Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Fall is coming, marathon season is starting, and I'm getting a few e-mails about when SLR will roll back the clocks to our 8 AM start time. The current plan is to do so the week after Marine Corps, which provides a nice even break point for the changeover. I'll send out a few more reminder e-mails as the time comes (pun intended) and I'll see everyone at 7 tomorrow! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be doing a classic out and back on the Capital Crescent Trail (strava , gps , pdf), which if you read the cue sheets closely you'll notice has been part of our repertoire since back when the Capital Crescent wasn't even fully paved. If you've been paying attention to the route choices here at SLR HQ, I'm not really a big out-and-back person, but this is always my exception (because it's all uphill on the way out and mentally that makes this a loop). The recommended mileage for the week is 14, which puts our turnaround at the bridge at River Road or really just when your watch says 7 miles (whichever comes first).
Want Something Shorter? Out and backs are perfect for that! The half mile marks on the trail roughly correspond to mile marks, so for 12 miles turn at 5.5MM, 10 turn at 6.5 MM, and so on.
Need a Longer Route? Take these old train tracks up to Bethesda for any number of extra miles. Like shortening the route, for longer just go a mile marker further for every two miles you'd like to add (so 2.5MM for 18 and so on). If you didn't get enough Big Loop last week, a reverse Big Loop is also a great way to get over 20 this weekend and enjoy the fall colors DC has to offer!
Thirsty? There is a water fountain at Fletcher's Boathouse at mile 3.5 and another couple along the CCT depending on how far you go out, my favorite is the one right before (on the way out) the big railroad tunnel, which is a great point to regroup after the worst of the hill.
Need a Bathroom? Fletcher's is your best bet for bathrooms around mile 3.5. Otherwise there are some gas stations just off the CCT that may work out, but not a lot of other public options.
The next club race (and the biggest) is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This race brings in enough profits every year for all of our other club perks (Bunion Derby, Snowball Series, mid-run drinks, and everything in between). Come out and support the club, convince your non-running friends that a five miler really isn't that bad, and please help volunteer if you can! We need a tremendous amount of help between packet pickup and race morning!
Happy Running!
Anna
