Breathe Deep in the Gathering Gloom
Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one,
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son,
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white.
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?
Nothing like some lyrical magic from the Moody Blues to start things off; one of the Bands that Should be Erased from Rock History according to a random internet survey that I found this morning.
Other notables included:
- Styx
- Kansas
- Journey
- Asia
- Culture Club
- Air Supply
- Europe
- Huey Lewis and the News
- REO Speedwagon
While the above list is sure to foster much heated debate throughout the day, there was none about the intensity of butt whoopin that went down this morning as 11 men of unquestionable intestinal fortitude posted at foggy Chestnut Park for this weeks rendition of . . . The Thrive.
The Thang:
Simple in design, sinister in nature. 3 Rounds, all written out in chalk.
The Gear:
- Kettlebells ranging from 35 to 55lb, plus some #gumball toy kb that somebody snuck out of their center console when I wasn’t looking
- 60 lb sandbags made from Army duffles, filled with play sand and pool noodles
- 45lb plates for hairburners
We had enough gear to go around, so everyone just picked up the nearest object and got to work. Switch gear when done until you finish the list in whatever order you please. Run lap at the end.
Round 1:
- 50 KB swings
- 30 KB snatches
- 30 sandbag squats
- 20 sandbag ground to overhead press
- 2 hairburners – down and back between the curbs
- 1 lap around the property – 1/2 mile
Round 2:
- 30 KB lunges
- 40 KB high pulls
- sandbag run across lot and back
- 25 sandbag shoulder to shoulder press
- 2 hairburners – down and back between the curbs
- 1 lap around the property – 1/2 mile
Round 3:
- 15 KB Louganis
- 20 KB high clean and press
10 sandbag burpees- 20 sandbag bent over rows
- 2 hairburners – down and back between the curbs
- 1 lap around the property – 1/2 mile
Mary:
- 20 LBC IC
- 5 Burpees
- 15 Flutters IC
- 5 Burpees
Done
The Thang:
It seems that if you try to please everyone by incorporating elements that certain individuals love into a workout plan, then you are sure to create something that everyone hates equally. This one delivered big. The gearheads hated the laps, the runners hated the sandbags, and everyone hated the hairburners.
Not sure how far everyone got, but I think we all made it into the third set. I had just finished the third set of exercises (after vigorously crossing out the sandbag burpees on the pavement) but we did the Mary thing instead of running the third lap.
I haven’t sweated this much since I ran out of cash, fuel, and Stuckey’s Pecan Logs on my last Myrtle Beach road trip and had to make tough decisions.
Thanks to Alf for the continued usage of the plates. Please take them away now. The #fred.g.sanford walk should last me for the rest of the week after our Saturday adventure at Outland, two days of mountain biking, and today.
After logging thousands, even millions of running miles over the years, Hairband’s knee has finally thrown up the white flag of a torn meniscus. He and Happy are looking to compete in the next Winter Olympics (or maybe it was the Shiloh Elementary Field Day, #qsmoke) on the three-legged race team. We hope that he can recover soon and that the repairs are not too intensive.
It is said that Glass Joe somehow managed to drive his #hairburnermobile directly into a drainage grate and go #shinyhead first over onto the pavement. Given that the parking lot at Chestnut is approximately 1000 square miles, it is very special that he somehow found this one obstacle and managed to run directly into it. Unfortunately, I did not witness this firsthand.
Not a lot on the mumblechatter front this am, mostly just guys working hard (or hardly working) and enjoying the mysterious smell of the Pawn Shop Army Duffles and my sweet Rhapsody playlist (which did not include any of the above listed bands).
Announcements:
Glass Joe testing the waters on a Thursday UC run group. Will be meeting at 5:15 this Thursday in Lake Park to test out some routes. No Drop – all speeds welcome.
Horsehead
It’s never too warm for camo
Metro and South invaded the DMZ to see if the Brilliant Comrade (aka Great Leader) would show up this time. He did show up, and was appropriately dressed for the weather….unlike Agony who heard it was going to be fifteen degrees rather than fifty…oh well, you can never go wrong with camo.
Mosey to Carmel MS. Circle up for some SSH x25, merkins x15, mountain climbers x25, Parker Peters x20, LBCs x20. Tighten up the circle, and hold the plank while each of the pax sprints around the circle. Various combinations of hands high, legs high and 6 inches, and some very saggy planks (Swiper). Counts were difficult to maintain because of the wall of sound coming from Agony and Swiper, who were entertaining themselves, and eventually the rest of the pax with a long and sordid sounding story. I didn’t catch much of it, but it seemed to revolve around Agony and a Latin American cabana boy called Luis (or was it Juan?).
Audible called on the plank circle, partly due to the numbers of pax and partly because continuing would have meant further installments of Agony’s Latin escapades. Sprint around the school and back to parking lot. Get into groups of three, one on each side of the lot and one sprinting between; merkins at one end and LBCs/flutters etc. at the other. Each person 5x across the lot.
Sprint around the school and back to the ramp. Plank holding on to the railings all the way up the ramp. Person at the bottom bear crawls underneath and all the way up, then back to where they started. Cycle through 2x. Some folks seemed to have trouble holding their plank (so to speak), while Agony just had trouble with the basic instructions.
Sprint around the school and back around to the wooden benches for some dips x30, derkins x15, dips x20, derkins x10, dips x 20. Watch the suspicious white van pull up to the school…..apparently it had something to do with Luis but we don’t need to go back there. Over to the wall for peoples chair, two legged and one legged versions, and then the decline mountain climber…a crowd favorite.
Mosey back up Camilla. 10 burpees at each speed bump. Back to the parking lot for some Mary… 20+ each of dollies, flutters, rosalitas, knee-ups and Russian twists.
Good crowd, mild morning, and plenty of jaw exercising going on….all-in-all a fine start to a Monday. Appreciate the chance to lead, and thanks to Agony for taking us out. Au revoir…
SOFAWIB Preblast: Cannon Call
Time to run fast and do lots of exercises.
The Thang: Cannon Call
Run to Randwick (cannon entrance) and back for time (1.4 mi round trip).
Do 1/2 of a Murph (50 pullups/100 merkins/150 squats)
Run back to the cannon and back for time.
Do 2/2 of a Murph
If finished before the bell rings, start again.
0530 tomorrow. Olde Providence Elementary. SOFAWIB.
Discovering New Ground at da Vinci
It’s was a great morning for a little pain at Blakeney. The plan was for 10, but 29 show up by 7am and we were off.
Here’s what we did:
The Thang:
Mosey over to the 131 Main parking lot for COP: SSH X 15, IW X 15, Merkins X 15, and Mountain Climbers X 15
Mosey down Blakeney Heath road at the bottom of the hill at Knightsdale Drive for Q to explain the stations.
- 10 6-count Burpees IC and 20 Squats IC, then run up the hill to the second rock pile on the left.
- A the rock pile, pick a good size rock for speed work: curls X 15, tricep extentions X 15, Upright rows X 15, overhead press X 15. Drop the rock and mosey to the play ground
- At the Playground, partner up. Partner 1 do 10 pull ups, partner 2 do 25 merkins, flap jack. Throw in a set of burpee pull-ups
Continue working through the pain stations together in the following order: 1,2,3,2,1,2,3
Mosey over to the second level stores. Run up the stairs, across the second level, down the stairs, do 10 burpees and 30 LBCs X 2
Mosey over to the park fountain for the Durkin Dip Ladder. Durkins X 10, Dips X 10, Durkins X 9, Dips X 9, etc.
6 MOM, PAX Choice
COT
Moleskin:
The weather was great and the guys were in great spirits. There’s something about this new AO. It’s had great numbers since the launch. The new AO gets me very excited about the future of Ballantyne. Every time I post at da Vinci, I see new faces. The AO is big, now we’ve got to explore it.
As always, it was a pleasure leading my SOB brothers in The Gloom.
#JukeJeep 201
On this unusually pleasant morning, it was about to become very unpleasant. YHC got to the AO early to pre-set Cinder Blocks for pax without KB’s. YHC then discovered that the CB pile was just that… a pile. Casualties I assume of over zealous pax, the elements and victims of reps and grips gone awry, only to be pummeled to the ground… i digress. As YHC was doing sound check with JukeJeep, Fireman Ed nearly needed a bus, as his blood pressure shot up intuitively as the Decibel level rose. We adjusted the volume, the crisis was averted and Fireman Eds face returned to its normal color.:) We, nonetheless had a painfully splendid morning as JukeJeep 201 ensued.
the thang:
2 Laps around PL (a BaseCamp tradition)
Disclaimer Proclaimed
SSH x30, IW x30, JumpSquats x25
Circle up… and it begins. Show Starts
LSS – .45 secs
2 Handed Swings (those with KB’s), Upright Rows (with Cinderblocks) – .30 secs
Reverse Lunges ( left & right) – 1:00 min
Plank – .30 secs
2 Handed Swings (those with KB’s), Upright Rows (with Cinderblocks) – .30 secs
Jailbreak to the end of PL and back. (aprox 150 yds total)
Merkins oyo – .40 secs
2 Handed Swings (those with KB’s), Upright Rows (with Cinderblocks) – .30 secs
Carolina Dry Docks oyo – .40 secs
Plank – .30 secs
2 Handed Swings (those with KB’s), Upright Rows (with Cinderblocks) – .30 secs
Jailbreak to the end of PL and back. (aprox 150 yds total)
LBC’s – .45 secs
Heels to Heaven – .45 secs
2 Handed Swings (those with KB’s), Upright Rows (with Cinderblocks) – .30 secs
–1 Minute Recovery–
Repeato, Entire circuit.
Line up in a straight line on the PL. With Cinderblocks or KB’s, the fun began.
10 Pullovers
5 Chest presses
repeat x5
60 LBC’s
5 Pullovers
10 Chest Presses
20 LBC’s
5 Pullovers
10 Chest Presses
20 LBC’s
5 Pullovers
10 Chest Presses
10 LBC’s
20 Chest Presses
Money to the wall
Peoples Chair – .30 secs
25 Arm raises
recover
Peoples Chair – .30 secs
25 Arm raises
Mozey back to PL
Circle up
Protractor – called by Pax (10 called before moving on)
20 LBC’s
the end
Special thx to my buddy Adobe for taking us out.
After much discussion about the big game this Sunday, who drinks and who doesn’t drink and various disturbing subject matter, it was decided that Insomniac would be Q next Monday. …It might be worth the price of admission next Monday AM.
Simba was disappointed that YHC didn’t lead worship while many were glad that Skillet did!
It was admittedly a broad playlist….
Really cool to see several Pax making the most of this BC. Everyone worked hard and YHC can’t help but notice how strong Fridge is. YHC sincerely thinks Fridge was the rock star of the AO today.
YHC also enjoyed seeing pax way over the 6 foot mark, like BigTop and Torpedo, throwing around KB’s and CB’s like toys. Awesome work guys.
The Jail Breaks were impressive. Several guys killing it.
YHC really enjoyed leading this morning. Appreciate all your encouragement. YHC hopes to provide the same for many of you, my twitter or email inbox is always open. YHC also sincerely appreciates Fireman Ed and Simba. Thank You both for the opportunity and thanks for your leadership, coaching and friendship. What a great AO. Congrats
…many Blessings all! Freedom
Pre-blast: Fast Twitch
Several Fast Twitchers are running the Palmetto 200, YHC included, as part of a 6-man ultra team. Fast Twitch will provide a good P200 training option tomorrow.
Tempo-pace, or tempo-run pace, is what you can maintain running all-out for 60 minutes. For most, this pace is approximately 20 seconds slower than 10K pace and approximately 30 seconds slower than 5K pace. See #23 in this article HERE. You may want to read the rest of them as well. YHC’s target pace will be 7:45. This should allow me to run about 7.5 miles in 60 minutes.
We will start at SCMS and travel south on 51 to Charlotte Catholic High School. Enter campus and continue down hill. Enter parking deck and run up ramps to level 4 (target). Turn around and run the ramps back down. Follow your route north on 51 back to SCMS. When you reach SCMS, if there is time remaining, turn around and proceed south into oncoming pax. Continue running until you must turn around for 0615 arrival at SCMS. It is approximately 3.5 miles from SCMS to level 4 of the parking deck. If you will not make it to the target within 30 minutes, turn around and begin return trip to SCMS at or slightly before 0545. We will run on the south side of 51 (SCMS side) both ways except to cross to CCHS. This will allow us to keep an eye on pax and offer encouragement as we will be spread out due to pace differences.
If the above is not of interest, Bratwurst has 200/600 intervals on tap for Swift. Reflective vests are recommended as we will cross Rea, 51, and Carmel a few times. If you are running the P200 this is a good time to train in the gear you are required to run in.
#Preblast – A Harder Workout made Easier by the PAX
Tuesday – 0500 at the Vine Restaurant – launch for some early miles.
Tuesday – 0515 at the Vine Restaurant – launch for the Swift workout.
Tuesday – 0530 at the Vine Restaurant – launch for some other workout.
Tuesday – 0615 at the Vine Restaurant – COT for all of the above.
Tuesday – 0630 Directly across from the Vine Restaurant at Einstein Bagels – 3rd F Timekeeper – subject is “Living with your direct Opposite”.
So, the Preblast for Swift –
- At the Bull Ring:
- 200m at 1-mile Race Pace, 200m jog recovery
- 200m at 1-mile Race Pace, 200m jog recovery
- 600m at 1-mile Race Pace, 600m+ jog recovery to reassemble the PAX.
- Repeato until time is called at 0610.
Hard workout made easier? Well, unless you can do an 800m in under 2 minutes, then 600m is our max.
An Easier Workout made Harder by the PAX
Almost a week ago on Tuesday, 1/26, 18 PAX from the SonsOfBallantyne AO took off into the Gloom for the weekly Speed workout known as Swift.
The THANG:
- 0500 – Early crew gets going for some warm-up miles. Bratwurst and JRR Tolkien do some recon on the course to make sure it’s ice free (yes, this was a week ago when there was still some white stuff around).
- 0515 – Grab the rest of the PAX for the proper warm-up.
- 2nd F pace over to the Ballantyne Corp Drive bridge over Hwy 521 where we do some skipping when we’re not supposed to and true butt kicks (Mr. Bean really wanted to show his soccer/football warm-up prowess), and then mosey down to the bottom of the hill where we explain the workout.
- Objective – Run at Threshold Pace for 1000 meters (1Kilometer) along Bally Corp Dr over towards Bally Commons. Threshold pace is defined as a Comfortably Hard pace, between 10K and Half-marathon pace, defined better at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator , or more simply as 1:00/mi slower than your goal 1mile race pace (since that’s what we’re shooting for, the final explanation is probably the easiest to keep in focus).
- Workout – 1K, 1:00 rest, repeat until 0610.
- At 0610 – meet at the 4-way STOP and head back to COT.
Moleskin:
- The Cones – the cones marked the start, some distances along the way, and marked the end. In actual distance, the interval was more like 850 meters from start to end. We simply ran out of real estate unless the PAX wanted to play in traffic. Instead of revising, we just went with it. Cones along the way ended up being at 400m, 800m and 850m in one direction. And then 800m (from the end) and 400m (from the end) in the other direction. Didn’t exactly help for pacing checks because they weren’t consistent both ways, but at the very least, probably provided some marker about how far was left or you had gone.
- The Pace – For YHC, this workout turned into something not done before. The Interval was run faster than Threshold Pace, but given the 1 minute recovery, felt like the effort was right. Explanation – Threshold Pace workouts normally run with multiple 1 mile interval / 1 minute recovery. Or multiple 2 mile interval / 2 minute recovery. Or a single 20minute interval. This was supposed to be an intro workout to give a shorter 1K interval (funny how Mr. Bean wanted to make sure that was right at 0.62mi when he grew up on the Metric system) and 1 minute recovery – should have been easy. However, when you don’t have a working pace watch (Frasier’s is stuck in time), or cones to mark consistent distances (thanks to YHC’s planning), and PAX to chase around, it’s hard to stay on Pace. Your body / breathing / fatigue will be your guide. With a tested workout plan, if you can’t stay consistent on the intervals, then your pacing is off. Sometimes, you have to adjust to get the workout you need. For today for YHC, with the shorter 850m interval and 1 minute rest, that meant faster than Threshold Pace.
- Where to run – YHC began the warm-up perhaps setting a bad precedent – running in the middle of the road. When confronted with an oncoming vehicle, icy sidewalks, and trash truck coming up from behind, we hit the open middle turning lane. When running the first interval, YHC again ran down the middle (of a road with bike lanes and a middle turning lane) to place cones in the middle. However, when going through the rest of the workout, YHC meandered between middle and left side of the road. Now some of this was fatigue from trying to stay with the PAX in front (run the tangent), but it was not thinking very well. There was more traffic than normal on this segment of road, but if the shoulders are clear, we should always run facing traffic on the Left side of the road. You won’t get as many high fives because you won’t be as close to passing PAX, but you have a higher probability that one of the PAX or an EMT won’t be lifting you off of the road. On high traffic roads like BCP, let’s stay on the shoulders.
- If you haven’t invested in a GPS watch yet, there’s still an easy way to measure your workout with your smartphone. The Strava App can record your workout, and though it doesn’t have the ability to manually Lap when you Start/ Stop interval, you can go back in later and mark Segments in Strava to break up your workout and see what your interval performance was. There are many running apps out there, but YHC has found Strava to hold the most benefits from recording distance on your shoes to getting on Wing_Man’s leaderboard.
- Was reading some really old Backblasts from a while back, and forgot about Haggis’s use of the word “Chunder” – not sure if this ever happened then or since, but that’ll be the goal this Tuesday.
Well that might have been a bit ambitious
15 Men chose to start there week off with a Pop-tart Q’ed The Matrix. But they got swindled. Pop-Tart headed out Sunday night for a “work trip” so you all got stuck with the alien midget. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Slow Mosey out and around the track, back to parking lot for COP:
SSH, IW, Low Slow Squats. All the standards.
The Thang:
Mosey to playground for: 5 pull-ups, 5 hanging knee raises, 30 dips.
Mosey to fence for: 15 decline merkins w/ feet on bottom rail and 15 derkins w/ feet on top rail.
Mosey to stumps for: 25 old school sit-ups with feet under tire. 10 Jump ups on stumps with full extension at the top.
Mosey to cinder blocks for: 20 curls, 20 overhead presses, & 10 burpees.
That was round 1 – completed as a group. Complete 5 more rounds OYO starting at the playground.
Meet at blocks with 2 minutes left to spare, 15 curls and return the block. AYG back to cars.
Done.
Moleskine:
Thanks to McGee for coming out to keep Lobsta Roll company out in front. All though when it was done I think he regretted trying to keep up with the Lobstah. He doesn’t slow down and it hurts. These guys were out in front and were about 2 minutes away from being able to complete all 5 laps, very solid. Everyone else was still 1/2 lap or more back.
Turkey Leg and Witch Dr. were crushing it as well. While everyone was generally in the same area, the field is dark so hard to see everyone, but all were pushing as this was very much a grind it out workout. Props to Squid who never sacrifices solid form for speed. Doing it right every time.
Thanks for joining me out there on this balmy February morning. Enjoy the week. And thanks to Squid for the send-off.
-Alf
Announcements:
- Look on the F3 Web-page for announcements to join the F3 team at the spring Carolina Spartan Sprint. Usually comes with a discount code and a specific early that all the F3 guys will be in.
Wiggler Tomorrow!
Corner of Foxcroft and Rothwood – 5:45 am launch. Tell your friends. Superbowl pace…
#keeppounding