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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 |
| 12/7 | 14 | Festivus Route | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/14 | 10 | Christmas Tree Run | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/21 | 15 | Holiday Card Lane | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 12/28 | 14 | Capital Crescent | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/4 | 12 | Pentagon Army Navy | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/11 | 14 | Ross Drive | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/18 | 16 | Arlington Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 1/25 | 16 | Battery Kemble Loops | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: 8 AM Start!! 10 Miles Chain Bridge Loop
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
SLR is starting at 8 AM this week and throughout the winter until next summer! Alright, now that the people who only read the first sentence of these know the important stuff, happy fall y'all. We're looking at a lovely morning for a long run tomorrow and some excellent C&O canal time before we start to have to worry about icy patches. Come get your last long run in before your fall marathons (unless you're doing CIM, then come get some good mileage in and enjoy the beautiful weather). Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we're doing a DCRR classic and one of my favorites, the Chain Bridge Loop (strava , pdf, gpx). We'll start by going up the Rosslyn Hill and then following Military Road up four very nice climbs (that's only five hills total! You can do five hills!) before a nice run back down the C&O Canal. Need something to look forward to on the hills? There are quite a few really good halloween houses throughout and a cute little rainbow drawing on the sidewalk on top of the third one!
Want Something Shorter? This route doesn't have a lot of great ways to shorten it, but an out and back on Military Road is never a bad run (though it is a hilly one).
Need a Longer Route? This route is easily extended by going over any of the other bridges to return back to the park at North Meade Street. Taking Memorial Bridge back and going straight to the park will make it 12 miles and taking memorial bridge and going up through Rosslyn will be 13. The 14th Street Bridge makes for a convenient 14 miler if you come back up by the cemetery and 15 miles if you go through Rosslyn. For any more than that, throw in a loop of Hains for 18+.
Thirsty? The water fountain at mile 3.5 at Zachary Taylor Park is a staple. Additional water can be found at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse, just take a right off the canal and head down the steps and it's on the left.
Need a Bathroom? There's a portopotty around mile 4.3 at the Nature Center and working bathrooms (with indoor plumbing!) at Fletcher's Cove! I've also had a lot of luck with construction sites in front yards, so keep an eye out.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! This is the club's largest race of the year and we need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep it running smoothly. Help out at packet pickup, bring the whole family out for a fun five miler, and enjoy this great club event!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 8 AM Start Time Until Next Summer
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Like Punxsutawney Phil, I stood on the rock last week and felt a slight chill in the air, which means SLR will start at 8 AM starting this Saturday 10/19 until next spring/summer when it gets warm again. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep and I'll see you at 8 AM this Saturday!
Anna
SLR: 14 Miles Capital Crescent Trail OaB
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Fall is coming, marathon season is starting, and I'm getting a few e-mails about when SLR will roll back the clocks to our 8 AM start time. The current plan is to do so the week after Marine Corps, which provides a nice even break point for the changeover. I'll send out a few more reminder e-mails as the time comes (pun intended) and I'll see everyone at 7 tomorrow! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be doing a classic out and back on the Capital Crescent Trail (strava , gps , pdf), which if you read the cue sheets closely you'll notice has been part of our repertoire since back when the Capital Crescent wasn't even fully paved. If you've been paying attention to the route choices here at SLR HQ, I'm not really a big out-and-back person, but this is always my exception (because it's all uphill on the way out and mentally that makes this a loop). The recommended mileage for the week is 14, which puts our turnaround at the bridge at River Road or really just when your watch says 7 miles (whichever comes first).
Want Something Shorter? Out and backs are perfect for that! The half mile marks on the trail roughly correspond to mile marks, so for 12 miles turn at 5.5MM, 10 turn at 6.5 MM, and so on.
Need a Longer Route? Take these old train tracks up to Bethesda for any number of extra miles. Like shortening the route, for longer just go a mile marker further for every two miles you'd like to add (so 2.5MM for 18 and so on). If you didn't get enough Big Loop last week, a reverse Big Loop is also a great way to get over 20 this weekend and enjoy the fall colors DC has to offer!
Thirsty? There is a water fountain at Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 3.5 and another couple along the CCT depending on how far you go out, my favorite is the one right before (on the way out) the big railroad tunnel, which is a great point to regroup after the worst of the hill.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's is your best bet for bathrooms around mile 3.5. Otherwise there are some gas stations just off the CCT that may work out, but not a lot of other public options.
The next club race (and the biggest) is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This race brings in enough profits every year for all of our other club perks (Bunion Derby, Snowball Series, mid-run drinks, and everything in between). Come out and support the club, convince your non-running friends that a five miler really isn't that bad, and please help volunteer if you can! We need a tremendous amount of help between packet pickup and race morning!
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| RRCA Club Challenge 10M Sun, Feb 23rd, 2025, @8:00am |
| DCRRC Belle Haven 8K Sun, Mar 2nd, 2025, @8:00am |
| Book Club Sun, Mar 16th, 2025, @4:00pm |
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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. |