Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Looks like another perfect fall day tomorrow, with temperatures in the high 40s to start. We'll be hitting up Rock Creek Park to soak in the last few days of fall. Come out, catch some leaves, and for everyone tapering we've only got 12 miles on the docket! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be exploring the somewhat newly renovated Piney Branch (strava, pdf, gps). I like to think of Piney Branch as the cooler younger sister of Ross Ridge: she goes out in Dupont Circle, runs through the gorgeous Meridian Hill Park, and then comes back down Rock Creek just like her big sister. We'll get a nice taste of fall with plenty of opportunities for extra mileage if you're still in the thick of marathon training.
Want Something Shorter? Aside from the usual out and back option, another way to shorten this route to around 8 miles is to take a left onto Connecticut Ave at Dupont Circle and follow it to Calvert Street. Take a left on Calvert and an immediate left on Shorham Drive to go into Rock Creek Park and continue along the RCP Trail as the original route states.
Need a Longer Route? My personal favorite way to add onto this that isn't "out and back on the canal" is to take a right instead of a left when you get into Rock Creek Park and add on a Ross-Ridge loop to make this route 17 miles. Otherwise, just adding on to get to Pierce Mill is another option for a few more miles!
Thirsty? Unfortunately the only option for water on this route is the fountain at the Lincoln Memorial around mile 1.7. This route does not go all the way to Pierce Mill, so unless you want to add on some miles there is no water in Rock Creek Park. The fountains at Meridian Hill Park are also not turned on (and neither is the cascading fountain for that matter). This is all to say: please bring water tomorrow!
Need a Bathroom? Those are also a bit few and far between tomorrow. There are some portopotties that may be available at the Lincoln Memorial depending on the construction. The Dupont Circle CVS is also a good bet in a pinch at mile 3.5. Otherwise there are plenty of businesses on 16th street that may be available, but your mileage may very.
Have Questions About Your Heart? Thanks to SLR regular Mark Bourgeois, DCRR is hosting a Q&A session with Dr. Ankit Shah, a nationally recognized sports cardiologist who has completed a dedicated fellowship in sports cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. Wondering why your doctor always looks concerned at your low heart rate until you explain "well I'm a runner..."? Curious what all those HR measures on your watch really mean and should you actually pay attention to them? Well you'll be able to ask all that and more this Tuesday November 12th from 6-7 PM virtually on zoom here.
The next club race is the Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! This one of my favorite races in the region and could be one of yours too! We also need a tremendous amount of volunteers to keep this race running smoothly, so please consider helping out either race morning or the week before with packet pickup if you're in the area for the holiday! DCRR Memberships expire on November 30th! Renew yours today, tell your friends to renew theirs, and have them tell their friends to renew theirs!
Happy Running!
Anna
