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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 |
| 10/5 | 22 | Big Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 10/12 | 14 | Capital Crescent OaB | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 10/19 | 10 | Chain Bridge Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 10/26 | 12 | RFK | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 11/2 | 15 | Long Bridge Park | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 11/9 | 12 | Piney Branch | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 11/16 | 13 | Southeast DC | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 11/23 | 12 | Bluemont L Loop | Cue Sheet & GPS | |
| 11/30 | 14 | Catholic MBT | Cue Sheet & GPS |
SLR: 14 Miles Ross Drive
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Finally! A not miserably hot Saturday is coming tomorrow before what looks to be a pretty yucky week next week. Kick off your shoes tonight and watch the opening ceremony to get pumped for a route fit for an Olympian (which I know of at least a few who have run it before). Now let's get into it:
The Route: Ross Drive (strava, gps, pdf) is such a crowd favorite that it's the only route we're doing twice in this cycle and is such a great loop. We'll head up Rock Creek through the Zoo Loop then up Beach Drive before heading back down via Ross Drive and Ridge Road. As a reminder, Beach Drive is closed to vehicle traffic but Ross Drive and Ridge Road are not, keep an eye out for cars (though I usually only see one or two a run, and they know who really owns those roads).
Want Something Shorter? An out and back through Rock Creek Park is the easiest way to cut mileage off. If you're looking for a different route back, you can also come down to the waterfront instead of the trail when leaving Rock Creek Park (though that does add a little bit of mileage, so keep that in mind).
Need a Longer Route? My favorite option for adding mileage is something I like to call "A Ross Drive so Nice You Run it Twice" aka run a second loop of Beach-Ross-Ridge for a little over 3 miles extra. As of this morning, Rock Creek Trail down through the Kennedy Center was still closed to foot traffic (though supposedly will reopen later today), so keep that in mind if you're planning on going into the city for your extra mileage.
Thirsty? Thanks to Julie Powell for providing post run drinks this week! Other than those there aren't a ton of options for water, so be sure to bring some if you need it. The only really reliable stop is at Peirce Mill (yup, it's spelled like that) in Rock Creek around miles 5.3 and 9. I've also had recent luck with the fountain down by Baked and Wired on the canal, which we don't technically pass this route but is short bit away if you're feeling parched.
Need a Bathroom? Peirce Mill (my copy editor complains about this every week) is also your best bet for those as well at miles 5.3 and 9! There aren't a lot of other options, so keep that in mind for tomorrow!
Need a Wardrobe Refresh? DCRR just unveiled their new logos after a ton of work from Mari and Steve (and the rest of the board)! We've got the New Balance Store open for red (and new white!!) singlets, shirts, and shorts until August 4th! Get yours today before time runs out and have them ready to race in for your fall races!!
The next club race is the Paul Thurston 4.5 Miler around Burke Lake on August 13th! Jerry still needs plenty of volunteers to help out, get your Bunion Derby credit out of the way and enjoy the trails!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR: 12 Miles C&O Canal O&B
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
It's fall y'all! Not really, but after the heatwave we've had running this morning sure felt like it. Tomorrow is supposed to be equally cool (yes, under 70 is now considered cool at SLR HQ, check back in October when that's described as sweltering). We've got an easy route tomorrow, exciting updates on the club's rebrand, and are kicking off our half marathon training program! What's not to like! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Do you love out and backs on long gravel roads? Well this route's the one for you! That's right, it's C&O week at SLR. This 184.5 mile long behemoth runs from Georgetown all the way to Cumberland, Maryland and provides shade and rocky gravel to run on (so if you're looking for an excellent 371 mile out and back this weekend you've picked a good group). This week the recommended mileage is 12 (strava, gps, pdf) which puts the turnaround right at Snake Island near the Little Falls Overlook (alternatively, just wait til your GPS watch says 6.00 then head back, abandoning the rest of the group if their watches were a little slower than yours).
Want Something Longer or Shorter? The only real way to get a different distance is to turnaround earlier or later. For shorter runs, turning around at Fletcher's Boathouse will get you close to 6.5 and the Chain Bridge is at 8.5. For longer, the Pedestrian Bridge south of Glen Echo will run you 14 miles and Lock 8 will get you 17!
Thirsty? Thanks to Christie and Rodrigo once again for post run drinks! We need someone for next week, but after that are covered for the first few weeks of August if anyone is available to help out (I'll update the website this weekend with August/September routes and drinks). Out on the canal, Fletcher's is a key stop for water, otherwise be wary, I haven't seen many other places that have it.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's also has you covered there! There are also some portopotties just past the Maryland border that are hopefully still open, but I wouldn't bet on them.
Need a Wardrobe Refresh? DCRR just unveiled their new logos after a ton of work from Mari and Steve (and the rest of the board)! We've got the New Balance Store open for red (and new white!!) singlets, shirts, and shorts until August 4th! Get yours today before time runs out and have them ready to race in for your fall races!!
The next club race is the Bluemont 5K on Wednesday the 24th, hosted on the wonderfully fast course out in Bluemont park near Ballston and by everyone's favorite Anna (Suhring, of course)! We're still in need of volunteers to make this a success, help out if you can!
Happy Running!
Anna
SLR 14 Miles: Hains with a Capitol H
Hello Saturday Long Runners!
The heat has broken and low 70s has never felt so good! We'll be kicking things off at 7 AM tomorrow and if I'm being honest I'm rooting for the light rain currently in the forecast. In the event of thunderstorms we will have to cancel (unfortunately), but that doesn't look like a possibility tomorrow. Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we're doing a route I like to call Hains with a Capitol H (strava, gps, pdf) (get it? Because you go around Hains Point and the Capitol?). If you're running Marine Corps, this is also about as close to a 14 mile version of the marathon you can get (or at least, I could get when I designed the route). This gets you all the good parts (The Mall! Georgetown! Hains Point!) without less of the bad parts (The Rosslyn Hill! That Loop in Crystal City that everyone hates!!). We'll also pass by my all time favorite location on the Mall and my favorite view of the Washington Monument: Signer's Island (because I designed this route I also get to make it take slight detours that most people will skip, how fun!).
Want Something Shorter? The easiest way to cut off a little more than 3 miles of this route is to skip Hains Point and go directly to across the Fourteenth Street Bridge, giving you a nice loop of the Mall and 11 Miles. Going partially out and back on the Mall will also allow you to get even less mileage in, down to 7 miles if you just go up 15th street to the 14th street bridge (which even written out feels wrong to say).
Need a Longer Route? Hains Point and the Mount Vernon Trail are both great for adding onto runs. Any extra loop of Hains will get you three more miles (well, technically 3.2) and the Mount Vernon Trail makes for any distance of an out and back (and you can even check out the aforementioned loop of Crystal City to mentally prepare for what that feels like at Mile 22)!
Thisty? Thank you to Christie and Rodrigo for post run drinks this week! This route also has plentiful water fountains along the Mall, most of which are even functional! Instead of listing all of the ones that are on, I'll mention that my favorite water fountain in front of the Air and Space Museum was turned off on Monday, but the one in front of the carousel (or whatever's left of it) was turned on.
Need a Bathroom? The Mall also has plentiful bathrooms, though which ones are open honestly depends a lot on the day. The Lincoln Memorial Construction has brought new temporary bathrooms (and seemingly removed the ones from the Jefferson Memorial). The Washington Monument Lodge bathrooms on 15th street are usually open as are the ones at the tip of Hains Point. Along Hains Point there are a few different bathrooms that are hit or miss, same with the ones along the reflecting pool.
The next club race is tomorrow's Bastille Day Four Miler. We're still in need of a couple more volunteers for this one, so please, please help out if you can! Our next club happy hour will be Thursday, July 18 in the Cosgrove Room at the National Press Club (14th and F Sts, NW) from 5:30 to 8 pm. As usual, the club will pay for appetizers and there will be drinks for purchase.
Happy Running!
Anna
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Upcoming Events
| Alexandria Turkey Trot Thu, Nov 28th, 2024, @9:00am |
| DCRR Gar Williams Half Marathon Sun, Dec 1st, 2024, @9:00am |
| DCRRC Bread Run 10K & Gingerbread 2-Miler Sun, Dec 8th, 2024, @10:00am |
| Book Club Sun, Dec 8th, 2024, @4:00pm |
| DCRRC New Year's Resolutions 5K Wed, Jan 1st, 2025, @12:00pm |
| DCRRC Al Lewis 10-Miler and 5-Miler Sun, Jan 5th, 2025, @8:00am |
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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. |