Union City Run (Group Run for 10/26/13)

Wow . . . it's been a long time since I update the blog. Anywho, below you'll find the route for this Saturday's Union City run, a beautiful four mile loop through country roads (with nigh infinite possibilities for spurs and additional loops for those who want to run more). Informed sources indicate that there will be ample parking at the park (you can't miss it--drive to the Baptist church and hang a left), and we'll meet there at 8:00 a.m.

Red dots:

1. The Meet-Up: I'll be brief--downtown Union City isn't that confusing. Once you get here, you'll see two churches and a defunct grocery store. Turn left (i.e., north) at the old, red-brick Baptist church, and you'll see the park on your left;
2. Dog Alert I: Last time I was running through here, a puppy ran out to greet me. He's probably not a puppy anymore; and
3. Dog Alert II: Last time I was running through here, a really sad old dog ran away from me. Hope he's doing okay.

I haven't run the rest of this route, but the crew at the Baldwin Running Consultancy says it's worth a gander or two, and I believe them.

If you need to get out to UC, here's a map, starting in downtown Richmond:

1. North on Main,
2. Right on the bypass,
3. Left on the bypass exit just past the school,
4. Which will lead you to Union City Road (at the light off the exit, just drive under the train trestle), and
5. Continue on five miles or so until you get to Union City.

If you're coming from Irvine or parts near (you know who you are), take Charlie Norris Road off Irvine Road and head north until you get to UC.

See you then!

Happy Hour Run Route

Here's the Official Happy Hour Route, as it is now and always will be:

Red dots:

1. Apollo Pizza: Start, finish, after-party;
2. E.C. Million Park: There are two Million Parks in Richmond (note the proper noun--there are not 2,000,000 parks in Richmond); we're going through the one that doesn't allow dogs;
3. St. Andrew's;
4. Grey Oaks: A nice hill, and right into the sunset; and
5. Rosedale . . . (drops snow-globe).

See you every first and third Thursday.

Richmond Centre Seven (Group Run for 09/14/13)

This week's group run will be a delightful seven mile loop starting from Richmond Centre (or is it "Center"? Meh.). We'll meet near Michael's (the crafty place), cover Goggins, Tate's Creek, Main Street, Lancaster, and the Bypass back to Michael's. To wit:

And, once again, it's time for RED DOTS WITH YELLOW NUMBERS!:

1. Michael's at RC: This is where we begin and end;

2. For anyone who wants to tack on extra mileage, there's a three mile loop you can add on at this point (actually, it's like 3.4 . . . stop whining). If you're interested, let me know;

3. The Arlington Golf Course: Free golf balls! (Again!);

4. For those of you who might want to get in an even eight miles, run up and down Grey Oaks at this point; and

5. Yes, we're running along the bypass, which we may cross at some point. Get ready for some frogger-style fun.

See you Saturday!

The EKU XC Course (Group Run for 09/07/13)

This Saturday's group run will cover the EKU wood chip and cross country course (a.k.a. "The Widowmaker"). Park near the corner of Kit Carson and Van Hoose on campus (across from the track, near the old planetarium). As per usual, we'll take off around 8:00 a.m.

And, yup, the red dots correspond to the following points of interest:

1. The Old EKU Planetarium: Our starting point. It looks like Marvin the Martian lives here;
2. The EKU Track;
3. The EKU Football Field;
4. The EKU Wood Chip Trail: One mile long--now with fresh wood chips!;
5. Entrance to the XC Course: Whatever you do, do NOT sit on the picnic tables--they're very touchy about this;
6. A Creek: I once saw a big snapping turtle on the course here; and
7. The Trail to Taylor Fork: If you want to climb the fence, dodge the cowpats (and maybe the cows themselves), and climb another fence, you'll get to Taylor Fork, a nice, if ticky, bio-preserve about half a mile from the XC course.

I'm planning to build on the regular group run to get in an ill-advised 20-miler (aka, "The Tour de Richemonde"). I will be running this slowly. If anybody's interested in joining, let me know.

1. The EKU Campus: This route will start at Irvine McDowell Park at the intersection of Crabbe Street and University Avenue. I'll be leaving here about 7:45 a.m. to jog over to the old planetarium and meet everyone for the regular run;
2. The EKU XC Course: The site of said regular run;
3. Old Town Branch Road: It's pretty out here;
4. Richmond Centre: Might stop off at a convenience store for a chocolate milk/bathroom break;
5. The Arlington Golf Course: Free golf balls!!!; and
6. Downtown Richemonde: Hence the course's TDR designation.

See you Saturday!

AOTD, September 3, 2013

Today's Article of the Day: Competitor Group Int'l, the crew that puts on the Rock 'n' Roll race series, recently decided to cut funding for elite athletes. Toni Reavis, road running's uber-announcer, weighs in on the issue, deriding CGI's move but concluding that

[a]fter twenty years-plus of this every-race-a-universe-unto-itself system, without any regulations to control access and eligibility to win money, without a circuit of events that could be molded and sold coherently, any economy of scale that might have taken the sport to the next level was squandered, and results are finally at hand. The public has long since lost interest in the outcome of foot races. 

Competitor Group isn’t to blame for the demise of elite racing (other than for the abrupt nature of the current decision), it is only the cold-eyed messenger.

Ouch.

The really cool thing is that Scott Dickey, President and CEO of Competitor, chose to respond to Reavis in the comments section.

AOTD, August 30, 2013

Okay, so today's Article of the Day isn't an article. It's a video. But for those of you who haven't come across this little gem--and for anyone who needs a shot of motivation--here you go.

Hope to see you all bright and early tomorrow for the Old Wilderness Trail group run!

AOTD, August 29, 2013

Today's article of the day: A nice little bit from Running Times* about the rise of small races (as in races capped at 300 or so registrants and marketed as alternatives to 10,000+ entrant "mega-marathons").

Best take-away stat: Nearly 20 times as many Americans finished a marathon in 2012 as in 1976--25,000 vs. 487,000. Chicago alone had over 37,000 finishers last year, 12,000 more than what the entire country had in 1976.

Best quote: "[My races are] for those of you who don't want to run with 40,000 of your closest friends . . . There's a time and place for a big race, and there's a time and a place to be with yourself and just run," says "Fat Pat" McCloskey, a Pennsylvania race director who markets his events as alternatives to crowded Philadelphia races. His "spring 10-miler," billed as an alternative to the Philadelphia Broad Street 10-Mile Run, had 180 finishers in its first year.

*Note: This article appeared in RT, but the site will indicate runnersworld.com; both publications are produced by Rodale, Inc.