Wait, what? Didn’t you already read one DMZ backblast this week?
Yes, you did. Hops led a bootcamp in Elizabeth and we got to spend some quality time with Bout Time. It was well attended.
However, despite 800 posts (give or take) to Twitter, Slack, Strava, multiple F3 websites, etc. (even an email went out), a few pax posted to the regular AO. This was actually a good thing just in case an FNG came out of the woodwork. I’m sure, in the moment, there were also some kind words for the site Q. Undaunted, veteran Chappy took the reins and a crew of five headed off into the gloom*:
*as recorded by Frack
Mosey
Speedbump Burpees, 5 each
Cul-de-sac ladder run (6 total reps per cycle)
– Up the hill, 5 burpees
– Down the hill, 1 air squat
– Up, 4
– Down, 2
– Etc.
– End with LBCs OYO
Mosey to Carmel Middle
– Rail slides
– Bear crawls
Mosey to parking lot
– Single-leg line jumpers
– Slalom jumps
Mosey to rock pile, choose small-medium rock
Mosey to parking lot, exercises with rock
– Single-leg line jumpers
– Slalom jumps
Mosey to track, exercises with rock
– Run 400m with rock straight overhead
– Overhead tricep curls
– Curls
– Double-leg line jumpers
– Onos (speedskaters)
– Run 400m with rock (any position you choose)
– LBCs with rock on chest
Mosey to rock pile and return rocks carefully, ensuring a pleasing aesthetic upon departure
Mosey to parking lot, more exercises, including
– LBCs
– Merkins
– Diamond Merkins
– Wide Merkins
– Carolina Drydocks
Mosey back to Carmel Park, including a few final exercises
A challenge was issued: “It is easier for a dromedary camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a PAX to meet the [General] Merkin Challenge in a single workout this late in the month.” Sixteen men were up for that challenge, though only four knew of it ahead of time. (Read Slack, Pax.)
Warm-up:
Capri Posse Lap with 10 merkins in each corner
COP:
(50 merkins total so far)
The THANG
(100 merkins total so far)
(145 merkins total so far)
(170 merkins total so far)
Mosey back to the HS parking lot
(260 merkins total)
Moleskin:
Sir Winston Churchill died on this date 53 years ago. He is believed to have said, “Success is the ability to go from one merkin to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” YHC was concerned with the daunting task of completing the merkin challenge during the workout and not completely boring the PAX at the same time, but the spirit of the British Bulldog pushed him forward.
That task was accomplished flawlessly. The PAX enjoyed YHC’s usual introduction of a new and strange exercise in the COP — this time it was the Annie. The PAX is now ready to scrub floors this weekend in a spirited and loving show of affection towards the many deserving Ms in the F3 Nation. A bonus “new and strange” was the Clock Merkin which had the PAX singing songs of praise for analog timekeeping devices and excited that there was no mention of digital devices which would have kept the group pointing the same direction.
Other shots of acclaim came as the PAX shuffled through the dark to find bench space for dips and then gladly crawled under the bench for supines and gently extracted themselves to return to dips. The only disappointment came when the PAX did not engage in full Ascending Testicles merkins, because they really wanted to climb higher on the wall. Finally, the utter beauty of the logistics of the tree run and doing knee-based pointer dogs on a gravelly parking lot was also well received.
On an individual level, huge props to Offline who was an FNG a mere 24 hours earlier, but posted for the second day in a row with great gusto. Bottlecap shows excellent form in Star Jacks and could easily gain part-time employment at the Waxhaw YMCA when it opens. Xerox (R) is always up for a good J-Lo reference and this morning he turned that in with the driveway shape. Recalculating showed up for one disrespectful post before… advancing in wisdom and stature. The Posse lap did not produce Posse so perhaps more marketing is needed to make that a thing. Johnny Utah (R) took us out and had a good news reminder that the Lord will bless and St. Judes does awesome things for people going through tough situations, so remember the good around us.
Overall, it was a fantastic morning at Dromedary and YHC is sure that Sir Winston Churchill would agree. Another of his quips rings true: “History Blackblast will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
Annoucements:
It’s Bullwinkle’s Anniversary Q. It’s been a year since he began to arrive at F3 workouts late, talk trash, skip reps and become literally half the man he used to be in that good F3 way. He asked for this Q last Friday in honor of his anniversary and we gladly gave it to him. Unfortunately, his Q was problematic. Main problem being he didn’t show up. This left us in a quandary. We could honor him by skipping the workout entirely or one of us is going to have to be an emergency Bullwinkle anniversary Q. I had a secondary plan for a Q that I did recently (and failed to do a BB for) so I decided to implement it here. Let’s go.
Mosey around the parking lot since it is supposed to be a running gear workout (some of you forget the running part but I am a voice for lonely gear such as shoes).
COP
SSH IC x25
IW IC X20
Abe Vagoda IC x10
Grab your bell, choose a partner and let’s mosey over to the hill. Country Living seems to believe a bigger bell means something. I tend to believe it’s compensating for something else that’s smaller. But, either way, let’s move on to the actual work.
DORA 1-2-3 w/ KB
100 Goblet Squats
200 Curls
300 Swings
Partner 1 runs up the hill backwards on snow and does 10 bombjacks. Partner 2 does the KB exercises. Flapjack as necessary until all exercises if done. If done early, do sets of 10 each of the three exercises until all teams are done. This took some time esp those swings
Recovery mosey around the parking lot.
Time for a DORA .5-1-1.5 w/ KB
50 Tricep Extensions
100 Skullcrushers w/ Leg Lifts (KB and legs meet at your midsection)
150 Flutter Presses w/KB
10 LBCs at the top of the hill and this time a regular run up the hill.
Recovery mosey around the parking lot.
Back to KB for a few Mary exercises.
Rosalita w/ KB press IC x20
Rosalita (no KB) IC x25
Backscratchers IC x20
DONE!!!
Moleskine
– Without a plan, this ended up working out well anyways. Much grumbling = Success
– Shepherd wiped out at some point. In proper Pastor form, I heard no cussing and not even a Christian cussing word like shoot or dangit. #example
– Country Living watched my form a lot. Especially on the Goblet Squats I think. The staring is weird. #metoo
– I should have wrote this BB last Friday as I can’t remember as much of the mumblechatter. #BBlazy #guilty
– Kotters to Jabberwocky. He’s no longer dead to me. Countertop is still #deadtome
Backblasts
Speaking of which, as a man who wears yoga pants has announced on the F3UC FB page, it’s proper form for a Q to do a Backblast. They are helpful if you need to reference exercises later and just good for busting balls. You should do them. And by you, I mean me. I’m guilty too and will try to pick this up. Hold me accountable if I don’t.
Glass Joe
Fourteen men got out of bed a bit earlier than most to make a difference in themselves. We met up at South Charlotte Middle School. Weather was cool and dry – So off we went.
We made a few laps around the parking lot to collect a few 5:31’rs. Now we are really ready.
COP
We circled up at the flagpole for a disclaimer and started off with: IW x 15, LSS x 15, Merkin x 10 and LBC x 15
Thang:
Starting at the top of the hill on Woodfox we ran down to Fireman Ed circle (aka Burning Tree Dr) and did: Low Slow Merkin x 15, LBC (center, right and left) x 15 each and 15 Drydocks. Then we run back up to the top of the hill. This circuit was completed three times.
After reconvening in the parking lot, we lined up along the side walk ledge and completed the Wheel of Merkin twice (5 x in each position).
We paired up in two man teams at the bottom of the steps. Partner 1 took a running rock and ran up the steps and around the short loop while partner 2 did: supine pull ups, steps ups and dips (10 x each exercise).
Skin:
Everyone pushed hard today, especially running up the hill multiple times. We got in about 2.5 miles. There was some expected grumbling and a few protests but we all made it through. Perhaps we made ourselves just a bit better than we were yesterday.
Fireman Ed was not present this AM. Perhaps the cadence count could have been louder down in the circle. Maybe we would have shaken him loose from the fart sack.
Insomniac – It was great to see you but when did you get there? I first noticed you about 6:14.
Announcements:
Our prayers continue to be with Bout Time, Jennings and his family.
So the rains flew by in the night leaving wet streets, a few puddles and a decent temperature for running. My plans were simply to venture out a bit…and that we did. Quick disclaimer to some regulars and off we went.
Of course lots of pontificating on what “least popular territory” I was referring to in the pre-tweet. Once the group passed the first mile mark with no sign of stopping, there was an annoyed buzz in the air. Alas we reached Beverly Crest after 2 miles straight of Hwy 51. From there we split up on a lovely wide street ran opposite directions doing 15 merkins at the end then rejoining for 15 jump squats in the middle. Most repeated it twice, some had to cut it short, some did extra. And then with 20 minutes remaining we headed back….(Queue the music)
Personally, I felt pretty good en route to Beverly Crest and not too bad during the back and forth…although the hill on one side snuck up on me. Going back, once we crossed Providence, dodged traffic to get back on the south side of 51, it became a decent haul and my pace slowed. There was lots of chatter along the way both ways directions: Alf was bragging to Pop Tart about his Hokies embarassing the Tar Heels the night before. Rachel, Purple Haze and I were just commenting on the puddles and pace. I didn’t hear much from Margo and ReTread both focused on the long haul. Astro cruised along reminiscing of colder days and his warm beanie. What wasn’t Benny talking about?!
Great group this am. Minimum distance was 6 miles, max was just over 7. Thanks to Haze and Rachel for letting me lead. Thanks to Astro for the takeout prayer.
Despite the rain that woke most overnight and the rain on the windshield on the way in, 12 PAX still figured it was time for some Brolympics level speed.
The Thang:
Moleskin:
SYITG,
Bratwurst
From now on, the only woman I’m pimpin’ is sweet lady propane. And I’m trickin’ her out all over this town.
Hank Hill
A dozen posted in questionable weather for a little King of the Hill. The count would have been one less, had I not signed up on the Skunkworkgenius, but leadership and all . . .
Thang:
Skin:
It’s always fun to draw the rain Q card. It seems the longer I do this F3 thing, the less inclined I am to want to go and crawl around in the mud and crud. Let’s say that I have developed a more refined palette. Well preference be hanged, it was pouring rain when I flopped out of the sack this morning but the little guy on my shoulder thumped me in the ear and sped me on my way.
I had some other things planned that involved grass and a field and probably a good bit of mud, but that seemed about as dicey as a Craig’s List babysitter so we extended the thrills on the hills.
Blazing saddles was wearing a mysterious vest. I can’t remember if he had on short sleeves under it or not. I don’t trust a man who wears a vest with short sleeves. That’s like a belt and suspenders, but without the fashion benefits. Funny thing, Lex came up to me asking if I had seen a missing vest before the workout. Then Blaze is running around with this mysterious vest on, and Lex just ignores it. It was definitely an elephant in the room.
Harley was begging to go stand under the tennis court pavilion the whole time. I wasn’t sure if he wanted the whole group to go, or just us two, and it got a little weird for a few mins there. I changed the subject pretty quickly but I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings.
Tweetsie and Lois are inseparable. I heard that once Lois convinced Tweetsie to bust into the bottom layer of the M’s Whitman’s sampler before the top layer had been completely polished off. I think that was a pretty awkward Valentine’s day for everyone involved.
It’s good to have Country Livin back with us. He vanished for a couple of years. Word on the street was that he was banned from the local Lowes for using the display toilet and things escalated from there. Anyway, he looks slim and trim and it’s good to see him again.
Haven’t had that much fun at church since I got kicked out of the sanctuary for teaching the kids about Jeremiah the Bullfrog during the Christmas cantata. I’m sure there was a lot more going on that I missed. I was in the zone dawg. Gonna feel that one soon.
– Horsehead
Not even a week into 2018 and SPEED FOR NEED is already off and running to a tremendous start. There is no better morning than starting with 200+ of your closest F3 Nation brothers on behalf of so many AWESOME causes.
SPEED FOR NEED lined up the entire fleet of 6 racing chairs, including the newly dedicated pink, “Sweetness,” and yellow, “The Smoker,” chairs. Four of the racing chairs ran in memory of past track commander, Ava, our fallen brother, F3 Cheech, and all of those loved ones no longer with us that have left too early.
Holland (down syndrome), a 4 year old bundle of excitement, rode the full 10K in Sweetness’ debut whilst being pushed by her dad, F3 White Lightning, and a contingent of F3 Lake Norman pax. Noah (cerebral palsy), 2.0 of F3 Decibel, rode the full 5K in the green SPEED FOR NEED racing chair.
There were so many incredible moments at the Joe Davis Run for Recovery, and check out the first amazing video of 2018 (above).
Special thanks to Lexington PAX, F3 Thumbs Up for making the drive from Lexington to be at the race, and man the SFN Tent EHing many many men! Also special thanks to F3 Roy, Red October, and Borland from up North in Raleigh & Churham who came to help set up the racing chairs, and learn about SFN so they are prepared to bring SFN to their home regions for inaugural races in 2018!
Here are a few post-race comments from F3 Rock Thrill, Thumbs Up, and Decibel:
“What a special day this year at the 6th Annual Joe Davis Run for Recovery! One of my favorite aspects of the race this year was the unveiling of the 2 new Speed for Need chairs in memory of Cheech and Sweet Tooth, Olive’s daughter. The time of race that our race is held each year and the accompanying cold temps means it is far from an ideal SFN race, so I really appreciated the involvement this year, the travel in from other regions and was really moved at the thought of the “ghost chair” in Joe’s memory. It was honor to lock shields and have two wonderful causes represented! Thanks to the more than 230 PAX that gave support!” – Chris Davis, F3 – Rock Thrill, brother of Joe Davis and race organizer
“The loss of a brother in June of 207 hit is hard in F3 Lexington. We struggled how to make a lasting memorial for our fallen brother Cheech. The opportunity to memorialize John by partnering with Speed For Need was the perfect fit. THE SMOKER is not John’s chair, it belongs to something bigger than all of us. Every time it rolls, every time it gives joy to it’s Track Commander, we have lived out Cheech’s mantra, #LeaveNoDoubt.” – Troy Fite, F3-Thumbs Up, Lexington Region PAX and SFN Regional Q
“Fire Chief Noah was pumped to be part of his first race and be part of a team. The cold temperatures did not deter him at all. He bundled up and along with Mainframe, NASA, Change Order, Longshanks, Decibel and many others along the way he took to the course. Noah’s favorite part of the race was being part about of the team. Having CP makes it difficult for him to join teams. Partly because his difficulty with muscle control and partly because of the time his therapy takes. Knowing he was part of the team had him excited beyond words. Thank you for helping our son complete his first race and for giving him a team!” – F2 Decibel, Father of 2.0 Track Commander Fire Chief Noah
SPEED FOR NEED
Be sure to check out the 2018 race schedule on Website: www.SpeedForNeed.org and follow us on our social media platforms!
Twitter: @F3SpeedForNeed
Instagram: F3SpeedForNeed
Web: www.facebook.com/F3SpeedForNeed
9 men joined YHC at the Vine lot. Heisenberg joined us this morning from Cape Fear. Glad to have him with us this morning. Tagalong planted the shovel flag and YHC thoroughly disclaimed the group. Off we went.
Mosey down Conlan. Right on Brixham Hill. Right into lot in front of Ballantyne 1. Circle up.
COP
SSH x 10 IC
IW x 10 IC
Mountain Climber x 10 IC. Hold plank.
Merkin x 10 IC. Low Plank. RLH/LLH.
Low Plank Jack x 10 IC
Mosey down to the Loch Ness trail. Stop at exercise trails/bridge junction.
Burpee/Jump Squat Loops
5 Double Merkin Burpee/10 Jump Squat. AYG counterclockwise to Ballantyne 2 patio. 5 Double Merkin Burpee/10 Jump Squat. On to B-1 patio. Repeat Burpee/JS set.
Back to launch spot. Chair plank to regroup.
Repeat Loop. 5 Double Merkin Burpee Box Jumps at patios subbed in. Chair plank to regroup.
Mosey down trail and over the bridge into the Lance lot entrance at Bally Corp Dr (South Entrance). Chair plank to wait on six.
Merkin Hill Run
20 Werkins at Entrance. AYG to the bridge. 20 Merkins. Mosey back down to entrance. Burpees to wait for six.
Mosey down Bally Corp Dr. Right into Bull Ring.
Half Mile Merkin Run
AYG around the Bull Ring. Stop at each of 6 Speed Bumps for 10 Merkins per bump.
MARY at completion. 10 WW2 Sit-Ups led by Fire Hazard. Flutter x 25 IC/Dolly x 25 IC.
Merkin x 10 IC
Mosey up Brixham Hill. Stop at lot just before Conlan Circle. Heels to Heaven x 25.
Merkin Set (Civilian Cadence): 10 Regular/10 Offset Left/10 Offset Right/10 Diamond
Mosey up to the back lot at the corner of Conlan Circle. 10 Hand-Release Burpees. AYG to launch lot. High Flutter x 30 IC.
COT
Moleskin
YHC got pulled out of the bullpen from 02/06 Q to fill in today at Bagpipe. Life happens and we step up to fill the need. Heavy rain last night drove numbers down at Bagpipe. Or maybe it was YHC. Either way, fartsackers missed out on a damn near perfect conditions today. 58 degrees and a nice breeze at times. No rain, although it would have been more than welcomed by YHC if it had continued. Favorite conditions are 55 and rain. Would take it every morning.
Warm welcome to Heisenberg from Cape Fear. Great to meet him and have him along side us today. YHC asked him a few obligatory questions, like how long had he done F3. June of 2014. Not a rookie. We knew that though from the outset as he was proudly representing his region with his shirt. Second, asked him if he could share the F3 mission with the group. He needed just a few moments to dig into the grey matter on it, then produced it for the group. Thanks for that Heisenberg, and good work today. Hope to see you at another workout or race soon.
Fire Hazard did some pre-running and still managed to get out front on most of the runs. Bucky, Tagalong, Morning After showed some speed, as did Teddy, Wild Turkey, and Fredo. Well done men. Kotters to Brisket, or maybe not. YHC hasn’t seen him in a while. Good work out there.
We covered 2.3 miles, worked the legs and core some, and got 260 merkins completed for the men completing the Merkin/Pull-up Challenge. 10 extra for good measure. Now you have only 40 pull-ups and done for the day. Keep up the good work on that.
Enjoyed the morning down in SOB. Always do. Had been a while since last Bapipe Q. Thanks for the invite from Tagalong. YHC took us out in prayer.
Announcements
BrOlympics 2.0. 02/24/2018. It was a blast last year. You don’t want to miss it this year.
The Brave is CHANGING LAUNCH LOCATIONS this week and moving forward. Meet at Braswell’s: 11318 N Community House Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Mr. Bean earns respect this coming Saturday. He celebrates with a Stonehenge Q. Post to celebrate, heckle, be heckled, eat some cake, get better.
Please continue to pray for Bout Time’s son, Jennings, who is battling leukemia, and the family during this challenging time.
In what was going to be a long winded rant about THWG and how the University (sic) of Georgia lost the national championship football game, YHC has (Multiple Choice Quiz):
The PAX are there ^^^^ to get credit.
We ran :30 and recovered to the start, ran :30 and recovered to start, ran 1:00 and recovered to start. We ran on the flats, the incline, the decline, and the flats again. We ran too fast (which can happen with short intervals that aren’t long enough to get into a groove), and we had some time left over.
Once back early at COT, some gawked, some ran, some planked. You know who you are.
Sorry for the late BackBlast, but tomorrow there’s another Swift Backblast to write…
See you in the gloom,
Brat