Home of the Spiders

After my training / hike combination at Maymont on Wednesday by myself, it was nice to see a few teammates Thursday night at the University of Richmond, Home of the Spiders!

For several weeks now, our run and walk teams have had informal Thursday night training at U of R, starting at 6:30.  This is when the football team ends their practice.  I've made the last two, barely escaping a huge thunderstorm a week ago.  Thursday is always short miles, about three, so we just chat and go at our own pace.  There were only four of us Thursday, and we all happened to be walkers.  It is a beautiful campus and a wonderful spot to walk.

We did four laps around the track.  Because I ran part of the last two laps, I did the first mile in about 13:15.  Then, the women's lacrosse team began practicing, and everyone has to leave the track so that they don't risk getting hit by a stray ball.

So we headed through the campus and did several laps around a lake.  I think this building is some kind of student center and / or dining hall.

We chatted about fund raising, training, blood cancers, and so forth as we did our laps.  One of my teammates was a bit scared of two aggressive domestic geese, but nothing happened, even though they can bite.  We enjoyed seeing the students, all looking so young with their lives still mostly ahead of them.  I know that college and being young has its own stresses, but that is a pretty good time in one's life.  It costs a lot to go to this school - like $40,000 a year, I think - so I sure hope they are learning a lot while they are here.  We saw a number of young people running.

One of my teammates, Susan, works with a friend that I have on my fundraising list.  She gave Susan a check for me, and this now puts my fundraising just over $5,000.  I am still short of my goal, and of dying my hair purple, but am happy to have reached that threshold.

For the first time all season, we have no Saturday training, so I will take it easy today in anticipation of 12 miles with the team on Sunday.  You know I will be buying some big bags of ice after that!