Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Welcome to June! In case you missed it last week, SLR now (and throughout the summer) begins at 7 AM to beat the heat! We shouldn't have too much of a problem with that this week, as we're getting some great fall weather over the past couple of days that should continue til tomorrow. Get ready for some nice shaded trails! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Keeping with our Battery theme from last week, this week we'll be treated to some trails and hills as we head up to Battery Kemble Park (strava, gps, pdf). To get there, we'll cross the Key Bridge and head up the Capital Crescent Trail and over to Potomac Ave past the Washington Aqueduct and up the very steep Chain Bridge Road Hill into the park. Historically, there have been some issues with off-leash dogs along the trail here, so please be careful and watch out for dogs that are "so friendly" and "just want to play". Note the cue sheet for this route says 16 miles, which assumes two loops of the park. We're calling it 15 here at SLR HQ for only one loop!
Want Something Shorter? This is one of my favorite routes because there are so many ways to change the distance for it and still get to run in some really neat places! For about 14 miles, instead of taking the small out and back to the water fountain on the CCT, go straight up to the park and back. For even less (around 12.5 miles), take a left on Potomac Ave instead of a right when coming back down from Battery Kemble. There is a small trail at the end of the street (which I refer to as "Mark B's Trail", because he's the one who first introduced me to it). This takes you down to the bridge on the CCT and is a great way to get all the sights of the route without as much of the mileage. If 12.5 is still to much, take a left on McArthur Boulevard instead of a right and run straight down MacArthur back to the Key Bridge and cross for 11 miles. Both the 12.5 and 11 mile options skip the out and back on the CCT like the 14 mile option.
Need a Longer Route? We need more loops, Batman! Each additional loop of Battery Kemble Park will add an extra 1.3 miles to your run (and about 175 feet of climbing). If you want something flatter, an out and back on either the canal or the CCT is a great bet (though calling the CCT up in Maryland flat is a bit of a hard sell).
Thirsty? There are water fountains at mile 3.3 and 12.4 at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse near the snack shack. There is also a water fountain at the turnaround on the CCT at miles 5 and 10.7. Thanks to Carolyn Yang for post run drinks this week and for everyone who volunteered last week after my mild pleading! The next open slot for post-run drinks is the last week of July, but we've got plenty of openings for mid-run drinks over the next few months (remember how great they were last week? don't you want that every week?!).
Need a Bathroom? The bathrooms at Fletcher's Cove at miles 3.3 and 12.4 are your best options along this route. There have also historically been some along Potomac Ave with random home improvement projects, but those aren't a guarantee.
Missed the signup for the Tracksmith 5K? Well you're in luck! For less than a third of the cost (if you're not a DCRR member, if you are then for 35 bucks less) and less than a third of the chance of a thunderstorm, check out the Women's Distance Festival and Run After the Women 5K next weekend 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!
Happy Running!
Anna
