Summer Gloom Beatdown & 1 Year anniversary for Hairband!

Summer Gloom Beatdown & 1 Year anniversary for Hairband!

The Thang!

Let’s mosey! As we passed the Shovel flag on our way out to the practice fields the mumble chatter began early with things like “Hair Band is running us?!”. No, but it will still suck. Once at the field, line up for a modified Marine Recon Short Card beatdown.

(Thanks Late Show for letting me go about 35-40 minutes before the hand off.)

Late Show grabs the Q…
Group carry the dip rack to field.
Partner up.
P1 rows, P2 runs ?40 yards and back. Flapjack.
Merkins/run and flapjack.
Squats/run and flapjack.

Then p1 walking lunges toward elementary school from dip bars. P2 runs toward high school and back to catch partner. Flapjack.

Repeat the row, merkin, squat routine.

With a rock line up.
10 rock thrusters (squat to overhead press)
Core work about 1 minute.
9 rock thrusters.
Core work.
…
 Work down to 5 rock thruster.
(Stopped b/c of time)

Good stewards so we put the dip bar back.
Mosey (in cadence) back to the flag.

The Moleskine: (hang on, its the winded 1yr anniversary version)
The mumble chatter carried throughout with names like drill sergeant getting thrown out at me through the cadence. One thing I admittedly did not consider was the toll of that much cadence on my O2 dep. I got to the point of calling OYO along with a few 10 counts to catch my breath, until Horse Head started singing, then the cadence kicked back in, nobody wanted to hear that.

So why did I bring out this beatdown? It was about 1 year ago through some prodding by Mall Cop and Cottonmouth when I decided to drag my out of shape rear to the Matrix. Neither of them were able to make it that morning but I didn’t want that to stop me.

The first words I heard out of Dora when we lined up was “This is a little different but we are doing the Marine Recon Short Card Workout!”. I was about 10 minutes in and wondered when was the water break, realizing there would not be one is when the thoughts of ‘these guys are crazy!’ popped into my mind! I could not keep up at all and would stop just short of splashing merlot! Throughout the beatdown I had some guys encourage me through what felt like a “near death” experience and that was the key! As I drove home I had an internal conflict of thinking I was going to die from what I just went through and how awesome it was!

The thing that Dredd and OBT point out in Freed2Lead was so true, the 1st F got me there but it was the 2nd F with a group of guys I didn’t even know that was the glue.

I was not an athlete and to be totally transparent, had no father figure in my life to push me or instill that desire to push for more. Though my new faith in Christ during my college years gave me another “Father” to model many things after in my life, F3 gave me a practical place to be pushed and grow in many ways including leadership. Over the course of this past year, not only have I connected with other guys that push me, but I have also encouraged and pushed others physically, personally and spiritually. While I still feel like I lag behind a lot of guys that’s ok, it’s a brotherhood that helps and does not put down. I just remind myself I am getting stronger every day, so are they, and that is good.

I learned early on that I need to judge my ability by where I started and how far I have come. Here we are today and the fact that I Q’ed the short card workout that I thought would kill me 1 year earlier was a very proud moment for myself. I stuck with it and will continue to do so thanks to the PAX and this movement of F3 Nation! Aye!

Oh, and yes that is me in the pic hence the name “Hair Band”.