Hello Saturday Long Runners!
For those of you who only read the first sentence of this e-mail: This week's route is point to point and will require a metro card! I've got some spares with $2.50 loaded on them (the max weekend fare) so if you don't have a metro card, no need to run out and buy one tonight. I'll have them before the start and will drop a few off at mid-run drinks in case anyone decides to switch plans last minute. We're looking at some absolutely fabulous weather this weekend as part of our false fall! Though we have some drink stops on this route, please bring hydration! Now let's get into it:
The Route: Ever driven across that massive bridge between National Harbor and Alexandria and wished you could run over it instead because 495 traffic is so gosh darn slow? Miss when The Awakening used to be at the end of Hains Point so at least there was something interesting out there? Well this is the week for you with The Awakening (strava, gps, pdf) We'll travel down the Mount Vernon Trail to Alexandria and across the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor. After giving The Awakening the biggest high five, we'll head back across and to the Braddock Road Metro station to take the Blue Line back to the Rosslyn station.
Don't Have the Time for the Metro Tomorrow? An out and back on the Mount Vernon Trail is also a lovely way to start off your morning! Although you'll miss out on the adventure to Maryland, the Mount Vernon trail is the happiest place on earth on a cool summer morning. We've got at least one Marathon Training Program group doing an out and back and I expect more folks will as well.
Want a Longer Route? It's a perfect 24 mile out and back if you don't take the metro for anyone who needs some peak week marathon mileage! Otherwise, continuing along the Blue Line towards Rosslyn will allow you to get in some extra miles and cut down the commute. For about 18 miles, continue up Washington until it becomes Abington Street and take Slater's Lane to the Potomac Yard trail and metro stop (the newest in the DC area)! Crystal City is also a great option for anyone looking to go around 20 miles, just follow the Mount Vernon Trail up to the Crystal City connector and get off there to be plopped in front of the metro station.
Need Something Shorter? There isn't a great way to get less mileage on this route and still go into National Harbor, but turning around partially across the bridge or after getting into Maryland will allow you to cut off between 1-2 miles. Otherwise there are plenty of earlier metro stations to peel off at if you want to save your legs for the Club Picnic later that afternoon.
Thirsty? Thank you so much to all our drink volunteers this week! Thanks to Yared for having drinks available at the start and end of the run in North Meade Park. Ruby will also be under the Wilson Bridge with mid-run drinks this week! She's the co-lead for the club picnic and spending her entire day with DCRR! If you want to hit her again on the way back before the metro, this will add about a mile to the route (and can be cut a little shorter by getting on at King Street instead of Braddock Road). There's a few additional water fountains on the route, most notably along the Mount Vernon Trail near the airport, under the Wilson Bridge, and (possibly) just across the Wilson Bridge (though 50/50 that it's on). Make sure to thank all our volunteers and take advantage as the other options are limited!
Need a Bathroom? There are a few excellent options (and some that are, well, less excellent). Starting off with my favorite public bathrooms in the greater DC Area (and yes, this is saying a lot): there are some incredible restrooms located under the Wilson Bridge that have always been reliably clean and open. Gravelly Point also has some portopotties and there are usually additional ones across the Wilson Bridge (but seriously, use the ones under the bridge, or just go check them out and have a glimmer of hope for what public restrooms could look like).
The next club race is the Club Picnic and Cross Country Three Miler tomorrow evening! Take your new metro card from SLR and use it to ride out to Vienna and do a quick warmup jog to Nottoway Park for the festivities. This is one of the biggest club events of the year and we can't do it without a lot of volunteers (which according to the website we're currently good on, thanks to everyone helping out)!
Happy Running!
Anna
