Monthly Archive April 2019

Stretching under the Antler Lights

On another great Wednesday morning six PAX came down to the scout hut and stretched it out. Here’s how it went:

Devotion

Corpse Pose StartQ

Move From Corpse into Child’s Pose

TableTop for Cat Cow (5 Breaths)

Left Side Right Side

Plank

Left Arm High

Right Arm High

Six Inches- 10 Seconds

One Sun Salutation together

Then- Do Sun Salutation non stop for two minutes (Goal is to get warmed up-speed up even if that is needed)

Lizard- 45 Seconds Right

Hamstrings(Straighten out Leg) 45 Seconds

Lizard Quad- 45 Seconds

Right Side

Back to Mountain

Sun Salutation- Meet in Downward Dog

Right leg to the sky and Hold Three legged dog

Lizard flow- Left leg then right leg

One Sun Salutation- OYO

Repeat flow on other side

Sun Salutation Meet in downward Dog

Pigeon- Left Side then Right  side 1 minute at least on each side

 Depending on time- Tree for balance

 Then on your Six

 ButterFly

Reach for Toes- right leg then left leg then both

Pretzel stretch

Happy Baby

Corpse Pose

DONE

MoleSkine

Was a good group of the veterans today- which was great since I hadn’t been to Gumby about two months- they made the transition back easy.

Mumble chatter was light- Lois had some words about me traveling to Australia, but nothing crazy.

We did have all the lights on but decided to switch up the mood- hence stretching under the antler lights.

Enjoyed the opportunity to lead- appreciate you guys!

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

No Phonecalls in BOM Please

Summary:

  • 28 Metro51ers unboxed their winter clothes one last time, maybe, for a chilly edition of DMZ. YHC tried to bring the hot sauce, to keep us warmed up, and we covered 3 miles forward, sideways, and backwards.

The Thang:

  • 0530… well, 0516 and wheels up, workout time! Mosey through CaC lot w/ some hip loosening side shuffles to the end of the lot. SSH, I/W, and set #1 of up/down cadence Merkins (5 reg / 5 wide / 5 diamond / 5 offset Right / 5 offset Left / 5 Right leg high / 5 Left leg high). 35 total.
  • Run W on Colony to Giverny cul-de-sac. Low slow-squat waiting for the 6. Backwards run .27miles to the end of the cul-de-sac… mostly uphill. Set #2 of up/down cadence Merkins (4 reg / 4 wide / 3 diamond / 4 offset Right / 4 offset Left / 4 Right leg high / 4 Left leg high). 28 total.
  • Run back up Colony hill to Castellaine Dr cul-de-sac. AYG sprint from bottom to top, 5 reverse burpees, mosey to bottom. Set #3 of up/down cadence Merkins (3 reg / 3 wide / 3 diamond / 3 offset Right / 3 offset Left / 3 Right leg high / 3 Left leg high). 21 total…. 3X AYG total. Finish merkin sets #4 (14) and #5 (7).
  • Heat to CaC stopping for walking lunges through the walkway between the veterans and millenials sanctuaries. Core work in the lot: #1 min WW2 situps, 1 min 6inch LBC’s, 1min alternating ankle reaches (all facing uphill). Flip it around, #1 min WW2 situps, 1 min 6inch LBC’s
  • Mosey to the bottom of the lot, bad April Fools joke about calling frontal-partner carries. Instead, AYG to the launch. Finito!

Nekkid Moleskine:

YHC hasn’t done a bootcamp in 31 days… if you even consider Black Widow a workout #shotsfired . Check Strava, like Shakira’s hips… it don’t lie. You have to go back to Jan 28th to the last time YHC led a workout, and that was in Peru… where none of the PAX were over 5feet tall. Does that even count? ” Uno, dos, tres!” Nevermind…. Been mostly 2nd and 3rd F, with a lot of 4th F lately (fartsack) for me, so it was nice to be forced out of bed and called upon to lead a real workout. Was trying not to puke as the Q, or fake-dry heave like Ice9, so pretty focused for me this morning. Lots of big guys, fast guys, and guys YHC hasn’t seen in a while which was a treat. It was nice to see I.N.T. crushing the workout instead of waiting for his pops to leave the house, and play Fortnite when noone was watching. Gisele and YHC left our cheer pom-poms at home after driving all the way to Hickory yesterday to watch 2.0 gymnastics competition. Thankfully we got to sit together, give high-fives after their floor routines, and even shared a bag of Rap Snacks Chips… they taste sooo good. The Reverend Agony was not there. smh. That’s a wrap… unemploy-retirement is hard work and YHC can’t figure out if its nap-time or worktime. Thanks Aquafresh for the invite and everyone for coming and giving your all.

Announcements / SPEED FOR NEED Request:

  • Chelms said some announcement about mentoring, but YHC wasn’t paying attention couldn’t hear. Best part is there is a link to it >>> http://f3metro.com/2019/03/29/curly-for-president-lets-start-w-leading-revolution/
  • As YHC mentioned in COT, SPEED FOR NEED needs your yelp in 2019. Will you commit to coming help push a Track Commander or be run support in just 1 race this season? We’ll be at almost 40 races in the Carolinas and need your help. It’s rewarding and easy service. Just sign up for a race, and help push a rider to the finish line. Do it yourself, do it with the whole family, even sign up for a walking race and ruck it. Next great Metro/A51 opportunity is the 4/27 Sarcoma Stomp 5K. Thanks in advance fellas.

Coupon Code: F3SFN Team: SPEED FOR NEED

Registration Site: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Charlotte/TheSarcomaStomp?remMeAttempt=

SPEED FOR NEED Race Calendar: https://speedforneed.org/calendar/

#WHOPUSHESWHO

JRR Tolkien ~ Fightin’ Mongol ~ El Chino Guapo

‘Round the Horn

My 2nd led Q ever, so I resume the authority of Admiral Ackbar, but finished planning the Q during the Duke vs Mich St game. The workout reflected my frustration with this loss (ugh, but that’s how it goes with too many close games), but this was a great way to kill stress! 5 gentlemen joined for the Q as we began.

Warmup:
Lap from Brooklyn Pizza to behind Target which included grass running (and it was rather dark, some suspected I was out to take their lunch money. Maybe a Sith would, but I’m Admiral Ackbar! I’m one of the good guys), and to warm up in the Target parking lot.
30 Side Straddle Hops
15 Imperial Walkers (it’s the only Star Wars theme today)
10 Merkins
10 Mountain Climbers
Calf Stretches

The Thang:
‘Round the Horn is pretty simple. Starting at Hickory Tavern, you run to the roundabout, turn left to run in front of Target, turn left again at the corner to run in front of PetSmart, turn left again at the corner to return to Hickory Tavern where the dubbed “Evil Easel” awaited (I love my kid’s easel). There you would do the asked exercise, and ‘Round the Horn again. Return, do the first exercise again and add the 2nd, ‘Round the Horn, and then do 1, 2, and 3, rinse and repeat while jamming to my kids’ favorite music. Here is the list.
10 Burpees
15 Merkins
20 Step Ups
40 LBCs
50 Squats
25 Mike Tysons
A couple of gentlemen finished the entire set (Smokey and Swimmers I think), while more modified at the end (myself among them).

The Moleskine
– I like the name Evil Easel. I may give it a break next time, but it has a nice ring to it.
– Props to Smokey & Swimmers leading the way ‘Round the Horn.
– Chastain get some great modifications toward the end which helped the rest of us who were running out of gas and time.
– Great work Loafer, you brought it today!
– Shop Dawg, you da man. Excellent work today!
– I have no clue how long ‘Round the Horn is each lap, just that it’s uncomfortably uphill on that corner of the Target parking lot.
– My kids enjoy Queen, Bob Seger, Michael Jackson, and of course Toto’s Africa! Good workout music!
– Props to Shop Dawg for leading Q School afterward, thank you sir.

Announcements:
Bible Study Tonight at Brooklyn Pizza, 7:30pm.
May the Force be with you!

Dude, Where’s My Car?

Man oh man, what freaking morning for my 16th Q. Planned out the weinke the night before like usual. Good solid idea on my iPhone knowing we would have packed house, I mean it’s Monday…..

Wife taps me on the shoulder at 5:18am and says, “aren’t you leading the workout this morning?” HOLY SHEET! Grab my pile of clothes, hop in the minivan and pulling out of the driveway at 5:20am. GPS says arrival at 5:34 and so I channeled my inner soccer mom with the driving skills of Dominic Toretto. All those years of watching the Fast and the Furious franchise would pay off in spades…

I arrived at 5:27 and what is happening? 4 people there? Lot seemed pretty full but everyone it seems was after Rubbermaid’s beatdown at Ignition. I mean I know it was cold but come on…

More brothers pulled up. DCCS reviewed. We gone!

THE THANG

Mosey to back of middle school and circle up:

1. 20 x SSHs IC

2. 20 x Squats CC

3. 20 x Imperial Walkers IC

4. 20 x Inclined Merkins CC

5. 20 x Carolina Drydocks CC

6. 20 x Jump Lunges CC

7. 20 x Derkins IC

Mosey to Basketball Courts, split into groups, plank bear crawl merkin ladder. 2 Merkins each until each person goes one time.

Mosey to the Shed:

• 25 x Bobby Hurley’s CC

• 25 x monkey humpers CC

• 25 x Squats CC

• Wall Sits:

  • • 30 x Jabs IC
  • • 30 x Air Presses IC
  • • 20 x Heel Raises CC
  • • 20 x Toe Raises CC
  • Mosey to Circle:

    1. 30 second side plank

    2. 30 second side plank

    3. 30 second elbow plank

    4. 30 x LBCs IC

    5. Lap Down to Circle & Back

    6. 30 second side plank

    7. 30 second side plank

    8. 30 seconds of Makhtar N’Diaye

    9. 20 x Pistol Right Leg LBCs IC

    10. 20 x Pistol Left Leg LBCs IC

    Mosey to the wooden benches. Team up and split:

    • 150 x dips

    • 100 x inclined merkins

    • 150 x In & Outs

    Mosey to portico and complete 20 x inclined shoulder taps or 40 x planked shoulder taps OYO. Head downstairs. Calf raises at each step and another 20 x inclined shoulder taps. Audible called due to time

    Mosey past lunch tables to a nook. Was planning to do Jack Webb’s aka Icey Mikes. 1 x Mike Tyson and 4 x Speed skaters, to 10 & 40, but ran out of time. Moseyed back to cars….wait what’s going on?

    60 seconds left and got a few more LBCs in while some questioned just what happened to all the cars. The end!

    MOLESKIN

    I’ve been planning this event in my head for probably about 6 months. We all just so kindly leave our keys on the seat, on a tire, etc. Rockwell reached out to me about Qing in the coming weeks and luckily April Fool’s Day was open and it was the perfect move to get the PAX away from the main lot.

    I enlisted two trustworthy men with the high honor of missing a workout with the hope of passing on a good laugh to everyone. What we didn’t know is how long would it take to move all the cars and could they even find all the keys?

    23 men posted this morning across Ignition and Flash, which is the lowest numbers I feel like in awhile. I know it’s cold but let’s lose that winter weight together brothers!

    Back to WUC new valet service, it takes two men approx 19 minutes and they covered 2.3mi to move 19 of the 23 cars in the lot this morning. To those other 4 guys, where do you hid your keys? I don’t hear any “jingling” during the workout so I think we now all assume you guys are masters of the art of keistering. Google it or don’t.

    I hope everyone got a good laugh about it this AM! All in good fun and to those that were upset/pissed/not entertained, I’m proud to share that Bottlecap has been antagonizing me for the last few hours. I wanted to believe he was paying it back to me but screenshots of a text thread and it seemed pretty real. The Cuthbertson Middle Principal had shared that the superintendent was in town and was none to pleased with all the cars in front of the school. Would I be the newest dumbass Damascus that would ruin a site for generations to come?

    Luckily we may never know if it’s real or not, just so Bottlecap can hold this over my head. What we do know now is that the superintendent is an F3er and his name is Patches. Last name is O’Houlihan so a reference to the movie Dodgeball is amazing!

    Major shoutout to my two brothers Dancing Bear and Deadwood for helping out with this practical joke. I brought up the idea over beers on Friday and they were immediately on board. We had some reservations about who might not giggle about it but since we are an equal opportunity organization everyone would be dealt the same deck. Except those that are “Trojan horsing” their keys. I have so many questions.

    Beer on me if still none too pleased. Happy Monday and Happy April Fool’s Day boys!

    Thanks to MB for taking us out

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Posse has F3 stickers in his car, hope he finds it!
    • Site Qs please see Mad Dog, he has reflective fanny packs waistbands as we continue to be safer in 2019!
    • Doughboy has Watchtower tomorrow!