Tag: Sunday Funday

Three April Fools, a pup, and a Saab were on the trail this Easter Morning, the first day of the month.

No jokes. Small group today I presume due to vacations and Easter, etc. It was really nice weather to get out and we nearly had the trail to ourselves.

Offshore, EF Hutton, Sally (K9), and YHC decided to cross the bridge and take Buttermilk down to Belle Isle and return on the North Bank.

Some good conversation and a Saab sighting. YHC appreciates the team accommodating his slowness and Sally for always keeping an eye on me to make sure I’m not lagging too far behind.

Short and sweet. Thanks for the run today guys. Have a good rest of your weekend and start your week off well.

Seven hounds and one she-hound sallied forth (get it?) in a “you go that way, we’ll go this way” pincer movement for today’s edition of Sunday Funday.  The Historical Marker on the T. T. Pottersfield Bridge tells the story thusly:

First hound (TYA) set off early, headed clockwise on the North Bank trail, trying to smoke out the foxes.  Hound Two (Saab) headed out at 7 a.m. following the same path, again trying to flush the foxes into the open.  Hounds 3-8 (Shakedown, Lab Rat, Bootleg, Offshore, Sally, and YHC) took the reverse loop with the expectation of meeting in the middle to bag the lot.

Frankly, YHC was surprised by the number of foxy runners on the trails today.  The parking lot was about half full at 7, a sign of at least the promise of clear skies and (maybe?) better temps.  Little do so many people know that it’s always sunny and 70.

One hour plus later, Hounds 3-8 had put in 7 miles, with TYA’s tally unknown (10?) and Saab at a full 10.  Well done by 2 and 4 legged hounds alike.

Number-a-ma, Name-a-rama, YHC took us out.

Announcements:

Keep Lab Rat’s dad front-and-center in your thoughts this week…going through a rough patch.

NMS:

Modest chatter on the trails today.  Some discussion of roadside tools for assessing THC levels and a few other topics.  Frankly, YHC lost the group just after crossing from Belle Isle.  Others will have to fill in the blanks.

Good time at ET’s today.  As usual, TYA shared his forward thinking about women’s exercise attire.  F3RVA continues to develop only the finest of suggestions for female outerwear.

A strong five posted on the day after St Patty’s day for a morning run.

The Thang:

Run across bridge to buttermilk.  Buttermilk to clockwise around Forrest Hill park and the back to the pump house.  7 miles in all.

NMM

You can just never tell how a run is going to go.  I was feeling pretty good this morning and I felt like I was pushing myself and moving pretty good.  The rest of the PAX also looked strong today and steadily pulled away from me.  Not an unusual occurrence, but like I said, I thought I was doing well.  Bad news, is the clock doesn’t lie.  Despite my best efforts, all I could muster was a mediocre pace.  it felt strong and I felt pretty good, but the clock said differently.  Oh well, the running gods will pay me back with a run that feels crappy and when I look down the watch will say I rocked through the miles.

Great 2nd F at ET’s after the run.  The entire group posted to Ellwoods and had breakfast this am.  Varied conversation ranging from Upchuck’s previous nights’ conversation about the mating rituals of teens to the proper way to make a muffin so it has the perfect top, yet is easily removed from the paper lining.

 

TYA OUT

7 stalwarts posted on a Sunday morning after the time change

The Thang;

Buttermilk to T. Pottersfield to N. Bank and Back.  Swiper and Lab Rat opted to turn back somewhere near Reedy creek to pump in 5 miles.

NMM

Great 2nd F at ET post run.  Great weekend when you can get a Saturday and a Sunday posting at Ellwoods.  Great conversation. Pretty good showing given that the 3 of the regulars were running the Bel Monte yesterday.  Congratulations to those guys on a good showing yesterday.

Thanks to Rosie for circling back for me today.  First time running for a week and I was still a little bit leg weary.  It did, however, feel great to be back on the trails, especially some familiar trails.

TYA OUT

Four Sunday regulars – three men and a doggo – braved some of the most beautiful RVA weather in weeks hoping for dry trails and calm winds. No disappointment.

Shakedown, Offshore, Sally (K9) and YHC set out with a general idea to proceed down the North Bank toward the bridges and figure out the rest later with a target of 7 miles. Basically this is what Shakedown thinks of as tapering for a 25K next weekend…

Decision was made to cross over to Belle Isle and return to the North Bank via Potterfield Bridge.

Sally started over Potterfield strong but trepidation grew as the sound of rushing water increased. Eventually no amount of encouragement from the team could get her to budge another inch. To be fair, the rushing water also sent Shakedown looking for some relief of his own.

Activate the partner assisted bridge crossing and Sally made it to the safety of dry land and we headed back. In the end we completed a leisurely 8.7 (8.9 for Shakedown as he ran ahead to find a john) miles. Just a tad over 7.

Lots of other runners on the trails today taking advantage of the gorgeous running weather.

Guys, thanks for the excellent conversations about power tools, yard fowl, photography and music. I hope Reba, Emmylou, and Dolly appreciate their new abode.

Good luck Shakedown, Upchuck, Honey Do, Flashdance (any others?) running the Bel Monte 25K in Wintergreen next week. Hats off!

Great work TYA finishing 100 miles! Amazing

7 studs posted on a gloomy Sunday morning for a trail run.  Route was buttermilk to forrest hill and back.  Upchuck and Shakedown opted for to go back on the north bank, logging 10 miles. Saab started around 545 and battled the fog and heat…

 

Six, maybe seven (Saab, Sight-un-Seen), hombres herded onto the trails together for this week’s version of Sunday Funday.  The RTD ran the following story:

Route:

South Bank to Reedy Creek.  Pick up Bootleg, who was on the service road.  Continue on Forest Hill Loop.

7 milers re-trace steps on South Bank.

10 milers head east to New Bridge, then back on North Bank.

NMS:

Good mumble chatter all around today.  YHC signed a non-disclosure agreement, so see the PAX for details.

Sugar Sock continues to make strong progress.  Dropping 25 lbs. in 7 months or so is no joke.  Well done.

Always good to catch up with the regulars…Hardywood, TYA, Shakedown (thanks for your advice while running 10 today).

Nice to pick-up Bootleg along the way.

YHC does wonder about Saab.  Two weeks in a row that the Saab-Mobile has been parked in roughly the same spot at the Pump House lot…no Saab in sight.  YHC wonders whether anyone has seen Saab since last Sunday.

Did he ever return?  No, he never returned?  Is his fate still unlearned?  What a pity.  He may run forever on the trails of Richmond…he’s the man who never returned.

And, someone may have stolen his car between 7 and 9 a.m. today.

Or, maybe he returned.

YHC apologizes to The Kingston Trio.

YHC also apologizes to Lab Rat for taking his thing of apologizing.

Announcements:

Lots of good stuff coming up.  Each Saturday until the Monument Avenue 10k there will continue to be a need for volunteers to help with The Healing Place’s Training Team.  4 miles this Saturday.  The PAX have shown up strong so far…come out and run with the group.   Kudos to Lab Rat for Q-ing the Healing Place warm-up yesterday.

Make sure to pat TYA on the back this week…he’s trying to cram in the last few long training runs prior to Saturday’s 100 miler.  Swirly, Saab, and Circle K round out the support team.

Bel Monte March 10.

CSAUP in April.  Anyone looking for a team?  Lockjaw, Honeydo, Swirly, and some PAX from the Southside all bringing folks together.  Miss anyone?

Nine hard chargers (seven in one pack plus TYA (spotted) plus Saab (Sight Un-Seen, but Saab-mobile left on-site) pushed forward through the steam and fog of another Sloppy Sunday Funday Run.  The group generally stayed off the trails this morning.  Some were under heavy puddles, some muddy, and some slightly above navigable.  The Russians hackers tracking our FitBit GPS signals recorded something like this:

Cross Nichol Bridge, descend to service road, dodge puddles, rocks, and mud, take a left onto Belle Isle, left to follow the loop, cross onto north bank, New Bridge, steps to top, and Riverside Drive back.  One slight detour on Riverside as the PAX pushed themselves up the “real” Hillcrest of Richmond (the vertical climb version).  Snake around on Riverside to Westover Hills Blvd., and then cross the Nichol B. back to the VSF.

Number-ama, Name-a-rama, Hardywood stuck the landing to take us out.

NMS:
No one signed up for the Q today, and while Shakedown continues to be the master of the Sunday Funday route department, there was unanimity among the PAX to declare that YHC still has the Q from the end of Dogpile yesterday.  Challenge accepted.

Note: the Q will officially pass at 5:29 a.m. tomorrow to Offshore at Hoedown, as well as to any other PAX members signed up at that time.  Having had the Q for 28 hours at this point, YHC has newfound respect for the Olympic Torch runners who carry the flame of honor for hours on end.

Hardywood, Rosie, and Offshore led the PAX for most of the way, followed by Flatline and Shakedown.  YHC thanks HoneyDo for another Sunday trudging along with YHC.  Much appreciated, brother.  

The group was full of mumblechatter today.  Discussions of angry coaching, Shakedown’s exceptional photography, various career options, extorting greedy employers, 6th-grade-is-the-new-11th-grade, and other matters made the 8+ miles pass in a jiffy.  About halfway through the run, the PAX sighted TYA on Belle Isle and immediately engaged in the centuries-old tradition of “Touch-a-TYA.”  That’s the price of fame, my friend.  Everybody wants a piece.

YHC also thanks the PAX who had an extra few minutes for ETs today.  Y’all are funny, funny men.

Let’s continue to keep our Brothers and their families in their prayers.  It’s been a challenging winter for many of our PAX.  This week, Lockjaw (father-in-law) and Flatline (Father) each lost close family members.  Let’s keep them in our hearts and prayers, and be ready to offer a hand when needed.

 

7 bravely ignored the forecast this morning and made it out to Sunday Funday (70, and not raining so close enough to sunny) though not all at the same time. YHC signed up last night in what may be the beginning of a tradition Qing soggy Sundays.

7:00 came and went but YHC must have misunderstood Gomer Pyle and he expected to see him this morning. Hearing and comprehension aren’t his strongest attributes. More surprising was the absence of Saab. Unprecedented. In any case by 7:02 five of us headed out for the route – across the bridge, up the access road, left turn around the west side of Belle Isle, back across the T-Pot and up up up Riverside Dr. for approx 8.3 miles.

Bootleg cut straight across and then ran the access road back to Reedy Creek entrance and jumped on Riverside.

TYA – the mile slaying warrior – was spotted and joined the main pack of the Pax for a bit before continuing his long run.

Lola appeared out of nowhere headed the wrong way – he happily joined us for the rest of our run

YHC is grateful for the good conversations with Upchuck, Offshore, Whistleblower and Lola on the run and the post run conversations with Bootleg (happy to see this road warrior becoming a Sunday Funday regular) and TYA (this maniac is beginning his taper towards a 100 mile run!!!) and was sorry to miss the continued 2nd F he assumes took place after his exit

if there were announcements they are not remembered  YHC took us out

Thanks y’all – Sunday mornings might just be my favorite

I’m sure I missed something- please remind me in the comments.

Eight or so (miss anyone?) stallions and one filly took on the light chill for the latest version of Sunday Funday.

No one signed up for the Q, so off the group went…before realizing that there was no route set…”Let’s do North Bank, then New Bridge, then South Bank.”  Route set.

About halfway through the North Bank trail, there was a movement to keep going past the New Bridge.  YHC arm twisted folks into doing the pipeline (or at least heading that way).  That turned into going all the way to 14th Street (Bootleg thought better of following .  Before long, we were halfway to Williamsburg (or, at least on the floodwall).  From the floodwall, the route returned to equilibrium…back to the VSF.

TYA launched ahead of the PAX for a Patriots-themed, FOLI (First out, last in) run…red bandana, red Patriots gloves, etc.  Way to nail 20 miles, my friend.

NMS:

The PAX started out quite talkative as has become the norm on Sunday mornings…good chatter all around.

Nice to see Sally continues to dominate her Sunday runs.  Talk about enthusiasm.  While the rest of the PAX is shaking off Saturday night, she’s ready for anything.  YHC worries about what might happen the first Sunday Offshore decides to fart-sack it.  Sally will likely be at the door ready to go, leash in hand.

Hardywood led the fast group through much of the run today.  YHC was far enough back to miss most of the chatter, but is sure, really sure, he heard Hardywood enthusiastically fawning over the models in the Pottery Barn catalog.  YHC swears (well, almost) to have heard something like…”Have you seen the desk lamps on that chest of drawers?”  Truth.

YHC thanks Shakedown for joining him for most of the run.  Good to catch up, brother.  Thanks for the company.  Been too long.

UpChuck spits the bit.