scratch relying on the weather forecast.
altho the vol staters left scattered along the road might have preferred to get the more thunderstorms they were promised…
.
instead they saw the temperature barely dip below 80 (27c) just
before dawn….
.
the heat index never got below 90.
.
oprah relentlessly mowed down the trailing runners overnight.
altho none of then had to be begged to take a ride in the meat wagon after she took them down.
i dont think any of the survivors are suffering from delusions about what is coming today.
when it feels like you are running in a convection oven just before sunrise,
nothing good is riding in on the first rays of the sun.
.
while we are collecting the last three victims oprah took down overnight,
she is licking her chops at the fresh meat immediately in front of her.
5 runners are within three miles ahead going into the blast furnace that will be today.
they have to be wondering why they are fighting to prolong the agony?
.
almost 100 miles ahead of oprah;
through clarksburg and parkers crossroads
past the long hills south of the interstate
around the big turn at lexington
across the rolling farmland to darden
and on to parsons
then the roller-coaster hills to reach the tennessee river.
the long winding climb to cross buffalo ridge
over that and down into linden…
.
across the buffalo river
and up 16 mile hill to hohenwald.
then back down out of the high country,
across the natchez trace and past gordonsburg
over the big swan river
and all the way up coon creek,
addison hendricks is fighting it out with kyle malone for the lead on hampshire ridge.
ahead of them the road is already shimmering in the heat.
.
michelle leduc has fallen off the pace a little,
but positioned to move back into contention if either of the leaders should falter.
.
and there has never been a better day to falter.
we are now under a heat advisory at night.
during the day…
.
for the people on that shimmering highway
today will be an epic story of survival by itself.
.
and this is the proverbial third day.
the key to a journey run is the third day.
day one and two the body is shocked by what you are doing to it.
heat training to work out in the heat
is not the same thing as heat training to live in it.
.
training to do big distance every day
is not the same as training to do nothing else!
.
day three is the physical and mental low point.
reach day 4 and you will probably finish.
something has to happen to stop you after day 3.
.
day 3 is when the real test begins.
and this day 3 is going to be a monster.
.
according to the forecast,
todays weather will cook the runners up to 25% faster
and create a perfectly crispy crust.
Categories: Vol State 2026