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Welcome! This is the home of the world-famous (well, maybe locally well-known) SLR.
Our start time is at 8:00 AM until next summer! Every Saturday we meet at North Meade Street Park, a small park northwest of the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial) in Rosslyn. The closest address for mapping purposes is 1300 Arlington Blvd, and street parking is available in the neighborhoods adjacent to N. Meade Street. Be mindful of parking signs, since Arlington County enforces them enthusiastically, and please do not park on Marine Memorial Circle (inside Iwo Jima), because this parking area is for memorial use only. At least one porta-john is available year-round near the Iwo Jima Memorial, and the memorial's water fountain is usually on during the summer.
We run rain or shine! In cases of extreme weather (snow, ice, thunderstorms, heat waves) we do occasionally either change our meeting time or cancel the run for safety, but the run will be held as planned unless otherwise posted via email/twitter/facebook and here on the SLR web page.
All are welcome! We're an informal group, and there are no requirements for speed, racing experience, or what distance means "long" for you, other than the suggested route that most of our group will be running each week. If you don't want to run the same distance or course as the main group, you can go out for half of your own target distance and re-trace your steps back to Iwo Jima. More specific route info and mileage options will be given in the email/post preceding each Saturday's run. SLR always features a run from our extensive Route Catalog, which gives us a wide range of options to keep things fresh for you each week. We have routes that are flat, hilly, looped, out & back, roads, sidewalks, trails, and more, reaching all around the local area of DC, VA, and MD!
For more details about Saturday Long Runs please read our Frequently Asked Questions to get a sense for what it's like to run with us, or send an email to Anna if you have any other questions that are not covered.
To receive weekly SLR updates via email, please log in and check your email subscriptions.
Schedule:
| Date | Miles | Route Map | Navigation Downloads | Post/Mid-Run Beverages |
| 2/22 | 16 | Arlington Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 3/1 | 16 | Battery Kemble Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 3/8 | 14 | Stadium Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | A New Route by Jerry M! |
| 3/15 | 14 | Mount Vernon Trail | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 3/22 | 18 | Rock Creek MBT | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 3/29 | 14 | Marymount Chain Bridge | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 4/5 | 12 | Water Route | Cue Sheet & GPS |
**May Change Based on Peak Bloom |
SLR: 18 Miles Rock Creek MBT
Hello Satuday Long Runners!
I hope everyone got to soak up some of the sun this week as we plunge back into a short hibernation for the next few days (it really won't be that bad, just colder and the wind is doing its thing right now as well). We've got my favorite route on deck for this week and there are plenty of opportunitites to cut it short (or extend it, if that's your jam). Peak Bloom Watch is also ON here at SLR HQ, mark you calendar's for next weekend when we'll likely be doing the Water Route to get some Cherry Blossom action in! Now let's get into it:
The Route: I know I say very often that the route we're doing is my favorite (getting people excited to run is part of the gig), but if you really made me choose Rock Creek MBT (strava , gps , pdf) takes the cake ("Wow Anna of course it's your favorite it's 18 miles"). We'll head up Rock Creek Park to Beach Drive then turn right onto Blagden Ave up a long hill before making our way to Gallatin Street. We'll cross the city via Gallatin (be mindful that although Gallatin is a relatively low-trafficked road we will cross some major throughways like Georgia Ave and New Hampshire Ave) then head down the Metropolitan Branch Trail to the Capitol. From here we'll complete our perfect loop of DC by running across the Mall to the Memorial Bridge and back to the park via the cemetery. We'll be treated to the hill of Daffodils along lower Beach Drive and make sure to take a short detour into the Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle for the perfectly in bloom magnolia trees!
Want Something Shorter? Another favorite route of mine (and seemingly everyone else as well) is Ross Drive, which will allow you to stay with the group for the first sixish miles before continuing up Beach Drive and coming back down Ross Drive and Ridge Road for a 15 mile lollipop loop.There are also a plethora of metro stops down the MBT and along the Mall that makes bailing after 9 miles easy (just make sure to bring a shirt and a metro card)!
Need a Longer Route? If 18 isn't enough for you, returning across the 14th Street Bridge and coming up the Mount Vernon Trail to Rosslyn will add another two miles for an even 20. For even more, add on an out and back or a loop of Ross Drive in Rock Creek Park for some extra miles and some extra hills.
Thirsty? The Peirce Mill fountains are generally a safe bet, but in the winter-ish months everyhting is a gamble. Otherwise there are some options along the MBT that I believe are open year round, but you really never know. What is for certain is that the fountains along the Mall are off and the ones inside of Union Station are on.
Need a Bathroom? Peirce Mill around mile 5 and Union Station around mile 14 are my two go-tos along this route. There are also usually some portopotties outside of the Dew Drop Inn, which can be a gamechanger in a pinch! The Metropolitan Branch Trail has a few bathrooms along the way that are questionably available in the morning hours, but worth a shot.
Next week (March 29th) Kelly, Joe, and some of the training program leads will be hosting a Seminar on Training Fundamentals at Pacer's in Georgetown! They'll kick off with a 2-7 mile run at 9 AM and a seminar and light breakfast at 10:15 (the perfect time, might I add, to head over after SLR if you're looking for a bit longer of a run). If you're interested in any of our training programs or want to hear more about the fundamentals of training from some RRCA-certified coaches this event is for you! All attendees will also recieve a 15% discount on shoes and apparel from Pacer's!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 14 Miles Mount Vernon Trail Out and Back
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
First off, good luck to everyone racing this weekend whether that's locally here in DC, in Virginia Beach, or wherever the winds may take you! As a reminder, the Rock and Roll Half Marathon is this Saturday morning and many (MANY) streets are closed in DC, along with the memorial bridge! Luckily traffic in Rosslyn itself shouldn't be too bad, but we'll be staying in Virginia to avoid the traffic and get a taste of a route that we haven't done in years (somehow!). Now let's get into it:
The Route: I've been hosting SLR for the past two years and somehow we haven't done a Mount Vernon Trail Out and Back (strava, gps, pdf) yet, which I apologize for. This is a great trail and an aboslute classic, you can go anywhere from 4 to 36 miles (ask me about that run sometime if you're interested) and it's a gem! We'll head down by the Memorial Bridge to cheer on the half, then head South until you feel like turning around (or just as you cross into Alexandria if you want to hit 14!).
Want Something Shorter or Longer? Out and backs make that easy! The mile markers along the trail roughly line up with half miles from the park, where MM 12 is 5.5 miles, MM11 is 6.5, and so on. If you hate out and backs, consider doing just an out and heading down to Alexandria then hopping on the metro to get back to Rosslyn!Â
Thirsty? Water fountains may be few and far between on this one, as I don't believe any have been turned back on for the season. If you make it that far, I'd wager the ones underneath the Wilson Bridge are on, but that's a long way to go for a sip of water!
Need a Bathroom? Gravelly Point has some, though their state gets worse every year. The Wilson Bridge also touts my favorite in the DC area, which are great in a pinch!Â
The book club meets on Sunday to discuss Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman! Contact Eunja or Virginia for the address!Â
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: New Route! 14 Miles Stadium Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Winter has once again returned (fun fact, we got more snow than Pittsburgh and Chicago this year), but SLR carries on! We've got a new route up this week thanks to Jerry! I've done similar runs in the past and will vouch it's a good one, with a lot of familiar territory, just a bit of a different way of doing things! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be heading through southeast DC via what I've affectionately called the Stadium Loop (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head by three different stadiums (Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the soon-to-no-longer-exist RFK Stadium), which have been home to a plethora of DC Sports teams over the years (it's also fitting that the Washington Spirit, SLR's (unofficial) favorite sports team kicks off their season on Friday night down in Orlando). Anyway the route! We'll head across the Memorial Bridge and down by the Lincoln Memorial and hang right to get on Independence Ave. After this, we'll trek down to the wharf and follow our normal pattern of Maine Street - Water Street - P Street - 2nd Street - R Street to get to Audi Field/Nats Park. From here we'll head up the west side of the Anacostia Riverwalk all the way until we hit RFK, where we'll loop around the stadium (and not jump any fences, I promise you don't need to) to get to East Capitol Street. We'll head back to the Capitol and down the Mall until crossing Memorial Bridge again and ending up back where we started!
Want Something Shorter? Get off the trail before Congressional Cemetery will take you to Pennsylvania Ave where you can pick up the Southeast DC route to head back to the park in around 11 miles total. For shorter options, I'd recommend an out and back, but traversing DC streets can make a loop out of pretty much any left turn off the trail.
Need a Longer Route? Heading further up the Anacosita Riverwalk will lead you to Benning Road, where you can make a left and a loop via Oklahoma Ave to add a little under two miles. For even more, take a trip over to (in my opinion) the best side of the Anacostia Riverwalk trail and head up the East side for any number of extra miles!
Thirsty? The fountains on the Mall haven't magically flipped back on yet, so bring some water in the morning! There is a CVS along the Wharf that will certainly sell you some, though, if you happen to forget! As the weather warms back up (not this weekend, but someday...) I'll start bugging folks for post and mid run drinks once again! Help out your fellow runners and get some volunteer credit along the way!
Need a Bathroom? Unfortunately those are also a bit limited on this route outside of Union Station (a bit out of the way) and the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial also has a few which are a lifesaver!
The book club meets next Sunday and we'll be discussing Lauren Fleshman's Good For a Girl: A Woman Running In A Man's World! We'll also be selecting our books for the next year, come out and give your recommendations!
Happy Running!
Anna
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The DC Road Runners Club is a member of the Road Runners Club of America and is also affiliated with USA Track & Field. We provide a year-round schedule of running events that offer everyone a chance to participate regardless of age, gender, or athletic ability. |