New Slim Fast Hill but no Coffee

New Slim Fast Hill but no Coffee

14 of F3’s finest pax assembled in a middle school parking lot at 0515 for this week’s installment of Mountain Goat. Conditions were pretty close to optimal with clear skies and a temperature of 47F. We were joined by A51 Board member Cheese Curd for a surprise audit of the AO. Nevertheless, we straightened our running attire and headed out for a warm-up (almost) mile up Strawberry to Rosecliff to Browne’s Pond to Coburn. After stopping for a bit of stretching, it was time for the main event: New Slim Fast Hill. New Slim Fast Hill is a 0.4 mile segment starting at the low point of Coburn near the creek and extending to Cary Ridge. It features some challenging hills and had us sucking wind at the top. Instructions were to run hard to the top and recover to the bottom. After three rounds we made our way back to the launch point. A Mountain Goat staple for many years has been the stretch of Raintree Lane from the clubhouse to Four Mile Creek Drive. This was one of Slim Fast’s favorite BRR training methods, but we’ve retired it due to increased traffic.

• Cheese Curd was out front with Slim and Sensei and circled back to pick up the Six all morning. Bravo.
• Insomniac arrived on two wheels but shook off his tardiness and delivered a strong performance as usual.
• South Paw effortlessly chews up ground with his long stride. He’s just beginning his running journey, but has serious potential to do great things.
• Gullah punches the clock every week and keeps getting faster.
• Face Paint has had the misfortune of starting his Mountain Goat career with Five Knolls last week and more hills this week. Keep up the good work.

We typically meet at the Arboretum Starbucks for coffeeteria after Mountain Goat, but our quest for caffeine was denied this morning. Apparently the barista didn’t want to serve a bunch of sweaty middle aged dudes at 0630. The gears started turning and we sought out alternatives, but alas, no coffee was to be had. Panera – not open until 0700. Same deal with the bagel place.

Two MG regulars are on IR and we wish them quick healing and a full recovery. Shout out to Lois and Tweetsie, aka The Boot Brothers.