16 Pax including 1 FNG escaped the rain and burned off their Halloween candy in style this morning
The Thang
Warmup pace for 1/2 mile to rear side of church for COT:
Continue run around back of church, out to John, down 51 to Reid Hall
Se7ens on Reid Hall hill, Monkey Humpers at bottom, Star Jumps at top
Cut back across 51 towards rock pile. Pickup running rock.
Mosey around to area directly behind church. Partner up. With partner, alternate rock exercise, while other partner runs around church, flapjack:
Rock work, in cadence: Overhead press x25, tricept press x20;
Mosey to return rock. Plank abreast.
Sprint back to start.
COT
Mileage: 3.3
Moleskine and announcements:
5 PAX decided it would be a great idea to crush our shoulders at one of the best AOs in all of Charlotte – Outland. YHC personally loves to Q here as there are so many options. Today was kept to the basics, but that does not mean it was easy…
The Warmup
The Thang:
Moleskin:
Outland needs a new Site Q (calling you to step up @Deadwood).
14 pax (13 old dudes and 1 2.0) showed up at the sprawling Calvary campus for what is dubbed as “heavy day”. I think heavy day just means there should be more lifting and coupons involved than the other days at Rock Zero…..hence, that’s what YHC planned. It was also Tree Day at Calvary when the non profit Tree Charlotte sells discounted trees to Charlotteans to encourage green living and sustainability. Great cause! However, this caused two points of confusion for the pax: 1) it originally looked like the earth moving equipment and pallets Tree Charlotte brought were part of our workout….while that would be challenging and HEAVY, YHC is not that good of a coordinator or planner! 2) TC was using a good part of the lot we would normally use for COP and COT so we needed to dodge that area to accommodate….no biggie! So off we went:
Warm-Up:
Jog to entrance #4 (near the big rock) of Calvary for:
Jog to entrance #1 but stop at each speed bump for 10 monkey humpers. I rudely planted myself right in front of Geraldo at one speed bump. Sorry for the view, bro! Boondog led most of the way……he came to play!
The Thang:
We entered the front lot of Calvary. We stayed there for a little while to endure the following:
Mosey to the soccer fields for a modified Beast. It was modified because we only did 4 exercises instead of 6, but mainly because we split off in groups of three and someone in the threesome had to always be carrying a sandbag. I understand from Flipper the bags weighed either 65, 85 or 100 lbs……ouch! Exercises for the beast were:
Resting recovery with some LBCs
Mosey to the baseball fields for a lifting rock selection. Choose a different partner. Partner #1 runs to chosen light pole while Partner #2 lifts rock for stated exercise, including:
Mosey back toward entrance #4. We did a few Mary exercises at which time McGee stated he and Sprockets has a score to settle on who is faster. We ran best out of three 50 yard (maybe?) dashes. McGee did get two out of three, but neither of them counted on Purell who smoked both of them every time. Again….bald guy with beard!
Bonus over/unders with your partner. Lots of grumbling about this one, but come on guys!…..this is the stuff F3 did all the time back in the original days! Get wet, get dirty!
Three more AYGs for 50 yards.
That’s a wrap!
Moleskin:
We covered just shy of 3 miles! I know that’s just shy of the RZ expectation, but I figured designated Heavy Day gave me a chance to back off mileage just a little. The feeling in my shoulders and back this morning tell me we had a decent workout anyway….granted, that ain’t saying much!
As always, it was spectacular group of pax today! Gummy cracked a lot of jokes, Runstopper provided encouragement, the bald and bearded guys were fast, McGee insulted people several times, BLC was a stud, Horsehead chose the exercises where he really wanted to participate…..it all just felt RIGHT! If I didn’t mention you by name, it’s not because I don’t appreciate ya! Really, phenomenal group of guys…..on and off the AO!
Side note, this week marked my 5 year anniversary with F3! My second workout was at The Rock when Hops led about 30 guys that morning (Gummy led my first one at Ascent). Great stuff! I can’t thank y’all enough for what F3 has provided me in the way of fitness, personal satisfaction and accomplishments. That said, the biggest gain has been the friendships which I am certain are lifetime in scope! Cheers!
Thanks for asking me to lead Flipper, as well as offering the take-out prayer!
Announcements:
F3 being an organization of the people and by the people, the Ascent pax voted on today’s downPAINment. While the choices were not labeled as “R” or “D”, it was still a choice of the lesser of two evils. Option 1 – offered a more complex weinke, requiring two bells of differing weights. Option 2 – a simple weinke, needing only a single, moderately heavy bell. Confounding the exit polls, after all the hanging chads were counted, Option 2 was the winner (and we all paid the price).
The Thang
COP
(100 swings)
Set 1:
(200 swings)
Set 2:
(300 swings)
Set 3:
(400 swings)
Set 4:
(500 swings)
boom (lowercase because we were too exhausted to say it any louder)
Mosey with bells back to parking lot.
Done
COT
Take out by Polo.
Announcements
Naked Moleskinne:
After YHC finished a solo 4 mile pre-run (Jello, where were you??), he was still solo at 6:55, when an unknown pax parked nearby. Welcome, Pizza Pizza, visiting from Greenville, SC, sporting Clemson shorts (Masters) and purporting to be Crimson Tide alum (Bachelor). #conflicted At 6:59, another unknown car parked with two pax, Hot Toddy, Mississippi College grad and Carpex pax, was visiting his dad, Polo. Rounding out our handful of pax was Cooter, strolling in around 7:02. With Cooter’s two bells added to YHC’s pile of 8, we had double the bells as pax, which made for multiple choices. YHC encouraged moderately heavy weights (although Polo somehow slipped a 20# selection past YHC).
Strong work was put in by all. This was not an easy workout. It was simple, but a kick in the teeth. Starting a few minutes late, overtime was required to complete the main portion of the workout, and the pax were all in. YHC offered an audible, but everyone wanted to get in the final set. #welldone The planned Mary session was skipped, due to longer rest breaks than planned, but they were well earned (and needed). Mary can be picked up at most any bootcamp any day of the week, but KBs only come to Ascent once per month and, for some pax, this was their first experience with bells, at least at an F3 workout.
Expect to be a little sore tomorrow, but know that it’s because you put in some strong work today. Aye!
Always a pleasure to lead. Thank you for the opportunity to lead and workout with you today.
High Tide
What: Area 51 Christmas Party
Where: Seaboard Taproom and Winebar (213 N Trade St, Matthews, NC 28105)
When: 12/1/2018 6:00 to 12:00
How Much: $15 per person (paypal.me/F3Area51 or Area51BizQ@gmail.com)
What is included: Dinner and friends
Alright everybody, if you want to get your fill of the Christmas spirit or if attending the SOB Christmas party on November 30 isn’t enough, come on out Saturday night, December 1, for the Area 51 Christmas party. The party will be held again at the Seaboard Taproom and Winebar in historic downtown Matthews. However, this time around we will have food from Brown Bag courtesy of Uncle Rico. So come on out for some great food, great drinks and great times.
Please HC by Sunday, November 18th using the buttons below. Please remember to be safe. If you are going to drink don’t drive. Get an Uber, Lyft, or 16-year-old 2.0 to drive you. Come join us to celebrate another successful Area 51 year. ( And yes, I copied Fire Hazards Pre-blast)
You can reserve your tickets using button above.. Once you have reserved them, please pay via PayPal using the second button or by sending to the following e-mail address: Area51BizQ@gmail.com. When you send the money, please 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 PopTart know and we will find another way for you to pay.
What: SOB Christmas Party
Where: Providence Downs South Clubhouse (1203 Venetian Way Dr, Marvin, NC 28173)
When: 11/30/2018 7:00 to 12:00
How Much: $25 per person (paypal.me/f3sob)
What is included: Dinner, Wine and Beer
Pax it is time for the biggest SOB event of the year (that includes your M). The party will be held at the Providence Downs South Clubhouse (1203 Venetian Way Dr, Marvin, NC 28173) and will include beer, wine and food. Thanks to Kid Rock, the food will be from our favorite Hickory Tavern and the wine and beer will be of a Domestic Variety (if you want to have your favorite IPA or Merlot feel free to bring it with you). Fun will be had by all.
Please HC by Sunday, November 18th using the buttons below. This new venue is centrally located to the PAX from SOB, Indian Land, and Western UC. Please remember to be safe. If you are going to drink don’t drive. Get an Uber, Lyft, or 16-year-old 2.0 to drive you. Come join us to celebrate another successful SOB year.
You can reserve your tickets using button above.. Once you have reserved them, please pay via PayPal using the second button or by sending to the following e-mail address: f3sobs@gmail.com. When you send the money, please 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 Fire Hazard or One-Niner know and we will find another way for you to pay.
13 men awoke from their candy coma to test their luck at Hydra on a humid November morning. Upon arriving at 5:29, YHC properly disclaimed the group and off we went. Here is what happened for the next 45 minutes.
The Thang:
Run over to church parking lot and grab a lifting rock. Perform the following x 10
Grab lifting rock and perform the following for 3 sets, 20 reps each
Upon completion, jog over to Summerlin Place, facing South. Run down Summerlin and at each street light perform 50 LBCs. Upon intersection at Windy Rush, turn East. At each street light perform 15 merkins. Upon intersection at Sheffingdon, turn North. At each street light perform 20 peter parkers. Upon completion, run back to church /rocks by running back down Sheffingdon, turning right onto Windy Rush, right onto Summerlin, right onto Rea and arrive back at church. Upon arrival, repeat rock set until time is called at 6:09. Jog back to AO and YHC tried something new (always a good idea). Circle up in plank position and YHC asks Pax to elect one spokesperson to answer one trivia question. If answered correctly, no burpees. If not, 10 burpees for the group. While still in plank, the Pax quickly elected Spackler who gladly accepted. Upon accepting his new responsibility, YHC asked Spackler, “What is the sum of the jersey numbers of Jake Delhomme and Mushin Muhammed?” Spackler gave the question as much thought as he did on many multiple choice questions at USC and promptly declared, “I have no idea”. 10 burpess for the group. 3 mins of Mary including flutter, heels to heaven, Freddy Mercury.
Moleskin:
One Eye and Sprockets were out in front all morning. Don’t be deceived by Snowflake or Hopper’s age, they have wheels. Caution to all children who trick-or-treat at Semi’s house as he hands out bags of trail mix and/or raisins. Good work by all and a good time for everyone. The answer to the question is 104 (17 and 87, respectively). Gummy properly took us out and we were all better for showing up.
Announcements:
Vagabond on 11/10…13 miles of fun with multiple stops at all your favorite AOs. See pre-blast from Hoover for details.
As always, an honor and a privilege to lead this group.
Upon arrival, I took a trip to the back of Matthews Elementary to scout the area. Just looking for any changes, which there weren’t. I come back to the front of the school and was greeted by Slim Fast (Drosselmeyer), who said, “Setting up Barre’s back there?”. Slim Fast (who oldest daughter had danced) knew the ballet that was coming!
A thorough disclaimer was given (it would do Mermaid proud). I also explained to everyone that since my daughter did Ballet and “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” was opening this weekend, that there would be ballet references. Drosselmeyer piped up again, “I’ll be sure to go see it” (Sarcasm).
Before we enter the realms, we needed to warm up. Run to the back of the school…
Warm-Up
SSH x 15
IW x 15
Windmill x15
Time to enter the first realm….
Land of Snowflakes – just as the snow falls, so we must.
Plank sequence – hold plank for 20 secs, rest 10 secs. Repeat 4x. Side Plank (right arm down) for 20 secs, rest for 10 secs. Side Plank (left arm down) for 20 secs, rest for 10 secs. Elbow Plank for 20 secs, rest 10 secs, repeat.
Plank Jacks x 15
Freddy Mercury x 15
Rosalitas x 15
Flutter Kicks x 15
And we head off to the second realm…
Land of Flowers – just as flowers go, so should are muscles. Grab some wall against the side of the school. Get in the people chair
Air Presses x50
Toe Taps x 50. You can try this at home. Do a wall sit, and then tap your toes for 50 counts. Around 30 you really start to feel it.
Air Presses x 50
Toe Taps x 50
Then we hit the wall.
Derkins x 15
Step Ups x 10 each leg.
And we are off to our Third Realm (the track)…
Land of Sweets – In the land of sweets, there would be no treats!
Lunge Walk – 8 counts drop and do 1 civil count Merkin, T Push Up, another civilian count merkin, and T Push UP. Then 16 lunge walks, and 2 Merkin/T Push Up. Finally 32 lunge walks, and 3 merkin/T PushUP.
Run back to start
Duck Walk and Jump Squat – 8 duck walks and 1 Jump Squat, 16 duck walks and 2 jump squats, 32, duck walks and 3 jump squats, 64 duck walks and 4 jump squats.
Run Back to start
Bear Crawls and Burpees – 8 bear crawls and 1 burpee, 16 bear crawls and 2 burpees, 32 bear crawls and 3 burpees.
Run back to start.
Time for our final realm. I explained that “Mother Ginger” had planted 7 keys around the track, with an exercise on each key. We had 2 laps to find all 7 keys or burpees.
Mother Ginger
The following exercises were on the 7 keys:
I think they found 4 keys on the first lap. The 2nd lap they found 2 more. But, we couldn’t find the elusive key 7 (Mountain Climbers). So yes, they paid with burpees at the end.
Back to the front to meet Sparta.
COT/Name-o-rama
Nice take out by Slim Fast
Moleskin
During the Warm Up, the guys were teasing me about the inflection in my voice. I sounded like I was going through Puberty.
Toe Taps- This exercise I stole from my daughter’s stretch/conditioning class. They get to sit on the edge of a bench, but they do 100 – 3 times! Good for your calf muscles.
Land of Sweets – this whole run for 8 counts then do an exercise was another one that I stole from my Daughter’s Ballet Camp this summer.
Facing Mother Ginger – I must say that Swiss Miss had an excellent idea during this that I will use next year (because my fall is consumed with taking the 2.0 to Nutcracker rehearsal). I should have had everyone partner up. Person 1 does some exercise (say SSH) and person 2 (with Headlamp) Runs around the Track looking for keys. This would have actually fit nicely with theme. There are some ginger children in Green dresses (my daughter) and some are in Red Dresses (Bushwood’s daughter). Shout-out to Team CK!
I always like coming out to Peak 51. Sensei and Lois (Clara) do a great job keeping it organized. I like the guys and we get a good sweat going! Unfortunately, Thursday is often my rest day and take the 2.0 to school. That all said, whenever there isn’t school, I’ll be out.
The guys were a good sport with the work-out today and appreciated (tolerated) the creativity.
Always thankful to lead this group!
Announcements:
Charlotte Marathon this weekend
Let them Soar 5k – next weekend. They have enough track commanders, but someone usually gets sick/has a last minute conflict – so come on out!
And let me know if you want to come see Nutcracker in early December! Shameless Plug.
15 men decided not to coast into the weekend and post at the Best Friday AO in Charlotte. The pressure was on to set the bar high given the site and the fact that Mermaid has the Q next Friday. The “easy” solution was to grab coupons from our favorite hiding place and find a partner. One partner selects a sand filled jug and the other grabs two pavers.
The Thang:
With coupons and partner, mosey over to parking deck for quick warm up. IW X10, Cotton Pickers X10, Slow Squats X10, Mountain climbers X10
With partner, run the short ramps stopping at each turn for ascending partner hand slap merkins. 2 at first turn, 4 at second, all the way up 12 at top deck before heading back down the stairs to the starting point.
With coupons, mosey off campus via Chipotle cut thru and run down to greenway entrance. Partners do 25 combined pull ups (50 if you performed Australian style). Partners switch between pull ups and squats until the 25/50 pull ups are completed. Run back to parking deck (about 1/2 mile each way).
Start at bottom of stairs and perform 2 partner decline merkins (each). Run to level 4 and perform 4 pdm (each). Run down to top of middle stairs and perform 6 pdm (each). Run down the stairs and perform 8 pdm (each). Run to far end stairs (well one team followed the direction) and perform 10 pdm (each). Run up the stairs to level 4 and perform 12 pdm (each). Meet in the middle and perform 14 pdm 9 (each). Squat waiting on the six.
Start at top in middle with 4 flutters (8 total movements) and then run down the short ramps, stopping at each turn for increasing flutters (8, 12, 16, 20, 24).
Drop off coupons and head back up the short ramps for a burpee ladder, performing burpees at each turn (1 to 6). People chair for a few minutes waiting on the six.
Head down the stairs and pick up coupons before returning to parking lot. Finish with some plank work and exercises from Orange Theory (Hops wants royalties on the modified Cumberland Cty viaducts).
Naked Moleskin
Nice to see a few new faces sprinkled in with mostly familiar faces (most of the familiar faces are pretty darn ugly). Zuckerburg back from long hiatus so maybe not the best one to make your comeback at but you survived. In sync also looked like he got his money’s worth with the coupons.
Runstopper conveniently only grabbed one paver and didn’t have to do any partner work since he was last (and late) and the odd man out. He was way ahead of the PAX so one paver much weigh down a man more than I thought. I was comforted to realize at end that he didn’t try to break the one in half and reduce is load even further.
Purple Haze hates pavers and that’s why I love bringing them out. Plus, it slows down the young fast guys and gives me a slight chance to keep up. The complaining was relatively light so I may have to replace the hand held pavers with something larger.
The pull ups don’t really work with a PAX larger than 8 so we had to modify and throw in Australian style to maximize use of all the “equipment” at the Greenway.
I’m guessing we got close to 3 miles but someone can verify via comments.
Announcements:
Joe Davis Run sign up starting soon. Race moved to March (I think) to see if they can get better weather. Last several years have been either really cold or wet.
Please pray for Hannibal’s M, who has skin cancer that has to be eradicated. Hannibal is confident they will beat it but it’s still upsetting.
As always, an honor and a privilege to lead this group.
What is Big Rock? Why couldn’t anyone come up with a more interesting name for the geologic phenomenon? As a amateur historian, I can tell you, without a doubt, that 4 million years ago robotic alien dinosaurs using magnets and lasers aligned the granite boulders to serve as a calendar, calculator and same-day dry cleaner.
Conditions
Despite a rainy evening, the weather was perfect – cool and crisp. The trails were soft, but not muddy.
The Thang
Run up Bally C to Sweatow Run and down Club Thornhill. Finish with a roger on Elmstone with some ‘merkins and squats. I reviewed the course and then let the horses run.
The Circuit
Enter Big Rock, cross the wooden bridge
R and pass through the mini canyon
L down the hill
L through the tall grass
L up the steep hill
Run across the street to Elmstone Park
10 derkins in the shelter
10 pullups in the playground
.5 mi each lap
Repeat with one less derk and pull-up each lap.
Moleskine
The Brave is designed for OCR training and I did my best to bring the major elements of most races to the workout – technical trails, grip/hanging obstacles and general core/shoulder strength.
Highlights
Wingman reported sliding down a trail hill
Mario managed to stay in front without a headlamp.
One Niner is back in top form, pacing Mario (and sharing his light)
Tuck put in an extra 2 mi and is headed to a Spartan this weekend. Solid.
Cobbler and Frehley modified, but kept going.
Cheddar was first up Ballantyne Commons (segment).
Thank you for the opportunity to lead!