There once was TYA from Nantucket…. A lucky 13 came out for this week’s edition of Spider Run. Though the routes were a little light, the mumble chatter afterwards was not. Various assortment of topics of value and range. The route exited the bat cave and across the river. 4s headed upstream and retraced their route around Butte. 5s/6s headed downstream and worked some elevation up and then back down to Riverside; exploring some new roads in the process. YHC took us out.

A sweet 16 count of runners came out for prime running weather. Some with long sleeve, some with short sleeve, as the cooler temps require some adjustment. A classic route around the lake, through the woods and up the hill. Down Ziontown and various routes back to the AO. Fun was had by all, including extensive talk around fires, firewood, and the various means for storing firewood. Marv took us out. Announcements: Convergence this weekend. See slack for details.

After YHC called the route, Upchuck commented that it was essentially a reverse of the route I called in a prior week. About a mile in, I realized he was correct. After a while, these routes blur together. Apologies! Up the big hill and then up the bigger hill to cut through the dark trail that smells like fruit loops. Pick up Three Chopt to Patterson and head south on your respective turns coming down Towana through campus. Great conversation in my group. I am sure the others ran in silence.

A cool dozen failed to find cool weather as they embarked up the hills and through the woods. TYA took us out with v2.0 of his COT regarding context. Thank you TYA for your pursuit of perfection!

Seventeen Oyster-50th-beatdown dodgers gathered in the sludge to see what sort of shadows could be cast. Even though warning shots were fired, no one took the bait. A different kind of intervals were called this morning. The Route Slow mosey in front of the commons, up by the chapel, across the slick bridge to the multi-purpose field. one quick lap so everyone knew what we were doing then instructions were called. Partner up with someone of equal ability. One partner runs around the field hard (80-90%) while the other recovers. Tag team for about 28 minutes before slow moseying back…

When I turned the car on after the workout this morning the themometer read “85”…at 6:35am in the morning. 85. Now, there’s some variance on that temperature, when I turn it on in the middle of the afternoon it can read 105 and then it quickly drops, but still. Eventually the temperature, on the way home, dropped to 78, but stil… Just going to be transparent here as someone who has logged my fair share of workouts, both boot camps and runs…you dudes can have 78 degrees in the summer. Count me out. Call me whatever you want to call…

Fourteen able bodied gentlemen huddled to hear early instructions. Barely a question was asked, although perhaps there should have been a few more. The Route Through the bay cave, across the perfectly designed new Starbucks parking lot then west on Westham Station. Veer right past the lost CSX truck then head up South Ridge to the light. 4s turn around and come home 5s and 6s take a right on Ross and go into the darkness. Returning back up the same hill. 6s were supposed to take Highland but they got lost on Ross. We all made it back before…

A good crew headed up the mountain this morning, the mountain of Henrico. For those that are new to the program, it’s named Mt. Henrico because the top of Julian and Parham it’s known to be the hightest point of the entire land of Henrico County. There and back from UofR, ironically, is about 6 miles…if you do the Arlington Road circle twice. Anyway, sorry for the belated backblast.

Seventeen dog lovers plus six unexpected human lovers huddled in the waning darkness for this week’s Spider Run/Walk. Directions were repeated a few times before launching promptly on time. The Route 4s: https://onthegomap.com/s/abjjk0tc 5s: https://onthegomap.com/s/53ok37gm 6s: https://onthegomap.com/s/ohme3i44 Walkers had a variation of this: https://onthegomap.com/s/ctloi7kd Numbers, names, announcements, YHC took us out. Announcements According to Shakedown (via southern Seattle), we do things differently in RVA Prayers for Kubota’s family Moleskin YHC posted he was going to be walking yesterday but didn’t realize there was going to be so much company. 6 walkers (if my count is correct), 11 runners, 6 perros.…

Elite 8 showed on what turned out to be a relatively cool and pleasant morning. Best wishes to Splinter as his ankle heals. Saab abides