Mary Munford Elementary
A naughty nine showed up to RAMM, with one biker making an early presence. YHC received and earful regarding the amount of elevation on this week’s run…all extremely positive and well intentioned.
Pro tip: Magnolia leaves apparently serve as an ample substitute for toilet tissue…who knew?
Saab abides
Gil Scott-Heron – Whitey On the Moon (Official Audio)
Routes:
All start by heading West on Grove. Highlights include a pass by of Bodos’ house…
https://onthegomap.com/s/ot9rdj5e
A determined dozen showed up to run/walk among Mary’s outer regions. Good to see some old friends.
Saab Abides
Routes:
NOTE: All start by heading north toward Patterson, heading west from there. Notable differences…
Unlike 4’s & 5’s which start on Westmoreland, 6’s start on Commonwealth
4’s take left on Granite from Patterson. Will take small shortcut on the Paxton/Ampthill loop (SEE MAP)
5’s take left on Maple from Patterson.
6’s take left on St Christopher’s from Patterson.
No need to look at the temperature gauge, just look at the high turnout to know it’s warm outside.
An elite 18 showed up at Mary to run, bike and walk. Despite the inclusion of the beloved Ampthill/Paxton loop, the route was well received with nary a complaint and zero lost runners.
Saab abides
Routes:
A lucky 7 arrived for a route and individual means of locomotion.
Saab abides
RAMM-CARILLON
https://onthegomap.com/s/huaedhb7
Why 11 pax you ask…because it’s one more.
Biggest takeaway was TYA’s apparent hobby of identifying obscure patterns in society…such as identifying a relationship between degrees of prejudice and penis size.
YHC is still not clear which comes first….
Saab abides
RAMM Routes
6.1 mile route
5 mile route
4 mile route
Among the 6, both 4 and 5 mile distances were chosen.
Saab abides
RAMM 1800
We will head out to Lafayette then W Franklin and loop back toward Grove at varying locations depending on distance.
4s: https://onthegomap.com/s/5eha4kmp
5s: https://onthegomap.com/s/3tsk0njm
6s: https://onthegomap.com/s/0g6mfb69
Eleven, including 2 on two wheels, gathered in our usual spot for this week’s Q-less edition of RAMM. Never fail, 5:24 route creation from the warmth of YHCs heated seats resulted in a plan.
Even with one of the gear heads (but not the actual gear head) annoyingly circling and distracting the relaying of the instructions, instructions were provided and understood. Marv, questioning what time it was, prodded the group to get started for:
The Route
North on Commonwealth then back to grove.
West on Grove then back to Commonwealth.
East on Grove then back to Commonwealth.
4s turn around at Cutshaw, Lexington, Thompson.
5s turn around at Augusta, Oak, Nansemond.
6s turn around at Broad, Seneca, Roseneath.
Moleskin
Seems like many of the PAX have emerged from hibernation, YHC included. Great to see some kotters Kebab and Garbage Plate.
The gears guys actually came back for COT this week. This offered a chance for a someone crude but nevertheless funny joke to be told with reference to Lewinsky and a cigar. Had to be there to hear it.
Great fellowship post run, even without free coffee. Which, by the way, sounds like a great idea for RAMM…
Announcements
Splinter out.
Out of the mists of a 70 and sunny day, three strong emerged to get their day off to a running start. The team of three had all the normal distances covered although YHC may not have made 4 exactly but hard to know as my watch died.
Saab and YHC went off as the only two at the start. Vigorous conversation ensued but then abated as we could not keep up the pace of conversation some of our experienced pax members (and certainly not of the most recent addition to the pax). But more importantly Saab is faster than me even when returning from injury. General route was west on Grove, right on Granite (for 4) and right on Maple (for 5), all took a right on Patterson, left on Willow Lawn, right on Franklin, right on Lafayette then back up Grove.
Sippy had arrived just after we left and made his own route in search of porta potties but without the use of Hitch’s PortaDash app. Which is so 2025. Not sure of his exact route but it involved Windsor Farms and I’m sure his pace was much greater than mine and likely Saab’s.
All three returned to the AO at the appointed time and were happy to see one another again after our solo runs.
YHC took us out. Peace to all those supporting family members and friends in their time of need.
RAMM. No Q on the sheet. No master plan. Just men showing up in the gloom and choosing movement.
It was decided let’s run towards U of R
Sippy Cup and Marv headed toward campus to send some good juju toward the Rams.
Chippendale, YHC and Swiper followed also toward University of Richmond, though we didn’t complete the full stadium loop. Swiper rolled out with us for a bit before dropping back, hope you’re good.
Saab walk out for a walk, but we saw him running back!
TYA was the lone biker — no pack, no draft, just grinding solo. Respect.
One of the best parts of the morning was the conversation with Chippendale. Miles make space for real talk. We covered family, vacations, world travels, stories about his dad, and the complicated, humbling reality of parents aging. It was honest, reflective, and exactly why these runs matter. The miles were slow, the conversation was better.
Notable moment: As Chippendale and I trailed Marv and Sippy Cup, we noticed a lone stranger standing on a corner. Looked like he was cheering them on… until they passed and he started jogging behind them. Protective instincts engaged. We eased back to keep eyes on it. Situational awareness at its finest. In the end, no incident. No headlines.
We regrouped and closed out together.
Praises:
TYA shared gratitude for all of us showing up and putting in the work. Early mornings don’t happen by accident.
Prayers:
For Marv’s wife.
For Marv’s friend Allison.
Marv took us out with thoughtful, kind words that grounded the morning in purpose.
Seven of Westmoreland’s finest gathered for what may be the last running meetup for a while. Consensus was no one wants to run on crunchy black ice. Regardless, YHC called a route that was only partially stolen from Marv. That’s what you get when you sit in a car and plan a route before stepping out.
The Route
Numbers, self-rating, YHC took us out.
Announcements
Moleskine
There were some crazy bikers heading east on Cary when the 5s crossed Cary into Windsor Farms. I mean, who bikes when it’s that cold, doesn’t stop at stop lights, and has music playing on a bluetooth speaker while riding? Must have been some of those millennials. We put them in their place.
Conversation in COT centered around rating scale of rabbits and how accurate it can be when it’s 0530 and dark.
Stay warm my friends.
Splinter Out