Southern Discomfort Update: The Route, The Qs, The Details

Southern Discomfort Update: The Route, The Qs, The Details

We are closing in fast on the third annual Southern Discomfort which will launch at 7:00 am on Saturday, October 21st.  The details are about 90% complete, which is pretty good for a consulting and project management “professional” such as YHC.  It’s more fun to leave a bit up to chance anyway, it keeps things interesting and makes you feel alive. Essentially we will traverse the main artery of the Area 51 region stopping along the way at AOs for pain stations led by an murderer’s row of Qs hand selected for their ability to deliver efficient and effective workouts.

This year we are going to incorporate a philanthropic element to the festivities.  With several events in the rearview such as BRR, Ragnar, etc. YHC would venture that most of us have several pairs of running/athletic shoes that we have taken out of the starting lineup but still have some useful life in them.  A few years ago, we did a shoe drive called Sole Redemption that benefited the Charlotte Rescue Mission, so it’s about time we did that again.  Bring any shoes you can donate either to Southern Discomfort where we will collect them, or to a regular workout next week where the Site Qs will collect them.  Site Qs, consider yourselves voluntold that you are on collection duty next week, so either come to Southern Discomfort or contact YHC or the Shoe Q to facilitate transfer.  That brings us to the next order of business.  We need a Shoe Q to handle collection and delivery to the rescue mission.  If so called to service, please announce your intentions in the comments.

The route and the Qs:

• We will start the journey at 7:00 am at Elizabeth Lane Elementary, home of Meathead and spiritual home of Olympus, which was the best hour in all of F3, hands down.  High Tide will start us off and get our minds right.
• After ELE we will head to the Arboretum, the functional hub of Area 51,  and gather in the parking lot outside the ABC store where Alf will take the reins.
• Following Alf’s portion we will tackle the Ghost Runner/Fast Twitch/Mountain Goat segment and run the bulk of the 4 mile Ghost Runner route but finishing at South Charlotte Middle School (Arboretum lot to Raintree Lane, left on Windbluff, Right on Providence, Right on Raintree, Left on Woodfox, gather at SCMS on Strawberry Lane).  When setting out on the run, we will self-organize into three pace groups, a sub 8 minute per mile group, an 8-9 minute per mile group, and a 9+ minute per mile group.  Upon reaching SCMS, the first group will turn around and finish with the second group, and then both groups will turn around and finish with the third group.  If this thing goes off the rails, the smart money says this is the place it happens.
• When the group is all reunited at the school, YHC will take over, unless somebody else would like to, which would be preferable.  If you want the spot it’s yours, claim it via the comments.
• We will leave SCMS and continue along 51 to Calvary church, (or is it Cavalry?  Which is the one where the horses come to save you?) home of Anvil and The Rock, where Flipper will set about explaining some convoluted workout structure that some of us will adhere to and others will just do their own thing, as is par for the course.
• Upon leaving Calvary/Cavalry we will head to McAlpine Elementary where for one morning, Day Zero will live again.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that Mermaid will then assume the mantle and proceed to thrash us soundly.  Remember Mermaid, it’s Burpee Free October (if you repeat something enough it becomes true).
• We hit the home stretch next and run to Charlotte Catholic High School, home of Centurion where hopefully they will not be administering the PSAT test since we have had issues with that in the past.  Not like lost weekend in Tijuana issues, but Alf did almost get us banished/arrested/jailed/deported and Chelms had to go see the principal or maybe the Pope, YHC isn’t sure how Catholicism works, just that their weddings involve a lot of standing up and sitting down and take a really long time.  As an aside, wedding ceremonies should take no more than 25 minutes from opening instrumental number to closing exit walk.  The guests are there to see the bride in her dress and for the open bar, and the bulk of the ceremony is just keeping people from said open bar.  Essentially the guests should be seated while a string quartet plays Whitesnake’s “Is This Love”, the wedding party and groom should be in position, and the bride should make her entrance.  The officiant should then open with a joke and perhaps a very brief anecdote about the bride and/or groom.  Fire off the “do you take” questions, grant permission for the marital kiss, then direct the crowd to follow the couple to the reception venue as the string quartet is joined by a vocalist for Peter Cetera’s “The Glory of Love”.  Then it’s Jack Daniel’s and Electric Slide time.  Get in, take care of business, get out.
• Upon arrival to SCCHS campus, proceed to the mouth of Tartarus and run the short ramps up to the top.  Here we will conclude our journey and somebody who is better at the spoken word than YHC, which is basically any of you people will lead us in a BOM.
• Now we need to coordinate parking/transportation.  Essentially, the group should gather at Charlotte Catholic around 6:20-:6:30 am so some of the group can leave vehicles at the end and some can drive the group to the start.