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SLR: New Route! 18 Miles Four Lincolns and A Funeral

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

Three score and four years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this district a new running club, concieved in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all runners were created equal. Happy President's Day! Have you ever wondered how to make a long run out of my favorite president (er.. potentially also your favorite president, but definitely mine), well Mark did all the hard work for you and now this is your chance to run it! Come celebrate President's Day with a long run dedicated to our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Get out your top hats and grow out those beards because some kid wrote you a letter telling you to. Now let's get into it:

The Route: If you didn't get the reference in the opener, we're running the new (and likely yearly) President's Day Route Mark has dubbed Four Lincolns and a Funeral (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head around the city and see four different Abraham Lincoln statues and streets along with the Adams Memorial in Rock Creek Cemetery. This route has a lot of turns and takes us to new places in the city, please review the cue sheet and maps before tomorrow morning or risk missing a Lincoln. We'll head across the Mall by the Lincoln Memorial then up fourth street to the Lincoln statue in front of the DC Courthouse. From here, we will cross around the Capitol to head to Lincoln Park for the most controversial Lincoln statue in the city. We'll head up the city via the MBT to Catholic University and head north into Rock Creek Cemetery where we will see the Adams Memorial (the Funeral portion of FLAAF). After this we will make a short trip down Lincoln Drive to Lincoln's Cottage where he often went to escape the city (NOTE: I have been turned away at the gate to the old Soldier's Home here in the past, please be mindful they may not allow runners depending on who is in charge that day, but you can still see the cottage from the street. Mark has run there more recently than I have and has been welcomed in with open arms, so the policies may have changed), head back across the city via Upshur, and down Rock Creek Park back to North Meade Street.

Want Something Shorter? To get to all Four Lincolns and a Funeral is around 12 miles, however note that Metro is closed tomorrow and this weekend between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon. Buses will replace trains, so the option still exists, but be prepared for a longer wait in the morning if you go that route. Otherwise an out and back to Lincoln Park will allow you to hit 3/4 Lincolns and see a few of them twice!

Need a Longer Route? An out and back on Rock Creek Park will get you more mileage and avoid running on city roads for the majority of the run. Otherwise for even more Lincoln check out Ford's Theater and the Surratt House, where Booth stayed and planned much of the Lincoln Assassination. The latter is now a combination karaoke and sushi restaurant, but the building remains the same!

Thirsty? Bring water tomorrow if you're running the entire route! I have yet to find a water fountain on the Mall that is functioning and we will not be passing Peirce Mill in RCP (unless you'd like to add on some mileage). The water fountains on the MBT have a chance of being turned on, but I would not bank on them.

Need a Bathroom? There are a few along the MBT and even more portopotties in a pinch. Otherwise there are bathrooms at both Union Station and the Washington Monument that should be open as well as the temporary bathrooms at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Annual Meeting and Club Banquet will be held on March 2nd at 5 PM at Maggiano's Little Italy in Friendship Heights! Alex Hetherington, MCM race director and 27-time MCM finisher will be the guest speaker. Come out and hear about how the club is doing, get a chance to see everyone not in their sweaty SLR clothes, and learn how you can be more involved over the next year!

Happy Running!

Anna

SLR: Ross Drive

Hello Saturday Long Runners!

We've got a mildly cold winter morning in our midst for tomorrow, which after the deep freeze, the ice, the snow, and everything else that January threw at us actually seems like a treat. Be prepared for a little wintery mix on the back half if you're planning to go longer, but hopefully we'll miss most of the weather and will be able to curl up on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. January felt eternal, but here's to a nicer February of SLRs (and maybe, just maybe, we won't have to run on Custis or the Capital Crescent for a whole month). Now let's get into it:

The Route: Ross Drive (strava , gps , pdf) is an aboslute favorite of the SLR board of directors (me) and of course we have to do it as soon as Rock Creek is clear. We'll head up Rock Creek through the Zoo Loop (which yes, some of you will avoid, but I will see it on strava and I will be disappointed), 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, The Mount Vernon Trail still has closures along with Hains Point, so if you're planning to do extra it's best to avoid those areas.

Thirsty? 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, but I haven't run there recently enough to know whether it's on for the winter or not (it has, however, been on in the past).

Need a Bathroom? Peirce Mill (my copy editor (also me) complains about this every time) 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!

The next club race is the Valentine's Day 10K and Relay on February 16th at Anacostia (a BRAND NEW venue for us)! Come out for some chocolates, to talk about how much you love running, and to try and win a little stuffed bear (I have no doubt Coach Big Guy will whip out a 10K PR for the chance). We're also trying out athlinks registration (with no hidden fees! Don't worry!) for this race. Let the board know how you like it. Spread the love and volunteer if you're free next weekend!

Have routes lately been feeling a little stale? Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the fact that we've been living in a polar vortex and roads aren't cleared, but I'm in the mood to spice things up a little over the next few months and try out some new routes! We'll be debuting what is sure to be a President's Day weekend annual event: Four Lincolns and A Funeral next weekend which comes straight from our resident corgi fanatic Mark B, then in early March we'll hit up Three Stadiums and a Cemetery (otherwise known as Stadium Loop) which comes to us from yoga-instructor extraordinaaire Jerry M. If you've got ideas for an SLR route to try, shoot me an email, link me something on strava, or just vaguely give me some streets to run down and I'll figure it out! Preferred distances are 10-22 miles, but happy to provide suggestions on how to get into that range if there's a place you want to go!

Happy Running!

Anna