Hello Satuday Long Runners!
I hope everyone got to soak up some of the sun this week as we plunge back into a short hibernation for the next few days (it really won't be that bad, just colder and the wind is doing its thing right now as well). We've got my favorite route on deck for this week and there are plenty of opportunitites to cut it short (or extend it, if that's your jam). Peak Bloom Watch is also ON here at SLR HQ, mark you calendar's for next weekend when we'll likely be doing the Water Route to get some Cherry Blossom action in! Now let's get into it:
The Route: I know I say very often that the route we're doing is my favorite (getting people excited to run is part of the gig), but if you really made me choose Rock Creek MBT (strava , gps , pdf) takes the cake ("Wow Anna of course it's your favorite it's 18 miles"). We'll head up Rock Creek Park to Beach Drive then turn right onto Blagden Ave up a long hill before making our way to Gallatin Street. We'll cross the city via Gallatin (be mindful that although Gallatin is a relatively low-trafficked road we will cross some major throughways like Georgia Ave and New Hampshire Ave) then head down the Metropolitan Branch Trail to the Capitol. From here we'll complete our perfect loop of DC by running across the Mall to the Memorial Bridge and back to the park via the cemetery. We'll be treated to the hill of Daffodils along lower Beach Drive and make sure to take a short detour into the Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle for the perfectly in bloom magnolia trees!
Want Something Shorter? Another favorite route of mine (and seemingly everyone else as well) is Ross Drive, which will allow you to stay with the group for the first sixish miles before continuing up Beach Drive and coming back down Ross Drive and Ridge Road for a 15 mile lollipop loop.There are also a plethora of metro stops down the MBT and along the Mall that makes bailing after 9 miles easy (just make sure to bring a shirt and a metro card)!
Need a Longer Route? If 18 isn't enough for you, returning across the 14th Street Bridge and coming up the Mount Vernon Trail to Rosslyn will add another two miles for an even 20. For even more, add on an out and back or a loop of Ross Drive in Rock Creek Park for some extra miles and some extra hills.
Thirsty? The Peirce Mill fountains are generally a safe bet, but in the winter-ish months everyhting is a gamble. Otherwise there are some options along the MBT that I believe are open year round, but you really never know. What is for certain is that the fountains along the Mall are off and the ones inside of Union Station are on.
Need a Bathroom? Peirce Mill around mile 5 and Union Station around mile 14 are my two go-tos along this route. There are also usually some portopotties outside of the Dew Drop Inn, which can be a gamechanger in a pinch! The Metropolitan Branch Trail has a few bathrooms along the way that are questionably available in the morning hours, but worth a shot.
Next week (March 29th) Kelly, Joe, and some of the training program leads will be hosting a Seminar on Training Fundamentals at Pacer's in Georgetown! They'll kick off with a 2-7 mile run at 9 AM and a seminar and light breakfast at 10:15 (the perfect time, might I add, to head over after SLR if you're looking for a bit longer of a run). If you're interested in any of our training programs or want to hear more about the fundamentals of training from some RRCA-certified coaches this event is for you! All attendees will also recieve a 15% discount on shoes and apparel from Pacer's!
Happy Running!
Anna
