Hello Saturday Long Runners!
SLR is starting at 8 AM this week and throughout the winter until next summer! Alright, now that the people who only read the first sentence of these know the important stuff, happy fall y'all. We're looking at a lovely morning for a long run tomorrow and some excellent C&O canal time before we start to have to worry about icy patches. Come get your last long run in before your fall marathons (unless you're doing CIM, then come get some good mileage in and enjoy the beautiful weather). Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we're doing a DCRR classic and one of my favorites, the Chain Bridge Loop (strava , pdf, gpx). We'll start by going up the Rosslyn Hill and then following Military Road up four very nice climbs (that's only five hills total! You can do five hills!) before a nice run back down the C&O Canal. Need something to look forward to on the hills? There are quite a few really good halloween houses throughout and a cute little rainbow drawing on the sidewalk on top of the third one!
Want Something Shorter? This route doesn't have a lot of great ways to shorten it, but an out and back on Military Road is never a bad run (though it is a hilly one).
Need a Longer Route? This route is easily extended by going over any of the other bridges to return back to the park at North Meade Street. Taking Memorial Bridge back and going straight to the park will make it 12 miles and taking memorial bridge and going up through Rosslyn will be 13. The 14th Street Bridge makes for a convenient 14 miler if you come back up by the cemetery and 15 miles if you go through Rosslyn. For any more than that, throw in a loop of Hains for 18+.
Thirsty? The water fountain at mile 3.5 at Zachary Taylor Park is a staple. Additional water can be found at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse, just take a right off the canal and head down the steps and it's on the left.
Need a Bathroom? There's a portopotty around mile 4.3 at the Nature Center and working bathrooms (with indoor plumbing!) at Fletcher's Cove! I've also had a lot of luck with construction sites in front yards, so keep an eye out.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day! This is the club's largest race of the year and we need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep it running smoothly. Help out at packet pickup, bring the whole family out for a fun five miler, and enjoy this great club event!
Happy Running!
Anna
