WTF Training Run 7 miles
Flip Phone and Robocall talked about real estate investments the entire run. Flint, MI is where it’s at.
Kid Rock took off on the back side and left us in the dust.
Ran into our boys from Off the Chain
Rubbermaid brought the beers
13 PAX showed up at a dimly lit parking lot with their mats in order to become more flexible.
We stretched, we laughed, we shared our feelings.
Some passed wind, a few reached past their limitations, and the Q was inspirational.
Most vowed to return next Wednesday, while others left with a strange look on their face.
All were amazed at the total body and mind transformation that occurred.
MOLESKIN
Come see what all the hype is about next Wednesday, 5:30am at the playground in Millbridge.
There is WTF, a blood drive, and many other 2nd and 3rd F opportunities in our region.
Happy Birthday Deadwood. Instead of 40 burpees we made him do 40 partner stretches.
Bratwurst was our 6th man. He is an OG and one of the PAX behind the start of the Waxhaw region, if you can ever keep up with him when he posts, a great PAX to speak with and get to know.
Thank you for allowing me to lead and SYITG.
26 men showed up at Five Stones church to do cinder blocks share gear and get back to the roots of Chiseled . . . GEAR! From the complaining during the workout feedback after the workout, the PAX had apparently missed this. I spoke to 3 PAX who mentioned how this workout opened their eyes to the fact that they needed this . . . THAT IS F3! Let’s share it with others!
OPENING ACT:
MAIN ACT:
ENCORE:
CLIFF’S NOTES:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
GRATITUDE PRAYER ON WAY OUT
YHC had been haranguing Transporter to come be part of the ‘Rap for several weeks, and was confident today was the day he would show up. Sure enough, as YHC jogged up to the launch point, ‘Porter and Dasher were among the PAX assembled for the weekly bad idea. If you caught the fact YHC jogged in, it is because I had planned a special surprise for our visitors from Waxhaw, and the regular attendees had to suffer as well, but more on that in a minute. By 0528, there were seven of us gathered ’round and guesses were abounding as to why my was not present. By 0530 Poptart and Turkeyleg had arrived on two wheels, and we were off.
THE THANG:
Mosey to the third floor of the deck where, surprise surprise, the truck was waiting with a bed full of coupons. Each PAX got a friend for the duration of the workout, ranging from a 30 lbs. ruck plate up to a 20 kg olympic plate.
From the bottom of the ramp to 4, 10 lunge walks each leg, carrying the coupon
Return to bottom of ramp with coupon in Overhead Carry position
10 overhead press with the coupon
Run to the top of the ramp for 1 burpee (the burpee was a “counter rep” so it escalates by 1 each round)
Down the stairs and over to the wall for 10 dips, 10 split squats each leg
Run across to the bottom of the far stairs. 2 hand release bird dog merkins (at the top of the merkin raise opposite hand & foot). this was the second “counter” set, so escalate by 2 each round
Run up to 3 and back to your coupon…. Rinse and repeat until 0608
Regather at the truck and head back to the launch point at which point we had 5 minutes remaining, circle up for… ABE FROMAN (Each PAX planks and then one PAX starts a series of sequential merkins, 1 each all the way around the circle, then 2, then 3 etc. If you come out of plank or can’t complete a rep, you’re out). We made it to 9 before we ran out of time and YHC, OT and the Waxhawns were still going strong.
MOLESKINNY:
*YHC should have thought ahead on coupons instead of just randomly handing them out of the back of the truck, Dasher and Transporter both could have benefitted from heavier coupons than the 35# plates they ended up with. This surely was why they left everyone in the dust… yeah, thats it.
*OT didn’t care for the heavy plate he was given, and swapped for a 35# KB after the first set #veteranmove
*EE on the other hand rocked the 20 kg weight the entire ‘Rap and stayed with the pack so kudos dude
*Once again it was the story of the leaders and the pack, tho this week the minimal running and leg heavy format found TL in the pack vs. out front.
*This was the first appearance of the “Traveling Circus of Pain” since the coupons were put away over a year ago at the beginning of COVID. I don’t believe the PAX were happy to see the coupons, but the coupons were happy to see them. Nothing shared, yet, but that time is a coming!
*YHC ended up with a 40 lbs. slam ball and realized pretty quickly during the lunge walks that switching shoulders half way through made a huge difference. Crazy what just a little extra weight can do.
*WAMRAP is usually a pretty upper body focused workout, so the intent today was to really torch the legs. Mission accomplished as YHC was barely able to climb the stairs when I got home #selfsmoked
*No ALF or McGee today, so a good chance for others to lead the way, and lead they did. A shorter circuit meant Transporter and Dasher finished the 8th set while the rest got 7. BURLY
Announcements:
-Stone-chicken CSAUP this Saturday, see Tuck for details. 2 bootcamps and over 13 miles if you do the whole thing
-Waxhaw Trailfest on 5/1, should be a good time. Sounds like 60+ PAX from 7 regions are coming down for this incredible relay race event. See Pre-blast, Dasher, Kid Rock, or Tuck for additional details.
-F3 Functional Fitness Challenge on 5/22. KB Centric event focused on measuring how burly you are. See Pre-blast or High Tide for details.
SYITG
-Flipper
Sardine showed up at The Body Shop with his “Smoky’s Whiteboard” that had the alphabet with set exercises and reps for each letter. 5 PAX cursed their parents for the hospital names they were given while 1 other PAX took great joy in the 5 letters total in his first and last name. William was not a good name to have based on the number of back to back leg exercises it required, and a few others had similar results. It’s like Sardine ran some intense analytics against common names and piled similar exercises together for added punishment.
Happy Baby made it back to back after his debut the day before, so great to meet him. We still don’t get the name and he doesn’t either, but it sounds terrible. High Hat made his Body Shop debut to support his happy friend and we welcome him to come back. Big Tuna can turn on the keys for sprints with sneaky speed, and if not fit his middle name, would have been quite content with the alphabet, too. And Waterboy pushed it, enjoyed his name, and took notes on the board so we might see it in his upcoming VQ!
Some guy named Tuck had his Swift VQ on Tuesday and had the audacity to start an 8-week Fastest Mile training program. The program kicked off with 8x 400m. 13 PAX showed for it; 13 suffered; 13 returned. 8 intervals can wear you down if you haven’t done a lot of speed work recently and YHC has not done a lot of speed work lately, though by some accounts, there is no evidence of any speed work ever. Everyone is looking forward to the promised improvement this program will bring and some agree this Tuck guy has potential.
The Waxhaw April 1 Q Challenge landed in my lap this morning as 11 Pax joined me for some fun. I asked for any requests before we began and at 5:30 DiCCS was given and we were off.
We started with a Mosey around the lower lot to the stairs and warmed up with SSH, Merkins, Mountain Climbers, stretching, and Imperial Walkers. From there we proceeded for a little Paula Abdul to the globe with 10 Hand Release Merkins up and one Burpee on the way back. From the globe to the path on the other side of the middle school we alternated 10 Squats and 5 Mike Tysons at the lights on the left. Wait I know it’s been a while but how could I forget about the walls, let’s do a little balls to the wall with 10 Shoulder Taps then 10 Donkey Kicks, then 8 and well that was stupid so we left for a Mosey to the picnic tables. Partnering up we completed 200 Dips, 100 Derkins, and 50 Step-Ups while the other ran to the right down the overhang and back. As we were proceeding with great time we Moseyed to the lower lot for 4 corners completed 20 reps of LBC, Flutters, V-Ups, Heels To Heaven with a Burpee in the middle. With five minutes to spare we ascended and descended around the right side of the lot. Starting at the first corner we completed 5 Shoulder Tap Merkins at the first corner, the Merkins and added Big Boys at the second. Third corner we added Moroccan Night Club, then lost one exercise at each corner till back at COT.
It felt good to Q again, unless you have taken a leave and come back you don’t realize how much you miss F3 and the brothers in the gloom. Everyone reach out to those around keep pumping them up and stay vocal. Noonan was particularly fond of the Hand Release Merkins starting out today after yesterdays Ab and Merkin fest. Everyone pushed hard today and stayed together with minimal Mary, well done Pax.
VQ alert for this Friday at Last Call at promptly 5:32am Orchid will pop his cherry, this will be the first VQ for the site. Christ Closet Thursday night after Clyent Dinner head over and load the trucks for the trip east to Pender County for the weekends giveaway. On January 1, 8 total guys (Smugler, Orchid, One Star, The Juice) started a weight loss challenge and they lost a combined 100+ pounds with Orchid dropping 23. From the sounds of things they have 4 future Pax to bring out, well done guys. Please keep Honeycombs son soon to be named Chums who will have hand surgery after a fight with a hedge trimmer in your prayers. One Star took us out.
Just 4 dudes in the dark woods for a casual meet up at 5 in the morning. Nothing fishy going on.
Rubbermaid and Paper Jam got a head start at 5am but Carb Load and myself thought that sounded WAAAY too early and opted to leave at a more reasonable 5:30. Fun was had by all. The trails were actually dry this time. No one fell. Good job everyone.
Crazy things happened this weekend in and around the great mega state mountains of Caro-lossus. Things that highlight the S in stupid and the U & P in utterly pointless. 5 men ran 103.6 miles in, around, and out of the mountains in our beautiful mega state. 4 of the men were smart enough to rent a swagger wagon, 3 of them went shirtless at some point, 2 of them covered over a combined 50 miles of that distance, and 1 of them did all their running solo.
This weekend was all about Weird Mountain Stuff.
Start with how Midriff decided to run all of South Mountain. By himself. With no shirt on and taking selfies. Which is awesome BTW. (Disclaimer: the running part of course, jury’s still out on the selfies in the woods) Huge shout-out to Midriff, humble and easy-going in the gloom, but don’t be fooled. Dude is legit. Never done a 50K before? Not a problem. All those “runners” suddenly found something better to do? Their loss. His M was in pre-labor for 10 days? Alright he can’t beat that … yet, but this was a strong second.
In comparison, 4 other men did a slightly less impressive thing. They ran from Asheville NC to Greenville SC in a day. Also known as the Ville to Ville Craft Beer Relay. 70.6 miles from Highland Brewing to Hampton Station. The race is a relay style format with 12 legs. Teams of 6, 4, and 3 are allowed. You accountant types can calculate the square root of who gives a rat’s @$$ to determine how the legs and mileage breakdown. Weather was a fine spring day, no rain, lots of sun, and all the bad clothing decisions you’d expect from people who spent a year on zoom calls while day drinking.
YHC called it BRR Lite, and it is. 1/3 of the miles, 1/3 of the time to complete, and 100% of the chafing. With stops at two breweries along the way and the finish line at Hampton Station in Greenville, SC it’s basically running to the next parking lot so you can drink a beer in a koozie and keep the party going. YHC snagged a spot early in the limited Ville to Ville running field because this thing sells out fast. Spots in this race are gone faster than Willie Nelson can smoke a joint. It’s so fast that the 2022 race is already sold out 3 days after the 2021 race ended.
As Cap’n, YHC wanted to keep the team small. No 15 passenger vans, no extra driver, just 4 men on a mission. BRR veteran a plus, but not a requirement. 4 committed runners, who probably need to be committed to a state run institution. To Flipper’s credit he was the first to HC. Our other two team members would be new and valuable additions to the ever growing roster of Team Up ‘n Over. Fear not UNO alumni, these new comers proved their worth.
Here’s the team breakdown
Flipper: Marathon training may not have netted him a BQ but he got faster, no doubt. In typical Flipper fashion, he took the highest mileage and hardest legs. No surprise, his big personality was only upstaged by a big performance. As captain, YHC was nervous that the marathon recovery might sideline Flipper from Ville to Ville. But not only did he bring the marathon swagger but so the performance to back it up. Flipper crushed 2,000 ft. of elevation gain over 20 miles. Highlight of the day, throwing his sweaty shirt in the driver’s side window of the van as we passed him running. *not* Refreshing.
Day-Z (or Daisy): The story behind the name is worth the rename to Day-Z. Prove that it’s not. Originally hailing from Area 51 but relocated to Metro along with his living situation. A chance encounter at SIBling Rivalry got him on the team and he did not disappoint. Due to a last minute change in the race course, Day-Z had inherited the second hardest set of legs and second highest mileage for the team. Including a 23% incline in the first two miles of his first leg. You wouldn’t know it from his even pacing on Strava. A solid BRR veteran, nothing phased him. Find him running at all the brewery runs during the week in CLT.
Hot Wing: His claim to fame in Area 51 is being related to me. By marriage. There’s no way we share a blood line, he’s like Sprockets with no hair. Shorter than short. Definite contender for rookie of the year, though. YHC got him running during Covid and on our first run together he was outpacing YHC and chatting it up the whole way. This carried over to Makeshift Marathon in November. Mile 10 and all smiles. When I told him about this race he put his game face on 8 months in advance and it showed. If you’re putting a BRR team together, he should be on your short list. He assumed an 8:45 pace but came in way under, like closer to 8:00’s.
YHC: Not one to toot his own horn, YHC took the glory leg. Also got about .10 miles short of a PR on the 10K, sub 50:00. Original distance was over 18 miles, but some construction outside of Henderson-ville-town-ship-burg changed up the route and cut off two miles. YHC ain’t no defeatist, and ain’t no complainer, the motto is to just keep kicking with bigger and better things. YHC decided the end of the race was a good place to run an extra two miles. And by run an extra two miles, YHC means to blow through the last turn and keep going. Serves YHC right for passing like 8 people in 3 miles on that leg and running all alone. (hums Eric Carmen’s “All by Myself”). Eventually, YHC figured out that the finish was the OTHER way and turned around. The poor volunteer at the end of the race was not impressed with the sweaty-yeti loudly explaining that the sign was missing. #YetiKaren
Of course the usual antics happened during the race. Yelling inappropriate things at your runner as you drive by, staring slack-jawed with the 250 other middle-aged men at the female runners way too young for you and way too out of our league on our best day, dirty jokes, and dirty smelly vans. The BRR veterans know that smell, open up that door and it smells like success, or pheromones. Whatever you college types like to call it.
At the end of the day these fellas left their mark on ‘dem ‘der hills. Midriff was the champion/gold-medal/MVP of the South Mountain Slog. Team UNO only took 81 out of 236 with an average pace of 8:15/mile, the slackers that we are. Can’t win them all, but it’s never about winning when it’s Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless.
Next up, BRR.
#SYITG
Cap’n Hoover
DCCs
Warm-up Run 1.5 miles
The Thang
Spirit Trail 5k pace x 5 w/ 90/120 rest
Lost Easy Button after the second round due to twisting his ankle. Glidah carried him out.
Beetle took a tumble
Cool Down Run 1.0 – 1.25 miles
Moleskin
The morning started of with who hasn’t Q this month? Good Fella was Qing Thursday and everyone else had except for Beetle who was an FNG yesterday. He gladly stepped up to help lead with some guidance.
Mumble chatter consisted of should I refinance, take out equity, housing market. There was also some complaining about getting mud on shoes. Soft!
In COT he shared a quick story about where he’s at today and something the really inspired him to reflect on his own life. I encourage you all to take a look at this story.
Bottlecap taking us out like a pro.