Memorial Day is always special. It’s humbling to pay homage to those that have died defending the freedoms we enjoy in the amazing country of ours. On the F3 front, Popeye runs one of the best Qs of the year, there is beer and BBQ, family time, and pools officially open. Last year, someone got the crazy idea to introduce the Murph to F3 Waxhaw. It was brutal, but memorable. With all the craziness this year around ‘shutting down’ (even though we never really did), social distancing, and limited group sizes, it looked like the Murph as 1 and done. However, it was revived in the last minute with some slight modifications to address the current concerns.
For those not familiar, the Murph is a Crossfit workout that includes – a 1 mile opening run, followed by 100 pullups, 200 merkins, 300 squats, just to conclude with another 1 mile run. All of this is supposed to be done as fast as possible, wearing a weighted vest!
This year, pullups were out of the question due to concerns around sharing gear, so YHC and Brutus teamed up to come up with a way to keep the level of effort required high, while respecting the new rules. Hence, the Modified Murph was born, consisting of:
All the participating PAX did an amazing job. One freak (Zin) actually accomplished the full event wearing his weight vest. I’m not sure if anyone actually verified it contained weights, but it looked impressive. Well done sir!
Congrats to all who completed the journey. And thank you most of all to the families of our fallen Vets!
Another week and another virtual race.
This week the race is a virtual marathon with 4 team 5 mile legs and 1 team 6.2 mile run.
One thing was for sure, we were going to have to take a field trip if we were going to find a course that wasn’t all hills.
The greenway was an option but with all the recent rain it was under water and muddy.
Providence CC has a nice 1 mile downhill start and a pretty flattish 1.7 mile loop. That was our only option decided on and it was a go.
The five mile crew would do two loops and a little extra to get 5 and the 6.2 leg would do two loops and then a a longer out and back.
Easy Button is still on the IR and we hope to see you back out soon. Dasher no called no showed, Deadwood was picking up a new dog in Hillsboro, and Glidah went to White Lake searching for a flatter course.
That left YHC, Bottlecap, Hollywood, and Wolverine as the possible runners.
A car flew by me on the way up to Waverly this morning that looked to be Hollywood. However he wasn’t at Waverly when I arrived so he either ghosted us or it wasn’t him.
So then there were three.
Here’s how it went down:
The first mile was great going downhill and fast splits were handed out like party favors to everyone. The rest of the miles went by pretty quickly as there are 6 left turns on the main loop and 12 left turns total keeps things super interesting less miserable.
– Bottlecap ran his 5 miles at a 6:48 pace, great job.
– Wolverine ran his 5 miles at a 6:42 pace, excellent.
– YHC ran his 6.2 mile leg at a 6:40 pace.
Great job everyone. This was my first 10k for time in years and I personally needed the push to get out there, thank you. Next week it gets real as EVERYONE is running 6.2 miles. It’s also our LAST virtual race weekend so let’s see a good showing.
Thank you gentlemen for letting me take you on a little adventure around Nesbit and Kensington. The guys who show up at
Commitment are very supportive, which I appreciate very much.
Warm-up
The Thang
The Moleskin
I don’t take anything for granted when I Q. I realize that everyone has different abilities and you can see what are someone strengths and
weaknesses from a physical or mentally challenge for a particular day.
My hat goes off to Chainsaw today, after quietly turning 61 the other day, as he had some injuries, pushed through and never complained.
Turnbuckle showed up already having walked about 2.87 miles and cut it off to make sure he made commitment. That is real commitment.
Frack started the warm up mosey at a good pace, then finding out the next mosey we would be circling back for the 6, suggesting maybe he would slow down, but he didn’t.
Deep Dish continues to fight through some injuries , but continues to show up, super good job.
Doughboy coming straight back from bourbon country did well, as the alcohol came out of his pores as he sweat and he became stronger.
Breadbowl was called Redbull by me about 6 times, apologize for my NJ accent, but he hung in there and continue to fight through when pushed after our 2 minute 30 second plank.
Rubbermaid must have run the whole site prior to everyone showing up to check it out and when it was time to start, barely looked like he worked up a sweat.
Popeye looked like he had tears in his eyes when I told him the set of 30’s for the rocks were named after him, from the last time I did it.
Fusebox had to leave on time today, but he was running faster today, like he wanted the clock to go faster. He was leading the 5 minute push with ease.
Thanks for keeping me honest gentlemen.
Announcements
Continue to send money in to support the Pax challenge of $100 towards charities in Waxhaw, even if you can send less.
Since the last edition of in person Da Vinci(March 14), 9 Saturdays have come an gone without the men of F3 SOBland from sweating and accelerating in the gloom of Blakeney followed by a delicious chicken breakfast. That all changed this morning as NC moved into phase 2, 16 men met in the Petsmart/Best Buy parking lot for a Memorial Day Weekend beat down.
The Thang:
Give updated COVID 19 disclaimer. And we’re off. Mosey through the trail behind the stores for a quick dynamic warmup of
high knees, butt kickers, lunges, toy soldiers, karaoke. YHC had to tie my shoes after that so I had the pax do 20 merkins.
YHC was prepared to copy one of Tuck’s Qs from about a year ago and trail run to Polo Ridge Elementary. Unfortunately, the 2nd leg of the trail was closed and we were not going to be able to use it.
Mosey to the grassy square for some partner work.
1 partner bear crawls the other burpees, flapjack
1 partner crab walks, the other jump squats
1 partner broad jumps the other carolina dry docks
Mosey to the roundabout for modified BLIMPS
5 burpees, mosey back 25 plank jacks, 30 squats
10 Lunges, mosey back 25 plank jacks, 30 squats
15 IWs, mosey back 25 plank jacks, 30 squats
20 merkins, mosey back 25 plank jacks, 30 squats
Mosey across Rea Road to Blakeney, stop outside the CVS for bear crawl merkin ladder, up to 20 merkins
Mosey to HT parking lot for 6 min of Mary led by the pax
Last round of partner work by the fountains
1 partner does dips, the other runs to Banana Republic
1 partner does incline merkins, the other runs to Banana Republic
1 partner does decline merkins, the other runs to Banana Republic
20 step ups, 20 split squats,
Mosey back to launch and plank until time is called
COT
Moleskine:
My Q-Fail this morning can teach 2 lessons to less experienced Qs,
It was good to see everyone in person again. Zoom is great but it doesn’t capture the essence of 2nd F gloom like trash talk and Frehley’s farts.
I also noticed a lot of silent refusniking going on especially during the the bear crawl/crab walks(YHC was guilty of this) and during the bear crawl merkin ladder. Once again, Zoom is great but it did create some bad habits.
We didn’t run a ton(2.5 miles??) but it was still a lot compared to the virtual workouts. I was smoked.
Announcements:
It’s up to Site Qs to decide when and how they reopen their sites. Stay tuned to slack for updates from your favorite workouts.
12 Faithful (6 Respects!) posted in the heavy gloom of RockZero to honor those who served, and take the Red Pill.
It went something like this:
Run to lot nearest 51: IC SSH x 20, Squats x 15, Merkins x 10, 5 Burpees OYO.
Mosey to Rock Pile: 20 each OYO. Curls, Triceps, Overhead. Rinse & Repeat.
Mosey to turf, count by 3’s.
1-Bear Crawl up and around turf.
2- Hold Plank in courtyard.
3-People’s Chair.
Bear Crawl was timer; release a man planking when done, he moves to People’s Chair, they move to Bear Crawl. Rotate thru all stations.
Citation of Gallantry and Honor read.
Run to Avenue of Trees: Ascending Merkins at each tree to end, Descending Squats back to start. 11 Trees.
Run to top of hill at soccer fields for Mary: RockHoppers, V-Ups, LBCs.
Mosey to middle lot for Suicides.
Run to Baseball field. Count by 4’s.
1st base- Jump Squats
2nd- Speed Skaters
3rd-Mary Catherines
Home- Back Lunges
20 reps each station, rotate thru all 4.
Run back towards Calvary for another citation.
Indian Run to cemetery flag pole, Citation, and 10 minutes of 100 Burpees suffered in silence.
My thanks to Geraldo and Hoover for the opportunity to lead this Memorial Day in the COVID gloom. And T-Claps for the citation readings.
Great to have Waxhaw pax Transporter and Shop Dog join us. Been missing my bible study brothers.
Extra credit to Hoover, Pro, and OT (i think he was the one) for running at 0630.
11 suckers showed up this morning with hopes of seeing a glorious beard and a creative weinke. The marketing this week had PAX believing Legalized was on Q. It was all a lie. A bald-faced lie. A slap in the face to trusting and unwitting PAX. Well, really Legalized has some kind of back injury, probably due to him joining Crossfit. All those kipping pull-ups or something. Who knows. Whatever. You’re stuck with me.
DiCCS provided, but no mention of the 10-10-Fart rule. Probably should have brought that up cause we have some PAX with some nasty digestive issues or something. You know who you are and you should probably get that looked at.
Warmup
Mosey around the northern part of the school to the back bus lot.
Mosey to the next lot for
The Thang
Mosey to the car loop and partner up (no touchy) – P1 does the called exercise, P2 runs a hot lap
That took a bit longer than expected. Mosey to the front entrance and the bottom of the hill
Find some sidewalk
Mosey to the lot north of the COT
Notice it was supposed to be 3 rounds but Damascus decided he didn’t want to do a third round. I warned him the alternative was worse but he didn’t care. Audible! Everyone grab some wall
Mosey back to COT for an on-time finish
Moleskin
The weinke always looks better when I’m sitting on the couch writing it. In practice it sucked. The PAX did a great job pushing through, though. Minimal grumbling, except for Damascus, who is regretting EHing me a couple years ago. Sucker. You’re stuck with me now. It was great seeing Dancing Bear bringing the cubs out with him. I had never met Carebear and Gummy Bear but they soldiered on and got their money’s worth. Southern Tip is fast. Jerk. Pushed me hard on the parking lot suicides. Zin works hard every time and is great at shouting out encouragement throughout the workout. Recalc is our usual form police. Early on during the Dry Docks and Merkins he said something about somebody’s Merkin form but I didn’t catch all of it. Might’ve been mine, so I made sure to tighten up. Keep calling out the PAX. We need it. Brutus is back doing the bootcamps after an injured period. He said he took it easy but I didn’t notice. He kept moving the whole time. I didn’t witness too much of Posse and Centerfold mashing, but judging by the soaked shirts they worked hard too. Mashers are always welcome.
Announcements
100 Pax Challenge – We’re up over $4000 but still looking for more PAX to contribute. Doesn’t have to be $100. Give what you can. We’re narrowing down the charities and money will be distributed soon. Be sure to reach out to PAX and make sure they know what we’re doing and why it’s important. That includes PAX who’ve been in the past but have been absent recently.
Memorial Day Convergence – Look at GroupMe this weekend to get the final details but it looks like we’ll be doing some sort of convergence at Cuthbertson @ 7AM for a modified Murph Challenge.
Q Source – Mondays @ Brooklyn Pizza following Asylum or Fridays @ Cuthbertson Middle following Flash/Impromptu – You don’t have to start at the beginning. Hop in at any point to learn leadership, accountability, and living 3rd.
Q School/Site Q School – If you hadn’t heard, YHC has assumed the mantle from Posse on running the Q Schools. Exact dates not yet set but narrowing in on mid-July. If you’ve never done Q School then plan on being there. Whether you’ve led 10 Qs or no Qs, this is a great opportunity to get some pointers and up your game. If you’ve been doing F3 for a while then YOU ARE READY to take the next step. That could mean Site Q School. We need High Impact Men (HIMs) to step up and take on a bigger leadership role. AOs don’t organize themselves. You can help. Attend Site Q school to learn what’s involved and then YOU get involved. More info coming soon.
YHC took us out #cradletograve
The Thang
Diccs, let’s mosey …
Weinke: Run. Week 2 Speed Workout, 40 min at half marathon pace.
Moleskin
Since Nesbit was flooded, we called an audible on our route. Which sucked because it’s hard to find anywhere flat in Millbridge. Pax did not complain, adjusted on the fly and got straight to work after our opening mile mosey warmup.
Gerber led the way with Tooltime close behind. The rest of us chasing them down for a mentally and physically 40 minute grind. No chit chat here, this was work and very proud of all these guys. I caught a few glimpses of Glidah and Dasher, both fully committed and running hard. Deadwood too after he showed up late to the party😝. Never count out Rubbermaid, he was there steady at it, encouraging us and putting in the miles. Nails too, this guy is disappearing with weight loss and I see him getting faster every workout. It seems He is posting more than ever lately. Posse was there on his bike, kept lapping us, you should see his bike with neon lights on the spokes!!! Also saw Centerfold (mashing) a few times with some very heavy dumbells. When we were done, Dasher yells, “I’m counting it!”, referring to a virtual race he was scheduled to run with us this weekend. Smart move Dasher, let’s see if the Pax let you get away with it🤣🤣🤣
Announcements
100 for 100 reminder
Then I left … ask Gerber for rest of story
8 Coke-loving PAX were lucky enough to be every other PAX counted selected into the good RED group at Impromptu. Since Deadwood took the BLUE group counter clockwise, we went clockwise.
POP THE TOP:
THE REAL THING:
LAST SIP:
CRUSH THE CAN:
YHC took us out . . . Happy Memorial Day Weekend . . . Lots to be thankful for . . . Look around and give back/thanks
Happy Friday everyone, the rain is gone, and temp is exactly right to loosen up quickly. Low 60’s with some humidity makes for a great workout.
DiCCS were given (Disclaimer, Cell phone, CPR, Safety)
Warm Up:
The Thang:
TABATA
Group 1 – Use a small brick or nothing (3 rounds)
Group 2 – Use a Coupon, small brick, or Dumbbells (3 rounds)
Group 3 – Use a Coupon, small brick, or Dumbbells (3 rounds)
MOLESKIN:
Today was a great workout and even a better time. The morning started off slow with low turnout, but quickly gained some steam. Chastain shows up in a minivan I have never seen and rolls out of it like he has been drinking all night. Was he on a bender and stole some poor ladies van? Centerfold shows up on two wheels like he is late for Chiseled again. I think he stole that car too. Posse is late for my DiCCS presentation and then O-69 rolls in with Wax. Now it is a party.
If you’ve never been to Diesel, you’re missing out. You can get some great work in and enjoy a ton of fun mumble chatter. Proximity is a breeding ground for Scooby Do behavior. Last week I learned about a FUPA. Wow. This week Chastain mentioned about 10 times that something needed to go in the Back Blast. We all laughed hard when the topic of Mayhem “pitching a tent” came up. I have a feeling that we are about to lose Easy Button to the running academy but hope he will share what he has experienced with this different group of clowns.
There are quite a few people on the Mash Team right now, so just let us know in the Playhouse or News Channel if you want to partake on a day other than Friday. You can always pre-run or post-run if you need that.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Gentlemen, we are leaders, by definition that means we are going somewhere and were doing something, leadership is an action. PAX it is time to get to a site and get there at our scheduled times. If you have a legit reason to stay home then stay home, your a man, make that call. But if your reasoning is guided by fear or laziness its time to man up and get out of that mindset. I’m not talking about caution or wisdom, rather fear. We are called as brothers of F3 to confront fear, to face it and to over come it. These past couple months I have wrestled with it myself so I am not speaking from a position of authority but rather a position of humility and drive to overcome fear.
That said, I know my life is better equipped to handle fear when I get up early see a bunch of men I care about, run around like an idiot and finish with COT. I head home, wake my family up and push them to not get lazy during this time as well. Make no mistake about it, laziness has a cost, I know, I struggled with it for years. So as a brother, as a friend, I am challenging all pax to help lead this nation and drive action. Don’t wait anymore, don’t sleep in anymore, muster up and set that alarm for 5 am again and get out there and get your mind right. Keep what ever distance you are comfortable with as you have complete control over that but don’t, DON’T quit, DON’T hit that snooze and don’t be guided by fear.
You’ll be better for it! See you in the gloom!
Work out: We ran around and pushed ourselves and each other.
Moleskin: Ice is hurt but leaves no excuses out there and works through the pain. Swimmers pushed himself as he usually does.