Hello Saturday Long Runners!
I’m back! If you had half as much fun at SLR as I did the past two weeks then you had some great runs. If you ever get the chance to run Big Sur I can’t recommend it enough. Thanks to Nate for taking over! We might get a little wet tomorrow morning, but I think we might luck out. Now let’s get into it:
The Route: Rain or shine (but hopefully shine), it’s Potomac Overlook Loops (strava, gps, pdf) time! This is outgoing President Ben’s favorite route in our repertoire and one that we don’t do nearly enough (as evidenced by the strava segment records on this loop coming from pre-pandemic runs). We’ll head out as if we’re going to do Chain Bridge (up Custis to Lorcom Lane and right onto Military Road) then make a turn onto Marcey Road (that’s the stoplight at the top of the hill after the circle across the street from the church). From here we’ll head back to Potomac Overlook Park and loop around that trail four (yes! FOUR!) times. The only trick here is DO NOT FOLLOW SIGNS FOR DONALDSON RUN, everything else is mostly straightforward on a single trail. Luckily, we’ve got a lot of loops to practice on (and we’ll retrace our steps afterwards back to the park the same way we came).
Want Something Shorter? Less loops means less mileage! You can cut this route easily down to a little over 9 with one loop, as each loop is only 1.25 miles (or a 2K for the metric folks).
Need A Longer Route? To avoid getting too dizzy, head back to Military Road and follow the Chain Bridge Loop the rest of the way around for a couple extra miles and the Marymount Chain Bridge Loop for even more!
Thirsty? There are water fountains at Potomac Overlook Park, but I haven’t been able to check if they’re on for the season or not (sorry!). Bring water, but hope for the best! The weather is also getting warmer which means it’s SLR Drink Season once again! Volunteer for post-run or mid-run drinks and get Bunion Derby series credit!
Need a Bathroom? Apparently Nate is against using the portopotties in people’s yards, but that might be your only option in the morning. There are restrooms at Potomac Overlook Park just up the road from the tennis courts, but I’m not sure they’ll be available tomorrow.
Thank you to Nate and Ben, our outgoing board members, for their dedication to the club over the past years! The Bunion Derby kicks off on June 8th with the Women’s Distance Festival and Run After the Women (yes, we use atlinks now for race registrations, no it won't have any hidden fees on your end)! Come out for a wonderful kick off to summer racing season or volunteer!
Happy Running!
Anna
