Author: Upchuck

  • It’s Just So Juicy

    Eight came to whack the ball around in the latest edition of The Batteau, Summer Pickleball Edition. Temperatures were, once again, 70 and sunny. According to ESPN’s SportsCenter coverage, the following might have happened:

    COP. Mosey around the courts, watching for the occasional court drying equipment or ball barrier. Work in a few reps of shuffling side-to-side or Bernie Sanders to get the muscles loose.

    SSHs, Dead Man Hang, and a little bit of broga. Onto the Main Event.

    Doubles. Fun was had. Wind was a factor. Rain held off.

    Nice work, gentlemen. Great games today.

    Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.

    NMS: Whitesnake is susceptible to conversation during a match. Topics included the difference between les Blues and les Spurs.

    Announcements:

    TODAY: D-Day Anniversary Celebration Ruck (June 3). “Omaha” Meet at Palani Drive. 401 Libbie Avenue (across from Libbie Market). 5:45 launch. 5.6 mile route (aka, distance from Omaha Beach to Pointe du Hoc (look it up). Something to do with Rangers. Happy hour to follow.

    Thursday (Actual 80th Anniversary): Utah. 7:00 p.m. 9.3 miles, roughly Utah Beach to St. Mere Eglise. Meet at Palani Drive.

    June 22nd. (Skip the WWII Barbarossa reference). Goyne Park, Chester. Fully charge the battery on your EV and put in the extra distance to visit a new AO (and support your brothers with the launch!). See State Farm or Posh for details.

    Don’t sleep on the Summer Tour. Get out there and hit some new locations.

    And, don’t sleep on The Bridge. These guys need our help as they work back into society, learn some skills, and get themselves back on their feet. Get out there and help someone. See TYA for which weekends F3RVA has the Q.

    Find a challenge. Find a hard challenge. Take it on, and make an impact.

    UpChuck spits the bit.

  • The Prodigal Son

    5, later 6, assembled in the full daylight that is Sunday Funday. Conditions were 70 and sunny. According to the 30-and-under crowd struggling to communicate verbally, the following might have happened:

    Route: Bridge, Buttermilk, Belle Isle loop, bridge, North Bank. Just over 7 miles. Nice work, fellas.

    Back at the parking lot, Ollivander joined us. Nice to catch up.

    Names, numbers, YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    Blue Ridge Relay. Team has about 10-11 guys so far. Reach out to TYA to join. Leave September 5. Run is September 6-7. Homecoming is September 8. This is a 210 mile relay. Candidly, it’s not for everyone, but we have been doing this for about a decade. If you are interested in learning to put “push yourself; don’t hurt yourself” into action, please consider joining us.

    Grow Ruck. Already happened. Twice. See Faceplant for a summary.

    ReeseStrong 5k. “The Hard Way.” Already happened. More than twice.

    Something new in a place called, “Chester” starts in June. Something similar, but not the same, that is also new (or maybe a resurrection of something else?) has started in a place called, ”Amelia.” No Bachelor’s Degree in Outdoor Recreation or Supply Chain Management for Exercise Shoes required. Just show up.

    Summer Tour. On-going, again, but different. Run the numbers and make a plan. Learn where Chester is. Amelia is a different thing.

    Offshore is hosting some kind of corporate 5k on Thursday, June 6, designed to show who the fastest person is in his office. Invite your work colleagues, smoke them, and earn the right to remind them ad nauseum that they lost for the next year. Jerks. Also, remember to mention winning this in your annual performance appraisal under “Strengths.”

    NMS: It’s summer. So, watch for wayward traffic cameras / speed zones that are set for school day speed limits. See Faceplant for details or to test drive a Rivian.

    If you know what the ReeseStrong 5k is and you did it The Hard Way, you are Old School. T-Claps.

  • And Then There Were Seven

    Seven men of principle came forth on a glorious morning. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the lady in the orange Miata, the following quite possibly happened.

    Mosey west in the parking lot, head fake Senor Frog to the left, then go right and across the street to the River Road Church, Baptist.

    COP

    SSHs (4 count) x50
    Dead man hang and various other stretches
    Monkey humpers
    Hand release merkins
    Imperial Walkers
    Flutters kicks

    Mosey to the edge of River Road for Touch a Tree. 1, then 2, then 3. Partner does WWIIs.

    Mosey to the left side of the church. Form one, single-file line. Bear crawl along an assorted set of walkways. Arrive at center of church portico. Three pencil rolls to the right. Continue the bear crawl through various walkways to the portico of whatever that thing is that is not the church.

    Mosey to Senor Kubota’s truck and grab a block.

    Mosey to the guard rail in the parking lot. Circuit is 10 4-count derkins, 10 4-count presses with block, and flutter kicks.

    Carry the block across the street to the county’s smallest park. Partner up. Partner 1 does murder bunnies. Partner 2 chooses whether to run the park loop without the block or run to the street sign while carrying the block.

    Mosey back to the VSF.

    Touch a Tree. Rounds of 4, 5 and 6. Options: carry the block and touch any trees. Or, do not carry the block and the usual Harvard Business School approved Touch a Tree rules apply.

    3 burpees to wrap it up.

    Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    None.

    Prayer Requests: our pal Splinter’s mom and his family are going through a new illness. Let’s keep her and all of them in our prayers.

    NMS: Nice energy level today, fellas. Awesome morning to be out there with you. Way to push!

  • Handshake’s Kryptonite is a Little Wet Spot

    7 men of leisure strolled forth for the latest edition of The First Watch. Conditions were 70 and sunny, albeit with a very small amount of rain and a handful of wet spots. According to the Teen Aged Female Yale Student (YHC apologizes to any actual Teen Aged Girls reading this) griping about getting even a little bit of water on his whittle clothes, the following 100% dry exercises might have happened.

    Hutton is on the DL, but posted anyway. Walked Alone for the workout. Clearly, he’s not a Liverpool fan. Good choice. Liverpool FC can suck it. Yeah, Mr. Holland.

    Mosey to the side of the River Road Church, Baptist for the COP.

    SSHs x25
    Dead Man Hang
    Imperial Walkers x10
    Downward Dog
    WWIIs (Handshake’s alternative exercise to avoid getting wet: American Hammers)
    HRMs (Handshake’s alternative exercise to avoid getting wet: Merkins, or maybe it was Arm Circles)
    Inverted Scorpion Kicks (Handshake’s alternative exercise to avoid getting wet: Stand Still, in cadence)

    Handshake wanted to show his “I really do get wet sometimes” bona fides, so the PAX moseyed back towards his truck to see his “wet balls spot” on the driver’s side seat. Really. Can’t make this up. YHC stopped to do exercises among the sprinklers on the grass. The PAX rebelled and refused to enter the wet grass with live sprinklers. Soon, the PAX arrived at Little Blue, and YHC shined a light on the driver’s seat. YHC can attest – Handshake’s balls spot exists as advertised. Handshakes’ balls apparently sweat profusely ‘cause they certainly do not get wet from the rain.

    Partner up. But, do nothing with that partner for the time being. Mosey to South Ridge.

    Remember your partner.

    Mosey to the house with many cream colored pillars on a long wall. Using the first light as a starting point and the black-and-white striped sign as the turn-around, the Pax did the following:

    50 merkins – each man
    100 monkey humpers (team total)
    150 4-count SSHs (team total)
    1 burpee or 3 merkins as a transition.
    (Note: all exercises were done in a dry, climate controlled environment with a warm towel waiting at the end).

    Upon completion, the Pax moseyed to the striped pole. Repeat the general concept with the next turning point being the Country Squire sign. (A change of clothes / Lulu (see what I did there?) Lemon pants was/were provided to anyone / Handshake who had started to sweat or get wet).

    Hand-release merkins
    Slow squats
    SSHs (YHC thinks)

    Continue moseying down S. Ridge until YHC says stop. Then, partner up.

    First partner runs to Country Squire sign. Second partner bear crawls. When the first partner returns, swap. Second exercise was lunge. Third was butt kickers or high knees (Dealer’s Choice).

    Mosey back to the county’s smallest park for a four-cornered, no-right-angles exercise. Corner 1, 10 merkins. Corner 2, 20 WWIIs. Pencil roll across the grass. Or, just walk across the grass as the Pax still refuse to get wet on a rainy morning. Change into dry shoes. Corner 3, 30 monkey humpers (and a bunch of SSHs…) and mosey BTTVSF. One WWII, one pencil roll, one merkin. Enter that air-dry blower machine that they have at King’s Dominion after the water rides so the Pax can dry off.

    Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.

    Announcements: Someone thinks there might be a Memorial Day Convergence at Tredegar.

    NMS:

    OS F3: Show up, find the biggest puddle / temporary lake in human history in Bird Park. Water must be 6” high to qualify. Run halfway across that puddle / lake in the rain. Stop. Perform 10 burpees or merkins in that puddle. Repeato. Until time.

    NS F3: gripe about doing 1 WWII on a slightly wet spot of asphalt. Until time.

  • Shit Happens When You Party Naked

    Nine men pushing for good results turned out for the latest edition of the Hoedown. Temperatures remained 70 and sunny. According to the people who created Senor Frog’s shirt, the following might have happened:

    Today was supposed to be a HoneyDo Q. With the Silent Assassin on the DL, the Pax moseyed to the school wall in his honor. 20 donkey kicks.

    Circle up for a proper Circle of Pain.

    50 SSHs x4 count
    Imperial Walkers 10 x 4 count
    Hillbillies 10x 4 count
    LBCs x 20
    Rosalita’s x20
    HRMs x10

    Triple Check Numero Uno

    Partner 1: Run the loop.
    Partner 2: Dips on the benches.
    Partner 3: Donkey kicks (in the seemingly unlikely, but nonetheless real, scenario in which a Pax member, or three, have forgotten what a donkey kick is in the last 4 minutes, do wall squats).

    Mosey to the parking lot, then up the steps, take a hard right around the tree, then a hard left towards the road, then down the “median” marked by white lines, then press the button on the crosswalk (waiting for the lone femalian to drive right through the illuminated crosswalk lights, then left, then right, and into the Third Church Alternative Parking Lot. Grab 3 blocks, then grab 3 more blocks.

    Triple Check Numero Dos

    Partner 1: Run the loop, clockwise.
    Partner 2: Block presses
    Partner 3: Block overhead presses.

    A little stretching.

    Triple Check Numero Tres

    Partner 1: Run the loop. But, this is no ordinary loop. Down the steps, hard left, up the other steps, out the parking lot entrance, then left onto Forest, then left onto Silverspring, the left into the parking lot, and back to the start.
    Partner 2: Block squats
    Partner 3: Block swings. These hurt YHC’s back, so if you can’t do it, don’t Q it. After 2 rounds, swear quietly, and switch to presses.

    A little more stretching.

    Mosey in the general direction of the TES parking lot, but take the crosswalk (using the lights, again, for safety). Pax run all over, leaderless.

    Q instills some form of management. Circle up on the TES front lawn (or concrete, for those who did not want to get their whittle shirt wet). Don Quixotes and then HRMs.

    Mosey to the Teacher’s Parking Lot.

    Triple Check Numero Quatro

    Partner 1: Sprint the 11 parking spaces and back.
    Partner 2: World War II-style sit ups. (No verification that anyone in WWII actually did these).
    Partner 3: Merkins.

    Mosey to the Circle for Mary

    Freddie Mercury x11-ish
    Hello Dolly 10ish
    Flutter kicks x25

    Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    El almuerza, manana (el martes), El Casa de Sandwiches de Estacion de Bomberos, Broad Street. Contact El Piel de Cerdo for details. But, do it in Spanish. 12:30 p.m. El conta en espanol; yo escribo in espanol.

    Pickle Ball Mondays starting May 20 at Batteau. Repeato, in the words of Kid Rock, all summer long. This is one of two events at Batteau that might teach humility. Option 1) Attempt to beat Lockjaw’s son in Pickel Ball, and Option 2) Complete the Grow Ruck. C’mon. Who are you kidding? Your only chance is the Grow Ruck.

    NMS:

    The BB title comes from Senor Frog’s shirt this morning. That’s all. Just the words on his shirt.

    Honey Do is on the DL with a calf injury. Heal up.

    Bodo’s apparently survived a targeted assassination attempt while riding an e-bike. Wow. Glad to have him in the land of the living. Heal up, amigo.

    Other dudes are on then mend as well. Heal up.

  • On Average, We Ran 4 Miles (and Some)

    Eleven total studs chose to carry more at the latest edition of The Dogpile. Conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to the young fillies Senor Frog considered pursuing, the following might have happened.

    Silent direction to partner up. Goal: On average, maintain a steady pace between the partners. Example: Gomer partners with Garbage Plate, etc.

    Mosey to the entrance to Maymont. Circle up.

    SSHs x50 for the six. (Move for a car). Dead Man Hang. (Move for a car). Imperial Walkers. (Move for a car).

    Mosey to the Nature Center.

    Triple check. Timer runs the small loop (rounds 1, 3) and the middle loop (round 2). Heels to Heaven, American Hammers.

    Mosey to the Port-a-Potties. Circle up while HoneyDo drops the kids at the pool. Audible: meet HoneyDo at the next stop.

    Mosey to the Amelia Street School Grassy Knoll for 11s. Run up the hill, WWIIs, and back down for Monkey Humpers.

    Circle up for some yoga. Downward dog, right leg high, left leg high, pigeon left, pigeon right.

    Mosey to the Hampton Street / Maymont Parking Lot, circling back for the Six.

    Circle up at the end of the parking lot. Identify Trash Cans 1 and 2. Start at 1. First man runs to 2 and back. Second man starts with 50 merkins (on his own), and splits 100 deep squats and 150 SSHs with his partner. (Note: Each man must complete his own set of 50 merkins during this evolution). When the partners switch, celebrate the transaction with 3 boo-yeah merkins each time. Circle up for the Six.

    Mosey to the Corner of Kansas and Hampton and take the North Bank Trail down to the canal bank. Inhale deeply before approaching the Canal. Hold breath (whoosh, that was some stank). Circle up at the stone wall.

    Triple Check: Balls to the Wall, dips, and run to the gate in the fence. Completed roughly 1 round before time was called.

    Mosey in the general direction of the shovel flag, stopping at the start of the dirt trail, then at the North Bank Parking Lot, then at the corner of Pump House Drive and Park Drive for the Six. Then, finish with a Bro-Code run back to the Flag.

    Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    GTE47 today. Lots of hard work has been put into the prep. Good luck to all participating, If you missed the sign up, just show up, wear black workout clothes or a Richmond Police uniform, and have fun. Be safe. Remember: a bunch of dudes lined up military-style with black glow sticks on their hats carrying a black boat on Coronado Beach at 3 a.m. is called a normal Wednesday night. A group of grown men marching military style carrying telephone poles, American flags, and backpacks on Cary Street at 3 a.m. on Saturday night is called both fun / torture (if you are participating) and odd / abnormal / and possibly frightening if you are walking / driving past. A good leader will be kind and patient and humble.

    May Weight Loss Challenge is under way. Participants challenge themselves to lose 5-10% of their weight, unless you are Whitesnake, and then you join a Weigh Loss Challenge with the goal of not losing weight.

    The Clinic (and, of course, Whitesnake) heads west tomorrow for a few days in San Diego. Reminds YHC of the sign above one of the local buildings along the beach. “Choose to Carry More.”

    NMS: Solid work today. The PAX brought it. 60 minutes of constant movement. Way to go.

    The PAX were also a little nervous that YHC was taking them to an outdoor drug market in Oregon Hill. Quite the contrary – we were headed to an off-campus port-o-potty so HoneyDo could disgorge last night’s wings. This called for the resurrection of a route Hardywood used some years back. No time for lolly gagging on this one. Every minute was used. Again, way to go, fellas, in particular the Gomer / Garbage Plate “On average we ran for an hour” partnership. Nicely done.

    UpChuck spits the bit.

  • Did a Hurricane Blow Through?

    One weary traveler shook off the cobwebs of a hockey-filled evening to report for the latest edition of The Clinic. Conditions again held constant at 70 and sunny. According to the person obviously committing insurance fraud by claiming their Jeep Liberty engine hood was “stolen” from the hotel parking lot, the following might have happened.

    COP of stretching and SSHs interrupted by Omar reporting that the police were investigating a crime in the parking lot. Someone stole the hood from a car. Uh huh. Same guy had asked when he checked in whether the parking lot was monitored by cameras. You know, because a Jeep Liberty needs some serious security. No chance there was an actual theft in this parking lot, but so be it, YHC was off for a run.

    5-ish miles. No pit stops. Out to Broward and back.

    Number, name, and YHC took himself out.

    NMS: Good opportunity to meet the police on friendly terms today. YHC mentioned his workplace and the fact that he runs through the La Quinta parking lot. The officer was well familiar with the La Quinta. When you find yourself at the LQ, something is not right in your life. Amen.

    Announcements: A bunch of New Yorkers from Brooklyn choked last night. No amount of medical help could save them. 5-3 loss, with three goals given up in the final 3:20 of the third period. Epic collapse.

    Motto for the day: Get Right!

  • No Moon, or All Stars?

    One adult male assured success today in the latest edition of The Clinic. Whitesnake appeared in spirit. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the rabbits on Watership Down, the following might have happened:

    Slow mosey from the hotel to the golf course. Route today was cart path south through neighborhood, then into Monarch Beach Golf Links, circling towards CA-1 (PCH). Next take the tunnel under PCH, do the cart path loop on the beach side (sort of twice, but it’s hard to explain), then the public path parallel to the beach. At the dirt trail, drop down onto the beach, heading south at the water’s edge to the rock formation, then reverso and retrace steps northbound (note: air temp was 49, water temp 58). Find, then take, the stairs back up the cliff to the concrete trail, then up the Hill of Doom, pass through the tunnel (with a quick nod to YHC’s childhood vehicle, the VW Van immortalized on the Jungle Bus Mural), and back into Sea Terrace Park. Proceed left / north to pick up the public trail, then right / east and it metaphorically felt like YHC was turning for home. Quick jig left / north and back to the virtual hot tub at the hotel.

    YHC has been hitting bootcamps. Time to start up the running again. But, this one is in the books.

    Number, name, and YHC said a quick word of thanks to be able to have mornings like this one.

    Announcements:

    Some of us are not able to make the Grow Ruck (YHC has travel Sunday a.m. and high school soccer at 7:45 on Saturday a.m.). If anyone is looking for an early Saturday workout, send YHC a note. A handful of us are likely to have a Dogpile workout at 6. We may have 2 guys, we may have 20. All are welcome. Feel free to double-dip.

    NMS:

    Hard to beat conditions like this morning. No moon. Just a thousand stars. And, almost no light (in places). Ideal conditions for a cart path run. Lots of darting rabbits out for a little pre dawn meal coupled with the occasional surprise of a cart path ending at a secluded tee box. In the darkness, other minor impediments appear. These included a cast iron gate blocking access to one neighborhood and a set of orange traffic cones acting as a warning for a soon-to-appear 1-foot high iron chain across the path. Life has minor hurdles, in this case literally. The Clinic is not in Kansas anymore.

    YHC ran early today. In the 4’s. It’s easy to become philosophical under the stars on the beach at that hour. YHC kept coming back to a simple question: “What is good leadership?” And, a corollary, “Who is a good leader today?”

    It seems today that our society has landed in a place where the answers to those questions often make reference to the failures of someone else. Example: “Well, Trump has massive flaws, but so does Biden.” How many of us have said or heard something like that? YHC kept wondering whether we should measure the faults of one person by reference to those of another. That feels like a relativist cop-out in avoidance of high standards. And, too often, if we have low standards for others, we have low standards for ourselves. Simple faults or lies become prevalent and repetitive. If we say it enough, some people believe it will be true. That is false. We are each called to have high integrity, high standards. Each man – each of us as men – has to stand on his own. Each of us is responsible for our actions – independent of the actions of others. Push yourself, don’t hurt yourself, is not just about physical fitness.

    If you are still reading, then as YHC said, it’s easy to become philosophical while running alone on a deserted beach. YHC was reminded mid-run of a conversation with a local pastor. The question posed was to finish this sentence. “And they’ll know we are Christians by our…”

    FWIW, the jokes that morning included…sexual affairs with porn stars, general hypocrisy, petty lies to make ourselves sound better, accounting frauds, disparagement of Gold Star mothers, touching women in their junk, and, for that matter (and in the spirit of bi-partisanship), unsolicited back rubs of young ladies (and older ladies, for that matter).

    Be accountable. Raise your standards. Help your pals do the same.

    Prayer Request: YHC’s nephew left the Marine Corps about 2 weeks ago. He’s struggling. While it’s nice to have freedom to wake on his own schedule, a 21-year old with no job, a wife (who he does not live with), a more-than-slight penchant for alcohol, and the limited / socially impractical skills of firing a machine gun and a Mark 40, all make for a tough transition. If any of YHC’s brothers are still reading and have advice, YHC would love to hear it.

  • Mickey Doesn’t Stop for Fun Runs

    One mouse-ears wearing fan club member strolled forth for the latest non-fun-run, Mouseketeer lovin’ version of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the multiple levels of security around Coronado Springs, the following might have happened:

    Short walk to the lake, the mosey clockwise around Lago Dorado. After about 1/2 mile, stop for the COP.

    SSHs x30 (all exercises 4 count, unless it’s stupid to do a four count, and all were OYO)
    Don Quixotes x10
    Imperial Sky Walkers x 10
    Dead Mouse Hang
    WWIIs x20
    Frederick Mercurys x20
    Snow Princesses x10
    HRMs x20

    Mosey 20 yards to the bench. Dips x20

    Mosey around the property, generally trying to avoid the lake / route used by the Fun Run for the conference YHC is attending. Mix in exercises in a traveling COP fashion. Exercises were a motley, including decline merkins, WWIIs, LBCs, dips, HRMs, Rosalitas, monkey humpers (especially for the security cameras), squats, and merkins. One set of Balls-to-the-Wall with shoulder taps. Let’s call it 20 stops and 30 sets of reps overall. Probably 1.5 miles.

    Arrive at the large parking lot, similar in size to the Godwin lot (football parking). Set up in a circle-ish fashion with a central road through the lot, this area contends annually for the Guinness Book of World Records for most Stop Signs per Square Foot in the world. YHC counted 28 stop signs. Disney is terrified of plaintiff’s lawyers (note: with the recent changes in Florida law, plaintiff’s lawyers are finally being held in check in Florida – finally). Perform 10 or 20 reps of an exercise at each stop sign. Rotating exercises. Mostly merkins, squats, LBCs, monkey humpers with others thrown in for good measure.

    Finish with 5 burpees at the bus stop.

    Number, name, and YHC took himself out with a bit of thanks for a very pleasant vacation last week, and a lot of thanks for YHC finds himself this year.

    Prayers for YHC’s pal Lockjaw and his family. Hope Dad is doing better. Prayers for Faceplant and his daughter’s purple cast.

    NMS: Disney only does things pro-style. Somehow, each thing is better than YHC expects. Hats off to Mickey and his crew for putting on a good event. Hats off also to the un-named Dad who was watching cartoons with his 2-ish year old daughter in the lobby when YHC went to work out. He looked like he was at the end of his patience and super tired, yet he stuck it out for another 45 minutes. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

  • Snow at The Clinic?

    One conquistador moseyed forth on the high plains of Santa Fe in the latest edition of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the Hardywood’s, I.e., the family sleeping in their off-roading vancruiser across the street, the following might have happened.

    Exit front door of AirBandB, light stretching mixed with contemplation of the overnight snowfall (about an inch) at The Clinic. Mosey up the hill for about 2/5ths of a mile. 56 SSHs (to celebrate YHC’s big brother turning 56 today), 20 merkins, 20 LBCs, 20 flutter kicks, and 20 WWIIs.

    Mosey to the end of the street, call it another 1/5th of a mile. More SSHs, more stretching, 10 burpees, 20 Rosalitas, and some Frederick Mercuries.

    Reverse the route, stopping every few adobe walls for a traveling COP. WWIIs, flutter kicks, Freddie’s, LBCs. Find a wall and do some inverted merkins (Balls to the Wall, but add merkins). 5 per round.

    Continue moseying down the hill to Santa Fe’s smallest park, home to 7 benches and a few picnic tables (and a bunch of snow). YHC only brought one pair of walking/running/hiking shoes, so keeping dry was at a premium today with temps in the low 30s, so merkins, WWIIs, dips (on the curb), and more BTTW with merkins (when does this just become a derkin?) were in order.

    Mosey down the street to Fort Marcy Park, home of a fort built by the American Army shortly after taking over Santa Fe during the Mexican-American War. These are the local heights, about a 150 foot climb bottom to top. Santa Fe is at about 7,100 feet of altitude, so percentage-wise, this is not a big addition. Come out here and run it, and YHC believes you will find a good challenge for us sea-level dwellers. You will also find a 15 foot cross at the top and a vista worth writing home about. Something for everyone.

    Mosey back down, back to the VSF, and pick up the iPhone (and the M). Mosey back to the top (huffing, puffing), and take some photos.

    Number, name, and YHC took himself and the M out.

    Announcements:

    Blue Ridge Relay in September. Drop TYA a line if you are interested. 210 miles of nice hills / mountains over about 30-34 hours, and a ton of fun with 10-12 friends (maybe 24, if we have 2 teams). F3RVA has been doing this for roughly 10 years. You will have fun, you will push your limits, and you will make new friends.

    NMS:

    Altitude is no joke. 7,100 is not terrible, but it’s a tax on YHC’s fitness. It’s also a nice added challenge. Lastly, today was the first snowfall at The Clinic, a traveling AO that more frequently visits warm climates in places like Florida, California, southern Europe, and small islands. Not the coldest Clinic yet, but certainly the first one with snow.