Lap the Ruckers, take 2
Date: 2025-10-17 AO: sparta Q: hoover , Orange Whip PAX: geraldo, Horsehead, Keystone, Gazette, jrr_tolkien FNGs: None COUNT: 7 WARMUP: talk about the Thang
THE THANG: simple .5 mile route around Matthews. Ruckers speed ruck, runners try to lap them as many times as possible with 50 merkins at each lap. could this get boring? yes. will chesticles hurt in the process? more like tomorrow morning.
did we have any better ideas? no we didn’t and you’ll like it.
BTW, Nan’taan needs new shoes. squeak, squeak
MARY: never heard of her
ANNOUNCEMENTS: holiday party, canned food drive / brew ruck, Festivus CSAUP
COT: OW took us out.
After consulting public opinion polls, the internet, tea leaves, and chat GPT the leadership at Sparta, OW and myself, decided we’re going to try this approach again next week. Different route, slightly different approach, but bringing speed ruck and running options together. And you will like it. Because as they tell me at work, the beatings will continue until morale improves.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER – Nan’taan Hoover
THE THANG: simple .5 mile route around Matthews. Ruckers speed ruck, runners try to lap them as many times as possible with 50 merkins at each lap. could this get boring? yes. will chesticles hurt in the process? more like tomorrow morning.
did we have any better ideas? no we didn’t and you’ll like it.
BTW, Nan’taan needs new shoes. squeak, squeak
MARY: never heard of her
ANNOUNCEMENTS: holiday party, canned food drive / brew ruck, Festivus CSAUP
COT: OW took us out.
After consulting public opinion polls, the internet, tea leaves, and chat GPT the leadership at Sparta, OW and myself, decided we’re going to try this approach again next week. Different route, slightly different approach, but bringing speed ruck and running options together. And you will like it. Because as they tell me at work, the beatings will continue until morale improves.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER – Nan’taan Hoover
Quads on fire
Date: 2025-10-17 AO: scars Q: Roulette , PAX: Blanks, kirby, F3 Elsa, The Worm, Rudy, soft_pretzel FNGs: None COUNT: 7 WARMUP: Who’s Qing this thing THE THANG: Hills in Ballantyne CC MARY: Negative ANNOUNCEMENTS: Food Drive Brew Ruck Nov 15 see brew-ruck-food-drive to sign up COT: kirby took us out
Low Mileage
Date: 2025-10-17 AO: centurion Q: Emoji , PAX: hoover, Snuka, Hawkeye, Rawhide, Point Break, Icarus, Project-Z FNGs: None COUNT: 8 Men of all ages met at Amélie’s French Bakery, Hoover somehow emerged from a tiny car at 5:30.5
WARM UP 60 seconds of hell Circle up, Set Timer: First PAX calls out exercise, repeat exercise for 60 seconds Second PAX calls out exercise, repeat for 60 seconds, third, fourth….
Mosey around corner of mall to Carmel Rd. lot The Thang Criss Cross: Run across parking lot, 15x of one exercise lunge to other side, 15x of another exercise bear crawl to other side, 15x of one exercise crab walk to other side, 15x of one exercise
Picnic Mosey to picnic tables Partner 1 runs around building, Partner 2 continuously repeats step ups switch
Mountain Mosey to base of the mountain in back of mall Walk backwards to top, 15x squats Run down, 15 merkins Repeat 3x 20 calf raises
Ab Killer In cadence Legs stay in the air between exercises 20x each Flutters, Dollys, LBCs, Freddie’s, Heels, Jaylo’s, Rosalitas, Boone, Boat/Canoes, Peter Parkers
Mosey around the mall back to Amilie’s lot, 2 jump squats every lamp post
COT: YHC took us out
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Area 51 hosts Brew Ruck Food Drive (11/15) Sign-up Here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iMqwrkvCdiVlqJujcj3O6QWpwk4zJ29lsYdYMDMjgG8/edit?usp=sharing WHEN: Saturday 11/15, TIME: 11:00 AM – about 4 miles WHERE: South End (Start Point: Wooden Robot 1440 S Tryon St UNIT 110, Charlotte, NC 28203) (End Point: Sugar Creek Brewing, 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217) WHO: Pax, family, & friends We’ll cover some breweries and 4ish miles along the South End rail trail but this time fill your ruck with canned foods (Meat, Fruit, Vegetables, Soups, Beans) & Peanut Butter as your weight. All canned goods go to the Second Harvest Food Bank. A patch for this event is in the works. Kick-off the season of giving and help out those in need. If you need a ruck, There will be spares to lend.DM geraldo if you have any questions.
Area-51 Holiday Party (12/7) at Hops’ house. More details forthcoming…
Festivus Convergence (12/13) – BIG convergence with all Saturday workouts. (More details will be on Slack)
WARM UP 60 seconds of hell Circle up, Set Timer: First PAX calls out exercise, repeat exercise for 60 seconds Second PAX calls out exercise, repeat for 60 seconds, third, fourth….
Mosey around corner of mall to Carmel Rd. lot The Thang Criss Cross: Run across parking lot, 15x of one exercise lunge to other side, 15x of another exercise bear crawl to other side, 15x of one exercise crab walk to other side, 15x of one exercise
Picnic Mosey to picnic tables Partner 1 runs around building, Partner 2 continuously repeats step ups switch
Mountain Mosey to base of the mountain in back of mall Walk backwards to top, 15x squats Run down, 15 merkins Repeat 3x 20 calf raises
Ab Killer In cadence Legs stay in the air between exercises 20x each Flutters, Dollys, LBCs, Freddie’s, Heels, Jaylo’s, Rosalitas, Boone, Boat/Canoes, Peter Parkers
Mosey around the mall back to Amilie’s lot, 2 jump squats every lamp post
COT: YHC took us out
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Area 51 hosts Brew Ruck Food Drive (11/15) Sign-up Here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iMqwrkvCdiVlqJujcj3O6QWpwk4zJ29lsYdYMDMjgG8/edit?usp=sharing WHEN: Saturday 11/15, TIME: 11:00 AM – about 4 miles WHERE: South End (Start Point: Wooden Robot 1440 S Tryon St UNIT 110, Charlotte, NC 28203) (End Point: Sugar Creek Brewing, 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217) WHO: Pax, family, & friends We’ll cover some breweries and 4ish miles along the South End rail trail but this time fill your ruck with canned foods (Meat, Fruit, Vegetables, Soups, Beans) & Peanut Butter as your weight. All canned goods go to the Second Harvest Food Bank. A patch for this event is in the works. Kick-off the season of giving and help out those in need. If you need a ruck, There will be spares to lend.DM geraldo if you have any questions.
Area-51 Holiday Party (12/7) at Hops’ house. More details forthcoming…
Festivus Convergence (12/13) – BIG convergence with all Saturday workouts. (More details will be on Slack)
Vamps and Billages
Date: 2025-10-16 AO: the-devils-turn Q: flipper PAX: fleetwood, bunker, hairball, frasier, citgo, gumbo, Dosey Doe, flipper FNGs: None COUNT: 8 WARMUP: fleetwood and bunker PreRan THE THANG: four Pax ran the called route with a cameo from hairball on his way to five knolls :face_vomiting::face_vomiting:.
Vampires ran tempo
MARY: nope ANNOUNCEMENTS: stuff on slack, duh COT: Citgo took us out
Vampires ran tempo
MARY: nope ANNOUNCEMENTS: stuff on slack, duh COT: Citgo took us out
Active Recovery
Date: 2025-10-16 AO: the-phoenix Q: Roulette , midriff, Blanks PAX: midriff, Blanks, Roulette FNGs: None COUNT: 3 WARMUP: Circle the HR parking lot to pickup anyone that might be running late. The assigned Q was MIA, so we adapt and overcome… THE THANG: The PAX needed a day for active recovery, so we set off for a brisk adventure through the mystical shire of Briarwick. MARY: Who? ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nov 15 Food Drive Beer Ruck, join brew-ruck-food-drive for more info… Starting Nov 7 at scars Freed To Lead workshop COT: YHC took us out… gratitude, patience, presence
Headlamps & HeartHearts at The #Shield
Date: 2025-10-16 AO: shield Q: tagalong PAX: Cheese Curd, Brisket, Bombay, shrinkwrap, ToeJam, Cooter2 FNGs: None COUNT: 7 Warmup: Dynamic stretches, side chatter, and zero assistance from AI videos — just pure, old-fashioned human suffering.
The Thang: A balanced blend of pain, pride, and poorly timed jokes. Lunges, tarantulas, and enough sweat to short-circuit Cooter2’s new headlamp.
Highlights: – ToeJam & shrinkwrap shared a 45-minute intimate conversation about canned goods and UNC Wilmington glory days. :canned_food::bird: – Brisket felt left out but made up for it by actually doing all the reps. :muscle: – Cooter2 showed up glowing — literally — in a brand new headlamp, likely a post-birthday flex. :birthday::flashlight: – Bombay suggested, “Those two should get a workout in after COT!” …. :joy: – Cheese Curd was so far ahead during lunges and tarantulas that he missed every punchline. :spider::dash:
Moleskine: Strong work by all. The Shield continues its tradition of quality effort, questionable conversation, and undeniable camaraderie. See y’all next week — same time, same nonsense. :shield:
Cooter2 on Q next Week!
The Thang: A balanced blend of pain, pride, and poorly timed jokes. Lunges, tarantulas, and enough sweat to short-circuit Cooter2’s new headlamp.
Highlights: – ToeJam & shrinkwrap shared a 45-minute intimate conversation about canned goods and UNC Wilmington glory days. :canned_food::bird: – Brisket felt left out but made up for it by actually doing all the reps. :muscle: – Cooter2 showed up glowing — literally — in a brand new headlamp, likely a post-birthday flex. :birthday::flashlight: – Bombay suggested, “Those two should get a workout in after COT!” …. :joy: – Cheese Curd was so far ahead during lunges and tarantulas that he missed every punchline. :spider::dash:
Moleskine: Strong work by all. The Shield continues its tradition of quality effort, questionable conversation, and undeniable camaraderie. See y’all next week — same time, same nonsense. :shield:
Cooter2 on Q next Week!
Maul Hills
Date: 2025-10-15 AO: the-maul Q: Hawkeye PAX: super trooper, strange_brew, Smash, patent_pending, Kelly, war_eagle FNGs: None COUNT: 7 WARMUP: Mix of warm up and stretches THE THANG: after a discussion on who was actually the Q, we moseyed to the picnic area. Two team, husky vs slim, alternating laps and called exercises. Mosey to back lot for hill repeats. MARY: Incorporated and work out today ANNOUNCEMENTS: COT: YHC took us out.
Pepsi’s first Que for this AO
Date: 2025-10-15 AO: meathead Q: Pepsi PAX: Blanks, F3 Elsa, flipper, high_tide, voodoo, Uncle Leo, Unplugged FNGs: None COUNT: 8 WARMUP: nothing original on my part, just followed the Unplugged special. Did add a little time for individual warmup for whatever was bothering you. Unplugged took this as an opportunity to say some disparaging remarks about flipper. No one saw anything wrong with that. THE THANG: today’s Norwegian meathead special had quite a selection: 10 snatches (5L/5R) 10 Renegade rows (5L/5R) 10 Heavy deadlifts 10 Rack reverse lunges (5L/5R)
It took two rounds for yours truly to figure out how to correctly time the 4 x 4‘s, but nobody seemed to mind the slight time inconsistencies.
It was fun to hear Blanks experience the difference using 2 kettlebells for the renegade rows vs 1. MARY: took the opportunity with the extra 13 minutes we had to do a little core workout. 6 inches ( flipper insert comment here), LBC‘s, side lifts, boat and canoes. Had enough time for some waiter carries. Finished it off with a little round of Merkens to complete up our time this morning. ANNOUNCEMENTS: to be honest, I don’t really remember the announcements, feel free to modify if you do. COT:
It took two rounds for yours truly to figure out how to correctly time the 4 x 4‘s, but nobody seemed to mind the slight time inconsistencies.
It was fun to hear Blanks experience the difference using 2 kettlebells for the renegade rows vs 1. MARY: took the opportunity with the extra 13 minutes we had to do a little core workout. 6 inches ( flipper insert comment here), LBC‘s, side lifts, boat and canoes. Had enough time for some waiter carries. Finished it off with a little round of Merkens to complete up our time this morning. ANNOUNCEMENTS: to be honest, I don’t really remember the announcements, feel free to modify if you do. COT:
stone cold fartsack
Date: 2025-10-14 AO: skunk-works Q: Mountain Momma PAX: lois, smokey FNGs: None COUNT: 3 WARMUP: THE THANG: We miss you Stone Cold
3 15 minute segments lead by each pax. Good meat and potatoes kettlebell stuff
Mumblechatter about sesame Street v muppets MARY: ANNOUNCEMENTS: COT:
3 15 minute segments lead by each pax. Good meat and potatoes kettlebell stuff
Mumblechatter about sesame Street v muppets MARY: ANNOUNCEMENTS: COT:
Shadow Selection Week 2
Date: 2025-10-15 AO: sacs Q: Roulette , PAX: wildturkey, midriff, Cheese Curd, geraldo, hoover, O’Tannenbaum FNGs: None COUNT: 7 WARMUP: Gear up, get to the football field, time is burning THE THANG: The answer to life might be “42”, but the number of AMRAP of Evolution Puckett a middle aged man in fairly decent shape can do is “3”. Well done to everyone this morning, it wasn’t easy, you knew that, and showed up anyway… Great to see some new faces midriff and O’Tannenbaum wildturkey Thank you for pushing me to be better all the time, it’s a full time effort just to keep up with you hoover Leading by example geraldo Absolutely crushing shadow selection t-claps sir Cheese Curd making questionable decisions with his weight selections, never change buddy Evolution Puckett – “Hill 205 Tribute” Honoree: 1LT Ralph Puckett, Jr., 8th Army Ranger Co., Korea (Nov 25–26, 1950). Led assault on Hill 205, repeatedly exposing himself to fire, directing artillery, and refusing evacuation after grievous wounds. Standards: AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) in 1 Hour ● Perform 100 alternating lunges with a sandbag on shoulders (60/40) ● Drop sandbag ● 50m high crawl with a ruck on ● 30 Hello Dollies ● 50m reverse bear crawl with Ruck on Pick up a 60/40lb sandbag, then bear crawl with a ruck on and sandbag drag for an additional 100m (50m out and back) MARY: Not applicable ANNOUNCEMENTS: Food Drive Ruck Nov. 15, sign-up on geraldo Google sheet COT: Gratitude is a powerful mindset, use it to your advantage in times of trials…
