6 men ignored the weather forecast for rain and made their way out to Basecamp to discuss, among other things, peckers and elephant scrotums workout.
Thang
Moleskin
Goonie texted me the night before saying that coupons didn’t make their way out to Basecamp often and thought sandbags might be a fun idea. YHC concurred and quickly loaded up the truck. Had a great plan going into it, but that plan included the track (which I did not realize becomes a lake after even a little bit of rain) and at least 8 PAX (which we didn’t get). Luckily, we got 5 badasses (and 1 Q) ready to work and that is exactly what we did.
The workout started with Fireman Ed regaling us with tales of his trip to D.D. Peckers the night before. If you’ve never been to this local gem, I highly recommend you change that. The wings are ridiculous, the atmosphere is great, and the buffalo chicken wrap is on my Top 10 list. Better yet, it’s practically walking distance from YHC’s house so hit me up if you are heading that way and I will meet you there. Once we finally got Red to quit yapping, we headed out listening to the swish-swish-swish of his raincoat which remained dry as a bone most of the morning (#overPrepared).
Goonie ran a solo pre-run this morning — he then complained the rest of the workout that we weren’t getting enough miles (#overDedicated). He was crushing the sprints though so who can argue with results. Speaking of dedication, Thunder Road is a little bit stronger and a little bit faster every darn time I see him. This guy is the definition of steady progress. We did have one moment where he claimed that the sandbag, which was admittedly quite wet, felt like carrying an elephant scrotum. We almost left it alone, but the question was definitely raised as to how one even imagines what that would feel like. I do know my sandbags will never look the same again (#foreverUnclean). Snoopy is back from winter break and brought his best today. Great meeting you. Appreciate you making your way out on a less than ideal morning (#kotters). What Bug Eater lacks at being on time (#LIFO) and at counting to 30, he makes up for with mumblechatter effort. Pushed the pace all morning.
It was fun, guys. Glad it didn’t rain any harder and appreciate you all lugging around those schweaty elephant balls.
*Side note: if you didn’t recognize the quote “forever unclean,” look it up and then watch The League. You won’t be disappointed.
Announcements
Thang
Moleskin
Big turnout at The Maul — not something uncommon here at one of SOB’s staple weekly workouts. Found out the night before about an early morning work meeting and had to head straight to the car before COT. Cobains to all who were there for not sticking around and big thank you to Toolbag (Site Q) for finishing out the morning for me.
Doc and Mic Check (unsurprisingly) out front on the partner work. They had some trouble listening to directions, but this is also unsurprising. And, I guess I should say that Doc was out front on the partner work dragging along Mic Check (who has apparently come out of hibernation for this unseasonably warm weather). Wingman has been doing some kind of secret training and has become impressively fast — look out for this guy at P200. Honestly, everyone killed it today and we were able to cover 3+ miles of pretty heavy work in the 45 minutes we had together.
Turns out we had a new(ish?) guy today. Unfortunately, YHC’s mind wasn’t working too well this morning; did the disclaimer but did not ask if new guys were present and so didn’t even realize we had an FNG 2NG? until hearing Toolbag’s recording after. Some ambiguity here I am still trying to get to the bottom of. Good chance it was Olde English, Pleats or Zekeface (all of whom first posted that Monday). Just spoke with Tagalong and he was useless in providing intel. Comments welcome below clearing up this mystery.
Either way, lesson one learned is always, always ask if there are new guys present. Wouldn’t have changed the workout, but definitely would have made a better effort to introduce myself and Tweet a welcome afterwards to my thousands hundreds tens of followers. My apologies, new(ish) guy — look forward to seeing you out again soon and meeting you properly.
Second lesson learned: try not to have to leave early, especially if you are the Q. The 5 rules of F3 exist for a reason, including the last one that it must end with a Circle of Trust. YHC made sure to ask the Site Qs to lead COT, but not actually being there definitely takes something away from it. Feels more like just another workout without those few minutes at the end to come together, recognize each other, and take a moment to pray together. Bonus points for anyone who can list the other 4 of the 5 rules in the comments.
Had a blast leading these men at The Maul and hope everyone got what they came for. Thanks to Toolbag and No Show for the invite to lead.
Announcements
13 men showed up at The Brave. Promises were kept that there would not be an AMRAP. Pretty sure there were still some regrets.
Thang
Moleskin
This was long enough ago and traumatic enough that I forgot most of what happened that day. Luckily, I had written down the weinke ahead of time or that may have been lost as well. MT and Mr. Bean had requested no AMRAP this week and YHC obliged but promised it would still stuck. 100 flights of stairs later, plus a good amount of burpee and wall work, mission was accomplished and everyone looked pretty ragged by the end.
Room 101 is a great deck. It’s no muthaship, but man does it hurt more than anything else we have down here in the South. The Brave will occasionally go elsewhere I’m sure, but don’t be surprised to find yourself in this garage more often than not. Stairwell was already pretty warm and stinky in February, so it’s definitely going to get interesting come July. Sounds like good training for the BRR van.
Great having Bean (R) back in the gloom more regularly now that he’s sleeping through the night again and not waking his wife or the baby crying about how he is turning 50.
Thanks to all who came out to The Brave. See you in a few days.
10 PAX (including 2 Turkeys who survived another Thanksgiving) showed up in the cold, wet parking lot of Anvil. Little did they know that all they did that morning would come very close to being forgotten (thanks to a lazy/forgetful Q and a BB that almost never was).
Thang
Moleskin
Happy and sad to say this is the latest BB YHC has ever posted. Sat down to type up the RockZero BB and remembered this other Calvary Q I started writing about in Textpad then procrastination, holidays, excuses, and so on. Tempting to just ignore it and call it a loss, but then I pictured Purple Haze with his angry face on and it just didn’t sit right. More importantly, YHC at least wants the men who showed up to be counted as having been there, no matter how bad this BB ends up being.
Can’t remember all that much about the morning, but here are things I either remember, imagined up, or likely would have happened based on past experience:
Great morning with these guys. Cobains on the late BB and anything I may have left out.
8 men gathered in the cool morning and launched promptly at 0700. One went down (but got back up) before 0701.
Thang
Moleskin
We covered many more miles today (4.2-4.6 depending on the PAX) than any of us (including the Q) expected. Some grumbling at the end that this invalidated it being a true “Heavy Day” at Rock Zero, but I checked the official regulations and they simply state “at least 3 miles” and “use heavy stuff.” Check, and check.
What can I say, I can’t help but bring The Brave and it’s 4 mile minimum wherever I go. If you survived Rock Zero today (everyone did, and then some), then come check out The Brave sometime. It’s on Fridays so I’m pretty sure it’s ok to advertise it in this BB. #soManyRules
Plan today was to bring a little bit of training for the upcoming 2nd Annual BROlympics to RockZero. We covered a lot of the events today, including the 1 mile run, bucket carry for time, American KB swings, and we even worked our grip strength to get ready for the dead hang. Wasn’t sure how the church would feel about the KB toss, so we left that out. Either way, between the heavy stations toasting our CNS and the excessive continuous running, today has been an eat-everything-in-sight, hurts-to-wash-my-hair, take-a-nap kind of Saturday.
Buckeye went down early hitting a crack in the sidewalk, but shook it off pretty quickly. It’s understandable, the guy is top heavy with all those biceps. Couldn’t decide if BLC wanted to hit me or was enjoying himself, but he crushed it either way. Haven’t been around Boerwors long enough to say his name correctly, so I didn’t try. Everyone dug in and didn’t voice any complaints (that I could hear). Really great crew out today and really enjoyed spending the morning with all these guys who I don’t get to see very often (or met for the first time today).
Announcements
17 showed up today for Dark Helmet’s much anticipated and highly marketed debut Q at The Brave. At 0515 (not 0500) we launched straight to ludicrous speed and this is what followed.
From Dark Helmet:
Thanks for the invite to come out. I will be back, and I may even be willing to Q again if you’ll have me… You SOBs get it. It’s a great group of guys. At any rate, here is the BB for today. Post as you see fit…
Q AT THE BRAVE 12-01-17
Quick Mosey down Conlan Circle to front of Duckworth’s
Warm up Part 1:
-Windmills x 10
-Low slow squats x 15
-Burpees x 10
Quick Mosey down Conlan to BT Medical, then cross BT Commons and head up to the bottom level of the “legal” Parking Deck
Warm up Part 2:
-Mountain Climbers x 15
-Had more planned, but we were warm enough, so we skipped it…
The rest of this will be AMRAP with a Partner – size always matters
Round 1 –
At each level of the deck stop and do:
-10 Partner Derkins (each partner)
-10 Jump Squats
-10 Flutters (each left leg = 1)
-Down the stairs at the far end to the bottom
Round 2:
-Partner Carry up 1 level, switch – until level 4
-Run to top and do 20 merkins by the stairs, then back down to the bottom
Round 3:
-Bear Crawl one ramp, backwards run the other to the top
-10 burpees, and back down to the bottom
Round 4 –
-Find the truck with the cinderblocks
-Each Pax will do 50 curls, then run to the top with the block
-Each does 50 more curls, then leave the brick and head to the bottom down the stairs
Round 5 (rest round):
-20 LBCs each at bottom
-Run to top
-50 Overhead Press with block (each pax)
-Overhead Carry (or normal if too smoked) to bottom down the stairs
-Put the brick back in the truck
REPEATO until 0610-ish
Mosey back to COT
NMM
Shockingly, Dark Helmet (the king of gab) provided no mumblechatter (moleskin) so YHC will leave a few thoughts. Any more definitely welcome in the comments.
First, a big thank you to DH for coming northbound to lead (and to Jedi for coming with him). It’s not a short trip for these guys and it’s always a little intimidating leaving familiar turf to lead a bunch of dudes you don’t see that often. Really appreciate your leadership. AMRAP is always welcome at The Brave, and cinderblocks are terrible so nicely done. We may have come in a little shy of the unofficial 4 mile minimum, but we got closer than the time Flipper made us do that thing that time so I would call it a win. Plus, it’s got to be a rule somewhere that partner carry miles count double.
Pretty sure that Mario, Doc, Squid and Tuck were the only ones who got the chance to do any “REPEATO.” Frasier would have been up there, but he was kind enough to hang back with an injured YHC (his other option was to partner carry Dark Helmet so not sure if it was kindness or survival instinct). Cobbler continues to pick the toughest workouts and is improving every day — impressive stuff. Also, Frehley’s and Fireman Ed’s Clemson bro-ness is borderline nauseating.
That’s all I got for a Friday.
Announcements
16 (17?) mostly on time PAX took on Bagpipe this morning and lived to sound off in COT.
Thang
Moleskin
Aside from The Brave on Friday, Tuesday is my favorite day of the week in SOBLand. Between Bagpipe or Swift (depending on how fresh the legs are feeling) and Timekeeper afterwards, it is almost always a morning that starts with a great workout, plenty of PAX eager to share some 2F, and followed with even more 2F and a good dose of 3F. Can’t think of a better way to start the morning. Hopefully everyone who came out to Bagpipe this morning at least got the first 2 and I know anyone who stayed after for Haggis’ lead at Timekeeper didn’t leave disappointed.
Hops, being the inflexible old man traditionalist that he is, was somewhat concerned that our COP wasn’t exactly circular. Pretty sure it was because he had less chance to heckle the Q who was way on the other side of the line. #Strategy
Abba was still sporting the mighty impressive beard this morning and was pushing the pace as he tends to do, battling with Doc most of the morning. Take a minute if you can and send a well wish to (or say a prayer for) Abba and his family as they take a new journey and start a new chapter in their lives. Abba said farewell today to Charlotte and will be moving to Atlanta with his family for a few months before moving onto Thailand to found a church. As Paper Jam said in the takeout, it takes a lot of courage and resolve to step up and step out of your comfort zone to follow this calling. We wish you and your entire family the best and expect you to keep in touch and reach out if you need us.
War Eagle is a certified Bagpipe regular now and is moving up his running game. I plan to coerce sense a Bagpipe VQ in the very near future (Tagalong, take note and get him on the schedule). Lots of Respect out this morning (Frehleys, Long Haul, Fredo, Tater Hole) but you wouldn’t know it by watching these dudes workout. I’d wager Long Haul can out-sprint nearly all the SOB PAX even with a wonky hip. Really appreciate Tater Hole (F3 Granite Falls / Hickory) coming out with Transporter to join the SOBs for a workout. Hope to see you again next time you are in town.
Please consider signing up for the SOB Holiday Party (link below — and here). If you’ve been around a while, you know it’s not something you want to miss. And, if you are relatively new, this is an incredible opportunity to get to know some people on a deeper level outside of the gloom.
Thanks to Tagalong and One Niner (heal up soon, buddy) for the invite to lead.
Announcements
It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year again. BRR is in the rearview, hats and gloves are coming off the shelves, and the Holiday Party is starting to come up in announcements after your workouts. This year’s party is brought to you by the SOB Board and many of the details are below. We will be adding to them/answering questions as they come up. Tickets are also available now (link below) along with an option to add on 1 or more donations to support the families of the Union County Community Shelter.
Before getting to all the details, we just want to ask you to please do whatever you can to try and make it to the party. There are few times in the year (if not just this one) when we have a chance to all come together from across the region and spend some quality time getting to know each other, and each other’s spouses, better. It is also a great opportunity to introduce your M to all these guys you come home talking about and hopefully give her a better idea of exactly why F3 means so much to us.
Tickets: You can reserve your tickets using button above (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/f3-sob-holiday-party-charity-collection-tickets-38582286658). Once you have reserved them, please pay via PayPal to the following e-mail address: f3sobs@gmail.com. When you send the money, use the Friends & Family option and include your F3 Name as well as “Holiday Party” in the note. Thank you! If you don’t have access to PayPal, let one of us (listed below) know and we will find another way for you to pay.
Charity: When selecting your tickets, you will see an option to add-on $15 or $25 gift cards to benefit the Union County Community Shelter. For each one of these that you purchase, the board will be buying an actual gift card (dinner, bowling, movies) to deliver to the UCCS. The staff there will then hand these cards out to the members of the community in need so that they and their families can enjoy a special night out during the holiday season. This is a great cause, a great way to spread holiday cheer to those who may have less reason to celebrate than us, and a great way to support our F3 community in Western Union County.
When: Saturday, December 16th from 5 PM to Midnight (technically we can stay as late as we like but have to turn the music down at midnight)
Where: Red Barn Events (6012 Jeanne Dr, Waxhaw, NC 28173) – http://www.redbarnwaxhaw.com/
We wanted to find a place that was in a central location for all the SOB PAX whether you are coming from Ballantyne, Waxhaw, Indian Land or Western Union County. This is a really nice venue in a large rustic barn on a big, secluded piece of land. It’s a family-owned business and Doug, who owns it with his wife, is a long-time Stallings police officer and is excited about hosting the F3 SOB Holiday Party. The barn is open air so it may be a little chilly, but we will have a bonfire as well as many firepits going to keep everyone warm and provide some nice atmosphere.
Food/Drink: BYOB. Wine and beer are welcome, hard liquor is technically not allowed since we will not have a bartender present. Water and soda will be provided as well as a catered BBQ dinner. Exact details on the dinner will be forthcoming, but Madame Tussauds is the master of BBQ and promises to pick a great vendor.
Entertainment: Aside from the 2nd F, there will be plenty of entertainment available. The barn has a great built-in sound system and the plan at the moment is to play music from a playlist or service like Spotify. If anyone wants to volunteer their services creating a playlist or anyone wants to take a stab at playing some live music (looking at you Kid Rock and Wild Turkey), you are more than welcome to do so just let us know. We will also have access to cornhole, beer pong tables, plenty of space for tossing around footballs, etc, and even a large stocked fishing pond (you can even come earlier in the afternoon if you want to get some fishing in — we have the venue for the entire day).
Dress: Warm and casual. Recommend not wearing sweatpants, but whatever floats your boat is welcome. Can’t wait to see Mario’s sleeveless ugly Christmas sweater.
Cost: We tried our best to keep the cost low to encourage as much attendance as possible. $30 per person covers the venue, entertainment, your dinner, non-alcoholic refreshments and all the 2F you can handle.
Transportation: We looked into shuttle buses but it would have pushed the price up too high. There is tons of parking at the farm, so if you want to drive yourself go for it. For those who plan to drink, please please please plan for a designated driver. If that’s not an option, both Uber and Lyft now offer scheduled rides so you should be able to get picked up at a decent time even with it being a little ways out there. For those up in Ballantyne, carpooling from The Vine is a great option as well to reduce the number of necessary drivers. Fire Hazard alone can fit at least 8 people into that truck of his.
If you have any questions at all, please reach to any of us on the board (Madame Tussauds, Soft Pretzel, Argonaut, General_, Frehleys Comet, Wild Turkey, Thin Mint). Hope to see each and every one of you there on December 16th.
Some arrived earlier than others, some arrived faster than others, and by launch time an even dozen had shown for YHC’s first Q at Fast Twitch. And so began our morning as we set out to do a little bit of a lot of different things:
Thang
Moleskin
Purple Haze came out firing and lodged his first complaint at 0511 this morning, letting YHC know that I had neglected my duty of pre-tweeting and pre-Slacking my Q. This was followed roughly 4 minutes later with a note that my SOB shirt was a less than ideal choice for this Q in A51 territory. For a moment I thought I might have to channel my inner-Swan if he asked me to take off my colors, but it didn’t come to that.
Plenty of additional complaints mumblechatter kept us entertained throughout the morning [stretching (Haze), burpees (Haze, HH, Brady, more), LC (most except One Eye, Rachel and also Purrell who didn’t know what to expect and ran smoked it for his 1st time today), having to count to 5 street lights (more than I care to admit)]. Taking Summer Gate into Five Knolls was originally a way to save time. It was a nice bonus when almost everyone was genuinely surprised to look up and see LC looming in front of them. Each trip up that mother is still near vomit-inducing. #LoveHate
YHC was able to hang with Rachel and Purrell part of the way back but eventually watched them fly off into the distance. Alf put it best afterwards saying Rachel is like a flywheel — takes him a little while to warm up but once that inertia is going it’s all over. Purrell is just plain fast and put himself out front on just about every portion of today’s workout. Brady doesn’t like upper body work on his running days, Benny was running strong coming off his PR sub-20 5K this weekend, and I am pretty sure most of you were probably still sore from Southern Discomfort this weekend. Today likely didn’t help with that.
Big thank you to Haze and Rachel for inviting me to lead. Always great to get out and put in work with the men of Fast Twitch.
Announcements