Tag: RAMM

Mary Munford Elementary

  • Redemption run with nobody to redeem

    10 strong young souls posted this morning for a Friday morning shakedown run.  Here’s what’s up:

    -Carillon Route:

    • 6 Milers:  Grove to Boulevard to….run whatever you want, you know what’s up.
    • 5 Milers:  Grove to Boulevard up the steps of the Carillon and return via Douglasdale over 195, then skirt Windsor Farms on Portland, finally making your way back to Grove and home to MMES.  GPS should have you at 5.25 miles, give or take.
    • 4 Milers follow same out route to the tennis courts, make a loop around courts and bring Shepard back to Cary, then choose your own route back to Grove and MMES.  4.25 miles CONFIRMED.

    NMS

    YHC was hoping that his two lost souls from last attempt (Copernicus and Back Bay) would be in the mix this morning so that YHC could guide them thru what has become Lab Rat’s favorite Friday morning route, but alas, the siren that is the fartsack sings a sweet song…especially when the temperature starts to dip.  Lab Rat was still determined to be the last man in on the 5 mile option today, picking up any wayward sheep along the way.  But what good is a shepard  when the flock is a bunch of Sheepdogs?  All present were a bunch of grizzled veterans that know the city and route better than the Q, so YHC ran with Upchuck and we battled to get in the highest word count.  In the end, Upchuck once again out-paced the Rat in the motor mouth category, an impressive feat to say the least.

    Word has it that the 4 milers had a great run, and the 6 milers did their own thing….which is perfectly cool with the Q, as long as all pax arrive back at the VSF in time for circles, which they did.  Well done!

    Announcements:

    • January 21st is the F3RVA CSAUP event, mark your calenders….preblast to come.
    • Long distance mountain run in early planning stages by Lab Rat and TYA for the week between Christmas and New Year.  If you are interested, please speak up to one of the above and we will try our best to accomodate travel and work plans.  This will be weather dependent on when we go.
    • Note to self:  Announements should be kept shorter to prevent pax from “drifting”.

    A great energy by the pax this morning, and great to see Aisle 5 and Lug Nut punching out some miles!  Also, thanks to Saab for the shock this morning!  I will remember that quote for a long time.

     

    Miley Lab Rat out.

     

  • Morning Jog down Aisle 5

    Mid 30s and sunny for the start of a friday morning jog from MM.

    The Thang:

    St. Christopher’s loop: 6 miles down grove to Roseneath to Patterson to St. Chris Lane to 3 Chopt to Grove and back to the flag.  5 miles down grove to malvern to Patterson and back. 4.5 miles down commonwealth to Patterson and back.

    NMM

    The fast boys are fast.  They let the horses out of the barn today and easily made the 6+ miles in the 45 miles that were allocated.  Group included Sippy and Marv (the bronchitis crew), Saab and L O L A – Lola.  Fudd started out with them and hung with the group for a bit, then decided to slow things down a little bit and run with the rest of the crew.  He hit the jets to catch up with us and then backed things off for the rest of the run.

    The rest of the crew opted for the 4.5 mile relaxed run today.  A few of the PAX are running the Bear Creek race this weekend and wanted and easy jaunt for this Friday morning.  Since we were all going 4.5, I convinced (or maybe just told) Aisle 5 to do the 4.5 miles with us.  He has been running a little bit on his own, but had not been out to a group run in a bit.  He kept himself moving and had a great run with the rest of us.  Swirly was like a caged animal doing the relaxed run,  He survived, but you could see that there was excess energy that needed to be released.  Fortunately Lab Rat had some of the PAX doing mini sprints (fartleks) during the run which kept Swirly, Back Bay, Lab Rat, Fudd and Taxi Cab ok with the pace.  For YHC it was awesome to just have an easy relaxed run (as an aside, the pace I did today used to be my top end speed before running and training with the group).

    Aisle 5 took us out with an emotional account of the run and the value of F3 in his life.  Great to have you back out there today Mr. 5.  Keep taking your DRP (daily red pill)….it is much better than the medication the doctors try to give you….

    Good luck to the Bear Creek runners on Sunday.  Aisle 5 will be on the trail run and could use some company for those that are not running Bear Creek.

    TYA Out

  • Beware of falling objects

    5 RVA regulars and 1 from CLT – Huntersville posted to RAMM on a foggy and warm morning to jog of some of the Thanksgiving excess.  Temps were 50 degrees at the start.  Same route as last week.

    5 Milers – Commonwealth to Monument, Right on Davis, Right on Cary back to MM.

    6 Milers – Comm to Monument, Right on Allen, Cary back to MM

    NMS – So YHC took Q again at RAMM hoping to put in some extra miles in preparation for Bear Creek.  Unfortunately YHC’s legs were not in agreement with this plan and neither were any of the other PAX interested in some extra miles past the 45 minute timeframe, excluding Sippy who jogs out & back anyways.

    Glad to have Megaphone along for the run. He lived up to his name and made for good company for the 5 miles.  Even Lab Rat said he was chatty.  Hope to you can make it out to Dogpile tomorrow  while you are in town.

    On Monument with the 2 other 5 mile PAX running on one side of the street we heard a loud crash on the other side of the street, right where TYA was running.  Believing he had finally spontaneously combusted we stopped to make sure all was right.  Turns out a large limb had fallen off a tree 50 feet in front of TYA on the sidewalk.  Who knew running on the sidewalk on Monument Ave is more dangerous than the RVA trails.

    Sippy and Saab blew past YHC and Megaphone on Cary and made the 6 miles look easy as usual.

     

     

  • The PAX has voted… with their attire

    Ten tightless travelers came out to run on a beautiful morning. 39 degrees made shorts routes only needed so:

    4 Milers:  Commonwealth to Monument, Right on Belmont, Right on Cary

    5 Milers: Monument to Davis, Cary back

    6 Milers: Monument to Allen, Cary back

    NMS: None of the TLM movement were in attendance so the normal 456 routes were offered. Lugnut asked before the start the 4 mile route so he could arm himself with an appropriate weapon against those pesky Pinecones. He opted not to bring his shotgun or broom, instead chosing to run carefully. Good to have you back Lug! YHC forgot to ask if Lugnut opted for the Zamboni feature on his new ride to sweep SOT of cones.

    As soon as the PAX hit Commonwealth Saab took off with the normal 6 Milers Sippy and Marv keeping pace. Saab mentioned he got a tune up this week and said his mechanic gave him the all clear for higher mileage. YHC supposes being of Swedish origin Saabs are designed to run better in colder temperatures.

    Splinter left YHC, Rosie, and Swirly on Monument and got some extra mileage in.

    All 10 made it back safely again today, taking the count of weeks since last directional incident to 2. YHC was somewhat concerned about BackBay but he made it back fine.

    Announcements- 45Mom is a full hour on Thanksgiving, normal start time. RVA shirts are up on the F3 Mudgear site.

  • It’s A Straight Line People

    Let’s be honest, it isn’t always easy finding your way around the streets of the near west end when aren’t from the area.  As a Q, sometimes you spew off a few instructions which, in your mind, are simple left, right, left rights, but to those unfamiliar with the area, may as well be a form of Greek Google Maps.

    Heck, we’ve been doing Tuesday Spider Runs for six months now and I could no more Q a run there (other than 10 laps around the pond) than I could a Q in Youngstown, Ohio.

    Thus, last week, the unthinkable happened…we lost a pair of runners (almost).  Coming back from the Carrillon, Back Bay and Copernicus (who, ironically, got his name from finding us after we had started) became misplaced in Windsor Farms, a place, we’ve experienced, you don’t want to be misplaced in that early in the morning…or, really, ever.  Thanks to the homing beacon that is Lab Rat, we were able to safely return Back Bay and Copernicus to Mary Munford unharmed.

    But it was a good lesson learned.

    On Friday, we decided, just to be safe, that we were basically going to do a down and back.  The suggested route had the group hanging a left on Grove, a right on Westmoreland and then a right on one of America’s most famous running routes…Monument Avenue.  From there, the PAX was to run until 22:30 and then turn around and run back.

    Theoretically, it didn’t matter if you followed the route or not…as long as you turned around and came back at the 22:30 point, then you were ok.

    Fortunately, everyone made it back safely to Mary Munford…including Sippy Cup, who, honestly, probably ran a sub 43:00 10K.  He was going to beat his time that it took to get to the 22:30 mark, and by the looks of how quickly he finished, he did just that.

    Enjoy the weekend, group, and enjoy this nice weather and best of luck to anyone that ran in the races around the Marathon.

    And always run in pairs.

  • Easy to get there, tough to get back

    14 men showed up for an early run this morning.  Here is what shook out:

    Route:  Carillon route for 5 and 6 milers.  For the 4 milers, same out, but come back on Sheppard to Cary after passing the tennis courts at Byrd Park.

    NMS:  YHC was thinking Carillon route, everybody knows that route, right?  Well, turns out Back Bay and Copernicus (who is usually running with the 6 mile guys) did not know the exact route to get back across the Powhite and got a little turned around over in Windsor Farms.  YHC was running with Saab this morning, and was glancing back to see if they were behind (because I wanted to take a more scenic route thru the neighborhood).  Luckily, they were found on Cary after a couple minutes of driving around, and were pretty close to getting back on their own.

    Straight up, my apologies.  I should have run with them and got them back.  I was talking beer with Saab and was off the Q during the run, when I should have been making sure everybody got the route correct.  This is a great route, but it is tricky to get from the carillon across to Windsor Farms.  This should have been my goal this morning.  Sorry specifically to Back Bay and Copernicus for not watching the six.

    Aisle 5 and Taxi Cab had a little mixup this morning as well, although YHC saw Sheppard when he went by, so he doesnt feel guilty on that one!  Great to have you back, Aisle 5…..KOTTERS!

    Lab Rat out.

  • 16! Who cares?

    10 people started a bit of a roll your own workout for today’s edition of RAMM.  Here’s how it went down:

    Turn left on grove and run at a leisurely pace for 6 minutes then turn around and meet back at the corner of Westmorland and Grove.  Mosey to the main soccer field for 16 100’ish yd sprints with 45 secs rest in between each.  Line up on Westmorland for indigenous peoples’ run back to the parking lot.  Using the small field by the lot, high knees down and back, butt kickers down and back, Russian soldiers down and back, and one pass at slow, knee to the deck lunges.

    We think TYA ran a lot on his own, and Lab Rat searched for him a little.

    NMM:  YHC had been thinking about the 16 sprints for some time and even asked for the Q from Lab Rat just to give it a go.  The backstory is that the University of Alabama football team does 16 sprints at the end of practice every week, sixteen sprints for sixteen national titles.  YHC thought that was pretty powerful stuff.  Without giving this drop the mic moment some time to sink in, Splinter immediately said, “Who cares?”  Apparently JMU is not impressed.

    On top of this lack of wonder at such an awesome achievement, YHC really didn’t know how hard the sprints would be.  It sounded pretty awful, but the PAX rolled right through and stayed on pace throughout.  You should have seen the wheels on TwoCan!

    Re TYA and Lab Rat, I’ll need them to tell their own stories.

    Stay Classy,

    Toga

  • Your Friday Monument Jaunt

    A lucky crew of 13 men braved the almost perfect 50 degree weather to trundle down one of the country’s best running routes–Monument Avenue.  Truly, the largest question looming was weather or not a long sleeve shirt was necessary as the temperature was at that sweet spot of being good for short sleeves or long sleeves.

    During the first week of April, tens of thousands of people spend upwards of $45 to $50 to run on Monument Avenue in the Monument Ave 10K.  This was the first year that I actually ran it, and really, only because a buddy of mine had a free bib because his friend bailed on him at the 11th hour.  I always regret not running our phenomenal city’s signature running event, but then I realize at any point in time I could put on shoes and run it for free…much like we all did this morning.

    It was a relatively easy route, comparatively speaking to the other routes I’ve led us on in the past. To quote Saab (who was sorely missed), “it’s a effing square people.”   Four milers went from Mary Munford to Sauer, to Monument to The Boulevard to Grove and back to Mrs. Munford’s fine elementary school.

    Our hearty five mile crew took Boulevard to Cary and got to enjoy all that the CaryTown run has to offer…which is mainly the free smells from Can Can.

    The six milers actually went to the Columbus statue at Byrd Park (or Bird Park if you are mapmyrun.com) and went around the lake, headed towards City Stadium (looking oh so pristine…in the dark) then to CaryTown and back to Commonwealth.

    Speaking of Columbus.  Raise your hand if you knew that Columbus never (EVER) set foot in America.  That would not have been me until Monday.  Seriously, google it.  Not only did he not step foot in America but he also was pretty much a tyrant and war monger…killing a massive amount of indigenous people in Bermuda.  It’s true.  I mean, I don’t want to compare him to a Hitler or anyone on that scale…but he’s a lot closer to those guys than he is, say, Ricky Bobby.

    Yet this week is Columbus week in the first grade at Mary Munford.  Poems, word finds, necklaces, coloring books…the works.  For a guy who was truly an awful person and is known for something he didn’t come close to doing?  Crazy, huh?   The weirdest thing about it is that on Saturday, if you would’ve asked me who discovered America, I probably would’ve said “Columbus.”  Talk about my own Age of Enlightenment.

    Either way, I guess the moral of the story is that it’s not a terrible idea to question things.  Or at least surround yourself with people who question things. You may learn something new.  (Seriously, does it bother anyone else that they teach this to our kids?  It. Isn’t. True.)

    So here’s to saving $45 on the run, on top of the $100 from other opportunities that are out there for early morning workouts.  Have a blessed weekend, gentlemen, enjoy the sunshine and feel free to give your condolences to Sippy who had to endure my Columbus questioning as we circled the lake.

    MARV

  • Freaky Fast

    10 runners and 3 gear heads emerged from the fartsack this morning for a morning of exercise. Drizzling and cool to start out, perfect weather for outdoor frolicking.

    The Thang

    4 milers, right on Grove, left on Malvern, left on Patterson, left on Libbie, left on Grove, back to the flag.  5 milers, right on Grove, left on Malvern, left on Patterson, left on St. Christophers, left on 3 chopt, left on grove, back to the shovel flag.   6 milers, right on Grove, left on Nansemond, left on Patterson, left on St. Christophers, left on 3 chopt, left on grove, back to the shovel flag.  Gear heads went for  ride of many turns and varied terrain.

    No confusion on who was supposed to Q today.  TYA was the man.  Marv had to take a rain check until next week (so next week we will be on Monument with Marv) because his M was out of town, so YHC stepped to the plate.  I did throw a little hitch into the game by selecting a route that had us leave Grove avenue. We went on my favorite loop, navigating around St;. Chris’s.  That made Lab Rat happy as he was hoping for that route.

    Scanning the crowd pre-run, I was not sure I was going to have to give the 6 mile directions.  At the last minute Rosie and Sippy Cup posted, so the 6 mile route was in play.  Those guys were flying as they passed me on the way back to the flag along Grove avenue.  Just as they were passing me, they got passed by a faster runner.  He was flying down Grove, hitting a pace that I could not hit in the 1/4 mile (or 100 yard dash for that matter).  That dude must have worked at Jimmy John’s.

    Swirly also opted too the 6 mile loop.  When he was not back at 622, we had to send Bleeder out to find him.  The PAX all agreed that it was way more likely that Swirly was lost versus any other reason for his absence.  Bleeder found him on track a few minutes down the road.

    Five milers were led by Lab Rat and Back Bay.  Not sure that Back Bay had planned on listening to the radio this morning – WRAT – but given the pairing, I am sure that station was playing loudly.  Lockjaw and Upchuck were trotting right along.  YHC was in their slipstream for the first half of the run, listening to the mumble chatter until i fell back a little on the way back in.  Tu-can and Lug made the 4 mile loop look like a 1/4 mile track.  Those two look nearly ready to move up to the longer distances.

    Announcements.

    Convergence coming up sometime soon…not sure when.  Invite as many people as possible.  It will be an epic beatdown.  Two years and rolling for F3 RVA.  Making the community and the men of RVA better everyday.

    If you want to run some trails, Bear Creek and Belmonte are coming up

  • Good Morning, Mr. Ashe

    12 RUNNERS showed up for RAMM, and all the bikes were left in the stables this morning no doubt dreaming of drier days.  Here is where we went:

    ROUTE:

    • everybody out on Grove
    • 4milers turn left on Boulevard
    • 5milers turn left on Meadow
    • 6milers turn left on Harrison
    • everybody turn left on Monument (or Monument eventual for the 6 milers)
    • Everybody come home on Commonwealth

    NMS

    • So can we all agree that Grove and Monument, although they do not cross, are not really parallel?  They are line segments, not lines that continue for eternity.  If they were lines, they would eventually intersect.  As Bleeder put it, that’s why it’s called “The Fan”.  Geometry, beotch!
    • TYA tried to avoid it, but he had to listen to the radio this morning, and the knob was stuck on WRAT (mostly talk, sometimes singing, rarely dead air).  To his fortune, he eventually found the off button and got to run the last mile or so in sweet sweet silence.
    • Marv correctly identified Monument as changing in to Franklin before the turnaround point for the 6 mile route.  Good catch, YHC forgot to point that out as he doesnt get to run that far out in a mere 45 minutes.  Also, thanks to Marv and Sippy Cup for taking a break along the route and not shaming the guys running shorter distances in same time frame.
    • The absence of Saab was noted.  Go get ’em, Tiger!
    • Great to see Bleeder back out and running!  May the good vibes continue!
    • TCLAPS of the DAY goes to No Tools for his longest run ever!  Swirly noted that you have been putting in the work to get to this point during your lunch breaks.  Well done, Brother!  YHC especially appreciates you finishing in style…..shirtless.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Tomorrow is the start of “Run A Mile” challenge.  Sign up here:    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit?ts=563e70a3#gid=1017786714
    • October 8 is F3 Convergence:  0600 at Dogpile.  This will be a 2 hour celebration workout.  There will be a gathering back at the Shovelflag to pick up the “boozers and snoozers” at 0700, so if you are wanting to invite an FNG, they can come for 2nd half.  I am sure details will follow.
    • F3 Leap to Tidewater starting Nov 5th. We will be helping out for 6 weeks.  If you can plan a weekend to go down, and/or you have contacts down that way, please reach out to Johnsonville.
    • CSAUP:  December 4th Bear Creek 10 miler.  If you wait to sign up until after Richmond Marathon, you will probably miss the boat.  http://www.rrrc.org/events/2016-bear-creek-10-mile-trail-run

    Lab Rat out