SOB Convergence/FNG Day

SOB Convergence/FNG Day

50 pax converged upon Da Vinci. With dozens of pax expected to post, most cars were parked in the Petsmart/Best Buy lot. Which is where we mosey for a quick disclaimer/warm up.

10 SSH

10 IW

Split up pax by their birthdays Jan-June goes with Wild Turkey. July-Dec goes with Mighty Mite. This is probably they way we should split large groups up in the future. It was quick and worked really well at breaking up a large group fairly evenly.

WT Q

Q1Since Mighty Mite didn’t plan much of a run, I figure I could add some mileage to the workout. My plan was to run from launch at Best Buy and head up Blakeney-Heath Rd to Playground for some traditional bootcamp exercises. What really happened was we ended up taking way to long to get up the hill and barely enough time for a bear crawl in the grass. We managed to squeeze in some ‘mericans, mountain climbers, shoulder taps and brief wall workout. Adding to the mayhem was a spill by Bucky who was tripped up by a recently plowed road sign. I didn’t hear too much complaining, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

Q2From the Fountains of Suburban Soft Rock we went under the archway for a series of partner stair climbs. This was a much better experience format. The sets included partner-slap ‘mericans, sit-ups and burpees, 10, 20, 30, respectively. A bear crawl catch me if you can and finally a cumulative 200 squat circuit. The stairs helped air out the pax and keep everyone relatively together.
Do you want any commentary? Jokes? I’m not sure if you are doing a more rah-rah – go F3 or a more “who can believe Fire Hazard has friends” route?Seriously, that was a successful morning! Big crowd, lots of fun and good workout. Thanks for organizing!

MM Q

Mosey to Blakeney Playground for a Partner Murph. Pax one runs to fountain and back while Pax two performs exercises to get to the total(100 Pull Ups, 200 merkins, 300 squats). Both groups finished a little early, so the time was filled with mary and planking for the entirety of the Rocky Theme(more on that later). As 0730 approached, all pax returned to the Chick Fil A and ran out the clock with some burpees.

People always say that you love all of your children equally. But I definitely liked the first group of pax that completed the murph more than the second because they were much more complimentary of my 80s montage playlist. If I wasn’t already punishing the 2nd group with a murph, I would have punished them more. Billygoat and Escobar were particularly vociferous, claiming they would rather run than be motivated to improve by the great lineup of songs….which was

Hearts on Fire: Rocky IV
You’re the Best: Karate Kid
Be a Man: Mulan
Push it to the Limit: Scarface
Eye of the Tiger: Rocky III
Dangerzone: Top Gun
Gonna Fly Now: Rocky

For some reason, I had a hard time hearing War Eagle’s name and he had to repeat it several times. Weird.

After COT, we welcomed 4 new FNGs, which is more than we’ve had in a while(more on that later). Stormy(brought out by Haggis), Brexit, Bad Call(brought out by Fire Hazard), and Escort(Boitano). Great job EH-ing these new guys. Hopefully we’ll see them out in the gloom.

After the main even was completed, the pax entered the Chick Fil A for breakfast. I didn’t do an official count but it seemed like pretty much every pax that posted enjoyed some chicken(which is better than bagels) at CFA after the workout, it was PAXED in there. Additionally, several other pax who were nursing injuries were on hand to catch up with their friends. Because we blitzed the CFA, the line to order food was long, so I spent some time talking to the pax at all the tables, and that was probably my favorite part of the morning. I was part of several different conversations that broached a variety of topics; getting together to watch some March Madness later in the day, coaching kid’s sports, helping eachother with yard work, preparing for an upcoming race, getting excited about a neighborhood garage band concert that afternoon, planning an outing to a baseball game, or just catching up with an old friend. These conversations reinforced that F3 is having an impact with everyone in attendance. This is more than just a “workout cult” as a lot of people jokingly refer to it. The gloom has forged great friendships that have transcended the couple of hours we spend together in the morning. It would be great if we could have an FNG day where we bring out 20+ FNGs(and we should always keep trying for that) but for pax that have been in the gloom for several years, a good deal of their best male friends are already part of F3 Nation.

We must be swift as the coursing river
With all the force of a great typhoon
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

MM