June 8th, 2020 By Grandmaster

Day 1 of the Week of Grandmaster here in Kannon is in the books. Was not sure how well it was going to go given YHC’s recent battles with the fartsack. Not once but twice, I woke in the middle of the night certain I had missed my alarm. When the alarm finally did sound, it was go time. I thought I had the surprise of the morning by bringing a pan of muffins for coffeeteria, but the real surprise came when as we pulled up to the AO and saw two of the three lost boys stretching and warming up. It was Scarlet and Rawhide back out in the gloom, and they even brought an FNG! (Where you at G-Vegas?) We thought there’s no way this morning could get any better, but then 0530 rolled around and the “one who shall not be named” was nowhere to be seen! What a joyful start to the week. The only downer was that ChickenStrip had not made it out despite text conversations this very morning. Does the iPhone have a way of sending automatic replies or setting up message to go out on a schedule I don’t know about? Will have to look into this. Also SirTopEm had “car trouble” which probably means someone else at his apartment wasn’t quite ready for him to head out this morning. He was given the route via text and the ones in attendance took off.

Nothing new in this morning’s run. Up Main to West 8th, down to the greenway to Baker’s Creek Park, up through Village Park to West C and the Loop Rd and finally over to Vance for some suicides.  Hurdle was a beast as always doubling back about every two or three minutes to pick up the six.  Squid and Cupid were setting a good pace for the rest of us while a few took turns making sure everyone stayed with the group.  As we planked up at the bottom of Vance St. to get ready to run Suicide Hill, SirTopEm and ChickenStrip joined the party. They had met up in the parking lot and knocked out an 8:15 pace to catch the pax. Well done guys.  All in all we turned in between 4 and 4.5 miles.

MOLESKIN: This week is a staycation for YHC. It’s also my birth-week, so I decided to make it an Iron Q. You get to look at me all week, provided the “alarm clock” doesn’t fail me.  About 2.5 years ago I had my first taste of F3 on a cool Saturday morning. Poor Recycle had to carry me across the parking lot during a Rooster Q.  I am just glad that was part of the workout and not a rescue mission.  Back then I couldn’t run a quarter mile, but you guys stuck with me, doubled back for the six, and kept true to the F3 motto “Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him.” I’m still not fastest but I’m better than I was. Also, I know I’m not alone in this world. It’s good know there are guys waiting in the gloom to sweat it out with you. Whether that be the 94% humidity at 0530, the quarantine, the social unrest or the ups and downs of personal life.  We have each other’s back. We will always go back to pick up the six. I am not alone and neither are you.

In HIS Service,

Grandmaster

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