Hello Saturday Long Runners!
First off, good luck to everyone racing this weekend whether that's locally here in DC, in Virginia Beach, or wherever the winds may take you! As a reminder, the Rock and Roll Half Marathon is this Saturday morning and many (MANY) streets are closed in DC, along with the memorial bridge! Luckily traffic in Rosslyn itself shouldn't be too bad, but we'll be staying in Virginia to avoid the traffic and get a taste of a route that we haven't done in years (somehow!). Now let's get into it:
The Route: I've been hosting SLR for the past two years and somehow we haven't done a Mount Vernon Trail Out and Back (strava, gps, pdf) yet, which I apologize for. This is a great trail and an aboslute classic, you can go anywhere from 4 to 36 miles (ask me about that run sometime if you're interested) and it's a gem! We'll head down by the Memorial Bridge to cheer on the half, then head South until you feel like turning around (or just as you cross into Alexandria if you want to hit 14!).
Want Something Shorter or Longer? Out and backs make that easy! The mile markers along the trail roughly line up with half miles from the park, where MM 12 is 5.5 miles, MM11 is 6.5, and so on. If you hate out and backs, consider doing just an out and heading down to Alexandria then hopping on the metro to get back to Rosslyn!Â
Thirsty? Water fountains may be few and far between on this one, as I don't believe any have been turned back on for the season. If you make it that far, I'd wager the ones underneath the Wilson Bridge are on, but that's a long way to go for a sip of water!
Need a Bathroom? Gravelly Point has some, though their state gets worse every year. The Wilson Bridge also touts my favorite in the DC area, which are great in a pinch!Â
The book club meets on Sunday to discuss Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman! Contact Eunja or Virginia for the address!Â
Happy Running!
Anna
