Well, YHC was raised in Georgia and Alabama, so perhaps that is qualification enough to closeout SOJ week. A PAX of one posted just before 0615, cursing TYA because posting at 0615 on a Sunday is no joke.  Mosey to Texas Beach, stopping to chat with the Jazz Fest volunteer and to visit the blue box along the way, and back.  Stretch 0657 to 0702, then mosey to Buttermilk, somewhere between Reedy Creek and Belle Isle, and back.  Saab must have run through too early again, because the spiders seemed to have had time to resume their work. A tip…

Four solid hit the trails this morning at the new time.  Three were ready to roll and one was lollygagging about at the designated go-time, until lollygagger told us to leave.  OK, here we go. Designated route was Buttermilk to Forest Hill loop and back, but Offshore was ready to go and wanted to get in some hill repeats as well, so we ran a little extra.  All said and done, we got in 8.5 miles by Lab Rat’s watch.  ShakeDown must have a Wilson watch, because he had considerably farther. the quick moleskin is this: -Bleeder is lean, mean,…

Three pax charged into the morning, and were blessed with a dropping humidity to make the sunny and 70 a little more tolerable. Route:  North Bank to Belle Isle, hug the downstream side of the island, and up to Buttermilk.  Return on Buttermilk for 7 miles, and optional Forest Hill loop to make it an even 10.  1/3 of the pax took the option. NMS:  Pucker and Offshore kept each other company in front most of the morning, while Lab Rat guarded the six.  Awesome to see these two men out here this morning!  Great run, enjoy the rest of…

4 runners posted at varied times, but all with strong legs for some Trail running action. Lab Rat and YHC ran ButterMilk to Potterfield(LB)/Belle Isle(YHC) and back on North Bank, We came across BT and Phonics who were running shorter legs on the North Bank. Coffee at ET was enjoyed by BT, Lab Rat and YHC. BT gave a excellent review of Hamilton and Chicago Cubs Baseball. TYA was missed, no socks were wrung out on the patio. Bleeder out

A questionable number of runners descended upon the trails today at differing times, with the main brunt leaving at the designated 0700.  It was hot and sticky, which will be the name of the game for the next couple of months, so we may as well embrace it.  Here is the shakedown: Route: North bank to Canal walk and loop around the Pipeline trail (swim break).  Cross the river on T. Potter bridge and return on Buttermilk.  Official GPS (mine) clocked in at 8.5 miles.  YMMV NMS: -Always a pleasure to have Obama join us for trail run!  He acted…

A group of 8 posted for a Sunday morning trail run.  Weather was sunny and 70, 0% humidity.  Perfect for a run. The Thang; Over the bridge to Forrest Hill, Forrest Hill loop counter clockwise, then back to the buttermilk and back on the bridge. NMM: Good to have Lockjaw back out there today.  He had been absent from the trail run for some time and he had a good showing on his first time back out.  Welcome to Longhorn (FNG Anna).  She is a Houston native and a non UT fan, hence the name.  She is a strong runner…

A Magnificent 7 posted for a gorgeous morning on the trails.  Here’s how it went down: Run clockwise on Northbank, cross Potterfield Bridge, continue on Buttermilk and then back to the cars. NMM:  This was truly a morning of firsts.  YHC has never been required to pull a Fudd #AAF during a workout.  Fortunately, YHC arrived with time to spare.  Unfortunately, Helix drove in during the half hearted attempt to sneak into the woods, and TYA rolled in during the exit.  What could you do but smile and wave?  TYA believed this to be creepy, but hey, everybody does it.…

5 pax showed for trail run today, with a guest appearance by TYA.  Rumor was Bleeder was also there somewhere, but the pax never caught up to him.  Here is a brief synopsis of the day: Route:  North Bank, Belle Isle, Buttermilk  About 7 miles. NMS: Great to have Honeymoon and Wilson back out. Solid work. Helix killed it as usual.  Upchuck got in some extra hill work.  Wow…anything extra today is impressive. We rolled in a man and his two kids into the group today that just moved from DC.  I expect them to make an appearance at an…

5 faithful posted on a perfect Sunday morning for a trail run The Thang: Northbank to T. Potterfield, to buttermilk and back to the Pump House parking lot. NMM Bleeder got an early start this am, starting out somewhere around 630.  The rest of the PAX convened at 7pm for the start.  Our goal was to catch up to Bleeder before his finish.  Mission failed (I think).  By the time I got back to the parking lot, he was gone.  Upchuck may have seen him, but I heard no reports, so I am assuming not. Great morning for the trails.…

6 stalwarts posted on a Sunday morning for a holiday weekend run. The Thang: 7 or 10 mile options this am. NMM Out of respect for Lab Rat (and the trails), we decided to stay off the trails because of the recent excess of rain in the RVA area.  Given that, YHC decided that we would hit the access road next to the river and then do a few laps around Belle Isle and then take Canal street back to the pump house.  Good plan?  Except, the access road next to the river was a few feet under water and…