Hello Saturday Long Runners!
It's Nate, your faithful ersatz SLR leader (if you don't know me, strava and instagram) writing to you this week...I will be here to kick you off for the next 2 weeks, as Anna is in Duluth and totally gonna crush it on Sunday! First things first:
We are starting at 6 AM due to high temperatures and the likelihood of an NWS-issued heat advisory.
There it is in bold red text, so if you show up at 7 that's fully on you, pal! We do have post-run drinks this week (thanks Kate!!) but this is still a long time to be out in high temperatures, so please carry water! Also, listen to your ol' meatbag! If something feels off or you're just not having fun anymore, there is nothing wrong with calling it a morning. No sense making yourself sick or worse just to hit an arbitrary number of miles!
Where Are We Going This Time? This week we'll be treated to a nice tour of the Wharf and the southern portion of the Anacostia Riverwalk as we take on Southeast DC (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head into the city via the Memorial Bridge, head down L'Enfant Plaza and through the Wharf to get to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, make our way up the Anacostia Riverwalk and across the John Phillip Sousa Bridge (possibly the most random person this side of Sen. Francis Case to get a DC bridge named after him?), before heading to the Capitol via Pennsylvania Avenue and back to North Meade Park via the Mall.
Want Less? This is the perfect route to bring your SmarTrip card, as we will pass four Orange/Blue Line Metro stops: Potomac Avenue (8.5 miles), Eastern Market (9 miles), Capitol South (10 miles) and Smithsonian (11 miles). Even if you are planning to run the full route, it's never a bad idea to bring one in case you need a heat-related bailout. For anything shorter, your best bet is an out and back.
Want More? Eh, you don't, really. I would personally advise against trying to go any longer today, but adding the rest of the Anacostia Riverwalk (up to Benning Road) and then coming back via Pennsylvania Avenue will get you 4 extra miles.
Parched? There are water fountains at the pirate ship playground (~7.5 miles) as well as at Eastern Market metro (9 miles) -- this one is set back from the road a bit in the park area so you may not notice it at first glance. As well, most of the mall fountains are in working order. Good news...I know a mall park ranger to whom I can incessantly complain about them now!
Swimming Eyeballs? The pirate ship playground also has well-appointed restrooms, and we will also pass the "welp...they're there" restrooms by the Washington Monument. In a pinch, there are plenty of shops along Pennsylvania Avenue that will let you use theirs if you ask nicely (and don't drip on anything). Anna's personal favorite is in the foreign language section at Capitol Hill Books.
Happy Running, and have a blast!
-Nate
