Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Happy Fourth of July! In honor of the holiday, we'll be running FOURteen miles in the morning all around our Nation's Capital. We're looking at low-70s for the morning and hopefully not the worst humidity. Now let's get into it:
The Route: Do you like the Metropolitan Branch Trail and Rock Creek Park and everything in between? Well Catholic MBT (strava, gps, pdf) is the route for you! We'll head east along the Mall to the Capitol (NOTE: we'll have a slight detour in the morning along Constitution due to the fireworks closures) where we'll take a trek up the MBT before crossing the city and heading down Rock Creek Park to make a nice big loop. Check out the largest Catholic Church in North America while you're up there and enjoy the shade in RCP.
Want Something Shorter? The MBT makes for an easy out and back from 10 to 12 miles depending on where you turn around. Alternatively, looping the Capitol instead of going towards Union Station will give you a nice 9 mile route.
Need a Longer Route? For some extra hills and another big church, combine this route with Cathedral Clintons for a nearly exactly 18 miler (continue straight on Calvert Street and pick up Cathedral Clintons from there). I like to call that one Catholic Cathedral Clintons which is also a fun tongue twister. If you've had enough hills for one day, going north on Rock Creek Trail instead of south gives you an easy way to add any number of miles (though go too far and you'll hit the hills you were trying to avoid).
Thirsty? The water fountains on the Mall will be on, but may not be reachable in the morning. The MBT also has water fountains at Eckington Dog Park at mile 5.8 and at mile 6.5 near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station, along with a few jugs along the trail. After the MBT there are limited water opportunities, so bring your own for the second half of the run!
Need a Bathroom? There are bathrooms at the Washington Monument and Union Station, as well as a few Starbucks and CVSs across the city that make for good options in a pinch.
Allez Allez! The Tour de France kicks off tomorrow morning which is also a great reminder that our next club race is the Bastille Day 5K on Monday June 14th at 6 PM! We also need plenty of volunteers to make this one happen, come out and help if you're available!
Happy Running!
Anna
