Hello Saturday Long Runners!
The heat is here, but we'll get a break for tomorrow so we'll keep our start time at 8 AM (and, again, you'll get a longer notice than the day before when we do switch). If you trust the Weather Channel, it'll be a bit of a washout, but if you're an Apple Weather person then there's very little chance of rain in the morning. So grab your rain jacket or at least be prepared for some puddles! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Do you like the MBT and Rock Creek Park and everything in between in? Well Catholic MBT (strava, gps, pdf) is the route for you! We'll head east along the Mall to the Capitol where we'll take a trek up the MBT before crossing the city and heading down Rock Creek Park to make a nice big loop. Check out the largest Catholic Church in North America while you're up there!
Want Something Shorter? The MBT makes for an easy out and back from 10 to 12 miles depending on where you turn around. Alternatively, looping the Capitol instead of going towards Union Station will give you a nice 9 mile route.
Need a Longer Route? For some extra hills and another big church, combine this route with Cathedral Clintons for a nearly exactly 18 miler (continue straight on Calvert Street and pick up Cathedral Clintons from there). I like to call that one Catholic Cathedral Clintons which is also a fun tongue twister. If you've had enough hills for one day, going north on the Rock Creek Trail instead of south gives you an easy way to add any number of miles.
Thirsty? The water fountains on the Mall are fully functional and lifesavers! The MBT also has water fountains at Eckington Dog Park at mile 5.8 and at mile 6.5 near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station. After the MBT there are limited water opportunities, so bring your own for the second half of the run! The one saving grace, however, is the water fountain at the start of the C&O canal near the canal boat is back on after being off since 2020!
Need a Bathroom? There are bathrooms at the Washington Monument and Union Station, as well as a few Starbucks and CVSs across the city that make for good options in a pinch.
The next club race is the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K on Sunday June 9th at Bon Air Park! We need plenty of volunteers for this and all our Bunion Derby races, so sign up today! The next club Happy Hour is May 23rd at 5:30 at Four Courts and we'll be giving out Snowball Series awards there.
Happy Running!
Anna
