Hello Saturday Long Runners!
It's fall y'all! Not really, but after the heatwave we've had running this morning sure felt like it. Tomorrow is supposed to be equally cool (yes, under 70 is now considered cool at SLR HQ, check back in October when that's described as sweltering). We've got an easy route tomorrow, exciting updates on the club's rebrand, and are kicking off our half marathon training program! What's not to like! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Do you love out and backs on long gravel roads? Well this route's the one for you! That's right, it's C&O week at SLR. This 184.5 mile long behemoth runs from Georgetown all the way to Cumberland, Maryland and provides shade and rocky gravel to run on (so if you're looking for an excellent 371 mile out and back this weekend you've picked a good group). This week the recommended mileage is 12 (strava, gps, pdf) which puts the turnaround right at Snake Island near the Little Falls Overlook (alternatively, just wait til your GPS watch says 6.00 then head back, abandoning the rest of the group if their watches were a little slower than yours).
Want Something Longer or Shorter? The only real way to get a different distance is to turnaround earlier or later. For shorter runs, turning around at Fletcher's Boathouse will get you close to 6.5 and the Chain Bridge is at 8.5. For longer, the Pedestrian Bridge south of Glen Echo will run you 14 miles and Lock 8 will get you 17!
Thirsty? Thanks to Christie and Rodrigo once again for post run drinks! We need someone for next week, but after that are covered for the first few weeks of August if anyone is available to help out (I'll update the website this weekend with August/September routes and drinks). Out on the canal, Fletcher's is a key stop for water, otherwise be wary, I haven't seen many other places that have it.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's also has you covered there! There are also some portopotties just past the Maryland border that are hopefully still open, but I wouldn't bet on them.
Need a Wardrobe Refresh? DCRR just unveiled their new logos after a ton of work from Mari and Steve (and the rest of the board)! We've got the New Balance Store open for red (and new white!!) singlets, shirts, and shorts until August 4th! Get yours today before time runs out and have them ready to race in for your fall races!!
The next club race is the Bluemont 5K on Wednesday the 24th, hosted on the wonderfully fast course out in Bluemont park near Ballston and by everyone's favorite Anna (Suhring, of course)! We're still in need of volunteers to make this a success, help out if you can!
Happy Running!
Anna
