Where: Veteran's Park (21st & Boulder)
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Fore Your Benefit - Tee it Up!
Before we wade into the dense stuff, and before the frustration and understandable lack of interest levels lock in, let's recognize that on Saturday we move over to "Summer Daylight Heat Avoidance Time", meaning we start our training run at 5:45 AM (instead of 6:45 AM). We will still begin our run from Veteran's Park, and this week the Dom-N-8RZ 9:51 group is scheduled for a 9 mile distance, and our path will be approximately half the distance out, followed by half the distance back, which by my meticulous calculations would be 5 mile-ish each way, plus or minus rounding (hope we have some numbers folks in the group to help with the higher math). Note that if anyone happens to get lost while following a straight line down and back along the river, then your actual mileage may vary from manufacturer representations.
OK, this is the big celebratory MAJOR weekend for the good ol' US of A, the one we look forward to each year. That's right - the always bigger and better than the last one - that big giant birthday bash. And even though we won't be running on the actual date, I think it is still appropriate for us to recognize this important time in our country's still growing history. So, let's shout it loud and proud, and wish our very own fellow running 'Noe Bill Major a belated Happy Birthday. With the advancement in years, I remind you again how important it is to "shout it loud" to ensure that your well wishes are heard and recognized. And yes Bill, you are very welcome - no need to say anything more.
So, I was thinking, which I realize goes against the grain of my early childhood captors, teen year PO's, and other hopelessly futile well wishers. Seems I occasionally do my best work following a bout of heavy ponderin' (OK, not really, but it could happen some day - except we all know it won't), and this may or may not be one of those times. With a group as large as ours, we are blessed with having runners who possess a large collective variance in distance and pace abilities. When you add to the mix the horridly humid and heated weather that we've been hammered with over the past few weeks, the sweat equity variance amongst us wilted path strikers seems even greater. So, always looking for an advantage, I was thinking that our running could benefit by borrowing from the game of golf.
Now, I ain't quite as good a golfer as I am lightning quick as a runner, it's possible that I might miss a couple of the finer points of the game, so I kindly ask for your tolerance/pity. So, when a bunch of golfers get together for a round, one of the equalizers is to group together ones of varying abilities and conduct a scramble tournament. We can do the same in running, by letting those who are a little quicker go out fast, and then us shankers can simply move up to where the faster ones are and then run from there. We'll simply keep repeating this pattern until we've reached the end of the round - completed our mileage distance, and thereby benefitted from having the more skilled runners carry us to the finish line. Please note that carts will not be allowed on the course, so be sure to wear your comfy kicks.
Also, since this would be our first time in trying the running scramble approach, each runner will be allowed two mulligans on Saturday. So in the event that any of us have a bad mile, then we can simply holler out "Mulligan", which will then allow the holleree to go back one mile and rerun it without penalty and having to count the strides. That should really be a benefit during especially hot and humid weather. We will utilize the honor system, and let everyone keep track of their own mulligans, although we will invoke the "use it or lose it" rule.
See you bright and early-ish (5:45 AM) on Saturday, as we Play Through - Fore Style.
Larry
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