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SLR: 16 Miles Arlington Loop (Taylor's Version)

Hello Saturday Long Runners! 

Welcome to SLR, it’s been waiting for ya! Sorry about the email failing to go out last week (and for the different method this week). Our IT Team says there’s some bad blood with the mail server, but they’re mending all her gashes and will likely have it fixed by next week. The weather tomorrow looks so gorgeous, with temperatures in the mid-40s, and I hope the sun shines and it’s a beautiful day. …Are you ready for it?

The Route: If you didn’t guess by the last paragraph, this week we’re running the Arlington Loop (Taylor’s Version) (strava, pdf, gps) (the Taylor Swift portion of this route is, of course, entirely optional). For those who aren’t familiar, as part of her training for the Eras Tour, Taylor ran on the treadmill while singing her entire 3 hour set list. A group of us thought “huh that sounds like a normal Saturday long run for us” and decided to do just that this weekend. Join Bailey and I as we circumnavigate the Mount Vernon, Four Mile Run, W&OD, and Custis trails while belting our hearts out from Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince to Karma. We’ll be targeting a 9:00-9:30 pace and to only be slightly off key the entire time. For the more advanced swifties out there, you may be thinking “but Anna what about the surprise songs?!” I’ve setup this Google form for anyone who wants to submit two songs, we’ll go with the most popular and I won’t share them ahead of time so it’s truly a surprise (in the case of a tie, the tiebreaker will be either which songs I like better or which songs are a funnier combination, so get ready for This is Me Trying and Me!)!

Want Something Shorter? For around 14.5 miles, instead of coming back along Custis take the Bluemont Connector trail (which is a different bike trail about a mile before the turn for Custis). This will take you to Wilson Boulevard, which you can take into Court House and hop down to the park from there! Otherwise there are some options for more complex loops, but the least mentally taxing will definitely be an out and back. Turning around at the turn onto the Four Mile run will get you 10 miles and getting to the W&OD will run you 14.

Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto the loop is to add an extra out and back along the W&OD before turning onto Custis, which allows you to get any number of extra miles. If you're in the mood to make it "real" Arlington Triangle you can continue down the Rosslyn Hill past Roosevelt Island and return by coming up the same way you go out by the cemetery for an 18 miler.

Thirsty? Thanks to perennial mid-run drinks volunteer at the corner of Custis and the W&OD Edgar Gil for supplying midrun drinks tomorrow! There should also be an assortment of water fountains on, most reliably the green fountains along Custis which are freeze-proof, year round, and lifesavers! Mari Diaz (Director for Community Outreach) has also been contacting with brands in the sports fueling and hydration industries to talk about potential partnerships with the club. Skratch sent us some samples and I’ll have them before the start of SLR tomorrow for folks who want to try them out on the run or at home afterwards! They have a Loyalty Lab Rewards Program for anyone who gets hooked, if you do give it a try and enjoy it, shout them out on Instagram @SkratchLabs!

Need a Bathroom? Like water fountains, there some good options! There are plenty of portopotties at Gravelly Point at mile 3, though their cleanliness is always questionable. There are also some great ones at mile 10.6 near bluemont park (the ones in the park are closed for the winter, but the ones just off the trail near the Wilson Bridge should be open).

The next club race is the Langley 8K on February 10th, which means SLR that weekend will not be held. Instead come out for a Party In the CIA (wait, wrong artist) or come volunteer. The Club Challenge 10 Miler is on Sunday February 25th and is hands down the most fun (and dare I say most challenging course) of the year! Signups for the bus and for the event itself are open, as a reminder you MUST be a club member to sign up.

Now all that’s left to do is run,

Anna

SLR - A Winter Adventure - 12 to 14ish Miles

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled Saturdays at 8 AM at North Meade Park. How did you like cancelling SLR in favor of the Snowball Series? Shoot me an e-mail, drop into my DMs on Strava, or catch me before, during, or after SLR to chat about it! I'm currently writing this e-mail on Friday morning and it looks like we're going to get 4-5 inches of snow today, which will hopefully stop early-mid afternoon. With colder temperatures coming in over night, expect tomorrow to be an icy-snowy-slush fest, though I'm hopeful something will be plowed for us.

With all that being said, please please please make safe decisions tomorrow morning! I'll be out at the park at North Meade Street as usual, but don't drive in poor conditions and remember that slogging through 10 miles on the treadmill is safer than sliding down the Rosslyn Hill. That being said, we're going to play tomorrow a little bit by ear, but I have a few routes in mind depending on what conditions look like in the morning.

One option is RFK if the bridges don't seem to be too icy. The streets in DC are normally plowed pretty well and they tend to do a good job of making the Mall passable (plus the Mall in the snow is absolutely gorgeous!). If Capitol Hill hasn't been cleared yet, Hains Point has been fabulous this week for running on dry surfaces and is another option. Custis and the W&OD were both plowed very well the past couple of mornings and are also an option if the plows can get out in time. We'll make a game time decision in the morning (likely based on nothing more than gut feelings, a bit of reconnaissance, and hope), but be prepared to take tomorrow easy, focus on staying upright, and making the best choices for yourself and your goal races.

The next club event is the happy hour this Thursday January 25th at Four Courts at 5:30 PM! After that, our next club race is on February 10th for the Langley 8K! We're still in need of many volunteers to make this event successful, and will be cancelling SLR for the week because of the race. Signups for the Club Challenge 10 Miler are open (as a reminder you MUST be a member to participate, signups are free, and there will once again be a bus from Court House/Dupont Circle) and the Langely 8K is the best training race out there: twice the hills, half the distance, all the fun!

Happy Running (or skiing! or sledding!)

Anna