13 PAX took a leap of faith and made it out to Watchtower, not knowing who would actually be the Q. I had made a deal with Posse yesterday to Q if he promised me no rain. He pulled out his phone, apparently pretended to look at an app, and assured me no rain. So of course there was rain. However it did stop before start time but it was wet enough to where I scraped all plans to use any rocks or pass over any grass. The PAX were appreciative. I even think I got a standing ovation when they learned I was the Q. I think. At least they were standing. That’s how I remembered it anyway.
WARM UP:
Mosey to Snack Bar in front of track, go slow over the frozen bridge-Imperial Squakers IC x15
THE THANG:
Mosey to elementary school dropoff spot: Elbow planks while we wait. Elbow Peter Parker x15. Various other stuff. Did wall sits
Merkins IC x7 , Jump Squats IC x7, Plank Jacks IC x7 -Run Lap
Low Slow Squats IC x14, Wide Arm Merkins IC x14, Mountain Climbers IC x14 -Run Lap
Peter Parker Peter IC x21, Squats IC x21, Stagger Merkins IC x21 -Run 2 laps
Mosey to side parking lot-Plank work while we wait, then Maktar NDyiae IC x10
11’s in the parking lot: -Jump knee slaps on one end, Carolina Dry Docks on the other-Mary while we wait, Heels to Heaven, Dollies, Flutters IC x10-15
Mosey to Track area-Plank work, plus elbow plank jacks IC x20
Mosey back to Snack Bar-Partner work
P1 runs to some pillars about 40 seconds away one way, P2 does Mike Tysons-total 150 as a team
Diamond Merkins IC x 6-**Attempted but the PAX weren’t interested
Mosey on back to cars right on time.
MOLESKIN:
We tracked almost 2 miles today, not a ton but we were constantly moving with a very fast Mosey throughout. It’s always good to make it to the old Watchtower site for some new terrain. I was tempted at some point with the track being open but I ran out of time so we’ll save that for another day. The goal was to keep any rest to a minimum and I think that was achieved. Once again, a great group of guys today and some real solid work was put in. Thanks to all who came out.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Floater-begins Thursday at 5:30, Downtown Waxhaw under the water tower
Dromedary-The Grease Monkey on Q tomorrow at Marvin Ridge HS, 5:30
Deflated has Super Bowl Squares, buy a few if interested
Goodfella with the takeout
A full house of 9 PAX met on a misty Monday morning for 5+ miles. Almost everyone showed up wearing neon yellow short sleeve shirts. I clearly missed the mumblechatter on Slack coordinating the outfits as I had my traditional black (with rain jacket). With no idea of route or reason, we gleefully followed Bratwurst’s lead and we were off.
Much to my chagrin, we were heading up the dreaded Ardrey Kell hill. At first, I thought we were doing the reverse PJ route, but the lights in the distance kept going straight. On the way, illuminated by my headlamp (yes, Paper Clip showed me how to use it) in the middle of the sidewalk, was a large dead animal. No one seemed disturbed by the carnage, so it was pass the high school and into the first neighborhood we found.
A quick left onto Zachery Ave, right on Pomerane Place, left on Brandon Brook Drive, right onto Old Ardrey Kell Rd, right onto Honeynut Drive, left onto Hazelview, left onto Linden Tree Ln, right onto Torrelle Drive, left onto Society St and out on Community House Rd. At this point, I headed back to the AO with Madison, while the rest of the crew crossed the street and did a .25 mile loop in the fancy neighborhood.
We all finished strong and with stretching led by Madison.
MOLESKIN:
It was another rough Monday chasing the fast guys. They were kind enough to circle back to make sure I was still alive and Madison hung back with me. It would be great for those guys who are slow (like me), just starting to run, or simply want to get better at running to join me on Monday. I think by the spring we can get to a decent pace and at least the fast guys would not have to circle back as much.
There was a debate about the dead animal. Some say it was a large cat Others opined it was a raccoon. Either way,we may need to develop a new warning call “dead cat/rat/raccoon up” or is it down?
Remember Brolympics on 2/24/18 at Weddington High School. Participate. Volunteer. Attend.
If you are reading this, you probably exhaled a sigh of relief that the title link didn’t take you to a site most likely blocked by your office computer. Actually, let’s be honest you probably clicked the link with such haste just to be dismayed to see that it indeed is just the link to a Foxhole backblast detailing the happenings of our Monday morning regimen.
Fire Marshall Bill was set to Q, even though he wasn’t aware until Sunday evening. YHC offered to split the Q and that was enough to close the deal.
Warm-Up (Fire Marshall Bill)
The Thang (Fire Marshall Bill portion)
The Thang (General portion)
Mosey back over to the PL as the rain had subsided for KB/Sprint/Merkin sets:
Finish up with COT, YHC on the takeout.
Moleskin
Less than ideal conditions today with a cool breeze, nagging rain, 530 on a Monday morning and I’m sure some pain from the weekend activities still lingering. However, with the clock striking 530 all 5 were ready to get after it with Frehley’s Comet leading the charge as we all stood around “Well, let’s do something.” Great push by all the PAX today with Wild Turkey setting the pace on the FMB strength portion of the workout. Soft Pretzel came back from a week Neverland although his fairytale continues as he prepares for a Super Bowl trip up to MN. Welcome back FMB, bringing something fresh with him on his return back to The Hole. Frehley’s Comet continues to get it done at 53, soon to be 54 – – – MORE DETAILS in the announcement portion.
Announcements
Over & Out
-General
So, YHC slept through his alarm, hauled it over to South Charlotte Middle School, and thought to himself, “Man, I’m really really late for Mountain Goat. In fact, it’s Monday. And this isn’t Mountain Goat. But there are PAX and a shovel flag, so, let’s have a workout.”
And that we did. After a barely adequate disclaimer — a minor Q fail since a FNG was in our ranks — we took off out of the parking lot and into the damp, misty gloom. After hanging a left on Strawberry Lane, we stopped at the Gateway Academy for …
COP
After that, mosey to the intersection of Strawberry and 51 for our instructions.
THANG
Time to battle The Beast: 6 exercises, 6 reps at 6 stops.
YHC’s original plan was to do this on the cozy, contained confines of the SCMS track. But, since there was rain, the track was flooded (#GlobalWarming #ThanksObama?), YHC decided to take this show on the road. Literally.
So, starting at Strawberry and 51, the stops were:
Once you finish, mosey/recover to the second entrance to the aforementioned crescent and wait for the six. Reverse course for the next round, with the recovery being from Gateway to Strawberry/51. Simple? No. But, whatever.
The exercises were:
Once we were finished with that, mosey back to the SCMS parking lot. Some Mary once we got there …
Finish off with some Sevens. Start with 1 squat, run to the truck, 6 Carolina Dry Docks. Run back to the start, 2 squats, run, 5 CDDs. You know the drill.
We made progress, but started to run short on time, so, finish up and head back to the flag.
Count-o-rama …
Name-o-rama …
Name the FNG …
Fin.
-30-
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BROlympics coming up — Feb. 24 at Weddington High School. Preblast with, wait, a trailer? … man, some of y’all are professionals … right here.
Tweetsie on Q next week. Glad he wasn’t scared off by the weather this morning or anything like that.
MOLEburritoSKINE
First off — welcome to our FNG, Chris, an environmental consultant. Despite a last name that would suggest Irish ancestry, he’s actually more Norwegian and German, so, therefore … Leprechaun. We thought about naming him after an endangered specie, but, we couldn’t really think of a good one.
In all seriousness, welcome Leprechaun. We promise, it gets better from here (kinda sorta).
Things started off with a bang as Goonie gave me crap about my apparently poor SSH form. At least I was able to turn and pivot and all of that.
Admittedly, I was a little hesitant about running The Beast on the road. As a wily veteran of Mountain Goat, I’m used to dodging a few cars, but that’s easier when straight-up running, versus knocking out LBCs and hearing “CAR UP!”.
I advised the PAX to bring headlamps for safety. Then, while I was giving instruction, Fireman Ed pointed out that many of the PAX, myself included, were standing in the middle of Strawberry in a blind spot. #SafetyFirst
We did have to be wary of a few cars, but, I like to think we made the most of it and kept everyone safe. Plus, we got a little more distance versus the track (I clocked in at 2.56 miles), not to mention the little hill climb coming back. It’s never too early to start dreading BRR training.
Goonie, as expected, got out in front and led the way. Everyone did a great job and I’m happy we were able to stay together as a group. I’m also glad the rain held off, but everyone was still able to go directly to the wet set.
I know there was definitely more mumblechatter … sound off in the comments.
Thanks to Goonie, Benny and Thunder Road for having me out. It was an honor and privilege to lead.
15 men showed up to check out the new location for the hardest South Charlotte AO…..THE BRAVE.
The Thang,
Get in teams of 2. Be honest with yourself and your partner and get someone with similar speed.
Each team grab a sand bag (ranging from 40-80 lbs) and lets mosey.
Head behind the corporate buildings across from Brazwells and run down the path stopping at each of 4 walls for 5 double merkin box jump burpees (Mermaid introduced me to this horrible exercise earlier in the week…Everyone thanks you).
Gather at the fourth wall and head to Room 101 (The parking garage hooked to the new Wells Fargo building). Head to the basement for instructions.
At each level one partner will do a sandbag exercise and the other will do 10 burpees. The burpee partner is the timer. keep doing sandbag exercises until he is done. Once complete run up to the next floor and exchange the bag. The other partner now does 10 burpees while the new sandbag man does the exercise. Repeato until you are at the top.
The sandbag exercises are as follows: Squat, Thrusters, and bent over rows.
We made it to the top and came down the stairs and did it all over again. From there we did the same exercises but down the ramps. At this point we were out of time and headed back to the launch site.
Old Moley..
I was impressed with the crew of 15 pax. There was no complaining about the sandbags and just a bit of good natured ribbing.
You never know how a workout like this will go. Will people give it there all. Will we be able to stay together…..
This group of PAX gave it there all. Everyone worked to encourage their teammate and the other teams. As I was in the six most of the I didn’t get to hear a lot of the mumble chatter. Here is what I know….
I am pretty Sure Thin Mint and Mario were out front killing it as always.
Fraiser and Haggis got in some second F and did some modification to keep some injuries from flaring up but pushed hard non the less.
Nard Dog and Flipper kept going throughout the hour with one of Flippers large sandbags. They also dogged it just enough to not leave YHC to far behind. Thanks Fellas
Mary Kay and Billy Goat must have been killing it, as I didn’t get to see them much. Great work fellas. Glad to have you at the Brave keep coming out.
I think these final pairs are correct…but correct me if I am wrong (lack of oxygen during the workout has my memory cloudy).
When I was able to catch Teddy and Tuck their form on the burpees and sandbag exercises looked to be top notch all the way through. Teddy mentioned his love for the Double Merkin Burpee box jumps and that he was hoping we would do some more as Mermaid didn’t give him enough earlier in the week.
Wingman and Turkey: both of these men were running fast and burpeeing (is that a word….It is NOW) faster.
Bunker and Wild Turkey: I feel that bunker has a head made for sandbag workouts. They slide effortless over his freshly shorn skull. Every time I saw these men they were head down and pushing it.
Tuck is now taking YHC’s place as one of the three Brave site Q’s. I would like to thank all of the men that have participated and pushed me at the Brave during my time as site Q. I have seen many men, including myself, get better from posting at the brave week after week. I appreciate being given the opportunity to lead by Madam Tassauds and Champagne.
Announcements:
The Brave now meets at Brazwells every week.
High Tide, Costanza and Mall Cop were awaiting the missing Q but decided to launch. Just as we finished the COP, Wolfman joins in the fun. We decided in absence of the Q to rotate among ourselves.
COP
15 Imperial Walker
10 Merkins
10 Mountain Climbers
Stage 1- Run along Olde Providence and then cross the street to church
Pick a rock and then partner up.
Partner 1 runs to church back side exit
Partner 2 -perform Bicep Curls then flapjack upon Partner 1 return
Round 2 – Shoulder Presses
Round 3- Tricep Extensions
Round 4- 10 Squat Thrusters
Stage 2- Run down Olde Providence to Ascent Hill
3 rounds-
10 Merkins at bottom
Run to Top of Hill
10 Squats at Top
Stage 3- Mosey toward the Football field and continue till reaching the Playground
3 rounds
Supine Pullups/Regular Pullups
10 Incline Merkins
10 Step Ups
Stage 4- Mosey to the Wall, get in the People’s chair to perform some ARM raises
Mosey to back to the launch site for some WindSprints
Let’s end it with Pax choice Mary; Slow Freddy Mercury, Flutter, Rosalita, Old School SitUps
Moleskin
It was a light crowd today though fellowship was enjoyed by all. We covered a number of topics and now even have movies to add to our watch lists. Props to High Tide for the pre-run.
It was a beautiful 28 degree morning – ideal for an old fashioned beat down. So off we go at a warm up pace along the road and then for a mini cheese weave just because.
Disclaimers given prior to COP: SSH, Hillbillies, Merkins, LSS
The Thang:
Partner up for combined KB and non-KB exercises
Round 1: P1 20 Merkins while P2 does KB Good Mornings
Flapjack (or flip flop) until each partner has done both twice
Run HB mile
Round 2: 25 Squats / KB Upright Rows – HB mile
Round 3: 30 LBCs / Squat-curl-press – HB mile
Intermission: 15 Supine Pull ups & 20 Dips (3x) then back to the show
Round 4: 20 Carolina Dry Docks / Goblet Squats
Round 5: 20 Lunges / Curls
Round 6: 30 Flutters / Tricep Press
Mary: Dollys, Rosalitas, Back Scratchers
Moleskin: Good turnout and nice work by all. Mumblechatter was strong early but gradually faded toward the end so YHC felt rewarded. Great to see Sticky Note out for his second F3 post. Coming back after the first F3 post shows guts and a bit of crazy – so a great fit! Good to see Jabber back for 2nd week in a row and congrats to Bonhoffer on firsts for pre-run and gear workout. Thanks to HB for taking us out.
Gypsy provided info below on UNCC game and also has an opportunity for anyone up for a quick trip to the Big Easy for what sounded like a wild convergence. See Gypsy for more details.
new-halton-scoreboard-rendering-400px.jpg and commented: COME JOIN US FOR F3 NIGHT FEBRUARY 17TH AT UNC CHARLOTTE’S HALTON ARENA
sponsored by The Mineshaft AO
Great 2nd F opportunity with your F3 brothers! Wives, girlfriends, significant others, 2.0’s, friends, friends of your 2.0’s, neighbors, potential FNG’s and really anyone else you want to invite are invited! Seats are only $6 (regularly $15). There will be an acknowledgement of F3 on the scoreboard, photo ops and potentially other perks for our group. Would love to see a large F3 contingent out for this one!
Click the Link Below for purchase tickets!
https://www.fevo.com/edp/Charlotte-49ers-vs-UTSA–F3-Night-SYTt5vTX
email: f3mineshaft@gmail.com with questions or visit the F3Mineshaft Slack Channel
12 men for today’s version of Rock Zero. It was a beautiful morning and what better way to start a Saturday.
The Thang
After a concise disclaimer, short mosey over to the end of the parking lot near the baseball field rock pile. Circle up for COP. SSH x 20, Merkins x 10, Mountain Climbers x 10, Peter Parker x 10, Parker Peter x 10, Low Slow Squats x 10. All done IC. Head over to the rock pile. Find a multipurpose rock and return to the COP area. Curls x 10, Shoulder Press x 10, Tricep extension x 10, Thrusters x 10 all OYO. Leave the rock there and run down to the large rock near entrance 4. This spot would become the start/end point for a suicide of sorts. The suicide went like this. Run to your rock. Do 10 Thrusters. Return to the start and do 5 Burpees. The second stop was the playground for 10 Pull-ups, but on the way there stop at stop 1 for Thrusters on the way out and way back. 5 Burpees at the start. Stop 3 was the hot box for 10 Jump Ups. Stop at stops 1 and 2 on the way out and back. 5 Burpees at the start. The final stop was the end of the road near 51 for 5 Eight Count Bodybuilders. Stop at stops 1, 2, and 3 on the way out and back. 5 Burpees at the start. Mary while waiting for the six. Make our way back to our rocks. Carry them toward the church and line up facing back from where we came. There are 6 trees on the left. Carry your rock to the first tree. Do 5 Rockies. Leave the rock there, run back toward the church and tag the curb. Run back to your rock. Carry it to the next tree. 5 Rockies. Run to the curb and back. Repeat sequence until you get your rock to the last tree. Return the rocks to the rock pile. Head back toward launch. There were still a few minutes remaining so stop at the parking lot entrance to North Face. 10 Merkins there in the parking lot. 10 Merkins at the bottom of North Face. 10 Merkins at the top of North Face. Run back to the start going back down North Face and up. Repeat one more time. Short stroll back to the cars. Still 30 seconds left so Burpees until time is up.
Naked Moleskin
Nice work today men. Way to keep pushing. Good to see some new faces today in Coal Ash and Mr. Clean. It was Mr. Clean’s second ever post. Hope you keep coming out. The title is courtesy of Flipper. YHC will take it as a compliment. Even though not all the Rock Zero rules were followed. Thanks to Iron Horse for the take out.