Preblast: Devil’s Turn Tempo – Revisited (with a twist)
You guessed it, tomorrow is Tempo day again at Devil’s Turn. We leave at 5:15 from the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place. Arrive early for some dynamic stretching action.
I would write more of a preblast, but there is really no topping what Bratwurst did here… http://f3nation.com/2014/07/09/f3devilsturn-preblast-tempo-day/ The man is precise.
However, I promised a twist… wait for it… wait for it… We will circle the track clockwise! That’s right, we will be turning right instead of continually turning left.
BOOM, minds now blown!
Circling the track in the other direction will allow us a chance to get ITBS in our left knees instead of our right. And no, that is not irritable bowel syndrome.
See you in the gloom!
Preblast: Devil’s Turn – Even More Hills
So it sounds like the PAX have experienced many inclines/declines both at Muthaship and Fast Twitch this week. However, it is the “on” week for Devil’s Turn bi-monthly field trip to Piper Glen and the BRR is coming!
The plan is to do the same route from 2 weeks ago (and 2 weeks before that) through Piper Glen to get in some hills and some resulting exhaustion. We leave the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place at 5:15 am. Show up early to dynamically stretch your lower extremities.
I found the chalk stash my 2.1 had hidden in her tricycle so I will be set for marking the route. I have also perfected my pretend tying my shoe / marking a turn technique which is used when walkers are around. Don’t want to get the Piper Glen rent-a-cops on my case.
See the route and info in http://f3nation.com/2014/06/18/devils-turn-preblast-time-to-hit-the-hills/
See you in the AM!
Preblast: Devil’s Turn – hit the hills (again)
The plan is to return to the route from 2 weeks ago through Piper Glen to get in some hills and some resulting exhaustion. I will try to steal another piece of chalk from my 2.0’s to mark the route.
See the route and info in http://f3nation.com/2014/06/18/devils-turn-preblast-time-to-hit-the-hills/
See you in the AM!
Are you sure that wasn’t the French Army Handbook?
20 men embarked on a grand experiment this AM at Stonehenge. YHC had obtained an Army training manual from my neighbor Silk and excited to actually do things “by the book”, dove in and designed a workout that would make even General Patraeus proud to behold. That’s not really how it went…
The Thang:
It started normally enough with a jog down to the office parking lot for the Preparation Drill.
Called the 4 for the Core regimen that was some bent leg raise, side bridge, back bridge, and quadraplex each held for 60 seconds. The PAX played along well enough with the impression that things were about to get serious at any minute. Mic Check, Fireman Ed, and Haggis were biting their tongues.
Next up in the Preparation Drill was some Hip Stability action. This was where some mumblechatter started from those who had previously remained silent. Sensing a potential uprising brewing, YHC cut this section short with just the lateral leg raise, medial leg raise, and lateral bent let raise on each side to a 15 count. A collective relief was nearly palpable when YHC said that’s it and lets go. Surely, things were about to get real.
After entering the field of the bulls and circling up, it was time for Conditioning Drill 1. A quick bend and reach was called and then a high jumper. This is where Haggis and Mic Check could not take it any more. This surely was not the same manual that was used to train the bad arse men that defend our freedom! It must be Canadian mountie manual (sorry Blue Jay) or French Armée de Terre book or something. This just wasn’t American.
So with the wheels coming off the tracks, a quick 40 ‘murkins were called in cadence to bring back some testosterone to the COP. Since Mic Check was still jibba jabbering, the next call was 10 burpees OYO. This quieted the rebellion somewhat as all were now working up some O2 deficit.
A few more items were salvaged from the Weinke. These were the rower for 20 or so (questionable cadence call) and the prone row for another 20 or so. These were the manliest things left on the list so the PAX headed off to get to the main event.
Next up the PAX headed for the workout trail with a stop for 40 LBC’s OYO on the way. Once in the workout trail by the pullup bars, the rest of the plan unfolded. The PAX divided up by 3’s and then found a partner. Here is what happened next…
Group 1: Pull-ups x 50 (partner help if needed)
Group 2: Merkins x 100 and Squats x 200
Group 3: Situps x 100 (partners hold feet and then flapjack)
Rotate through each section when complete.
This was basically a mini-Murph with 100 situps thrown in. Situps don’t sound hard but they are when you are doing that many with limited rest. Each station was also difficult because there wasn’t significant rest between sets so that fatigue seemed to build on each progressive set. It was a good burn.
Once that was done, the PAX moseyed up to the parking lot for a quick shuttle run 4 at a time ending away from the other PAX. Some great effort was seen here by all. Especially FNG – Blue Jay who resembles Usain Bolt when in all out sprint mode. Nice first post brother!
Time was up at this point so a mosey / all you got back to COT was all that was left.
The Moleskin:
– Basically it was a Q quasi-fail today (only the mini-Murph saved it). Thanks for the laughs though. You guys are great!
Over and out…
Snake Radar and The Devil’s Turn
At 5:15am this morning, 17 men including 3 DT FNG’s decided to assault their lungs and legs in the heart of Area 51. A full data analysis by the spreadsheeters would be needed to see if 17 is a record, but regardless 17 PAX is a good day at Devil’s Turn. It must be sinking in that BRR is around the corner. Time to put in the miles!
The plan was simple this morning. It was a tempo run out to S. Charlotte Middle School with everyone leaving together and getting in various distances before returning to the parking lot at 6:10am. Distances varied between 4 and 7.5 miles during the 55 minute duration.
All in the COT appeared to have just swan dived into a swimming pool due to the high humidity and the extended exertion of the tempo run. What is a tempo run? It is running which is comfortably hard, marginally painful, and continuous for a long time. If executed properly the “runner’s high” is all but guaranteed. You are welcome.
As we entered the neighborhood, Radar spotted a snake in the middle of the street and proclaimed it a copperhead. How he saw a snake in the pitch black and promptly identified it by genus and species in 3 seconds amazed all of us. Perhaps this is a nod to his nickname or he is a closet herpetologist, we will never know. It did make a few PAX prance like school girls though.
On the way back, the snake was re-encountered by Haggis who said it had raised its head ready to strike him at any moment. This may have been an embellishment however since the snake had been laying in the same exact spot for 55 minutes. However, in the end, no one was bit by the venomous creature.
Welcome to Radar, Champagne, and Splinter to Devil’s Turn. I hope it lived up to your expectations. From what I saw, you guys dominated out there. Strong work.
Great job also to all the the DT regulars. Hopefully, the hard work is showing now in your more efficient running and increased speed and stamina. This stuff works!
Congrats to Horsehead on a new PR of 9 times around the track. He’s a runner.
That’s all for now. Time to check in with the USA / GER match…
Preblast: Devil’s Turn – Back to Tempo
After last week’s exploration of Piper Glen, it is time to get back to business with the standard tempo run to S. Charlotte Middle and back. Leading up to the BRR, we will revisit Piper Glen, but it would be aggressive to do it every week.
The plan is to leave the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place at 5:15am with all PAX including both 4-milers and 6+ milers. The group will fellowship run for a 1-mile warmup and then proceed into a tempo pace for the rest of the workout. It’s an extended burn!
Prior to the run, go to http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ and calculate your Marathon and Threshold paces. We will all warm up for 1 mile together and then hold a pace between Marathon and Threshold for the rest of the workout. PAX will leave the track to head back to COT at different times based on pace in order to return to the parking lot by 6:10am. Use the following matrix for easy calculation of when you should leave the track to head back.
Exhibit 1: Progressive Difficulty Matrix
Catch you on the flip side.
Fake Grass and Little Rubber Balls
With a slightly cool breeze blowing from the south, 8 men circled their bells and headed for a jog around the lot to let any late comers have a chance to catch up. Jog done, now time for work.
All grabbed their bells and headed to the gate for a COP. Bratwurst at this point decided to show up and we were 9 going into the warmup COP.
– SSH x 20
– Forward lunges x 20
– Mtn Climbers x 30
– Side lunges x 20
– Carolina Dry Docks x 20
– Backward lunges x 20
Partner up with someone of like size KB for catch me if you can down to lower field
– 5 merkins and then catch the other
Circle up on lower field for real COP (credit for this painfest goes to the Queen Bee – devious!)
– 20 2-hand swings
– ladder to 10 of combo merkins / dying cockroach (form correction enacted by Mic Check and Soft Pretzel)
– 15 sumo squats with leg lift
– 20 renegade rows up into side plank
– 10 KB burpees (in 8-count fashion)
Rinse & Repeat
– 20 1-hand swings
– ladder to 10 of combo merkins / dying cockroach
– 15 sumo squats with leg lift
– 20 renegade rows up into side plank
– 10 KB burpees (in 8-count fashion)
Pile up the bells and line up for the bucket brigade
– everyone plank and pass bells to other end of the line
– reverse to get all the bells back
– everyone stand side-by-side and do upright row and pass bell until all are at the other end
– pass bells back doing a bicep curl before passing bells
5 minutes left – catch me if you can back to the parking lot
– LBC’s for 30 sec
– Protractor for 45 sec
And we were spent…
Moleskin:
– Great effort and mumblechatter out there this morning. Perhaps it was the slightly cool breeze that had Bratwurst and Mic Check all riled up or something. Thoroughbreds?
– Mic Check was excited about the merkin / dying cockroach and promised to steal it for future use. It is doubtful the place he brings it out will be as plush as the Elon Park cushion grass though. I pity the foo that happens to be there on that day. That move does result in a lot of fake grass and little rubber balls stuck all over you though. #1stworldissues
– Bratwurst didn’t like YHC’s cadence call on the 8-count burpees and jibber jabbered the whole time. He has a good point though. Next time, the “8” will not be called and the PAX will instead answer with the rep count. At that point in the workout, YHC had a hard enough time figuring out if it was a 6 or an 8 count. Probably did 5 reps just trying to figure it out. O2 deprivation at work.
– Great second post for Rip Curl who now has a shiny new bell. Nice markings too. Dead Lift has a bell on the way. By the man’s size, I am thinking it may look more like a cannon ball. Just hope there is no fuse.
– A late welcome to Tootie who is now a Son of Ballantyne (SOB) since moving to Blakeney recently from Metro. We are glad to have him as he is a regular at all B-tyne workouts now.
– As always, there was strong work put in by the Foxhole faithful. The Worm, Soft Pretzel, and Loogie are there each week killing it. Nice work brothers. See you next week.
Announcements:
– F3 Dad’s continues through the summer Saturdays at 9:00 at Col. Francis Beaty Park
Devil’s Turn visits the highlands of Piper Glen
16 men showed up to the Turn ready for action including two (Mall Cop and Wolfman who showed up at 5:00 for an extra early run). The route was complex today and Stumphugger seemed to be the only PAX who actually read the preblast. Luckily TR and Hops had the bright idea to bring chalk to mark the turns. Marking each turn worked well for everyone except for Haggis and Frasier who chose to disregard and forge their own path.
Haggis was later found doing push-ups on the golf course by himself and Frasier was found wandering aimlessly around the intersection of Seton House Ln. and Seton House Ln. However, they were found and the run continued.
It was later discovered that the PAX went one down at some point due to an emergent backblast which came upon Tootie mid-run. This caused the first LIFO of the day. Apparently, Thai food is not the ideal way to carb up before a morning run.
Welcome to FNG Wesley (Silk) to F3 and Devil’s Turn. He got his name for both a smooth running stride and being a Lieutenant in the Army Paratroopers reserves (mostly the latter). Since he is YHC’s neighbor, we hope to see him again in the gloom soon. It seems he is also an accomplished ruck enthusiast so there is definitely a spot in F3 for him. Aye!
The PAX seemed fulfilled by the hills of Piper Glen and this route (once mastered) may become a regular in the run up to the BRR where hill running prowess will be needed. Everyone put in a great effort and most seemed to have a running companion for some 2nd F action.
Great job all and finish the week strong!
Devil’s Turn Preblast: Time to hit the hills
Now that the tempo pace is firmly ingrained in the DT PAX’s muscle memory, it is time to take on the Hills of Piper Glen for some serious BRR training opportunities. The proposed route is posted below for both 4 mile and 6 mile options.
The intent is for everyone to launch from the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place at 5:15 am. We will go for the first loop through the apartment complex for about 0.75 mi before groups develop for the various paces. The rest of the run is intended for tempo pace (marathon training pace from the calculator at http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ ). You could even use your newly established mile run time from the F3 Olympics in the calculator.
Before we start, it is suggested to break up into groups of similar pace so that 2nd F may be maintained and increase the chances of everyone making the proper turns. We can discuss that in the AM.
Here are the directions for the 6-mile route:
6-mile Route
Here are the directions for the 4-mile option:
4-mile Route
1st Annual F3 Area 51 Olympics Backblast
The morning was humid and warm and the parking lights buzzed as Haggis and YHC unloaded the implements of the day. Two or three retaining wall blocks in the wheelbarrows? 50 or 75 yards for the hairburners? These were the questions we pondered while awaiting the PAX.
As everything fell into place for the start of the 1st Annual F3 Area 51 CSAUP Olympics, there was a tension in the air between the 30 PAX assembled to compete. Who would be the fastest, the strongest, and above all, the stupidest to be crowned the Area 51 Grand Champion?
This is how we found out…
First came a warmup jog down to the field for a Runstopper led COP. Of course, Runstopper brought the tunes and the PAX were really starting to get pumped to the NPR talk radio going in the background. Nothing like some Renee Montagne to get you ready for battle!
Once warmup was complete and Runstopper had found some more suitable music, YHC explained the order of events and led the PAX in a mumblechatter filled lap around the track to ensure all the kinks were out before the mile run. After fielding several complaints saying that lap should count for the mile, the request was denied and the Clydesdales lined up for the mile run. FNG Flipper explained to the PAX that a Clydesdale is a large, strong, (slow), but majestic animal. Everyone left it all on the track and pushed through to the finish.
The Thoroughbred heat was equally taxing. YHC had the lead through 3 ½ laps when Haggis had enough of it and made his move. Around the last corner, I could hear him snorting like a rabid dog behind me. On the final stretch, he passed and pulled away, handily winning the race with a 5:28 mile time. Fantastic effort by all on that race! Below are the fastest 3 times in the Mile Run.
- Haggis – 5:28
- Honey Bee – 5:31
- Joker – 5:58
The 100m dash followed the mile run. The first heat was error ridden as the Q’s worked out the proper procedure and there was some objection to that heat being labeled a false start (even though 90% finished the whole race). The other heats went more smoothly and were sufficient to determine the 8 who advanced to the finals. When the dust settled after the final 100m run, here were the standings.
- Mighty Mite – 12.76 seconds
- Mic Check – 13.16 seconds
- Haggis – 13.33 seconds
Next came the 400m dash. All PAX were starting to feel it at this point. Again after some debate, it was decided to run the event in 2 groups instead of heats of 8 at a time. This went well and saved time at the end for some other events and the award ceremony. Here were the results.
- Honey Bee – 1:05 (held him off this time)
- Haggis – 1:08
- Joker – 1:11
The PAX were then tired of running so we moved on to the Feats of Strength. The group split up to do the Shot Put and KB Clean and Press. After Mighty Mite demonstrated proper form on the Shot Put, the PAX took turns launching the 12lb steel ball through the air. Mighty Mite won this event by a mere 6 inches (Michael Scott joke here) over Joker who clearly had a better warrior grunt so it was nearly a tie here. Alas, the Mite came out on top. Here were the results.
- Mighty Mite – 34’ 6”
- Joker – 34’
- Haggis – 32’ 8”
The KB Clean & Press competition had a complex logical regression technique taking into account the moon phase as well as figuring the contribution of barometric pressure on the KB weight and the athlete’s physical fitness quotient. Actually, the number of reps got multiplied by the weight lifted divided by 50 lbs (the standard weight). Runstopper didn’t care about that and grabbed the largest bell and whipped out 54 reps. Boom…winner!
- Runstopper (44lb bell) – 48 corrected lifts
- Fireman Ed (35lb bell) – 40 corrected lifts
- Dolphin (35lb bell) – 36 corrected lifts
The next events were the weighted Wheelbarrow Push and Hairburners. The first round of the Wheelbarrow Push had the greatest drama of the day as FNG (Flipper) veered his wheelbarrow into a small mud hole which brought the wheelbarrow to an abrupt halt and sent him up and over (thus Flipper). The man is a beast though and after about 5 minutes to ensure his legs were still attached, he whipped out a respectable time in the hairburners to prove he was still in the game. Flipper killed it all day out there and YHC has seen that look before, he’s hooked. Welcome brother to CSAUP!
After the wheelbarrow incident, the event Q’s held a conference to decide whether to keep that event going or not. However, the PAX overwhelmingly determined that we should either move it to a faster surface (pavement) or just not go through the mud hole. These PAX are nuts! After a reiteration of the disclaimer, the event continued with 4 wheelbarrows on the grass around the mud hole.
Here are the rankings in the Wheelbarrow Push:
- Haggis – 26 sec
- Joker – 31.5 sec
- Runstopper – 32 sec
At the same time, the Hairburners were going on in the parking lot by the school. Mic Check was absolutely smoking out there and after almost going under one of the parked cars came 1 foot from the finish line and collapsed in relief. After realizing all the yelling was directed at him that he wasn’t done yet, he pushed it the remaining foot. Unfortunately the misunderstanding on the finish line location allowed Haggis a 2 second margin for winning this event. We all know that Mic Check is the favorite for next year though.
- Haggis – 24 sec
- Mic Check – 26 sec
- 4-way tie for 3rd – Bugeater, Lex Luthor, Iron Horse, Honey Bee
There was just enough time left over at the end to do a crabwalk race across the field at the track. Since this was the event that got the whole F3 Olympics idea started, it seemed fitting that it be saved for last. Also fittingly, Bugeater who suggested the Olympics was the winner. Here are the results:
- Bugeater
- Market Timer
- Joker
If you’ve been tracking, Haggis won 3 of the 8 events and was in the top three of another 3 events. Because of this strange aptitude for the Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless, Haggis was crowned the overall Grand Champion of Area 51. He looked very much like a Scottish Mr. T at the award ceremony in the COT.
Great thanks go out to the event Q’s and contributors that made the whole Olympics go smoothly and made it almost look like we had done this before. Thanks to Runstopper, Fireman Ed, Iron Horse, Bugeater, Zip-a-dee, Baracus, Mall Cop, Salt Lick, Bratwurst, Joker, Haggis, and all the other individuals that now have full email inboxes due to all the emails it took to get this thing going.
As always, I am amazed by this group men and I am so glad to be part of this movement that is F3. I look forward to next year and seeing the progress in each man.