University of Richmond
Walkers, ruckers, and runners of different paces converged today for some holiday cheer! Up the main entrance and ascend Boatwright to Edgehill. Down Three Chopt to Patterson and back on your respective cross street.
Announcements – Fudd is leading January’s trip to the Bridge. See Fudd/Slack for details.
Swirly took us out.
Coffee afterwards was a rare Tuesday treat!
Happy Holidays!
10 gents arrived to hear and experience the route du jour….
https://onthegomap.com/s/cmg7du5e
Saab Abides
Grooooove, at least I assume, since I can’t remember the route.
A lucky 13 arrived at Spider Run…or 14 if you count the absent-Q.
Without Gumbo to warm our bones the decision was to do an out-and-back across the bridge – heading up stream.
Marv took us out.
Saab Abides
Eighteen early birds gathered at various times to tackle the first challenge of this week of giving thanks. After some confusion as to whether the 5 milers or 6 milers did their math correctly, everyone departed and paid respect to the old UR turkey trot. Two left sometime prior to 0500, a gaggle left at 0500, then two more gaggles at 0515, followed by another duo at 0525. All in all, no one got lost. Even Anthrax guided a group successfully.
The Route
10k for everyone. Unlike the perennial discussion on which one was the first Thanksgiving, no arguing that this is one of the most difficult 10ks around.
Moleskin
This route has been reused for 4 years in a row. This year, YHC didn’t even have to walk through the directions for anyone as each group navigated the course with minimal difficulty.
As mentioned during COT, credit to Bleeder for first introducing the official turkey trot route to the spider runners, way back on October 17, 2017. You’ll have to ask Bleeder what inspired him to prescribe that route that day. Perhaps it was good marketing? Did he learn his race marketing skills from Singer? Only Bleeder knows…
Turns out, YHC tried this back in 2016 but we never finished it. Apparently it rained that day.
Apparently, Saab really didn’t appreciate it being canceled the first year of COVID, as was evident with his backblast title Thanksgiving week of 2020.
I digress. What I do know is this is the fourth consecutive year we have brought this route back on the week of Thanksgiving. COVID may have killed the UR turkey trot, but our spirit keeps it alive.
Backblast title is a reminder of why we have Thanksgiving. It doesn’t matter where the first Thanksgiving was held (we all know the answer to that). The purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to those around us. Why? No real reason. We shouldn’t even have to wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks. We should always be seeking ways to thank those around us, do a good deed, and to help our collective humanity lick our self-inflicted wounds.
As I was driving away from Spider Run today, this song was just finishing up on Lithium. Tom Morello came on and described how this song was about doing a good deed. For no real reason other than to do it. Just because…
Splinter out.
For the last time here in Richmond YHC trotted around the hills of Westham garnering no respect from the PAX. I guess nothing will change, really, but it’s a bit hard to believe that next week, theoretically, when we go birth name, F3 Name and age…there will be an adjective (adjective? adverb? gerund?) afterwards. Crazy how time flies.
The Thang…
Modified Fudd Run today through the Westham neighborhood with some serious hills, on purpose, because, well, I’m almost 50 so why not?
4s, 5s, 6s–Out by the baseball field to College Ave. Lakewood to Wood to Baldwin…Baldwin all the way to Rock Creek.
Rock Creek straight up until it merges with Sweet Briar then right on Woodberry. Woodberry to Horsepen, quick zag on Devon then to Ridge Top. Ridge Top left on Chandler…
4s take a right on Gardiner down to Wheeler, across the woods to college and then back to the flag.
5s and 6s go up to Chandler and back to take a left on Gardiner to Wheeler to College Ave…YHC screwed up the instructions and should’ve told the 5s to go up Boatright and then back down to Towana to Three Chopt (“the Y”…IYKYK) to Roselawn back to the flag….but I forgot the Boatright part.
6s did do Boatright to Roselawn, U-turn on UR Drive to Richmond Way Back to the Flag.
Next week we’ve got the Turkey Trot on Tuesday, which is always a ton of fun. The 30th is the Marv 1/2 which is more or less anyone wanting to do a 1/2 on that Saturday at 7am from River Road.
Y’all have a good week.
There is some irony in having been awarded the best backblast ever and always being super late in writing backblasts. (That trophy, by the way, is proudly displayed on our mantle in our living room. I have a couple of championship rings, including the Final Four, which are stashed away collecting dust…but that trophy is out for everyone to see). Anyhoo, maybe because I one day would like to replicate that one that I wrote years ago I always procrastinate, hoping that inspiration will strike. It rarely, if ever, does.
So three (or so) weeks ago a group of 15 guys set out on a quest to get to the highest point in Henrico County. We met our Sherpa at Trinity and she took us the rest of the way. We left with 15 and came back with 14…only because Faceplant had to bug out early. All of needed oxygen in one way shape or form.
In a November tradition like no other, Tuckahoe stalwart Saab took the Tuesday morning to get a run and a vote in at the same time, leaving MARV to type the backblast…which means it’s coming a few days, weeks or in some cases months late. Marv ain’t all that great in typing backblasts when it is his Q….even worse when no one snags the Q and he tells himself that it’s a good idea to go ahead and lead that day…and then there’s the least likely way to get a timely backblast…when he fills in for someone else.
Nevertheless, here’s the ol’ review of Tuesdays Election Day run.
Took the old school way out of UofR (non bat cave) to River and then to Westham Station. Up Highland and back to Westham Station…then up the hill. We found ourselves on Westham in the neighborhood…right on Waveny which turns into Wood. Wood to University, University back to the flag. 5s and 4s did a variation of that.
Saab also did a variation of that, which included taking a detour to vote, which is something he’s done since the creation of Spider Run.
A lucky 13 arrived at UR to exercise their legs, bodies, and right to vote.
YHC could not stay for the COT given he branched off to go vote at his local district. I trust all others have exercised the same freedom.
NMS: Bodos’ antique Volvo has a clear case of ED…
Routes: We all started in the direction of the entrance to UR on River Road…
4’s: https://onthegomap.com/s/9uir63ia
5’s: https://onthegomap.com/s/pd4a0vfh
6’s: https://onthegomap.com/s/05ushbfn
Saab abides
A sweet sixteen posted to Spider-run, plus-1 in absentia who was monitoring the timeliness of back-blast feeds from the comfort of the fart-sack.
These historically-wide loops are posted below. Identical to the last time, however done in reverso. Which direction is reverso you ask?…it is simply the opposite direction from the last time…
Saab abides
6’s: https://onthegomap.com/s/vp0k0rjg