto the Ballston Connector trail, then take a right on Custis and follow that down to North Lynn Street.
Need a Longer Route? The easiest way to add mileage is an out and back on the W&OD, either going South or North (or both if you want to really spice up your morning)! Otherwise crossing the Key Bridge into DC and taking Memorial back will give you a little more scenic views for a little over a mile extra. You can also add a loop of Roosevelt Island for around a mile and a half extra!
Thirsty? The freeze proof fountains have done their jobs this week and we've got a few great options for water along the route. There is a great fountain at mile 5 at the corner of the W&OD and Custis trails, another good option just after that if you miss it along the Custis connector, and another at mile 7 along Custis. Last I checked the Roosevelt Island fountain was still functioning at mile 9.8, but no guarantees on that one. Thanks to Jack for post run drinks, and good luck to him in his third marathon (or ultra) in the past six weeks on Sunday!
Need a Bathroom? I checked this morning and although the ones at Bluemont Park are locked, the ones at mile 4.5 near the tennis courts are open! There are also portopotties at Roosevelt Island at 9.8, but those are generally unmaintained and get pretty gross.
The next club race is the Gar Williams Half Marathon on Sunday December 3rd! We've got enough volunteers, but still need plenty for the Bread Run next weekend on December 10th. The Bread Run is my favorite race of the year and what I have many times referred to as the perfect club race. Don't forget to grab your recipe ingredients when you grocery shop this week! The book club will also be meeting on December 17th and this quarter we're reading 26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi, who once autographed a piece of notebook paper for me before the USATF Half Marathon Championships, among his other achievements like winning both New York and Boston. Memberships also expired yesterday! Renew yours today!
Happy Running!
Anna
