DC Road Runners - Enter your slogan here

SLR: 12 Miles Pentagon Army-Navy

Happy Friday, SLR crew:

I'm sure we all know by now of the impending winter storm. We will avoid the snow, but the forecast in the morning is the low teens with windchill near and below zero.

Put briefly:

This weather is dangerous. There is a clear risk of frostbite.

I am still going to be there tomorrow, because both the historical bar for canceling SLR is very high, and because I know some of you sickos are going to be out there regardless.

The route is Pentagon Army-Navy (strava, gps, pdf).

So, here are my main tips for surviving:

• Cover everything. And I mean everything. If you are running longer than 45-60 minutes, any exposed skin is at risk of frostbite and let me tell you it sucks.
• I strongly recommend carrying your phone and a metro card in case you need to bail out. Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Potomac Yard are all along the route. I would take a mental note of where they are.
• There is going to be a hard freeze overnight. If it looks like ice, it's ice. If you can't avoid it, penguin walk over it.
• Bridges are more likely to be frozen. Take particular care on the overpasses of the exit ramps to National.
• There is no shame in running on the treadmill and enjoying your soccer game of choice.

Stay safe.

-Nate

SLR: 12 Miles Cathedral Clintons

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Well, it'll be warmer tomorrow morning than it was today, which I suppose is a win all things considered. Bundle up, though, because it looks like tomorrow's near-freezing temperatures will actually be some of the warmest we'll have for morning runs over the next week. Now let's get into it:

The Route: This week we'll be heading up Rock Creek Park and up (and up and up) Calvert and Cleveland to Cathedral Clintons (strava, gps, pdf). After trudging uphill for seemingly the entire run, we'll be treated to the best downhill in DC (as voted by me, this morning while writing this) along Massachusetts Avenue along Embassy Row and past the White House back to the park. If you've been coming to SLR for a while, this is a slightly different route than we used to take for Cathedral Clintons and cuts out the trail that everyone used to get lost on (and how the Clintons portion of the route got its name).

Want Something Shorter? Take a right on 22nd Street and then another right on M Street to cut this down from a 12 miler to a 10 miler and skip a bit of the stop-and-go of running through the city. Otherwise a shorter out and back in Rock Creek Park is the way to go!

Need a Longer Route? Heading down the Mall towards Capitol Hill might get you pushed by the wind this weekend, but will also get you a few more miles. Running along the Mount Vernon Trail to get back to the park instead of the Cemetery will also tack on an extra mile.

Thirsty? Water is few and far between on this route, so be sure to bring your own. I've been diligently checking the "freeze proof" fountains on the Mall and all have been turned off for the season unfortunately.

Need a Bathroom? Those are also limited. There are usually some portopotties in people's yards for construction along Cleveland. There are also the reliable-yet-disgusting bathrooms at the Washington Monument, which are great options in a pinch! The Lincoln Memorial's construction project may be a bit of an eye sore, but it does come with nice standalone bathrooms across the street towards Ohio Drive which are wonderful!

Our Spring Training Programs, targeting the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, kick off this Saturday! We've been working on some awesome seminars for the programs this winter and the entire program is only $35 for members (which basically evens out to the cost of the sweet merch you'll get as part of the program).

Happy Running!

Anna