Week 8, April 12th.

WEEK 8, Saturday April 12, 2008 at 9 am:

The dcrrc 10K Training Program will meet at the Roosevelt Island Parking Lot for up to a 10K run. (Below right: The Potomac from the meeting place in the Roosevelt Island Parking Lot before Saturday's run.)

Go Northbound on GW Parkway to just past the Roosevelt Bridge where there's a turnoff to your right. If you take Metro, take the orange or blue lines to Rosslyn, and run towards the Key Bridge. You cross the Mt. Vernon Trail after you cross over Lee Highway but before you start over the Key Bridge. Go South on the Mount Vernon Trail a quarter mile to the Roosevelt Island Parking Lot.

A suggested route is 10K on the nearby Custis Trail. We could run to Glebe Road and back. It'll be a little bit hilly as we practice for Capitol Hill in the race in the sixth mile.

This week you should run three other times, 3-5 miles each run. One run should be a fast-paced run, or have fast portions in it (interval running). Track is on Wednesday night at 7 pm in Arlington. This is a self-contained program, go the the Track Workout section on the club's website for more information.

Next week (week 9) and week 10 we'll meet at Haines Point in the Golf Course parking lot. (Left: Heading out on the Mt. Vernon Trail.)

Weeks 11 and 12 we'll meet in Stanton Square in the District near Union Station. The target race, the Capitol Hill Classic 10K, starts in Stanton Square.

LAST WEEK (week 7). We were joined by Jessica, a runner who had just completed the Reebok SunTrust National Half Marathon training program (16 weeks). Jessica broke two hours for the half marathon last week and has already plunged into training for the Capitol Hill Classic 10K which is, after all, in SIX SHORT WEEKS! Coaches Kristin and Peter took their runners south on the Mount Vernon Trail to the Gravelly Point parking lot just north of National Airport, and back, for six miles in about an hour. Coach Renee took the 14th Street Bridge into the District and then headed north through Georgetown to the Key Bridge and returned, where she completed a loop of six miles in about 55 minutes. It was beautiful spring weather, although there was some wind. (Right: This is what running in the District looked like last week.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:I hope that you all continue with your running and don't let your conditioning slip after this Program is over. The ARMY 10-MILER registration opened last week. It is MORE THAN HALF-FULL already in one short week. It will be run on Sunday, October 5, 2008. Consider putting it on your schedule and taking the dcrrc 10-Mile Training Program this summer, which starts on July 14th. All of you who finish the 10K Program and keep up with your running are capable of finishing the 10-Mile Program Training too.

Run happy.