University of Richmond
Bakers dozen arrived for SOJ takeover week. The route was plain and simple, run to SOJ, out and back, return in 45 minutes. Ruckers rucked.
Cold, brisk morning and a lonely 4 mile route for YHC. Careful of eye freezing. Don’t forget your foreskin neck warmer in these temps.
-Singer
With the New Year comes a renewed sense of commitment to our health, our minds and the hills of the Greater Tuckahoe area. To that end, it was terrific to see 15 fellas out for Spider Run this week…especially since all signs pointed to the fact that last week was a no-show week for the 4s, 5s and 6s (the ice was pretty bad and a few of us were out of town…plus there was the water shortage deal).
YHC set out to mix things up, if only a bit…trying to find some of the hidden hills of the area. Today, we landed on Spottswood, right off Forest.
Here’s how it went…
The first part was the opening to Mt. Henrico (baseball field to College, to Lakewood to Wood to Baldwin). The 4s peeled off at Rock Creek, the 5s and 6s to Stuart Hall. Everyone then ran to Spottswood, which is halfway up Forest on your way to TES and right by 1-800s abode.
4s and 5s ran the Spottswood loop once. The 6s ran it twice.
The 4s then went up Forest to Lakewood and Back to the Flag. (Not to be confused with Cooper Flagg).
The 5s and 6s got over to Ziontown which led the 5s to University back to the Cooper Flagg.
The 6s went a bit futher down Rawlston, to Kingston to Gayton to University back to the Cooper Flagg.
Go Rams.
Seven very suspecting gentlemen gathered in Spider Run’s perfect hiding spot for the last hill workout of the year. Given the Q signed up with clear intent for what was in store today, YHC was glad to see 7 show up. 0530 rang and off we went:
The Route
Mosey to the end of the bat cave and back, passing the start and heading up through the path towards Towana. Pucker was offered the choice of left or right, he chose left so the first three intervals were up Towana. 1 minute up with a 1:45 recovery back down.
Next three intervals were up Roselawn. Given YHC is a man of the people, Wedding Singer was offered the choice of left or right when we did our third interval up Roselawn. He was indecisive so we waited for a decision until it was necessary. After pressure, he chose left, so we continued on Roselawn then took a left on Campus.
This was a slightly longer jaunt than remembered, so by the time we got to our last interval hill, we only had time for 2. We made these our best effort up Bostwick, last one leaving nothing on the table.
Slow mosey back down Campus to UR Drive then BTTVSF.
Announcements, no wait, numbers, names, announcements before YHC took us out.
Moleskine
The PAX was sincerely confused this morning, passing perfectly good hills to take the flat path through the bat cave. Multiple comments were made before we turned around and headed back towards the fun. These three hills are good ones, with the last being one of the steepest around.
Props to Doozy who ran 8 yesterday and followed it up with hill repeats today.
Until next year!
Splinter out
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.