Workout on The Mall (not White Flint, however)

From Coach Jerry:

We had another weekend of strong performances, led by Maura’s victorious GRC debut in the GTSI 5k in the excellent time of 17:58. What is most notable about Maura’s performance is that she started running workouts less than 2 months ago, and is already in PR shape. I know I speak for all of GRC when I say that after this auspicious start, I will accept nothing less than an undefeated season! Ryan Witty also ran a nice PR of 14:51, so it was a good day for our civil engineering duo. A hearty well done also goes to Matt Logan who ran a big marathon PR of 2:33:31 in Grand Rapids. Matt executed his race plan perfectly, running even pace throughout, and he had enough gas left in the tank to run his fastest 2 miles of the day on miles 25-26. Matt will be a real threat to break 2:30 the next time out.

I’m excited to announce that the workout this week will be on the Capital Mall. The mall is essentially a giant cinder track (and if you don’t know what a cinder track is, please don’t tell me that because that is going to make me feel even older than I already do) and it’s a great place to work out. We will use a a loop between 4th and 7th streets that is almost precisely 800 meters. I’ve been out there many times for lunch time workouts with Laura, and I can assure you this is a great venue, and it is certainly unique to DC.

This is also a great marketing opportunity for us, as there are lots and lots of runners/joggers out on the mall at that hour, so if you have GRC sweats and/or workout gear, please wear it. We will try to take some pictures for the web site, so please show your GRC colors if you have any GRC colors to show.

As for logistics, we will start on the 7th street side, between Independence and Constitution, directly opposite the Capital. Let’s meet at 6:30 for the warmup and try to roll right at 7:15. I will be out there at 6:30 and can watch your gear during the warm up. The weather forecast is not all that promising, so I will bring several large trash bags that we can use to keep stuff dry if need be. If you don’t work downtown and you’re taking metro, which is probably wise, the closest stops are Gallery Place on the red/yellow/green lines and Smithsonian on the blue/orange lines. If you go to Gallery Place, exit on the 7th street side and head down towards the mall. Our meeting spot is 4 or 5 blocks away. If you go to Smithsonian, exit on the mall side, and you’ll come out around 14th street, so head toward the Capital. If you drive, there should be ample street parking in the area. If not, there are plenty of garages that are open for the bar/restaurant/arena crowd. As for bathrooms, your best bet is probably to duck into one of the many bars between Gallery Place and the mall.

For the workout itself, the A group will do 6 x mile with a 3 minute rest, 2 @ 5:10, 2 @ 5:00, 2 @ 4:50. The B group will do up to 6 x mile with a 3 minute rest, 2 @ 5:20, 2 @ 5:10, 2 @ 5:00. The surface is a little softer than the track, and there are 90 degree turns at each corner of the loop, but the long straightaways are extremely conducive to finding a rhythm, so these times should be fairly close to what they would be on the track.