8 PAX gathered for one of the coldest mornings in recent memory at Stallings Elementary for a Slim Fast virgin Q at Conviction. Having disclaimed, the goal was simple… apply the immortal words of the venerable Blues Traveler frontman John Popper to answer the question… “Why you wanna give me a run-around?” Which of course, the answer was… to keep warm!
The Thang
Mosey to bus parking lot behind school… circle up for COP
SS x 20; Run to bus walkway and back
IW x 20; Run to bus walkway and back
Low Slow Squat x 20; Run to bus walkway and back
Merkins x 15; Run to bus walkway and back
Mountain Climbers x 15; Run to bus walkway and back
Line up on line for 3-line suicide, then run to end; rinse and repeat
3-line suicide, then backwards run to the end; rinse and repeat
3-line suicide, then karaoke run to the end; rinse and repeat
Mosey to front of school to picnic tables for the following:
15 dips; run 50 yds out/back
20 step-ups; run 50 yds out/back
15 incline merkins; run 50yds out/back
Rinse and repeat, replacing decline merkins for incline merkins
15 dips… YHC needs them!!
Mosey back to bus lot…
Lunge walk 5 lines, jog 5 lines, Lunge walk 1 line
Backwards lunge walk 5 lines, backwards jog 5 lines; backwards lunge walk 1 line
Go to Basketball goal for some team sport:
Everyone planks… first guy shoots basket… then planks… next guy shoots… so, on We keep going until everyone hits their first shot… comical to say the least, and it took about 2 full rounds for us to all make it… looked good on paper!!
Grab some wall for people’s chair
50-air presses followed by 25 LBC’s
Back to the wall
25-air presses followed by 15 Dolly’s
Mosey back to parking lot… DONE!
Moleskin
Thanks Bullwinkle for letting me come out to Q. It was great seeing where you boys call home on Wednesday mornings!
I enjoyed working out with Gypsy and Christmas for the first time. You guys have a great site here!
Glass Joe and I go wayyyyy back… Sunday morning runs through Raintree, scenic runs through the Smoky Mountains, etc… always great to reconnect! GJ was shedding layers as I was looking for more to add!!
It’s been a while, but I enjoyed seeing Arsenal again… Great job today!! I was reminded that his F3 name is for actual guns, not for the wankers from North London that managed to draw today with one of the worst teams in the league… I digress… #WengerOut!!
Shake N’ Bake brings it strong always! Today was no different! Those treadmarks in the parking lot should fade away with time!!
Thanks to Nomad for joining me for a warm-up pre-run and quick site recon. It makes it much easier to get out in 25 F when someone will be waiting for you… Nomad made the mistake of offering to be that someone!!
Congrats to Bullwinkle and Gypsy for a great site! I hope to be back soon!
Announcements:
1. Sign-up for Joe Davis Run
2. Contact Bullwinkle or Gypsy to sign-up for Q in 2018
Good prayer from Nomad to take us out.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve showed up for a workout… and namely F3 Mountain Goat, where between the radar and the forecast, a cancel would have been the only logical outcome… and yet like clockwork, the clouds part, and for 45-60 minutes… n’er a drop!
That’s what happened this morning! When I arrived at 0455 for pre-run, wind shield wipers were going, and one lone car was waiting for me in the parking lot… Benny! Of course, Benny being out in the freezing rain shouldn’t surprise anyone… he’s from Jersey!
So Benny and I took off on the pre-run, mainly for me to see how wet Strawberry Ln would be, and to also see if the rain was going to subside, stay the same, or get heavier! The radar and forecast would have supported the latter.
As we came back into the parking lot, more cars had arrived, so it wasn’t just Benny that had questionable decision-making skills… those also belonged to Purell, Nomad, Retread and Bullwinkle.
Having exceeded the threshold of “3 or less, coffee is best”… and seeing that the rain was actually diminishing, we hit the streets of Raintree (ironically) for the following:
Done! Depending on pace, goats completed 4-6 miles… excellent on a day that looked like a rain-out!!
Moleskin
Excellent job this morning… especially the dedication to GET UP… and then get out there! Those know I don’t like being cold… WET and cold is the ultimate crap-show! But I’ll be honest and say that it really wasn’t that bad! Several were in shorts, and I was down to 2 layers by the end of the workout!
Great to have Bullwinkle out… keep going, my brother! You’re doing great!
Nomad and Retread were solid as always!
Benny keeps getting stronger… we’re expecting sub-5:00 miles the next time we do the timed-mile!
Purell… pure glide! I felt bad because we usually don’t run out of pavement on the 5:00 run from that spot. But Purell is like the Space Shuttle… he needs extra runway! If you ever wonder what’s further down the dirt road at the end of Strawberry, just ask Purell!
Announcements:
Have a great weekend! SF
13 Goats gathered in the South Charlotte Middle School parking lot for another installment of #F3MountainGoat… and a bonus Literature lesson. The pre-blast contained a palindrome hinting at the planned workout… “Say Yas”. Of course that can only mean 1 thing… Yasso 800’s… or as Lois has coined them… “Sucko 800’s”!
The workout is simple:
Moleskin
Guys… not much to say except GREAT WORK! Here’s the deal… Friday MoutainGoat is all about getting there, then getting down to business! Everyone comes knowing they will push themselves, and you do… week in and week out.
It’s never going to be “Easy”… it should be one of your hardest workouts of the week. And it is doable by any skill/fitness/running level… that’t the goal of the Goat!
I love spending my Friday morning with you guys! Thanks for making the effort to be out there! I’m encouraged by each of you… and it is never taken for granted the effort each of you make to be out there.
Sensei was putting in some solid reps buoyed by his PR at the Charlotte half. Retread, Tweetsie and Benny were doing the same. Congrats to both Benny and Retread on strong finishes in both of their first Half Marathons!
Nomad, Huggy Bear, Insomniac, Drano, Gullah, Lois, Pele and Kilowatt… strong reps as well! Great to have Drano back out after a few weeks… and then Huggy Bear and Pele returning to “regular” status!
Announcements
Great prayer from Kilowatt to close us out.
Lite crowd today at F3 Mountain Goat… YHC did not get the convergence memo… plus several are tapering for a little thing called the Charlotte Marathon/Half/5k.
So 4 of us gathered in the Arctic Tundra of South Charlotte Middle School for “Manager’s Choice”… which was tempo/shakeout run to Bevington and back.
We also planned to allow for a convergence with Java Run… and since that is on Saturday, we knew we were on our own.
In the end, we completed 3.2 miles, and enjoyed some coffee and fellowship to boot! Those who decided to miss and/or taper missed out on a rare opportunity!!
Great to have Huggy Bear out again! I’m officially moving him back to “regular”!
Kilowatt and Nomad were strong as usual… good conversation… great shakeout ahead of the Half!
Happy Veterans Day to Nomad!! Thank you for your service! And that “Thanks” goes to all of our F3 Brothers, plus family members and friends that have served our Country!
We finished the festivities at Panera.
Announcements:
15 Goats + 1 fly-by dissenter gathered in the very mild gloom of South Charlotte Middle School for a crowd favorite Mountain Goat workout… 30-30-1.
The workout is simple:
DONE! 4.5 – 5.5 miles depending on pace… not sure how many the dissenter got!!
Moleskin
First… apologies for the delays in the Mountain Goat Back Blasts, and a couple of missed posts. That rests on my shoulders, and I am resolved to return to a timely and consistent BB. I expect everyone to hold me accountable!
Great to see 3 Kotters this week at Mountain Goat! Huggy Bear, Mall Cop and Pele all showed up to share in the interval pain! You guys are always welcome, and have been missed… great to see all 3 of you!
A semi-Kotter also joined us… Insomniac has been nursing something that I’m not sure I can say in a family-friendly post… but great to have you back! He even showed some of his new-found speed with strong intervals!
Great to have Turkey Leg join us… TL is training for the Charlotte Full Relay where they will be doing the Speed for Need as part of the relay. Should be great!
TL and Purell were out front all morning. Purell is pure glide… running without effort!
Strong running from Fleetwood, Retread, The Mouth, Tweetsie, Benny, Kilowatt and Sensei… you guys have remained strong since BRR, which is very evident! Gullah continues to look strong! I know he’s considering a BRR run in 2018… you will do great!! Just keep coming out and giving that effort… you will be ready before you know it!!
The dissenter mentioned earlier was Fireman Ed. I suppose he was meeting some of his girlfriends from RFYL on the track. Not sure how many laps he got in… maybe he can reply to inform us of his workout regimen! He knows he is more than welcome at Mountain Goat. Not sure what Sensei said to him to make him not want to join us, but I’ll let he and Sensei work that out! (just playing… of course!)
T-claps to Benny and Fleetwood who joined Slim Fast for early warm-up.
Great prayer from Pele.
Announcements:
See you next week! SF
12 PAX gathered (Insomniac joined late… but on-time for him, so I will give him credit) on a mild and pleasant Monday morning ahead of the shift from Indian Summer to Arctic Winter, with a chance for brief showers in between. Undeterred by the unpredictability of Mutha Nature, and having provided a rather disjointed disclaimer, we took off for a tour of Davie Park.
The Thang:
Done! 2.6 miles completed
Moleskin:
Always an honor to lead the great pax at Base Camp! Thanks to Drano and Goonie for the opportunity!
A trip to Davie Park is always invigorating! Not much mumble-chatter this morning… but a good time nonetheless!
Glad Insomniac found us despite being 5 minutes late!
Fireman Ed was already in the parking lot when I arrived, claiming his own version of Insomnia! Hopefully he rests well tonight!
Everyone finally figured out the flow of The Grinder…. just as it was time to mosey back! We’ll have to do that first next time!
It did rain… right as we got into our cars!!
Announcements:
Knight Rider took us out in prayer. Please keep our F3 Brother The Shore (Jon Kocmond) in the loss of their son Nathan Kocmond.
The title says it all! 14 Goats gathered for a Fall-ish morning to work on their endurance. The original plan was to do our workout on the track. However, since it rained < .01 inch, which covered the track in 2′ of standing water, we implemented the alternate plan to stay on Strawberry Ln.
Here’s how it went down:
Done! Everyone got somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5 miles, depending on pace. Excellent job!
Moleskin
Welcome to two site FNG’s… Arsenal and Swedish Chef. YHC is a Gunner fan, but confirmed that is not the origin of Arsenal’s nickname… in fact, he’s probably a Newcastle fan like Insomniac!! But welcome, nonetheless!! Swedish Chef came with Beaker… as you would expect for a namesake!! Beaker stayed at the front of the pack all morning… strong running!
Great running from everyone this morning! From Mr. Brady leading the way, to Bullwinkle giving 110%… you guys are awesome!
The small but grind-ish hill on Strawberry makes this workout a classic!
Announcements:
Thanks to Tweetsie for taking us out in prayer.
12 Goats gathered on a great early Fall morning to get Back to the Basics… having basked in the glory of a more than solid BRR showing, it was time to return to the building blocks for “the next…”
I’m not sure we ever disclaimed… so by reading this BB, you agree that you are agreeing that I’m not a professional, and you exercised at your own pace, and that you won’t sue me…. yada, yada, yada…
The plan was simple:
5-5.5 miles completed depending on pace… EXCELLENT JOB!
Moleskin:
The track was getting lonely… so we HAD to oblige our commitment to use said track! It was like a long lost friend that we hadn’t seen in a lonnnnggggg time! Perfect weather… and it was great to return to some more speed-focused intervals. SIDE NOTE: Experienced Mountain Goaters should be thinking of the following in terms of their weekly training:
If you combine those different “types” of training, you will see results, and you will avoid injury. What we do on Fridays for most of us counts for #3. I will be honest that I definitely don’t do enough #1… but that is a personal problem…. #TWSS.
It was great having Bullwinkle join us! Thanks for getting up early, and tackling something I’m assuming pretty new for you! You are always welcome to join us!!
Also great to have Costanza… this is his second time out, but I missed the first one… so site-FNG to me! Great to have you out! I’m very proud of you also tackling this running-thing, including your soon-to-be 2nd 5k!!
Congrats to Benny on your 1-Year Anniversary! You have become an exceptional PAX and leader in South Charlotte, especially at Peak 51 and Mountain Goat. I know you go to lesser sites… :-), but I consider those 2 your home!!
I love having everyone there! There are many different levels of runners, which is great! Thanks as always to the regulars that are there every week… Retread, Sensei, Gullah, Lois, Tweetsie, Nomad, Adobe, Drano… this doesn’t happen without you guys being there week-in/week-out!
Announcements:
Thanks to Tweetsie for the prayer out!
That was the banter this morning as 18 Goats gathered for their final interval training ahead of the 2017 Blue Ridge Relay. Many knew this could be their last time together… for so many have started the BRR, never to have returned… oh wait, that’s climbing Mt. Everest…
BRR… not quite as dramatic… but an awesome accomplishment nonetheless! Some might have gathered thinking this would be a “taper” workout… maybe that we would braid each other’s hair, or rub our butts (pork, that is…) but not to be… BRR is one week out, and there is still work to be done.
This is the work we did:
Excellent job!!
Moleskin
I can’t say enough how proud I am of the guys that have tackled this BRR training! You guys are AWESOME!! When we gather next time for F3 Mountain Goat, we will have stories about road kills, snoring in the van, extended porta-john breaks, and crushing the mountains of North Carolina!! It is going to be incredible!
And then you will be getting the next set of Mountain Goats signed up and ready to run in the 2018 BRR… Mad, Joker, Purell… I’m looking at you guys!!
Yes, Lois rubbed butts yesterday… he said he rubbed them real good… ahead of tailgating for the Gamecock/Wolfpack showdown on Saturday. At least that was his story….
Tweetsie impressed us with his blue light special blinking light. It went well with his outfit, and he mainly wants to be able to standout from all of the blinking red lights on the course. I hear he has a color for each outfit… well-played Mr. Mountaineer!!
I won’t rehash the story, but Tweetsie and I reminisced somewhere around set #3 that 1-year ago, I said he (and Lois) would run BRR with us… and 1-year ago he DID say I was crazy!! But 1-year later… here they both are… BRR-ready!
Great to have Mad back out with us! Please come back anytime! Ask anyone… I’m serious about you running BRR with us! I already have a spot for you!
Joker and Purell were leading the pack… I know everyone is surprised! Purell stopped for some Merkins along the way… mainly to remind me that I’m 50 and he’s not!! 🙂 . I’ve also got both of you down for 2018 BRR spots.
Great to have Beaker and Voodoo join us… best of luck to both of you at the BRR!
Always great to have Jello and Drano join us! Our drivers are in top-shape, ready for anything!
The regulars make this workout great! Early Bird, Nomad, Goonie, Insomniac, Adobe, Retread, The Mouth, Benny… this AO doesn’t happen without you guys!!
Announcements:
Thanks to Adobe for the prayer out!
17 Goats joined YHC for a Milestone B-Day/BRR-is-near style workout. August 25 is the Birthdate for YHC… and this year happened to be the year of Respect… So the workout needed to reflect the significance of the date… so we did :50 Intervals over one of Raintree’s notorious hills… Windbluff.
The program was simple:
DONE! Everyone got between 5 – 5.25 miles. Excellent job!
Moleskin
Guys… I’ll be honest I’ve approached my Half-Century birthday with some bit of trepidation. I know I ain’t getting younger!! BUT, I will say F3 has helped me FEEL great, and pretty much ambivalent to my age, as well as to the age of the guys I workout with through the week. My Dr. continually says I’ve added 10-15 years to my life… And while I’ve accomplished many fitness goals that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own, MOST IMPORTANTLY, I’ve made some incredible friendships that have encouraged me to be a better Christian, a better Husband, a better Dad, and hopefully a better friend.
You guys are awesome!
I hope I captured The Mouth’s title correctly… but everyone who knows me, and knows The Mouth… knows I really wasn’t Grumpy… at least no more than usual!! And he knows, that I know, that he knows, that I know…. that it always comes with smiles! #TWSS At least it made for some good conversation!!
Thanks to Joker for the kind words in the COT… That meant a lot to me! Joker was leading the pack the whole morning… he is BRR-ready…. but still needs to experience the BRR. We’re going to get him on a team one of these years!
Thanks to Insomniac for nearly breaking my back with the bear hug… which nearly violated the “No Injuries” policy that is strictly enforced from now until BRR!! But seriously, I love having you there on Fridays. You have improved TREMENDOUSLY!!
Great to have Grave Dancer, site FNG, out to do the Pre-Run and Main Event! Strong running! Come join us any time… and best of luck in the BRR!
Also great to have Pop Tart join us for 2nd or 3rd week! Very strong! You guys are going to do great at BRR!
Goonie looking very strong… at the front most of the morning! Always great to have you join us!!
Everyone is getting BRR-Strong! I can’t say enough of how proud I am of all the guys that are going to do this for the first time! Early Bird, Benny, Tweetsie, Lois, Fleetwood, Jello, Drano (plus Houdini who wasn’t here on Friday)… you guys are going to be awesome!
I have to also double-thank the guys that are going back to BRR for a 2nd time… we wouldn’t have a team without your guys’ encouragement, leadership and stupidity… I mean perseverance… to go back for a 2nd year of this nonsense! Sensei, Nomad, Insomniac, Slice… (plus a few regulars not here on Friday, including Retread and Kilowatt)… you guys are incredible!
Slice had to develop his own workout as he missed where we headed to… although I’m not sure exactly HOW hard he tried to find us… 🙂 . And then there is Sensei… who has to not only run with me… but has to listen to me the entire time! Pray for his sanity!
I couldn’t help but be a little sentimental about the day! Nomad summed it up with some words of advice… “After 50, never pass up a restroom, and be suspicious of every fart.”
Half-Century and Grumpy… Here’s to the next 50!!
Announcements: