Cooler weather prevailed today. Pre-run talks of F3 camaraderie and what it means to be a part of this group and taking care of each other. Swirly needs a bike too.
Off we went hitting three local AOs. It was dark, somewhat hilly, but it felt like Fall.
It was great running with Upchuck – pushing the pace and conversation. I liked your theory on the early morning Volvo rendezvous better than our other Ziontown runner’s more factual statement.
Great to see everyone again, despite no longer having my pet raccoon in tow.
No anarchy this week, YHC was ready to lead. Here’s how:
The Route
All Runners:
Around baseball field
Through fraternity row fence
Up Hampshire/ Horsepen
Left on Normandy
Dogleg across to Sweetbriar
Left on Baldwin
4s:
Dogleg across Westham stay on Baldwin
Right on Wood
Left on Lakewood
Left on College
Around baseball field
Back to flag
5s:
Right on Westham
Left on Sunset/University
Left on College
Right on Campus
Right on Gateway
Back to flag
6s:
Same as 5s but stay on Campus
Right on Roselawn
Left on Ridgeway
Back to flag
Numberama, Nameorama, COT
MOLESKIN
YHC shared a friendly reminder not to judge too harshly, lest you turn out to be the a$$hole yourself. YHC’s neighbor has mowed his lawn probably twice all summer. YHC thought he was a real jerk. After finally doing so again on Sunday YHC snarkily said to his neighbor, “bet you’re glad that’s done.” The neighbor replied, “yeah it’s really hard for me. I’m not well with my cancer treatments. I guess I’m lucky to have lived this long though after being shot, stabbed, breaking my neck, and now cancer twice.” Turns out YHC’s neighbor is also a veteran. YHC will mow his neighbor’s lawn from now on. Last lesson of the day, if you complain about launching at 0531 instead of 0530, you might just be the a$$hole.
8 men got after it this morning at Spider run. Run through the bat cave, over the river, take riverside east. Turn around at 23 and make it back by 45.
NMM
Little sticky for the run today. It was raining a little bit, but not enough to call you off. Saab and Faceplant took the six mile route. The rest of the PAX did between 4.5 and 5.5.
10 Titans descended upon UR to experience a new route now hereby dubbed “Singer’s Toe”… affectionately named after Wedding Singer’s sore piggy:
All: Run to Robbins Parking Lot and spill out onto College
4’s: Take College up to Westham Parkway. Head south towards River Rd
5’s: Take Lakewood to Wood to Baldwin. Take left onto Westham Parkway from Baldwin…head South toward River Road
6’s: Take Lakewood to Wood to Waveny. Turn left onto Westham Parkway. Take to River Road. (Follow instructions below, then add an up-and-down on Panorama after climbing Highland)
All: Take Westham Parkway to River. Cross at River to Country Squire then left onto South Ridge. Take down to Westham Station. Take first left up Old Bridge then turn a quick right onto Highland and keep climbing. Turn around when you reach River Rd and head back down to Westham Station. Head toward shopping center and then take the bat cave home.
A fearsome fourteen descended upon Spider Run not expecting the unexpected.
They say, keep your friends close but enemies closer. Same goes for intervals – which YHC despises. Yet they are a necessary evil.
Route: PAX stays together and conducts several climbs up various hills surrounding UR…1 minute up then mosey back down. The PAX climbed more hills this morning than most conventional runners do in a week.
Fourteen on time runners, one with cat in tow, and a very late runner embraced both heat and humidity for this week’s edition of Spider Run.
The Route
Embark on Gateway and immediately take the paved path through the woods and pick up Roselawn for the steep climb up the hill. Just embrace it and go. Take a right on Toanna and a right on the Three Chopt access road. A left on Grove and a left on Libbie.
4s take a left on Patterson, a left on St Chris, a right on the Three Chopt access road and drop down Toanna to Campus to Gateway.
5s and 6s continue down Libbie, taking a left on the access road in front of St Mary’s, a left on Bremo, a left on Maple, and a right on Patterson.
5s turn on Honaker to Boatwright, with a left on Campus and a right on Gateway.
6s head west on Patterson to Westham Pkwy. A left on Baldwin and pop through the fraternity hole to come around the baseball field parking lot to the lake.
Twelve spiderlings +1 gathered in the gloom and waited for instructions for today’s run. After some brief awkwardness where no one spoke for about 90 seconds, instructions were given. Sweating commenced during instructions and may still be exuding from our pores. Absorbed all instructions then took off where we waved to one LIFO who did his own thing.
The Route
Head out Richmond Way towards River
Right on Westhampton Way to add a loop
Westhampton turned into Crenshaw and then intersected UR Drive after passing by the Alumni Center and Athletic Fields
Right on UR Drive
Left on River
Left into Batcave
Right on Ridgeway
Right on Fairway which turns into Robin & Iris
Briefly cross Three Chopt and left on Henri (aka the access road)
Take access road and then left across Three Chopt onto Campus
4s take Campus then left on Gateway and back to the VSF
5s continue on Campus to a left on College. Then left at the baseball field and finish with a 3/4 loop around the lake.
6s continue down College then right through Fraternity row. Left on Hampshire, Baldwin to Westham, Left on Westham, Left on Beachwood, Right on Wood then meander back to the VSF via the baseball field
Numbers, names, Oyster showed up then YHC took us out.
Moleskin
Today is the day many of us found our limit. The soup was as thick as a bisque and the hills were plentiful. This route may be worth retrying in September.
Preliminary feedback on the route was positive (YHC thinks) and everyone followed directions (YHC assumes). As YHC was pulling into his (two) spots this morning he could hear the grumblings of one PAX member.
Here comes the instructions…
Crabtree, c. 2020
There was much commentary about last Friday’s RAMM and the effectiveness of the Q in capturing the spirit of the workout in the backblast. YHC can only assume the above sarcastic grumblings were due to ill-perceived expectation of some sort of retaliatory Q this AM. While it may have crossed the Q’s mind, it will have to wait for another day.
11 rose from their sacks and posted for a new(ish) route.
From the pre-blast:
Everyone Start: bat cave, across bridge, head east/downriver to trail head entrance 100 yards from bridge on left
4 milers: Take the trail straight towards the river (see map below where it’s labeled Richmond, VA 23235), turn left at the intersection on the trails and follow the trail under the bridge over to the Huguenot Flatwater parking lot. Exit onto street at far end of the parking lot away from the river, turn left on road and the next left will send you back home on the bridge.
5 milers: before taking the trail head entrance, turn right up Oxford and then veer right onto Arrowhead up to Cherokee. Return back down to Riverside and the trail head entrance is on your right across the street. See 4 mile finish above.
6 milers: complete 5 mile route up above Oxford and Arrowhead to Cherokee before coming back down to take the trail entrance. Run the trail as described in the 4 mile route, and then upon exiting the Huguenot Flatwater parking Lot continue heading upriver/west on Riverside Drive to Waumsetta, turn around at Waumsetta and head home.
Great job, thanks for enduring a new path. Seemed it worked for everyone, no injuries and perhaps only one mistaken turn by Swiper down a plank road (literally planks next to the road). Will explore again when we all have headlamps attached. YHC appreciates Splinter and Pucker urging me to take the Q, and Saab with the route updates.
Condolences to Bleeder’s and Best Shot’s families. Our prayers are with you.
Bleeder, way to push that first mile, thought you were running with the 5s today! TYA congrats on completing the TN race.
UPDATED: Sharing this route early so planned runners can review prior to the wee morning hours. Routes below with a few map pictures. It should be light enough to run the trail, which is about 1/2 a mile in total. The trail has recently been leveled nicely with fill so it shouldn’t be a danger to anyone, and provides a route I can’t recall us running to date.
Everyone Start: bat cave, across bridge, head east/downriver to trail head entrance 100 yards from bridge on left
4 milers: Take the trail straight towards the river (see map below where it’s labeled Richmond, VA 23235), turn left at the intersection on the trails and follow the trail under the bridge over to the Huguenot Flatwater parking lot. Exit onto street at far end of the parking lot away from the river, turn left on road and the next left will send you back home on the bridge.
5 milers: before taking the trail head entrance, turn right up Oxford and then veer right onto Arrowhead up to Cherokee. Return back down to Riverside and the trail head entrance is on your right across the street. See 4 mile finish above.
6 milers: complete 5 mile route up above Oxford and Arrowhead to Cherokee before coming back down to take the trail entrance. Run the trail as described in the 4 mile route, and then upon exiting the Huguenot Flatwater parking Lot continue heading upriver/west on Riverside Drive to Waumsetta, turn around at Waumsetta and head home.
Trail portion of route where everyone finishes:
5s and 6s, before taking the trail entrance, take a right on Oxford and then Arrowhead up to Cherokee and return back down to the trail entrance across Riverside.
6s: After exiting the trail, take a right on Riverside and run to Waumsetta, return back to bridge and home
