DC Road Runners - Enter your slogan here

SLR: 16 Miles Long Bridge Park

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Eich arweinydd ersatz SLR ffyddlon ydyw, Nate (who Anna is masquerading as once again this week), I just hopped off a plane across the pond and will be bringing you plenty of Welsh in the morning while Anna is in Austin hanging out with Coach Big Guy at ACL Fest. The weather will be cloudy and in the mid-60s, which is right about what usually happens when Nate takes over SLR (maybe he should do that more often?).

Where Are We Going This Time? This week we’re doing Long Bridge Park (strava, gps, pdf), a route near and dear to my heart (and home! I live right off of it!). We’ll head by the Pentagon, which fun fact has a DC address after some interesting disputes on where the river actually ends in the 1930s, then head through Long Bridge Park. We’ll run down Crystal Drive to Potomac Ave. through Del Rey, the most underrated area in Northern Virginia. After appreciating the fact that they didn’t move the Capital One Arena here, we’ll cross over to the Mount Vernon Trail via Slater’s Lane and back up to the park.

Want Less? Hop on the Mount Vernon Trail at Crystal City for around 8 miles, jump down to the Four Mile Run Trail (not literally, please) for around 11, or make a classic out and back for your choice of mileage!

Want More? Head south on the Mount Vernon Trail instead of north to add on some mileage through Alexandria and beyond.

Parched? Bring some water! We've got Peter Castelino on post run drinks this week, thanks Peter! There are also some great fountains slightly off the route in Crystal City at Hayes Park and some less-great ones along the Mount Vernon Trail (but don't fret, they're getting updated soon thanks to everyone's donations to the Friends of the MVT). Don’t depend on the ones near the Pentagon, they’re unreliable and taste weird.

Swimming Eyeballs? If you’re running with me and even a little bit nice about it I’d let you use my place (editor’s note: Nate has not actually agreed to this, but I’m sure he would). The Gravelly Point bathrooms are still standing, which is the nicest thing I can say about them. Hayes Park also has some nice facilities, but again are a bit off the beaten path.

Huzzah (err.. Ooh Rah, wait no that's the Marines) the Army 10 Miler is on for Sunday morning and we've got tons of DCRR members racing (along with a few out in the Windy City! Special shoutout to Rae and Brian, our perpetual drink volunteers and happiest run-walk group leaders)! The next club race is the Turkey Trot, which turns 50 this year along with seemingly every other race (Marine Corps, Grandma's, and I'm sure I'm missing more). This is the only way the club makes money our largest event of the year, so come out and race, or better yet volunteer!

Happy Running!

Nate (and Anna, who wrote this on West Coast time and apologizes for the delay, but is honored by the number of people who reached out asking if I was dead or if their favorite weekly email got lost in the ether)

SLR: 17 Miles Arlington Loop

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Unfortunately our run to the Arboretum that was originally scheduled for this week has been CANCELLED! due to the government shutdown. Fear not, we'll be circumnavigating arlington instead on a classic route that is a staple of marathon training in the DC area. Now let's get into it:

The Route: Over the [Custis] hill and through the Wood, that's right Honey, we're heading around the Arlington Loop (strava, gps, pdf) this week! It's Actually Romantic how we'll manage 17 miles with almost no stoplights or roads. Once we're out of Rosslyn we'll head down the Mount Vernon Trail, across Four Mile Run and the W&OD, and up Custis back to our starting point.

Want Something Longer? For more miles, just “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” - Elizabeth Taylor and add on an extra out and back at the turn from the W&OD to the Custis trail (my preference) or the Mount Vernon Trail and Four Mile Run (another option).

Need a Shorter Route?Ruin the Friendship of these four trails is an out and back on the Mount Vernon Trail, though you can also make some loops out of a turn onto Walter Reed Drive or by heading back at the Crystal City exit.

Thirsty? Thanks to our resident Eldest Daughter Rae and Father Figure Brian for taking care of us this week! They'll be out at Barcroft Park and providing post run drinks as well. In order to not succumb to the Fate of Ophelia, it's also best to bring your own water, though the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail have started to check off their Wi$h Li$t for more water fountains! There's one over by the airport, a plethora along the W&OD, and two on Custis that have never failed me.

Need a Bathroom? The best way to avoid the Opalite Porto-Potties is to use the ones along the W&OD at Bluemont Park, though there are also bathrooms at Gravelly Point and a few temporary bathrooms setup along Custis for construction.

The National Capital 20 Miler on Sunday could still use some volunteers! Knock out your long run at SLR and help out on Sunday, that's The Life of a Showgirl.

And, baby, that's showbusiness for you!

Anna

P.S. If you're confused by the capitalization and interjections, the unofficial artist of DCRR SLR, Taylor Swift, just released her twelfth album The Life of a Showgirl today.