*Best Wednesday workout that has donuts
Tomorrow, we are running the REVERSE route: Rea/Candlewyck/Providence/51/Rea. All right turns. We launch from the Dunkin Donuts at Rea/Colony.
Here is the route: https://www.strava.com/routes/7470827
Launch times and paces:
510: 930-9:45 pace
515: 815-8:30 pace
520: 730-7:45 pace
530: 645-7:00 pace
Warm UP: So this project started with the 3rd F group Sanctuary. We were reading and discussing a book called Chasing Daylight. Chasing Daylight is a call to live a life of blazing urgency. We have but one life. We are given one opportunity to pursue our dreams and fulfill our divine purpose. Every moment counts, and we must engage them with fierceness and zeal. Put an end to passive observation, paralyzed by the need for perfect opportunity, and start seizing the raw, untapped potential of your life with God.
So that is exactly what we did when we started this project in helping an elderly woman taking care of her youngest daughter and two of her grandkids. We took a step of faith, not knowing all that was entailed. The plan started out with replacing the flooring which we assumed meant a couple of floor joists and all while getting the plumbing and the electrical up to snuff. We knew there were some issues with the foundation as their drainage for their kitchen and tub was not connected under the house so it literally was flowing like a river under the house, but we didn’t know the extent. But again, take that step of Faith, we were not to be paralyzed by what we did or didn’t know.
So we started to put a plan together, Shop Dawg took care of the logistics, laid out plan of materials, meanwhile Troylete got to work doing his Gestapo fundraising and setting up a go fund me to cover what we thought was going to be a $5,000 project. Meanwhile we worked on spreading the word to the other F3 sites for help with Manpower, Materials, and Money. Within only a few days, Boom, $5K was there. We were all excited, we thought we could take it to the next level (as we typically do with F3) and see if we could raise an additional $5K to put in HVAC. Ice and Troylette back to work and Bam! $10K in about 10 days, it was incredible, with some amazing generous donors (thank you all!).
The Thang: Thursday night rolls around Troylet and I stop by Debbie’s to make sure they were ready. Storage pod was there, portable bathroom was there and a dumpster was ready to go. Great! Just then, Debbie says, can you check out Shawna’s room, her floor is bouncy. I had never been in Shawna’s room, frankly Shawna’s room was never part of the plan. Sure! Walk into Shawna’s room and it was like climbing into the blue circle of the trampoline, the edges were ok but the center had about a 4-5” BOUNCE to them. Great, there was a sheet of plywood that covered the floor off to the side, I thought, we will rip that up and just take a look, worst case we may have to put a floor joist in here as well. We’ll find out later that was another poor assessment on my part.
So the work begins, crews of people show up, F3 goes into full effect and the floors are out in no time at all, Notch, Wake up call, Triple 7 and 007 tear it a new one. Just one little problem, or maybe 5000 problems, at least that is what it was to going to take in materials to fix what we found, let alone the physical labor.
Shawna’s room- There were no floor joists attached to the sill plates in half the room. They (the two of three that were left) were sitting on cider blocks, hence the plywood hole in the floor. The rest of the rooms in the house were about the same. The foundation was crumbling and the sill plates that we were planning on attaching new floor joists were all rotted out from water and termite damage. You literally could pull them apart with your fingers.
The Real Thang: Not ONE complaint, not one whine, just work. Everyone knew the storm we just got ourselves into and there was no turning back. Shop went immediately into his architecture days with Network and devised a plan to pour new footers and use 4×6 beams to headers to support the house while we rip all the rotten sill plates out so we have something to attach floor joists too. Troylette gets the list and he does his thang, gets the deal, gets the order and gets keeps the job moving.
Day 2- Lumber arrives so we can start replacing Sill plates and floor Joists. Bunny Shows up, I didn’t know him, Shop asks him, “You skilled or unskilled?” Bunny, “Skilled I guess”, Shop, “you got any tools?” Bunny, “I got that trailer over there full of tools.” Shop “Ohhhh, you’re a contractor” Bunny, “yes” Shop, “this room is yours, I’ll get YOU help.” Off he was with a crew.
Network took the Kitchen and I took the dining room. F3 Bodies were flying everywhere, Hollywood, Recalculating, wake up call, Thin Mint, Brother’s I didn’t even know came out with a hammer in hand and put it to work. Saturday afternoon and the project was gaining steam again, sill plates were going in and floor Joist started going down. Meanwhile we had electricians replacing most of the wiring in the house, we were like ants crawling everywhere getting work done.
Work continued all day Saturday till 10 pm when we finally finished putting the last floor board down in Shawna’s room. Blowout had stepped in and had most of the foundation brickwork done, and it appeared that we would be back on track. Did I mention that somewhere in the process I broke the back window so that had to be replaced and we also managed to “accidently” rip out the entire window casing in Shawna’s room so we had to figure that out as well. Minor details but let’s add that to the list of projects we didn’t plan on to get done for this project.
Day 3: We had church that day but it was held at a different location, Debbie’s house. The work started early as they had for the first 2 days, 630 am. Time to finish the dining room and the kitchen, get the rest of the floor boards in and get a floor down. Dasher, Bottlecap and The Professor went to work. Dirty Bird, Jingles, and I think recalculating took on the mission of reinstalling the window. Things were coming together also decided to add two more widows to replace, heck, we came this far.
Day 4: Plumbing crew comes in, Boda Plumbing, if you ever need any plumbing work check to see if these guys can do it first! They donated all the labor and materials for this job for FREE!! Plumbing is going in, electrical is done, drywall is going up on the walls and work is happening. So, somewhere around 6 or 7 at night the main crew started waning, Shop, Network, Troylette, myself, you could just tell, we were all gassed, it was like that section in the Freed to Lead book, the 50-75% completed, the 3rd lap of a 1-mile race, we were cooked. Again, no one complained, although you could see it on our faces we all kept moving praying we could finish this project. 10 PM we had the subfloor done, final flooring and trim was all that was left, third lap completed.
Day 5: This is when I was really grateful Dasher company shut down their sales force. I am praying he gets an even more awesome job now, but as my race partner and friend I was glad he was by my side. He showed up every day and we killed it! Tolkien, Dasher and Shop cranked out the drywall and final floors day begun, rack um and stack up. Flooring was a bit of contention so we changed directions and went with a Pergo floor, it was the best solution for the situation as laminate would not have worked during construction. Grinding out floors till 10 that night I decided I didn’t like Ice 9’s hand so in best fashion I slammed a piece of flooring that ends up cutting his hand open. Made him really happy to work with me;) Floors are in, Shop finishes up the bathroom and Boda comes back to hook of the sinks and toilet. Much accomplished!
Day 6: Network and his crew work on trim while the rest of us were finishing up details. The inspector comes and hits us with the last couple details, after reaching out to Marpool Electric we got them to come back and hook up the electrical for the hot water heater. Doc Mcstuffins and EE come back later that night to bring in the beds and rugs and Debbie and the kids have a place to sleep other than the hotel they have been stuck in for the last five days.
Day 7 and 8: Wrap up days, finishing trim, siding, etc. Saturday ended up being a great day to bring in the 2.0’s to help clean up the site, and number of ladies helped Debbie organize and we wrapped up the project at noon on Saturday.
Moleskin: This by far was the toughest project that I have ever been part of. For many of us it was more difficult than the toughest races we have ever done. It was also the most faith building. God provided the necessary people, the necessary funds and the necessary Attitude to get the Job done. At the end of the day its just a house, but it’s a house that we helped restore and make livable for 2 young grandkids. They were living in a house that literally was going to collapse in a very short amount of time. Now they can live in a house that is safe. Men stepped up, men lived out their words. The words we pray about every morning after we work out, we pray that God will allow us to be better husbands, Fathers and community members. This past week we did exactly that!
Final Moleskin: Below is a note from one of our brothers that I felt encapsulated the attitude and leadership that F3 is about. I asked him to share his company info so I could put it in this back blast and this is his response:
Hey guys. Thanks for reaching out. Hope all is going well with the house. Thoroughly enjoyed working along side of you guys last weekend and getting to know some new guys and being able to give back. The opportunities are all around, just do not always present themselves. Grateful this one came about and that we were able to show up for them. As for company name, glad you guys forgot it. Not about individuals or companies. I was just another guy that day, along side of all of you guys. Everyone deserves the credit, as many guys gave up time with their families in their busy lives. The company I was along side of is the company that matters. Thank you guys for organizing it, and please be sure to let me know of the next opportunity.
Special Thanks to these Non- F3 companies that showed their support:
Boda Plumbing http://bodaplumbing.com/
Cedar Hill Network http://www.cedarhillnetwork.com/
www.facebook.com/cedarhillnetwork (980) 239-7879
Marpool Electric http://marpolelectric.com/contact/
Hickory Tavern http://thehickorytavern.com/home/hickory_tavern-home.php
After appropriate disclaimer and a Hairband mile through the dark parking lot, we stopped for COP.
The Thang:
SSH X 25
IW X 20
Merkins X 10
Mountain climbers X 10
Mosey over to Chestnut Park and partner up for a good ol’ fashioned Dora 123 (100 merkins, 200 squats and 300 LBCs) as a team. While partner 1 does the called exercise, partner 2 runs to Carolina Courts building and back. Mosy over to the road for a Lap of Pain around Chestnut Park AO. Right karaoke to the midpoint of the south leg; stop for 5 burpees OYO. Plank for 6. Left karaoke to end of south leg and stop for 10 CCD OYO. Plank for 6. Run backward for 1/2 of east leg, stop for 20 flutters OYO. Plank as needed. Sprint to end of east leg, stop for 20 dolly’s OYO and plank. Indian run west leg. Upon returning to parking lot bear crawl for 1/2 of distance to park entrance. Crab-walk 2nd half. 2 rounds in the people’s chair with 50 and 125 air presses, respectively. Mosy back to parking lot for Mary:
American Hammer X 25
Freddie Mercury’s X 20
Moleskin: Great to continue to see strong Thrive participation and to have Shake and Bake back for his 2nd post. 13 PAX today which is double where Thrive used to be. The chatter monkeys were in form today which is par for the course for Thrive (or any AO where Glass Joe happens to be). Good times, hard work and sweat make for a good combination. Now if the Town of Indian Trail would turn the lights on again that would be helpful. On second thought, given the looks of a large percentage of the PAX, perhaps darkness is better. Appreciate the opportunity to lead!
28 PAX (though check the list, missing 1) read the PreBlast and posted at the weekly running interval workout known as Swift. This week, we were back on a Merry-go-Round, but a much boxier one, as our quest for quiet streets in the Ballantyne area found the area known as the Brixham Green.
The THANG:
The Moleskin:
Announcements:
We took a less common route on today’s Bagpipe adventure to learn, just who is John J. Delaney. (Answer below.)
After Tuck and I finished a peppy and quite artistic 5K (see Strava), 17 strong left the Vine and set-up for warm-up in the BBT lot.
Side straddle hops x 20
Imperial Walkers x 15
Mountain climbers x 10
Low, slow squats x 10
Peter Parkers x 10
Arm circles x 10
Mountain climber right arm high x 10
Mountain climber left arm high x 10
Fun Activity #1
After a duo of perilous street crossings a triple nickel on the steep, grassy hill on the east side of Ballantyne Commons with five squats at the top and five Carolina Dry Docks at the bottom.
Fun Activity #2
From there we slipped into John J. Delaney Dr. and huddled at the fountain. Once gathered, PAX were assigned 20 LBCs at the curb, 20 merkins at the next curb approx 30 yards aways. Continue with 20 LBCs, but reduce the number of merkins by 1 after each cycle ending at 20 LBC and 10 merkins. (200 LBC & 165 merkins). Needless to say, there wasn’t much mumblechatter during this suckfest.
Fun Activity #3
We crossed Johnston Rd and picked up Ballantyne Village Way to the Ballantyne Village deck. We ascended with a ladder of burpees, 5, 10, 15 and 20 at the top. We took the stairs to the street level and rushed home.
Fun Facts:
– Despite the pre-run Tuck led most of the way.
– Bucky asked why it’s called the triple nickel. That’s the price paid to a Catawba Native American for the land.
– Morning After is posts religiously and never complains. Props!
– Nard Dog, slept in and missed Swift.
– Meatloaf, glad to have met you today!
– Frehley farted.
– Paper Jam semi-cussed during prayer. It was awesome.
– Shrink Wrap was here for two workouts back-to-back. Keep coming! #Foxhole
– Tagalong swung iron and pushed it today, too! #Foxhole
– When is Cable Guy’s birthday? He’s been 49 for a while. #BirthdayQcoming!
– If y’all post FatCamp/Fight Club tomorrow, what out for Marlin’s haymaker! #fistbomb
– Loogie asked me how much running we’d be doing. I promised the normal amount. #2.5mi
– Wingman is back in the game. Glad to have you in the gloom. We are grateful for ALL the work you do behind the scenes.
Answer – John J. Delaney was a Congressman from New York.
I’ve been doing this F3 thing for over 4 years now. It took me over 4 years to lead my first Kettlebell workout…fittingly at the workout where I made my FNG post. So while I can’t take credit for the creativity of the workout, I think it met a high standard for difficulty. However, some chose not to heed my advice of posting with a lighter kettlebell than usual – and I think now they know why. After my disclaimer, we trotted over into the field by the parking lot and got started…
Warmup
Run 2 laps around the track
Run 2 laps around the track
22 Minute Kettlebell Warrior Workout
Run 2 laps around the track
Mary
Run 1 lap around the track
NMS:
There was a lot wrong with my first KB workout. I don’t know if it goes down in history with the bear-crawl weave, but certainly have some things to remember for next time (if there is a next time). It is kind of hard to hear (and be heard) when you are blasting music from a speaker that is directly next to you. Also, I still hate Turkish get-ups…and I think pretty much everyone else does too.
There was a lot of chatter out there this morning, and I noticed many modifications. Hopefully that just meant that many went with a heavier KB than was meant for this type of workout. The 22 Minute Kettlebell Warrior Workout is a great…if not efficient way to get a complete workout. Keeping the bell moving, without putting it down, for 22 minutes is no easy task…not to mention trying to keep good form throughout. Champagne recommended this to me a couple years back, and I go back to it often when I’m at home and squeezed for time to get a workout in. Hopefully others found it challenging and will take another run at it in the future. While it does recommend you go lighter, you don’t need to go as light as Spackler who brought along his 2-lb baby dumbbell.
I couldn’t hear much of what was being said among the pax, so sound off in the comments to share some of the fun that was being had out there this morning.
Thanks Harley and Fletch for the opportunity to lead.
No announcements…thanks to Smokey for the sweaty BOM takeout.
Firmly relying on the adage ‘better late than never’, following is the back blast for Peak 51.
The Thang:
After giving disclaimer, we mosied the long way to parking lot behind the church for COP:
SSH X 25
IW X 20
Merkins X 10
Mountain Climbers X 10
The PAX bear crawled 1/2 way down to the bottom of the parking lot and lunge-walked the remaining half. Partner up: while partner 1 did suicides; partner 2 did Carolina Drydocks. Flapjack. Round two: suicides and dolly’s. Mosey to the bus lot including backwards up the hill. Starfish in the bus lot: The center point was 5 burpees. Corners consisted of LSS, flutters, Freddie Mercury’s and lunges. 20 each (lunges were 10 per leg) and plank when finished until the 6 was in. Seeing the joy on the faces of the PAX at the conclusion, I decided to repeato. Same exercises and count. Mosey to the church for a nice rest in the people’s chair. Round 1 arms straight out in front; round 2: 100 air presses. Back to the meet up for Mary: extended protractor, American hammer X 25 and I think there were additional dollys or flutters for extra credit.
Moleskin:
Peak 51 continues to grow under the excellent leadership of Sensei and Booyah. Today was a record-setter with 30 PAX – including FNG Winger (Lumberjack). Peak 51 has a great mix of core guys that have been consistent over my 1.5 years in F3 + regular visitors + continual FNGs who then convert into on of the former two groups. A pleasure to lead them – and be pushed by them.
Leonardo would have been proud to see 19 PAX Post at da Vinci this week. We had sculpting of the human body, invention of a new exercise, pushed the limits of the human anatomy and mind. Iron Sharpened Iron once again! Onward and upward….. off we go..
Thang – Do bears crawl in the woods? Yes… So do the Men of F3.
COP
Imperial Walker X 10 IC
Low slow squat X 10 IC
Merkin X10 IC
Mountain Climber X 10 IC
Burpees on own X 5
Mosey to circular fountain at corner of Rea and Ardrey Kell.
Partner Up – one partner runs – other partner Dips. Switch up = Total 150.
Partner Up – one partner runs – other partner Incline Merkins. Switch up = Total 150.
Partner Up – one partner runs – other partner Incline Derkins. Switch up = Total 50.
Plank in between.
Mosey to Blakeney playground. Partners alternate pull ups X10/Step ups X20. X2
Mosey to the one of the Hoods in the area. Hand Slap Merkins X20 and plank on the way.
Hit trail in woods w/ 100 foot Bear Crawl. Indian Run to parking lot behind Pet Smart.
Found a beautiful wall for some Peoples Chair, Donkey Kicks and Balls To the Wall.
Closed out together w/ 7 Minutes of Mary. Back to AO Launch.
COT
Moleskin
We had a lot of fast guys out there this am.. Frazier, Bunker, Heart Breaker, Mic Check, Bucky & Tuck to name a few to set the pace. Did nice job keeping the PAX together and pushing the six. Gator Bait and Chopper – strong performance. Keep up the great work. Mighty Mite and the rest of the pack tore it up.. Mic Check took us out w/ prayer. Big time honor to lead this group of fine Men!
Announcements
Savage Race Saturday, May 13th. Teams of 4. Still Time to sign up.
Blue Ridge Relay Sign Ups. See Cheddar.
Tootie starting Third F after Maul at Chik-fil-A Stonecrest. 6:30 – 7:30. Reach out to Tootie on Slack or Twitter if any questions. Start Date – Wednesday, March 8th.
March Pull-up & Merkin Challenge starting 3/1. Preblast.
Save the date for F3 Brolympics. da Vinci & Stonehenge Convergence w/ 10 individual competitions – Community House MS, Sat, April 22nd. Preblast coming soon.
Richard Sheltra Memorial Charity 1K, 5K and 10K. April 29th . Reach out to Cheddar for details.
Posted on behalf of Commish
The weekly speed / interval running workout known as Swift will launch from the Vine Restaurant on Tuesday morning in Ballantyne.
The THANG:
SYITG,
Bratwurst