I’m not sure this is even possible…
Posted for the Madame while he awaits full rights…
7 men escaped the fartsack to swing a little iron in the cold, foggy gloom. Here’s what we did…..
The Thang:
COP:
SSH X 25
IW X 20
Arm Circles
Merkin X 10, raise right leg merkin X 5, raise left leg Merkin X 5
Mosey over to mid field, close side
Circle up:
KB Ladder – 1 Burpee, 2 Goblet Squats, 3 two handed swings
Each set, add 1 to the burpee, 2 to the goblet squats, 3 to the two handed swings. 10 Sets
Plank when finished.
Drag KB to mid field in a moving plank, one hand at a time.
At Mid field:
Backward lunge (swing KB under front leg)- 20 total (10 each leg), Bear Crawl to far side line, 5 burpees, reverse bear crawl back
Plank Rows – 10 each arm, Sprint to far side of field, 5 burpees and sprint back
Figure 8 Twist (Twist opposite of leg) – Crabwalk to far side of the field, 5 burpees, reverse crab walk back
One arm KB Press on Back
Mosey over to the wall, running backwards up the hill carrying KB
Wall Work
People’s Chair with upright rows
Balls to the Wall with KB Lifts X 5 each arm (Crowd pleaser – No one thought this was possible)
6MOM – PAX Choice
Flutter Press X 20 – Lougie
Dollies press X 20 – Teddy
Dying Cockroach X 20 – Soft Pretzel
Russian Twist X 20 – Bratwurst
Quick feet – 30 seconds
COT
Moleskin:
It was a cool 46 degrees in the Gloom, which is perfect for swinging iron and doing burpees.
The goal this morning was to keep moving. We started with a KB ladder that I borrowed from one of Mighty Mite’s (I think) workouts this past winter. The ladder took a little longer than expected and was painful.
When we got to the wall work, I wanted to try something a little different. When I told the PAX “I’m not sure this is going to work…. But we’re going to try Balls to the Wall with a KB lift” there were a lot of moans and groans from the Men. The move is basically a one handed hand stand against the wall while pulling the KB up with your other hand. We all gave it a try and I think everyone was able to complete the move.
Great work today guys.
Announcements:
Still accepting registrations for F3 Golf.
F3 Olymipics and Pool Party are on June 14th
F3 Dads starting up on Saturdays this June at Francis Beaty Park.
Riders on the storm
With thunderstorms just to the west, 14 men set out to put feet to pavement and achieve a “comfortably hard” run for 55 minutes. There was an alternative complex option, but only Bratwurst and his arm computer seemed to follow that plan.
The “comfortably hard” goal was achieved and perhaps even exceeded by some as the high humidity seemed to make the going just that much harder. The PAX dominated between 5 and 8 miles today and all seemed to leave satisfied.
We did lose Hops on the run back due to an emergency bio break. Unfortunately, he also took a wrong turn and headed out to 51 at some point. The search party (Tiger Rag) was dispatched to bring him in, but 2 minutes later in came Hops. After a quick COT, a second search party was dispatched (this time by car) to get TR. It is the assumption of YHC that he was eventually found and returned to the Tiger mobile. Else, there is a crazy goateed fellow still roaming Piper Glen.
Welcome to Voodoo (DT FNG) who put in some strong work out there today. As humid as it was, I bet he felt right at home swimming through it this morning. We are glad to have you while your shoulder is on the mend.
Great work to all today. As we spread out on the run, it seemed like most were left to face their inner demons alone through the extended exertion. It may not be the most fun you have in the gloom, but I guarantee that there’s not much else to push your aerobic capacity like a good tempo run.
Announcements:
– Stonehenge double down – Do the workout and then the Ballantyne 5k/10k at 7:30 for 10k or 7:50 for the 5k. See http://www.ymcacharlotte.org/branches/morrison/socialresp/events/runballantyne.aspx for details.
– Kettlebell workshop 6:00 – 6:45 am at The Rock. See http://f3nation.com/2014/05/13/preblast-kettlebell-clinic-this-saturday-at-the-rock/ for details.
– The F3 Charlotte South Olympics is currently being planned. The tentative date is the morning of June 14 with the awards ceremony being held at the F3 pool party later that day. More to come on both these events in the coming weeks.
Preblast: Devil’s Turn 5/15
For the May 15 edition of Devil’s Turn, there are two options. Both options launch at 5:15am from the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place.
Option 1) Straight Tempo Pace – 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 at different times based on pace in order to return to the parking lot by 6:10am. Use the following matrix for easy calculation.
Option 2) Go to http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ and calculate your Threshold pace. Warm up with the group for 1 mile. Begin 3 miles at Threshold pace ending at some point around the track. Proceed into a 5 min jog. Then begin 10x100m intervals around the track and partially extending into the run back. Use the chart above to calculate when you need to head back (will need to estimate an average pace if some of the 100m intervals are needed on the run back.
Don’t let the complicated directions concern you. If you have questions, just come out and run. Bratwurst will have his arm computer and can explain Option 2.
See you in the gloom!
Hold the Tempo
12 men answered the call for a tempo run of varying distance depending on the speed which was run. The format provides a challenge for all participants.
When all was done, men ran between 5 and 7 miles and ended between 6:07 and 6:12. Since the goal was 6:10 AM finish, it was not bad. However, I think we can get that standard deviation down in the future. #sixsigmaperfection
Moleskin:
– The 5:15 start was a challenge this morning for several PAX. RT came in at the last minute and Haggis was actually a minute late. The PAX waited on them though and started as a group. It wasn’t until we got to the track that we noticed a man in a bright orange shirt had joined us. It was O’Tannenbaum who apparently had been 2 minutes late in time to see us cross Rea into the neighborhood. Luckily after a wrong turn, he was able to find us and continued the workout from there.
– Bratwurst was on his own plan and let some of us feel good by actually letting us lead the PAX for a while until his plan kicked in and he left us in the dust. The man’s got speed.
– In the COT, the PAX learned of Wing(space)man’s birthday today. It was a well-placed piece of information since we could not cause any pain during the workout in celebration. Even if we had known, a running workout is a hard thing to do 40 of anything really. Perhaps 40 laps on the track but that is just ludicrous.
– Everyone put in a great effort today and it looked like a true tempo run was completed by all participants. Leading up to the BRR, Devil’s Turn will stay in a tempo run format to compliment the speed work on Tuesdays and LSD on the weekends.
– It was great running with you all today. We are lucky to have this community of brothers.
Preblast: Devil’s Turn Tempo Revisited
The plan for Devil’s Turn tomorrow is for a tempo run out to South Charlotte Middle School and back. This workout is intended to be a complement to the speedwork on Tuesdays, LSD (long slow distance) on the weekend, and various bootcamp/KB cross-training throughout the week. A tempo run will help train your body to hold a high level of running intensity over an extended period of time (excellent for BRR training).
All PAX will leave the greenway parking lot (corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place) at 5:15 AM.
Since the distance to the school and back is slightly over 4 miles (total), there is an option for circling the school track for a TBD number of times (or doing some core work until it is time to return to complete a nice round 4 mile run).
The number of times around the track is dependant on the speed each PAX is running. Each PAX will need to determine when to leave the track in order to be back at the greenway parking lot at 6:10 AM.
To calculate your tempo pace, use http://runsmartproject.com/calculator, enter a race time from a recent race, click the “Training” tab, and find your “Marathon” training pace. That is your proposed tempo pace.
To see the approximate times and distances for the workout, consult the Progressive Difficulty Matrix below. It is assumed that all PAX will warmup for 1 mile at 8.5 min/mi pace and then hold their tempo pace for the rest of the workout. The important part is when to leave the track to get back to the parking lot at 6:10 AM.
See you in the gloom!
Running like a dog
This week’s Rumrunner was loosely planned by YHC (Rumrunner FNG) after it being explained that the first one to tweet about Rumrunner is the leader. #rookiemistake
6 men and a K9 forsook the fartsack and posted to the ABC store of Arboretum. There was a thin red crescent moon just above the tree line as the adventure began. Was it an omen? A sinister sign? Probably not, but it looked cool.
More on the lessons to be learned from Cheese Curd’s K9 in the moleskin.
The plan was to leave Arboretum via 51, then snake through Raintree to Strawberry Ln, then head south to enter Rosecliff neighborhood and snake through that to Rea Rd. (standard Devil’s Turn route).
The group then had options:
1) Stump Hugger and Rock Thrill decided to run back to the ABC via Rea and 51 for a total of 6+ miles (PR for Stump Hugger – beast mode out there just coming back from his deathbed)
2) Haggis and YHC ran south on Rea to the entrance of Piper Glen and turned back to catch SH and RT for COT for around 7+ miles total.
3) Cheese Curd and Stage Coach did the whole enchilada and circled through Piper Glen via Old Course and Piper Glen Dr. then back on Rea and 51 for 9+ miles total.
After COT #1, Haggis, RT, and YHC went for another ~2 miles to round out the morning. All said the PAX experienced between 6 and 10 miles of running pleasure in ideal spring conditions.
The Moleskin:
– Our 4 legged friend this morning had several lessons for us which started to be evident before even leaving the parking lot. The first order of business upon exiting the car was to go pee on the bushes (always a good idea to lighten the load before getting down to business).
– The second thing that Zoe did was to rally the troupes to get morale up taking advantage of PAX while the were bent down stretching to get in a quick nose nuzzle. It was like a dog version of a chest bump before a football game.
– Finally Zoe showed the PAX proper effortless, efficient running form for the full 9+ miles. She didn’t even seem that tired at the end. Something YHC can not say for himself.
– Congrats to Stump Hugger for the long run PR! Strong brother.
– Haggis posted to a long run after arriving from Scotland last night and getting only 5 hours sleep. Impressive effort overcoming jetlag and getting the job done this morning. He even had energy to continue his lobbying to get some one to join him on a 50 mile race. Crazy man.
– Props to Cheese Curd and Stage Coach for taking on the hills of Piper Glen. Those things are no joke.
– Finally good luck to Rock Thrill in his upcoming triathlons and fall marathon. The man is a beast. What more is there to say.
– YHC out.
The aftermath of PDM
5 men entered the gloom this morning for a Devil’s Turn with a different format. The idea was to get everyone to push themselves to at least their “Marathon” pace from Bratwurst’s calculator http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/ for a full 55 minute workout (after a 1 mile warmup).
To facilitate this and allow all PAX to start and end together, a Progressive Difficulty Matrix was compiled (see preblast for details). The basic scheme was to run one mile together to warm up then speed up to tempo pace and hold it for the rest of the workout. The PAX ran out to the S. Charlotte Middle School track and continued around the track until the time came for each person to leave the track to get back to the parking lot by 6:10 am (this is where the matrix became necessary). Due to the differing speeds of the PAX, this meant a different total distance (# of laps at the track) for each runner.
The scheme seemed to work relatively well (except YHC robbed Madam of an extra lap at the track – more on that later).
The Moleskin:
– There was a small group at the Turn this morning with many of the regulars in absentia. Weather was not a concern. The low 50’s and low humidity made for perfect running weather. It sounded like both Fast Twitch and the Maul included hill intervals so maybe that kept people away.
– Since it was the first time with this format, YHC was a bit neurotic about the timing of everyone leaving the track to get back. This resulted in sending Madam back before he got in his final lap at the track. #cobains brother. Next time run to your heart’s content. Also, congrats on the first non-stop tempo run of this length. Careful, you may just get hooked on this running thing. #runnershighaddiction
– During the warm up, Horsehead shared his experience with F3 in his first 6 months and how he was named while recycling merlot in the COT in his first post. His 5.7 mile non-stop tempo run this morning was evidence of how far he has come. (Hey weren’t you looking for the 4 mile option?) Nice work brother! It is always great to see the impact F3 has on people.
– Turkey Leg was, as usual, swift out there this morning. Oops, YHC used the wrong word. Perhaps, he was twitching strongly out there is better. Not really. Well he ran fast for an extended period of time and didn’t look that tired when he got done. #F3strong
– YHC was lucky that Frasier was on a similar tempo today and had some company on the run. The 2nd F helped the miles pass with less mental pain. During conversations though, there were far more pauses on YHC’s end (to breathe!). Also, on the run out to the track YHC had to cry uncle at one point. #unsustainableeffort Thanks for hanging back though. It was a good run.
– Since there are now two speed workouts on Tuesday, Devil’s Turn may tend more toward a tempo run in the future (or at least have the option for tempo run) so that, along with Rumrunner on Sundays, a ballanced running plan can be followed if desired.
Preblast: Kum-ba-yah Allegretto
On Thursday at Devil’s Turn, we will put all the bickering and rhetoric aside about who is the fastest workout in Area51. Instead we will unite and run as one, SOB and Twitcher, young and old, Flightless Bird and Dandy in a tempo run at Allegretto pace (you do the math). Singing kum-ba-yah is optional (and if you are able to sing while running at tempo pace, you should be running faster).
To keep all Devil’s Turn attendees on their toes (yes, that means you Frasier, Fletch, and Turkey Leg), we will attempt a progressive difficulty matrix to calculate how many miles an individual will run during the 55 minute workout. We will run the standard route out to S. Charlotte Middle school with everyone starting at 5:15 am from the greenway parking lot at the corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place. The matrix calculates when you must leave the track depending on your expected tempo pace in order for all PAX to reach the parking lot at the same time at 6:10 am. This also means the faster you run, the longer you run. Seems fair right?
Here’s the matrix:
As always, there are options to modify any portion of the plan as needed. The idea is to have everyone start together, see each other multiple times on the track for back slap and high five opportunities, and then arrive back at the parking lot together. That is all.
Be careful, this is about to get real
11 Sons of Ballantyne assembled in the Foxhole for a kettle bell attack designed to hit all major muscle groups. What ensued left all (including YHC) a little shell shocked, but these SOB’s powered through anyway. Just another fine day in the Foxhole.
The Thang:
Pre-warm-up
– Jog around parking lot picking up Philmont who showed some aggressive maneuvering entering the parking lot 2 minutes late. (I just hope his dog has a seatbelt) #clawmarksintheseat
Warm-up – grab the bells and assemble under the streetlight
– SSH x 60
– Backward lunge x 10 per leg
– IW x 40
– Side lunge x 10 per leg
– Mtn climbers x 40
– Merkins x 20
Grab a partner (KB size matters) for Farmer’s Carry the long way down to the field
– Partner 1 run with both bells
– Partner 2 do 5 clapping merkins then catch partner
Assemble in the center of the field
– 5 Turkish getups on each side
– 2-hand KB swings x 20
– 6-count KB burpees x 10 (crowd pleaser)
– 2-hand KB swings x 20
– 6-count KB burpees x 10 (crowd pleaser)
– 1-hand KB swings x 10 per arm
– 6-count KB burpees x 10 (Mic Check really liked this set!)
Assemble on side line and find your partner
– Partner 1: Plank on KB handles and renegade row
– Partner 2: run to other sideline and back
– flapjack x 3 times through
Round 2 on the side line
– Partner 1: Power clean both bells
– Partner 2: run to other sideline and back
– flapjack x 3 times through
Head up to the playground for experimentation station (care of this month’s Mens Health)
– Partner 1: Pull up (x1) with a 1 minute controlled decline
– Partner 2: Shoulder shrugs with both bells
– Flapjack
At this point, we ran out of time.
COT
Moleskin:
– Welcome to Foxhole Teddy. It was difficult to see in the gloom this morning, but from what could be seen, it seemed like you killed it out there. Come back next week, Foxhole never disappoints.
– Luckily, school resumes at Elon Park today and the chain will be removed from the North entrance. It is lucky Rock Thrill was quick to move his bell and get to the side as Wingman made his entrance this morning. #hedon’tstop
– Even later than Wingman today, Philmont came squealing into the lot as the PAX were finishing the warmup lap. As he got out of the car, his pup definitely had a “what the heck is wrong with you” look on his face. YHC hopes some doggy treats were given after that harrowing ordeal.
– The 6-count KB burpees were a crowd pleaser. YHC cannot think of a more full body attack than Turkish getups, KB swings, and KB burpees all in one set. Mic Check could be heard grumbling from across the circle after each set. Other than that, the PAX were quiet today and powered through in relative silence. #stoicbeastsofnature
– Welcome back from vacation all. Good to see you all in the gloom again. Thanks for the opportunity to lead such a great group of men.
Announcements:
– Stonehenge Double-Down (May 17) – see weekly email for info.
– Swift (Ballantyne’s own speed workout) starts tomorrow at The Vine restaurant (same location as Bagpipes) at 5:30 am. Be there to develop those smokeboots.
Preblast: Devil’s Turn
Devil’s Turn is headed for familiar ground this week.
The plan calls for leaving the greenway parking lot (corner of Rea Rd. and Bevington Place) at 5:15am. We will then run the 2 miles out to South Charlotte Middle School to the track for the standard options depending on your level of spryness.
1) 15 min of assorted boot camp
2) 8 laps (2 mi) of tempo running at your own pace
3) 3 lap (1200m) intervals with 1 lap recovery repeated 2 times
The PAX will then run the 2 miles back to the parking lot for COT.