He Man Woman Hater’s Club aka F3
7 PAX gathered in the chilly morning (well, 5 + Hit Man who must have a mandatory clause to show up just as we leave the parking lot + Manscape who suddenly appeared on the warm up lap around the park) air to run around and up the Hanes Park area.
We started with a clockwise warm up lap around the park. We stopped at the base of Pilot View, where I said we were only going up once and, as a result, there was much rejoicing. We ran in a stairstep pattern – sprint on the uphill, recover on the over – 3 times up to 5th street, then down the Intimidator to the track.
On the track it was simple: 200, 400, 600, 800 repeats with a 200 recovery in between. Dodging the multitude of other runners was probably the most difficult part of the workout.
Balco shared a story how a few years ago a Winston Salem man posted online looking for a running group, and Balco replied with some general info about F3, encouraging this person to come out. A different person responded with a lot of negative things to say about F3 and how, since we don’t allow women, that we are “exclusionary.” The Vig said we’re just like the He Man Woman Hater’s Club.
Honestly, usually I have a lot more to say about the men who show up to do the work when I Q, but….well, this morning, I just didn’t have it. I didn’t even want to wake up and run. We lost our sweet 13-year old pup this past weekend and it’s been really, really hard on our family. I shared with the PAX that I’m grateful for this group. I’m grateful for how they motivate me to come out and run when I know I should but have a hard time convincing my body to do so. Thank you for helping me become a better version of myself.
Prayers for our world, specifically in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.
Until next time, thanks for letting me Q, Chomper. Grateful for you all.