Opening Disclaimer: YHC missed a lot of pax and also included many from Fast Twitch. Apologies.
Coming off a strong Q (of 3 pax) at da Vinci a mere three days earlier, YHC was feeling confident about the simple, yet challenging workout he would lay before the pax on a rainy Tuesday morning. Disclaimer given – little did YHC know it would be himself who would test the limits of said disclaimer.
The Thang:
Mosey to track/stadium
– Imperial Walker 20x
– Low Slow Squat 20x
– Slow Merkins 20x
– Peter Parker 20x
– 30 seconds plank
– Indian Run 2 laps
– Plank Line w/ hand slap merkins at each pax until all pax have moved down the line. (no idea what the exercise is called).
– Indian Run 2 laps
– Mary: Dying Cockroach 20x; Flutter 20x; Dolly 20x
Mosey to soccer turf field
– 5 sprints from 18 to 18 (that’s soccer code for 18 yd box to 18 yd box)
– 7 (the number of our Lord) hand release merkins OYO
– 3 sprints from 18 to 18
– 14 LBCs OYO
– 2 sprints (back to back) from 18 to 18. This was the final straw for YHC.
Mosey back to launch while YHC walked slowly w/ a pax whose name YHC cannot recall b/c YHC was so focused on not dying.
COT
Moleskin:
A completely bizarre post for YHC. The torrential downpour on the way to the AO had YHC rethinking his entire game plan. Thanks to Bugeater for driving (yet again) and for breaking a minor traffic law on the way home to get YHC back to the house quickly. Disclaimer on the “line up in plank while pax move down the line performing hand slap merkins” – YHC did not plan this for 18 pax. In retrospect, YHC would have called “Omaha” and performed a different exercise. Luckily, the pax – who collectively were much smarter than YHC – choose to do only one hand slap. Very, very wise move. The sprints snuck up on everyone, I think. Mostly on YHC. Busch and Dollywood were crushing it – per the usual. I did glance up once to see Bug way out in front with them. Impressive. Gummy was also regularly bringing some speed and Mermaid is always a frontrunner. The last back to back sprint was not a great call. Upon finishing, all pax except for one headed back to launch while YHC proceeded to try and hurl – only to dry heave himself into a severe esophageal spasm, the symptoms of which can often mimic a heart attack (which YHC would only learn later after being admitted to the ER at CMC Pineville). If you ever want to know what it feels like to have a moderate heart attack and experience a choking sensation b/c your throat closes shut….all at the same time – then the esophageal spasm is the ailment for you. It’s enough to make you examine your life and what you’re going to do with the time you have left. Thanks to Doc McStuffins for bringing YHC back to launch alongside the mysterious pax who YHC will forever refer to as “Guardian Angel.” Thanks to all the pax who checked on YHC. Luckily, it was a bizarre combo of circumstances that brought on the “episode” and YHC was cleared of any cardiac issues and can return to F3 beatdowns. YHC remains grateful to the brotherhood and prayer that surrounded him. Finally, Revlon – you have the take out next time. #hardofhearing
Announcements: Board changes — Mermaid is stepping down and Alf is stepping in as Nantan for Area 51. T-claps to Mermaid for his leadership.
20 PAX showed up to Dromedary for mid week work out. YHC arrived to quite a few cars in the parking lot, so props to all the PAX that pre ran before this run heavy work out.
WARM UP:
Head over to the bus lot between the middle and high school where I think I gave some what of a proper disclaimer.
20 SSH (you’re welcome Big 10)
10 plank jacks
10 mountain climber
10 cherry pickers
THE THANG
Mosey over to the track behind the middle school where PAX partnered up. PAX ran in opposite directions until you met your partner for 5 hand slap merkins, continue the laps in intervals of 5 until you get to 20 hand slap merkins. Repeat the same thing with air squats. Mary at the top by the picnic tables while waiting on the six.
Next… 20 step ups or box jumps, 40 dips, 60 lbc, 80 flutters running to the road and back in between sets. Hold a wall sit while waiting on the six.
Next.. 20 donkey kicks, 10 mike tysons. Mosey over to the front of the High School by the tennis courts for 7’s
PAX did 7’s between the cross walk and the speed bump doing air squats and burpees for the two exercises. (These two land marks looked a lot closer when YHC was planning this on google maps) Mary with some ab work while waiting on the six.
Next… Mosey back around school till we got to one of those court yards where PAX partnered up. PAX1 did donkey kicks while PAX2 ran to street and an backwards on the return. PAX alternated and then repeated the same doing merkins.
Mosey back to the start where we were left with one minute to spare. I didn’t want Big 10 to feel cheated out of the lack of SSHs during the warm up so we did another 20 until time expired.
MOLE SKIN
-Good work by all the PAX today. YHC tried to pick exercises where the PAX were always in close proximity of one another, I think this works best because it helps PAX encourage one another during the workout. I saw Goodfella go back around on a couple occasions doing extra reps as he went to finish with the six. Posse as always is giving high fives and positive words as I could barley breathe enough to say “thanks” or “you too”. Thanks for the opportunity to lead, all the support was great!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-Soft Pretzel is offering many opportunities for PAX to contribute to the SandBox projects.
-Goodfella is looking for Q’s for Dromedary. Step up and sign up using sign up genius, or he might just end up voluntelling you you have one.
-Thanks Mad Dog for taking us out!
The threat of thunderstorm didn’t stop 8 of us from getting together for a muggy boot camp at Thrive. As the Q, I wasn’t sure about the F3 lightning policy. I assumed it was something like, “Getting struck by lighting builds character/fuses your testicles into brass/etc.” I was actually informed that lightning is the only legitimate reason to cancel a workout. (I was a little disappointed to hear that… I guess even F3 has limits on crazy.) Ultimately, this never came up as the little green blobs on the satellite passed us by without incident.
What’s there to say? We ran, we jumped, we squatted, we pushed/sat up. On a morning where the humidity had to be at least 90%, we each sweated out the equivalent of a 7-11 Big Gulp. It was nice to have Senor Frog out for his first visit to Thrive. Hope he joins again.
Also, today was my final day working out with you guys. My family is relocating to Cary next week, so I’ll be F3-ing up there from now on. I’ve enjoyed the workouts and the fellowship. Mumblechatter at Thrive is indeed second to none (That’s what she said…)
The Thang:
Lap around building
Mosey across street to gov’t building
Repeat 2x
Mosey to wall
Mosey back to picnic shelter
10 LBC’s
10 dips
10 step ups
Mosey to wall
Hold it for 10 count (2 times)
Arm presses x75 (civilian count)
Arm presses x100
On your 6
Announcements
9 PAX met outdoors for the latest edition of F3 Pokey.
There were the Pre-Runners (Fleetwood, Goonie, Bratwurst), the Ruckers (Mad, One-Niner) and the walkers (Paper Jam and Haggis) the rest showed up for the stretching.
Without a disclaimer, we laid out our Broga mats on the sidewalk and headed to the parking lot for dynamic stretching.
We returned to the mats to hold each stretch for 1 minute concentrating on calves, hamstring, quad, groin, adductor.
This time I did not forget the devotional:
The Journey to Obedience
Verse: Genesis 12:1-9
If you’ve ever seen the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds air demonstration team, you’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible capabilities of the F-16 fighter jet.
The F-16 was developed to act as a support weapons system for the U.S. military’s larger and more expensive fighter aircraft, the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle. Blindingly fast and agile, the F-16 Fighting Falcon carries out a wide range of air-to-air and, with its heavy bomb load capacity, air-to-ground missions.
Of course, whether in a show or in combat, an F-16 requires one vital element to be effective: a pilot who is in complete control. Despite its whiz-bang technical capabilities, without a pilot in control an airborne F-16 would either fly uselessly in a straight line or spiral out of control. Either way, a devastating crash is inevitable.
Similarly, if you possess every gift imaginable but don’t allow God to guide you in using those gifts, you could very well become useless. Or worse, you might spiral out of control and crash. As the ultimate “Pilot” of your life God can do amazing and remarkable things.
Imagine what might have happened if Abram (Abraham) had set out on his own way instead of taking the journey God had set before him. Ultimately, Abraham willingly left behind everything and everyone he knew to follow God’s will. Yet as a direct result of his obedience Abraham experienced God’s blessings—and the rewards were greater than he could ever have imagined.
God desires the same for you. When you begin a relationship with him, he calls you to leave behind what’s comfortable and familiar to set out on a journey filled with wonder, blessing and the promise of a new life. On your journey to obedience you’ll leave behind old habits, old attitudes, old sins and old ways of thinking. Yet the blessing that awaits you is greater than you can begin to imagine.
When you allow him to guide you, God offers not only a full and satisfying journey through life but a home for all eternity. Like that F-16 pilot, God is ready and willing to take all of your potential into his skillful hands and use it to fulfill his ultimate mission.
Thanks for taking us out Chopper and always humbled to lead.
I’ll tell you why.
#1. Alf is the nantan. I thought after some backroom wheelin’ and dealin’ that I had stymied his campaign to be nantan. But much like Putin, corruption always finds a way to prevail. You have won this battle, Alf, but know this: #notmynantan
#2. WTF, Dunkin. Just when I had started to recover from the whole Alf, #notmynantan, thing, you go to something like this. I know we are not popular there. We take all of your precious parking spots. We make it harder for your customers to purchase donuts (because they have to walk further). Sometimes we are loud. But we have always been faithful to purchase donuts and coffee. I sort of felt like we were making progress since we now park further away. Even your employees thanked us for giving them their parking spaces back (which they actually never own in the first #entitledmuch). But today was a new low. With about 1/2 mile to go, I felt it. I told myself, “have no fear, Dunkin is just ahead”. Yes, I know it was a good rhyme. Dunkin is basically a fortress of solitude. They have donuts and coffee and a bathroom. It is the perfect place to find solace from a hard day at work or a tough run. But a fortress of solitude should never let you down. I don’t care how much you hate someone, you should never deprive him of toilet paper. Come on, it is a basic human right! You didn’t even leave a few shards on the cardboard roll. Low blow, Dunkin. I don’t know if we will ever recover our relationship. #notmyfortressofsolitude
#3. After feeling bummed and pretty raw, I decided to restart the day with some breakfast on the way to work. Naturally, I stopped at Bo’s for a Cajun Filet Biscuit combo with fries. Why anyone gets the Bo Rounds is beyond me. The best thing about the fries is the seasoning. Let’s be honest, without the seasoning their fries are pretty lame. Well, the Bo’s on Charlottetown apparently serves some fries sans seasoning. Like the whole pack of fries sans seasoning. I give up. I should have went with the Bo Rounds. #notmyfries
So yeah, that’s it. I’m now in a deep state of depression and its all Alf’s, #notmynantan, fault.
8 Pax made it out to Death Valley for some discussions on shoes, movies and bathrooms.
COP
15 IW – CAD
15 MC – CAD
10 Merkins – CAD
Mosey across 51 to Alexis neighborhood
Partner work
Partner 1 runs McPherson to cul-de-sac
Partner 2 runs Wycombe Ct
Meet back and excercise
Round 1 – Had slap Merkins – 20
Round 2 – Partner Derkins – 10 each
Round 3 – Squats – 20 each
Mosey down to Macallum Court
11’s on the hill – Squats at the top and CDD at the bottom
Mary – Boone Crunch – know it learn it love it
Mosey back to launch
Rock work
15 Curls -CAD – Rotate
15 Tricep extensions – Rotate
15 Rock Presses – Rotate
15 Curls -CAD – Rotate
Curls till failure – Plank until the end.
People’s chair at my office – 50 Air Presses
Mary
Fin
Moleskine
Soupy start to a Wednesday out there. I got up early to scope out the track but it was too wet and looked for another area. Remembered a q of mine from several years ago which I believe Puddin mentioned was the last time I was at Death Valley. Dollywood and Header got there early for a business meeting and were clearly upset with me listening in #insidertrading. I thought it was only going to be the 3 of us but the rest of the group got there just in time. Was great seeing Schmedium, Jet Fuel, Mermaid and Utah out there. I haven’t posted in a while because of various Ailments but it was nice. Saw the donut run guys who really need to eat something, those guys look hungry, grab some wings boys, throw some ranch on it. Mermaid and I walked through my entire bathroom renovation so I feel good about that. He is driving to Tennessee for a workout tomorrow (okay it’s only mountain island lake but it might as well be). All around solid group, Jet Fuel and Puddin were carrying on like a bunch of highschool kids. The Rock work was funny. I haven’t done the rotate in while, it’s a good one especially for the guys picking smaller rocks. The failure thing was awful, Bad mistake on my part. Dollywood and Header had to leave early for Business. Sorry guys. Just wanted to hear the intellectuals talk. Lastly, my shoes appear to be not red but pink. Yahtzee.
13 PAX showed up at the Watchtower to see who was on Q. I orginally swapped with the general due to a sick 2.0 and my back decided to give up at about 9:00 PM. Iced the back and took enough Ibuprofen to wake up and run the PAX for 2.6 miles. Life within the PAX is always an adventure. What I can say is that it is amazing to see the amount of fellowship show up whether it is to support someone hurt, Money Ball stepping forward with an adoption or Red Rider opening up about how it changed his life forever. Check out the link below if you ever questioned how adoption can change a life:
Down to Business:
COP
The Thang
COT
I was glad to survive the workout without crippling myself after having back issues the night before. I appreciate the willingness of MoneyBall to show up in case we had to substi-Q again.
Announcements
4 PAX came for more of Pokey.
This week we focused on holding each pose for 1 minute.
Dynamic stretching followed by poses that concentrated on calves, hamstring, quads, and IT band.
No music or devotional. Clearly a Q fail.
Thanks Bevo for taking us out.
The current Area 51 Board has been sitting for a little over 2 years. Time for some changes.
YHC is peeling off as Nantan.
Alf is your Area 51 Nantan.
No need for YHC to explain this one. Alf has been leading in Area 51 for five years. T-claps to him for stepping up after being 1F Q through the last board cycle.
1F Q is in progress of being filled.
2F Q is Pop Tart. T-claps to Champagne for leadership for the last 2 years.
3F Q is Snowflake. He stepped into the role in January when Hops peeled off. Hops served in this role for the first and most of the second board cycle. T-claps to Hops.
Horsehead served as weaselshaker for the last board cycle. He has stepped away. T-claps for his leadership with the board.
Madison has joined the board and will likely fill this role.
Hairball, Purple Haze, and Gummy were at-large positions. They are stepping away in the “official” capacity. Purple Haze will continue with Area 51 re-tweet for the time being and Gummy will keep the numbers. Area 51 Twitter has tweeted 28.6K times. Gummy has kept numbers for all Area 51 workouts. Thanks men.
It’s been an honor to serve on the Area 51 Board. Big thanks to those named above. Also, big thanks to the site Q’s, who are the nuts and bolts of Area 51, and the PAX, who are our participant leaders for workouts. This F3 thing doesn’t work unless we all step up and lead. If you are reading this, and want to do more, talk to the above named board members or site Q’s. You certainly don’t need permission, but we want to make sure we are doing things within the core principles of F3 and in alignment with Area 51 culture and values. All of the initiatives we see going on in Area 51 and other regions started as one man’s idea.
See you in the gloom
17 PAX (including 1 FNG) some with running shoes others with boot camp shoes, most showed up extra early to welcome YHC back to The Matrix. After a disclaimer that would make Mermaid proud, we were off to the back parking lot for:
COP:
SSH X15, IW X 15, Merkin 5 OYO, LSS X 15, Merkin 5 OYO.
THE THANG:
From the back parking lot, run to the rock pile for 15 curls, 15 shoulder press. Then run to the front playground, climb over the rock wall for 10 reverse chin ups. Upon completing, run to the track and take a lap. At each ¼ point perform 5 burpees. When finished, run to the back playground for 10 derkins and 10 incline merkins. Run to the boats (where the tree stumps were once located) 15 dips, 20 total step ups. Return to starting point at back parking lot for mary waiting on the six.
Rinse and repeat in reverse.
Then four corners of merkins in the back parking lot using the traffic islands as the corners. Regular, wide arm, hand release and diamond. Each x 15.
Rinse and repeat in reverse.
Mosey over to the field. Line up facing McKee Rd for field of plank. Lunge walk until YHC calls a plank and perform plank. Regular plank, 6-inches, elbow plank, right arm high, left arm high, finish with 7 Makhtar N’Diaye.
MOLESKIN:
This was sort of a homecoming for me. The Matrix was scheduled to be my first workout in F3. However, it rained that morning so my first post was at Bagpipe the next day, But I became a regular at The Matrix for the next 2 years and developed good friendships with the PAX who were also regulars. Then I got into this running thing and somehow ended up the site Q of Blakovery. Pop Tart pinged me the night before wondering if I was going to show. Good thing he didn’t wait until the last minute.
In planning the weinkie, I knew I wanted to take a tour of the AO. Some things changed: no more cinder blocks or tree stumps, others remained the same: seeing Squid, Joker and Huggie Bear on Monday morning and then a surprise: having to yell “car back” during the COP because a lone vehicle was parked suspiciously in the back parking lot and decided to leave once we arrived.
As usual, Squid, Joker and Laronda were out in front and there was a lot of whining from Pop Tart.
Great work by Dirty Bird, Wham-O and FNG Red Riding Hood.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Speed For Need has expanded to bikes: Here is the link: https://youtu.be/CW211bXQNBM
Thanks for taking us out Squid and it is always humbling to lead such a great group of men.