Tag: RAMM Gears

YHC thought the proper way to say goodbye to summer was with a festive game of sharks and minnows.

4 Rules to the Game:
-Partner up – run with your partner
-Movement can only be forward, no U-turns.
-Turns at intersections.
-Stay between Malvern and Westmoreland, and Grove and Patterson.

Rosie and Sippy were volunteered as the sharks giving the Pax a head start as the sharks circle the school block.

The shark attack commenced with speed and agility with all Pax converted to sharks by the end.

YHC enjoyed conversation with BT while covering the game area.

BRR – less than a week away!

18 Faithful gathered at MM for a pre-BRR run (or bike).

The THANG. Everyone mosey to the corner of Belgrade and Cambridge. Run on Cambridge and then around the oval loop back to the start. Split into groups based on pace. At random intervals, one runner in the group will do a ~1 min fartlek while the rest of the PAX will try to keep up. Keep running loops until the time is up (Most everyone did 3 loops). Mosey back to flag.

COT

MOLESKIN

YHC was looking for some new routes from our AO, when he noticed that there was a nearly perfect 1.5 mi oval in Windsor Farms very close by, so he decided to give it a go. YHC reasoned that there would also be very little traffic on the oval (more on that later), so we could all focus on our running without interruption. YHC apologizes for forgetting to include the mileage to/from the oval in my calculations, so the run was a bit long.

YHC, Marv and Copernicus ran together and averaged about 2 fartleks per lap, which was about all we could handle. YHC and Marv are all elbows and knees during the fast paced sections, but Copernicus doesn’t even look like he is running fast when he’s doing a sub 7 pace–the guy can glide!
Consensus was that this was a tough workout. Honeydo mentioned that the 1.5 mi lap had magically grown in distance with each successive circuit. Kind of like the 3rd or 4th leg of the BRR!

As expected there was almost no traffic, with only one car spotted during the circuit. Who knew that said driver would be looking for a fight! As the vehicle approached YHC, Marv, and Copernicus, we all slowed down and moved to the side of the street to let him pass. Unfortunately, the driver was not very happy about meeting runners on the road, and slowed down to engage with us. Marv eventually told the driver to move on. At this point he went from mad to furious, and stepped on the gas, screeching the tires. Seriously! Eventually he moved on, but not before more insults. It’s sad when conscientiousness is met with rage.

Great running by the PAX today. I always appreciate the fellowship and good attitudes we bring to each workout.

13 warriors posted for a morning run and bike workout at Mary Mumford. Weather was mid 70’s and sunny, 60% humidity. Much better weather than we have been experiencing.

The Thang

Right on Grove avenue, 4 milers turn at Malvern, 5 milers at Roseneath, and 6 milers at the Boulevard. Take Grove all the way to Three Chopt, turn around and head back to the shovel flag.

NMM

The route we did this morning was our original running route, that we did for the first 30 or so RAMM runs. The run is well know and well liked by the PAX (Marv did compliment my creativity on the route). It was good to be back on Grove and know all the ups and downs as well as the milestones for mileage. Always nice to rekindle a old familiar route.

Marv, Sippy and Saab were leading the PAX today as usual. They all make running look so easy and fun. Fudd, Swirly, Lab Rat, Trophy (Kotters), Circle K, Aisle 5 and TYA were in the group that took the five mile option. Lugnut ran to Roseneath (the 5 mile turn) and turned back somewhere on Grove (I think). One of the things I love about the Libbie loop is that you get to see all the PAX along the way. It always nice to get (and give) a little encouragement to the PAX members.

I missed all the mumble chatter post run, so chime in with any relevant details.

TYA Out.

13 runners and 2 bikers posted on a clear but humid morning for a run or ride.

Head east on Grove, right on Thompson, east on Ellwood to Main, return on Cary to Thompson back to Grove.  Four milers turn on Robinson, five milers turn on Meadow, six milers turn on Morris.

This was one of YHC’s old training routes because of the long stretches of streets with sidewalks, and was happy to be running it with the PAX.  YHC would struggle to resist the urge to throw in the towel and grab a burger and beer at one of the many eating establishments along the way.  Carytown cleans itself up nicely in the morning, and tempting smells did not seem to be an issue.

Every street sign on Ellwood/Main was turned, twisted, or otherwise vandalized, making the turnaround difficult.  Props to LugNut for adding some extra mileage because of the jacked up signs, and making his way back right at 6:15.  Sippy and Marv were the only six milers this morning.

There was more traffic than expected on Main and Cary.  UpChuck, one of few PAX properly dressed for a run in the dark, was ready with driving tips for the cars we passed.

Genny Light almost earned his first LIFO trophy, showing up late but then finishing first among the five milers.  Aisle 5 snatched the honors away, arriving after the PAX had left and running an alternate route.  So Genny Light gets the STLIFO (second-to-LIFO) award.  It turns out that he initially posted to the location on our map – there are different locations for RAMM and RAMM gears.  Can tech services look into that?

Announcements

• Fudd needs to go to the bathroom.
• LugNut announced a second RiverRun on Monday evening at 7:30pm.
• No Tools is mountain biking at Pocohontas tomorrow at 0700 or 0800 and looking for additional riders.
• YHC has an anniversary Q at The Punisher on Monday.
• YHC is organizing an F3 team for a Family Fun bike ride (10 or 20 mi) benefitting the American Diabetes Association: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?team_id=728706&fr_id=11465&pg=team on September 24th.  Registration is $20.  YHC pledges to satisfy the fundraising requirements for all F3 Richmond members, Ms, and 2.0s, though additional fundraising is most welcome.  With the release of the Panama papers, its time to empty some Offshore accounts.
• Toga is recruiting participants for the Spartan Run at Wintergreen, also on September 24th.  YHC’s feelings will only be hurt if you don’t participate in either of our events.
• YHC just registered for ReeseStrong 5k, and is pumped about it.

16 Runners and 2 Bikers showed up to cover some miles.  Relatively cool and slightly misty weather was a welcome relief to the heat and humidity of recent days.

The Thang:
East on Grove to Malvern.  North on Malvern to Broad.  West on Broad and take a left on Willow Lawn Drive.

4 milers come back on Monument to Commonwealth.  5 and 6 milers continue on to Patterson west bound and 5s take Granite to Grove and 6s take Maple to Grove to come home.  6s finish up with a victory lap around the school for precise mileage.

YHC took us out.

NMS:
YHC wanted to go into new uncharted territory this morning and Broad Street did not disappoint.  Bright lights and early morning bus commuters in contrast to the somewhat desolate roads we normally traverse offered some degree of liveliness.

It was a pleasure running some with TYA and Wilson.  After passing many shop windows on Broad St, I believe YHC uncovered another of Wilson’s phobias perhaps originating from the not-so-classic movie Mannequin.

Lifoing Fudd and Circle K swear they had an Oyster citing as they were catching up to the Pax.  Perhaps they startled an unaware neighbor out for a morning run.  Oyster, were you out there?

13 runners and three bikers posted for a morning workout on this lovely Friday morning in RVA. Weather was 70 and sunny with the full moon to the light the way this morning.

The Thang:

Grove to left on oak, slight left onto cary and right onto hillcrest. Right onto west hillcrest, left on east hillcrest. Repeat the hillcrest loop as many times as possible. TYA will announce when it is time to head back to the shovel flag. Follow the same route back to the shovel flag.

Bikers headed across the river to riverside drive for a loop around the city and back to the shovel flag.

NMM:

This was the second attempt at the Hillcrest loop for a Friday run. Much more successful the second time around. The first time only a few runners actually did the assigned loop. This time around, YHC marked the course with painted pink arrows on the road. To my knowledge, only one runner got lost today. Oyster missed the right onto Hillcrest, but YHC and Opus were just behind him and redirected him to the route. I am not sure that the pink arrows helped, I suspect that the fact that half the PAX had run Hillcrest before made a big difference in everyone staying on route.

Swirly was having issues this morning. Unlike Dogwood Dell, Mary Mumford and todays route do not have big blue convenience boxes at the AO. As a result, Swirly contributed to the compost pile near the garden at MM. Unfortunately that did not completely solve his problem, so the extra weight and discomfort slowed him down considerably this am. I wonder if they will have these blue boxes at the BRR? I hope so, because doing like a bear does is strictly against BRR rules!!

Lots of talks about animals post run. Sippy conveyed a story about a run he had early morning on the trails near Belle Isle. As he was running along, he saw a deer coming across his path. As it approached, Sippy crouched down to brace himself for the impact. Fortunately, the dear leapt over him right before impact. Sippy and Saab both have owl stories. I have not heard either of them, but just wonder if the owl attack on Saab’s head impacted his receding hair line?

Lug nut got an early start this morning. As YHC was marking the route, Lug was on his way to the hillcrest loop. He had a “glow stick” on that Saab speculated wasn’t a glow stick at all. The theory was that in his quest to leave early in the morning, he merely picked up a cylindrical item from his bedside table that he thought was a glow stick. When he turned the light on, he was pleasantly surprised that it not only provided light, but game him a back massage during the run. Wonder what Saab though it might be?

Fingers crossed for Sippy. On one of his loops he, phonics and a few others attacked the Chairman Hill. On the hill he tweaked his knee a bit and walked back to the shovel flag. Thanks to Circle K for picking him and getting him back safely and to Swirly for giving him a ride home.

Welcome to Opus, a Friday run new guy (FRNG). He did a great job today. We always have a variety of run distances on Friday to accommodate any pace or mileage requirements. Thanks for coming Opus.

Bikers were flying this morning. The PAX had a great pace going coming back into the AO. YHC heard that Fudd did a great job leading the pace line and that Ricky Bobby was a beast on the hills. No tools reported that he left it all out on the road the morning. Great job guys!

Announcements

Reese strong 5k coming up in September. See Phonics or Lab Rat for information. There is also a kids training team for the run. Phonics has the details.

BRR is 7 weeks away (8 weeks if your are Saab).

TYA Out!

14 Sleek showed up for BRR training this morning….or Friday runs…you can pick which sounds better.

Route today is the instant classic Carillon route:  5-6 milers head down Grove to Boulevard, hang a right and make their way up the steps, around the back of the carillon, then head back out.  Hang a left on Douglasdale across 195, then right on Portland.  5 milers, dealer’s choice back to the shovelflag, 6 milers, head up to Patterson before making it back to Mary.  4 milers head down Grove, left on Blvd to Monument, back to the shovelflag on Commonwealth.

NMS

So, YHC has been wanting to do this route since Lockjaw first introduced it but was absent the two times it was done.  Not one to shy away from grabbing a Q, YHC decided to take matters into his own hands and call the route himself.  Problem was, he didnt quite prepare well enough to pass along said route to the rest of the pax.  Disgusted, TYA bolts mid direction, and the pax in a moment of pure brilliance stopped listening to babbling Lab Rat and took off after TYA.  There were enough veterans of the route to get everybody out and back again with no issues.

No Tools and Bleeder took a route of their own devices, and looped around at about the 2/3 mark to offer morale support.  YHC was happy to see that Bleeder was able to keep the rubber side down on the route after the shaky showing pulling in to the AO.  Centrifugal force is awesome!

YHC was happy to be able to catch up with DK, being that he was his first F3 “buddy”, but we have been posting to different AO’s lately.  Great running with you!

YHC is also proud of TYA, as he got his plaque for coming in third in his her age group during our half marathon trail run last month.  Yes, that is correct:  Only 2 women aged 50-59 ran the half marathon faster than our very own TYA!  He was so excited he brought his plaque to show off!  Unfortunately, YHC lost the only photo evidence of the feat when his phone ended up M.I.A. that morning on the way back to Ratskeller.  Sorry about that.

While Lab Rat is busy apologizing, let him also say sorry this BB is so late.  Between the missing phone and traveling out of town for the weekend, he just couldnt get it done.  Se la vie.

Great work all, YHC hopes everyone had a steller weekend.

Lab Rat out.

9 Pax came out in the calm after the storm to cover some miles.

We took a new route into Scott’s Addition.  4 milers turned around at Ardent, 5 milers came back on the Boulevard to Elwood to Grove, and 6 milers came home on Hermitage to Grove.

NMC
Power loss and vacation provided delay in the getting the back blast out.  However, YHC believes its better late than never to chronicle our post.

It was a nice change of scenery to venture north into Scott’s Addition which was vacant at that hour.  Perhaps we should do it 12 hours later in the day and do a tour de brewery.

Several trees were down on Grove including one on a car.  The Boulevard showed signs up high winds with some signs in disarray.

Hardywood provided a tourism PSA for Austin, TX.

13 Faithful showed up on a delightful Friday morning run/ride.

YHC gave the simple instructions. Out and back run Grove–>Henri–>Towana–>Richmond Way. The course is the most direct route down to the start of the Spider Run at the U of R lake. Instead of defined points, the PAX was instructed to turn around at 23 minutes, with the goal of getting back to the flag in 22 minutes.

COT–YHC took everyone out.

Moleskin.

What seemed simple in concept (to everyone except Wilson) was quite hard in practice, as YHC had specifically designed the course to be predominantly downhill on the out (, and uphill on the way back to add to the challenge. I think that Lab Rat was the only one who made it back in 22, several others were close. Rosie left YHC in the dust in the last mile and was only 15 seconds shy of the goal.

Also challenging was the driving thunderstorm that came through about 30 minutes in and soaked the Pax on the return trip, also slowing things down a bit, but cooling everything off too.

It was a good way to start the holiday weekend, and I can sense that we are getting stronger in preparation for the BRR.

As we spend more time with our families the next few days consider the following:

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

(Yep, that’s where I got the idea for the COT prayer)

15 faithful posted for a morning workout. 2 headed out on the bikes and 13 on the run.

The Thang:

4 miles: Grove to Left on Malvern, Left on Patterson, Left on Libbie, back to the shovel flag
5 miles: Grove to Left on Malvern, Left on Patterson, Left on St. Christopher’s, Left on access road, Left on Libbie, back to the shovel flag
6 miles: Grove to Left on Nansemond, Left on Patterson, Left on St. Christopher’s, Left on access road, Left on Libbie, back to the shovel flag
Bikes: Over nickel bridge, to Belle Isle, cross over to north side on pedestrian bridge, back to Libbie

NMM:

The run is certainly in transition these days. A third of the PAX opted for the 6 mile loop (Saab, Marv, Copernicus and Offshore). They were cranking this morning. Easily making the 6 mile loop in the 45 minutes. The rest headed out on the 5 mile loop. Swirly was on fire this morning leading the PAX. Abacus, BT and Fudd were right behind him tracking him down (not sure if anyone caught him). A little further back were Lab Rat and Tramp Stamp. Both TYA and Wilson were trying to hang on with Lab Rat and Tramp Stamp. The scream, on his first day back opted for the four mile loop and performed well. We are certainly a much faster and fitter group of runners from where we started. Having said all that, any level of runner is welcomed and encouraged to join. Our first run was a 3.6 mile loop that we could barely make in 45 minutes. Great work and growth folks.

Lot of mumble chatter on attire today. YHC donned, for the second time, his blue shorts. When The scream arrived, he quickly asked me “Going for a swim today”. BT pointed out that the shorts extended almost past my knees (didnt know that was an issue). Lab Rat’s outfit was, lets just say inappropriate. When I was passing some tomatoes on the run today, I heard them comment on Lab Rat with the backblast title. I could not disagree with them. My whole run I was trying to divert my eyes from Lab Rat’s attire, or lack there of. As Fudd so eloquently stated “you wear clothes in respect of the other runners”.

Lots of second F for the PAX today. Several of the group hung out in the parking lot past 7 am. More than a few of the PAX were planning on a day off or half day off today.

Enjoy your weekends gents. See you in the Gloom.

TYA out