Reflections of a Mongol

Reflections of a Mongol

11 PAX chose not to run 10+ miles, exercise in Halloween costumes, or eat fried chicken and soda for breakfast at Blakeney.

THANG

0600 – Let’s Go!

Head over to the Tony’s Pizza parking lot to see count many restaurants were shut down by the pandemic. Warmup exercises, lots of merkins, and move along.  Head towards Lochness Lake and stop to do some ab exercises.  Make our way around Lochness with lots of other exercises.  It’s all a blur. The only thing YHC can remember was this bad idea to grab a rock from the pile, carry it around, do a bunch of exercises with it, and don’t let it touch the ground for a long… long… time. Finally 0700 hit and we all gleefully headed back to the lot.

MOLESKINE

Great work by everyone this morning! Focus of the day was to stick together, and not worry about the Strava mileage.  It was great to workout with some new faces and of course see some of the guys I have been working out with for 6+ years.

During the workout YHC asked you all to think of what your life was like before C19. Some of us may have thought of positives, like being able to watch live sports, and how that isn’t broadly possible now.  Then YHC asked what positives have come out of C19, and everyone voiced something that they gained despite the pandemic.  YHC heard better relationships with wives, opportunity to find meaningful work, more family time, etc. it was great to hear. Sometimes we get caught up in seeing only the negatives of 2020, and there have been many. But it’s the negatives that allow you to understand how special and good the positives of life are.  Now may not be a season to crush it, knock it out of the park, but maybe just persevere, don’t quit, keep moving, grind it out. Kind of like picking up a rock and refusing to put it down which none of us did this morning.  Hoping that each of you keep on adding to the positives of 2020 through the rest of the year.

MY SHORT GIVE 2 GIVE STORY

Was great to be back to the old stomping grounds of Stonehenge AO.  It has been a while.  A lot has happened since the days of being co-site Q with my good friend Wild Turkey.  Back in those days, we would overload Twitter on Fridays with as many inappropriate memes as possible, berade Tuck and the DaVinci site, troll whoever was Q’ing with photoshopped images, and guys literally were forced to create secondary Twitter handles for F3 and for personal/business.  Then we’d throw down an epic weinke, with coupons (giant logs, rock buckets), games involving Nerf Guns, tug-o-war ropes, and give everything we had for 60 minutes on Saturday, after posting Monday through Friday.  We never did let Wild Turkey force us to do leg wrestling though.  It was a great time, and we all got to know each other week after week. For me, it was the season for physical acceleration and FITNESS, and the start of my transformation.

Eventually I founded a nonprofit Speed For Need, and rolled off as site-Q at Stonehenge to focus on being at Saturday races.  I felt this yearning to look outward, to focus on helping people who were in the race for their lives get past the finish line, instead of worrying about my own ranking as I had for 42 Spartan Races and others. Many of you have participated in SPEED FOR NEED races, and are the reason it ever became a thing. A worthy thing.  Heck, I have only pushed in 2 races of the 90 races that was have had and 300+ riders.  I got to know many of you and your families a lot better than just the workout. To see your compassion and heart to push, guide, and lead someone else in the most unselfish of ways. To literally push someone across the line to finish ahead of you.  It was a season of FELLOWSHIP, and I hope we can get back to these races.

Having everything a man could possibly want, being in great shape, having an awesome healthy family, lots of friends, and financial freedom, there was something missing, and for me that thing was FAITH. I found a way to exit my toxic job at the end of 2018, and made the decision to align my new work with God’s purpose for my life. In F3 speak, to find my D2X.  It hasn’t been easy, and it’s been a journey that I did not expect.  But it has also been the best two years of my life, personally, professionally, and in my walk with God to seek truth… even through a global pandemic. I am truly a blessed man. And when I look back at all of the people I have helped in my video business, almost every single one has been a result of a relationship I’ve formed directly or indirectly through F3.  I worship with a community of F3 men at Waypoint Community Church, and just got back from a Men’s Retreat which I was honored to help lead.  It’s a season of FAITH for me, that has been the best season ever.

So when I think about it, there hasn’t been a single part of my current life that hasn’t been impacted by being a part of F3 Nation.  And it’s you, the men that are a part of F3, who have helped shape me and my life for 6+ years.  It’s been Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith with all of you.  Giving monetarily isn’t the only way to contribute. But give what you can, time or treasure. The man you help will be the man who helps you. Think of all the men that you know of who could use the principles of F3, regardless of if they put on the black t-shirt. Many of you knew me at the beginning of my F3 days, and my transformation could not have happened without this organization and you men in it. Help another man write their own transformation story in a backblast one day… that man could’ve been you or me.

Thats why I participated in the Give 2 Give Campaign and hope you will consider doing it too.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

YHC is leading the workout Mission I’m Possible at The Charlotte Rescue Mission this Saturday 11/7/2020 at 9:00AM.  It’s a 45minute workout with the men of the Rebound Program who are going through recovery for substance addiction.  We have had 40+ men there the past few months and it has been an amazing experience. YHC has brought my almost 12yr old 2.1 son Will (F3 – Simba) and he absolutely loves working out with me.  It’s one of the best hours of my week as well. Disclaimer: This isn’t a F3 dads workout (and probably not the best workout to bring 2.0 daughter either) but it’s not a super intense workout either. It’s low mileage, lots of mumblechatter, but work as hard as you want to.  Let me know if you have any questions. mrkevinmyoung@yahoo.com

If you have winter gear, shoes, socks, anything that someone less fortunate could use to survive the winter, bring them to a workout and someone will collect it for The Charlotte Rescue Mission, Roof Above, or another facility that can get them to people who need them. Thanks Lex Luthor for mentioning and being willing to collect.

WHO PUSHES WHO ~ JRR TOLKIEN