Hello Saturday Long Runners!
We're looking at some gorgeous spring weather tomorrow morning and it has been dry all week so we'll finally get some trails in (note: if you're afraid of trails, these ones really aren't bad and are very skippable). Come get in a solid long run before the banquet so you can brag to all your friends there about your excellent HRV and tempo pace. Now let's get into it:Â
The Route:Â This week we'll be treated to some trails and hills as we head up to Battery Kemble Park (strava , gps, pdf). To get there, we'll cross the Key Bridge and head up the Capital Crescent Trail and over to Potomac Ave past the Washington Aqueduct and up the very steep Chain Bridge Road Hill into the park. Historically, there have been some issues with off-leash dogs along the trail here, so please be careful and watch out for dogs that are "so friendly" and "just want to play". Note the cue sheet for this route says 16 miles, which assumes two loops of the park, if you only do one expect your gps to show something a little shorter and your legs to feel a little better.
Want Something Shorter? This is one of my favorite routes because there are so many ways to change the distance for it and still get to run in some really neat places! For about 14 miles, instead of taking the small out and back to the water fountain on the CCT, go straight up to the park and back. For even less (around 12.5 miles), take a left on Potomac Ave instead of a right when coming back down from Battery Kemble. There is a small trail at the end of the street (which I refer to as "Mark B's Trail", because he's the one who first introduced me to it). This takes you down to the bridge on the CCT and is a great way to get all the sights of the route without as much of the mileage. If 12.5 is still to much, take a left on McArthur Boulevard instead of a right and run straight down MacArthur back to the Key Bridge and cross for 11 miles. Both the 12.5 and 11 mile options skip the out and back on the CCT like the 14 mile option.
Need a Longer Route? We need more loops, Batman! Each additional loop of Battery Kemble Park will add an extra 1.3 miles to your run (and about 175 feet of climbing). If you want something flatter, an out and back on either the canal or the CCT is a great bet (though calling the CCT up in Maryland flat is a bit of a hard sell).
Thirsty? There are water fountains at mile 3.3 and 12.4 at Fletcher's Cove Boathouse near the snack shack, but I have a feeling those will be turned off in the morning. There is also a water fountain at the turnaround on the CCT at miles 5 and 10.7, which I'm also not sure are currently functional. Bring some water because it'll be almost twice (??!!) as hot as some of our SLRs earlier this month.
Need a Bathroom? The bathrooms at Fletcher's Cove at miles 3.3 and 12.4 are your best options along this route. There have also historically been some along Potomac Ave with random home improvement projects, but those aren't a guarantee.
The Club's Annual Banquet where we do awesome things like eat a lot of Italian food, figure out who the next board is going to be, and clap a lot for all of our incredible awardees is this Sunday March 2nd at Maggiano's in Friendship Heights! If racing is more your speed, we've also got our last Snowball Series race on Sunday morning at 8 AM at Belle Haven Park for the Belle Haven 8K! Sign up today or better yet, get your volunteer credit!Â
Happy Running!
Anna
