Hello Saturday Long Runners!
Winter has once again returned (fun fact, we got more snow than Pittsburgh and Chicago this year), but SLR carries on! We've got a new route up this week thanks to Jerry! I've done similar runs in the past and will vouch it's a good one, with a lot of familiar territory, just a bit of a different way of doing things! Now let's get into it:
The Route: This week we'll be heading through southeast DC via what I've affectionately called the Stadium Loop (strava, gps, pdf). We'll head by three different stadiums (Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the soon-to-no-longer-exist RFK Stadium), which have been home to a plethora of DC Sports teams over the years (it's also fitting that the Washington Spirit, SLR's (unofficial) favorite sports team kicks off their season on Friday night down in Orlando). Anyway the route! We'll head across the Memorial Bridge and down by the Lincoln Memorial and hang right to get on Independence Ave. After this, we'll trek down to the wharf and follow our normal pattern of Maine Street - Water Street - P Street - 2nd Street - R Street to get to Audi Field/Nats Park. From here we'll head up the west side of the Anacostia Riverwalk all the way until we hit RFK, where we'll loop around the stadium (and not jump any fences, I promise you don't need to) to get to East Capitol Street. We'll head back to the Capitol and down the Mall until crossing Memorial Bridge again and ending up back where we started!
Want Something Shorter? Get off the trail before Congressional Cemetery will take you to Pennsylvania Ave where you can pick up the Southeast DC route to head back to the park in around 11 miles total. For shorter options, I'd recommend an out and back, but traversing DC streets can make a loop out of pretty much any left turn off the trail.
Need a Longer Route? Heading further up the Anacosita Riverwalk will lead you to Benning Road, where you can make a left and a loop via Oklahoma Ave to add a little under two miles. For even more, take a trip over to (in my opinion) the best side of the Anacostia Riverwalk trail and head up the East side for any number of extra miles!
Thirsty? The fountains on the Mall haven't magically flipped back on yet, so bring some water in the morning! There is a CVS along the Wharf that will certainly sell you some, though, if you happen to forget! As the weather warms back up (not this weekend, but someday...) I'll start bugging folks for post and mid run drinks once again! Help out your fellow runners and get some volunteer credit along the way!
Need a Bathroom? Unfortunately those are also a bit limited on this route outside of Union Station (a bit out of the way) and the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial also has a few which are a lifesaver!
The book club meets next Sunday and we'll be discussing Lauren Fleshman's Good For a Girl: A Woman Running In A Man's World! We'll also be selecting our books for the next year, come out and give your recommendations!
Happy Running!
Anna
