The Brave is Dead. Long live The Brave.
It’s over, finito. It had a good run. Is so long for The Brave???
For most of my Qs, I pour over mapmyrun.com and come up with some wild routes. Then, I freak out that I’ll get lost and settle on a well-worn loop or down and back. For today’s adventure, it was a down and back. (One we haven’t done too often.) Plus, I tried to add enough ‘mericans and pull-ups to keep everyone satisfied.
Conditions: 60 and moist
The Thang
After the obligatory SSH, and IW, we left Vine American Kitchen. As we awaited a Cobbler to catch up, we hit Conlan Circle for ‘Mericans, plank jacks, and mountain climbers.
We descended Ballantyne Commons adopting high knees, side-shuffles, and butt-kicking strides. At the intersection of Ballantyne Commons and Ballantyne Corporate, we learned the atomic ‘mericans, essentially the bottom half of a burpee. At Brighthouse Financial we span round and round for wheel o’ ‘merican.
We continued down Ballantyne Commons and turned left on Meadow Run Ln, left on Thornhill and right on Elmstone Dr. At Elmstone Park, we got in four rounds of five pull-ups and 10 lbcs in-between each set. We left the park and grabbed a rock on our way to the Murderhorn. The call was three rockees (burpees with push-up on rock and overhead press of rock) at each streetlight. At the top of the hill, we did Freddy Rockurys. We traveled down the hill, ditched the rock and headed back to Ballantyne Commons. From there, we did a variety of ‘mericans at the most intersections. Back at home, we did a few celebratory burpees to run out the clock. We almost hit five miles, plus completed our daily pushup and pull-up goals.
Moleskine
As I mentioned, The Brave will resurrect on Jan 26. The new launch site will be Brazwell’s parking lot. This new site provides some variety for those who come out to Bagpipe/Swift and Stonehenge. Plus, the proximity to the parking decks and Murderhorn will ensure The Brave remains the Southland’s most treacherous workout.
Thank you to everyone to came out. It’s an honor and a challenge to lead F3’s creme de la creme. I do know this, you’d can’t get better if you don’t train often, train with intensity and train with the best.
Announcements
BROlympics 2.bro, Feb 24 Weddington High School
Service Opportunities forthcoming with The Sandbox
Speed for Need Race – https://runjenrun.racesonline.com/
Joe Davis Ready… Could It Be Colder???
9 Goats for an UNBELIEVABLY cold F3 Mountain Goat… and the first of 2018! Despite the frozen tundra conditions, it was the best choice made in 2018 by all the PAX in attendance! Plus, Q promised the workout would be Joe Davis friendly!
We kept the workout simple… and tried to keep moving!
- Warm-up around Rounding Run, then back to Strawberry Lane for some dynamic stretching
- 2 rounds of 30-30-1 back towards SCMS; 1 round towards Rosecliff
- After 45-minutes, the Q made a call to end our exposure to 10* temperatures.
- Finish with some stretching at the concession stand/facilities
DONE! 4.5 miles for a shortened Mountain Goat! Excellent job!
Moleskin
VERY COLD! Saying the workout would be Joe Davis friendly mainly means you will know how freaking cold it is going to be on Saturday at the Joe Davis Run!! You’re welcome!
Great showing for the first Goat of 2018. I had hoped we could have as many Goats as degrees… which were 10… we had 9… close!!
Best of luck to everyone running in the JDR tomorrow!
Awesome to have Chico join us! Hopefully you will make this a regular part of your Fridays!
Also great to have Joker join us for the first workout of 2018… perfect attendance for this year!
Enron showing for 2nd week in a row… that is regular status!
Kilowatt was almost as bundled as Q… a lineman is always prepared!!
Tweetsie, Insomniac, Retread… always SOLID!!
Purell… sick fast as always… and Joker never far behind!
Should Old Goats Be Forgot??
7 Goats gathered for the final Mountain Goat workout for 2017. Should Old Goats be forgot?? NEVER!! Enough nostalgia! Here’s what we did:
- Warm-up to Woodfox and back to track
- Dynamic stretching
- 4 x 200m at I-Pace with 200m recovery after each interval
- After 4th interval, recovery to Woodfox and Strawberry, then I-Pace down Woodfox and back (approx. 800m)
- Do as many as you can until time. Leaders got in 2.5 rounds.
- DONE! 5.5 – 6.5 Miles depending on pace
Moleskin
Excellent job, boys! This is a great workout… you get some speed on the track, then you get to enjoy the short but noticeable testers at either end of Woodfox… good times… good times!!
Purell had no issues gliding up and down Woodfox! Same for Enron! Great to have you join us!
Also great to have Lorenzo join us! Always welcome!
Drano, Insomniac and Retread… SOLID!
Everyone have a great and safe New Year!!
Stretching with a Summer Breeze
Days after the arctic cold left, 7 PAX came on down to the scout hut to participate in Gumby. Here’s how it went:
Devotion:
Luke 12:22-29 “Do not worry”
We talked about how we are called not to worry by Christ- and how if he is taking care of the sparrows, how much more will he care for us and our families even during the hard times.
The Thang
- Corpse Pose- with butterfly combo- (on your back, with feet together into the butterfly)
- Bring your knees up, and then slowly straighten your legs
- With straightened legs, Keep pressing down through your feet, and bring your arms up one at a time for the pencil. You should feel the stretch all the way up to your fingertips
- Cat Cow (5 times)
- Side Bends (5 Breaths) L/R
- Balancing the Cat Both sides
- Mountain
- Sun salutation (X3, 3rd OYO)
- Arms reaching overhead
- Full fold (heavy body)
- Up to halfway lift
- Into plank
- Down into up dog/Cobra
- Move into Down dog (Walk the Dog)
- Step into Lunge, then move into full fold
- From full fold to mountain
- Back to Mountain
- Begin Sun Salutation until Plank
- Sun salutation (X4, 2nd and 3rd OYO)
- Arms reaching overhead
- Full fold (heavy body)
- Up to halfway lift
- Into plank
- Down into up dog/Cobra
- Right arm high 5 breaths
- Flapjack
- Step into Lunge, then move into full fold
- From full fold to mountain
- In mountain, beginning balance poses
- Begin with Tree (right leg up, then flapjack)
- Eagle
- Right leg pull up
- Left leg pull up
- Right knee up
- Left Knee up
- Lord of the Dance (Flapjack)
- Start Salutation, Once in downward dog Left right leg as high as possible and swing through to move into Crescent Lunge (5 Breaths)
- Move to Crescent lunge Twist (5 breaths)
- Move to Reverse Crescent Lunge (5 breaths)
- Crescent Prayer
- Crescent Prayer Twist
- Extended Crescent Prayer twist
- On downward dog, lift left leg and move into Crescent Pose (5 BREATHS)
- Transition into Crescent twist (5 breaths)
- Into Reverse Crescent
- Sun Salutation, and repeat Crescent flow opposite leg
- Two Sun salutations
- On your six, begin with two stretches
- Right leg in, reach for your left (switch)
- Butterfly- sitting tall, pushing your legs with your elbows in order to open up your hips (5 breaths)
- Hold for 45 seconds, and move into Down dog. Finish sun salutation, and move into another one until you lift left leg up and go into left side of Dead Pigeon Hold for 30 seconds, and move into finishing sun salutation (end in mountain)
- 10 Merkins (just for kicks)
- Standing in Mountain, on your six down on the ground move to Supine Spinal Twist left (5 breaths, 15 seconds) then right (5 breaths, 15 seconds)
- Then move to one legged wind removing
- Corpse Pose and review the Devotion
FIN
Moleskine
I so enjoy this group of guys who show up ready to recover from the crazy beatdowns we inflict upon ourselves. It was a good mix of regulars with one PAX making a rare appearance.
That said PAX, the Mouth jumped out of his car ready to workout since it wasn’t so cold- but then promptly headed into the climate controlled scout hut with us for Gumby. Hmmm…
Kudos to all the Pre-Runners- Arena, Madison, Paper Jam, Lois and myself all took advantage of the milder weather to get a warm up in.
Thanks guys for your patience as my verbal commands were not very crisp, and kept coming out in a discombobulated manner- but they somehow were able to manage. When you mix up arms and legs as you are calling out stretches, you know it’s a day on the struggle bus.
Workout music today was an Amazon Music playlist called “Breezy Summer classics.” Fittingly, it began with Bob Marley, and “Three Birds,” really driving home the point from our devotion today to not worry (and not even intentional).
Thanks Gents for showing up to the most unique AO in Area 51. Gumby has become an essential in my workout regiment, and I was honored to lead this time.
Open Request Friday (sort of)
Given the awesome weather, albeit damp, a surprisingly low number (but high quality) of 13 PAX showed up for Fantastic Friday at Centurion. Udder scared himself (and maybe others) with a Thursday night tweet about bricks possibly being carried. However, variety is the spice of life so we went without bricks for once with me at Q. Disclaimer was given and YHC pointed out that it was open request Friday for the PAX (with a sub-disclaimer).
The Thang:
COP – SSHX10, Mtn Climbers X15, Peter Pakers X15, Diamonds X10, Stagger R and L X10 each
Mosey up to the street and hang a left to the rock pile. Partner up with partner 1 running up and around parking lot and partner 2 performing called exercise until partner returns for hand off. Round 1 – push presses/lateral extensions, Round 2 – curls, Round 3 – squats
Mosey up to shopping center for a ladder. Q asked for requests for the exercise and the only nomination was imperial walkers, which was quickly denied (this is not the Rush Limbaugh show – requests can be rejected). Given no other nominations (not smart by the PAX), Q called ladder to 13 with odd numbers being hand release burpees on level 2 and flutters (in cadence count) on level 1. Q modified when we got to 10 and we did merkins for 11 and 13 as the PAX (well, Purple Haze at least) were starting to get unruly.
Mosey down to benches in front of school for one legged squats – 15 each leg and then 20 each leg. AMRAP dips until the Q called halt.
Mosey down to stairs and up to level 4 for a few minutes of Mary with dolly (engage your core bitches), Rosalita, and heels to heaven. Wrap up with some ground work across parking deck – bear crawl, crab walk, duck walk, lunge walk, and burpee broad jumps before heading back to parking lot for COT.
Nekkid Moleskin:
PAX will remember next time to come up with some exercise requests given the alternative is hand release burpees. Mermaid wanted a recovery workout and I was expecting some nominations from him (not imperial walker, which came from Tool Bag). He did divert to McDonalds for most of the ladder work so I think he got a good “break”. Lorax was intent on lapping the field on the ladder but me thinks mostly so he could short cut the hand release burpees at the top before other pax made it up to level 2. I would have felt good about my position on the ladder except for the fact that two older gents (Snooka and Marconi) were in front of me (but not PH).
The bricks were left in the bushes so next time there is a 99% chance I’ll put them to use. They get lonely – they told me.
Runstopper made his once per year post to Centurion but I’m hopping he will post more often in 2018 (at least twice but no more than 5 times – we can only handle seeing a man in tights so many times).
Announcements
Please keep the Palmer family in your prayers. Jennings will likely need a bone marrow transplant and the family is going thru a very tough ordeal. It appears the lord is giving them strength – read the Caring Bridge posts to see why I say that. It is very sad but the lord works in mysterious ways and the faith from the Palmer family is one example of how he can comfort/strengthen us in times of trouble. If you are able to assist with a donation, in addition to prayers, please read this announcement posted by Mermaid – Support for Palmer Family
Bro-olymipcs scheduled for February. You can’t miss it if you use Twitter. If you don’t use twitter than see Wingman to get into the 21st century (or YHC to get into the 20th century).
As always, an honor and a privilege to lead at this great AO
40 Minutes of Hell
15 Men resisted the temptation for fried chicken at Waverly to endure “40 Minutes of Hell” on the mean courts of Cuthbertson Middle at Impromptu this morning. There was ample chatter before the start; faces, legs and hands were even visible. The higher temps a welcome sign for many – although Deflated keeps his streak intact of most consecutive days wearing a tobaggan (yea – thats a winter hat for all of you Yankees).
Pax – Gatorcub, Doughboy, Posse, Bottlecap, Finch, Xerox, Popeye, Olde Macdonald, Tooth Decay, Deflated, MoneyBall, Foundation, Great Pumpkin, Rockwell and yours truly Recalculating as QIC.
Disclaimer
Typical warmup
ssh, mnt climb, IW, merkins, cherry pickers. Points were deducted by the Russian judge for incorrect IW call out.
Mosey to front of the middle school for 15-20-25. Designed as some strength training – running would come later.
15 Dips, Decline Merkins, Bobby Hurleys – 20Dips, Decline Merkins, Bobby Hurleys, 2Dips, Decline Merkins, Bobby Hurleys. All done in perfect cadence
The Thang – Head to basketball court
pair up at each basket. P1 performs prescribed exercise while P2 does a “basketball” lap = Sprint the long sideline, side shuffle the baselines and backward run.sprint other sideline.
started with 150 Squats
When finished as a group gather on the sideline for 17’s (sideline to sideline sprint for a minute) goal is to go sideline to sideline for 17 touches. This was last done in HS basketball practice – so wasn’t sure what to expect -Bottlecap and Moneyball got close on the fist sprint
REPEATED this cycle several more times with 150 Carolina Dry Docks, LBC’s, Planks, Freddy M’s and bear crawls.. All total I believe we got in 7 – 17’s
Had the makings of a march madness beat down – lots of winded brothers bent over tugging on their Stockton’s.
Some mumble chatter on the last set that we needed to get back to cars – tells me Pax were done with 17’s
Mosey to the parking lot by 6:15
Pleasure to lead this great group. All Pax were impressive in the gloom.
Announcements – New Waverly AO, Thursday WaterTower is on final approval for “Official”. Kind of funny how Waverly was fast-tracked for approval for Official AO. I sense some payola going on back at corporate. Maybe some Peruvian Chicken was exchanged – this has Doc McStuffins written all over it.
Father -Daughter Dance and Meme Moment. Mark this Moment is the event. See Gatorcub for details and limo ride to the event. Damascus – be sure to tip the bar for each glass of Merlot.
Missed opportunities
Lois posting on behalf of Kilowatt, who had an excellent Q in the balmy environs of Matthews Elementary School …
Tclaps to Slim Fast and Tweetsie for their pre-run. Honorable mention to Nomad for at least thinking about doing the pre-run.
The Thang:
A surprisingly small crowd for P51. I believe most of the usual PAX were still thawing out from last week’s frostbite. Some may have been scared off by the forecast of rain. They forgot that the rain only starts after P51. Bottom line, folks missed a comfortably cool and dry excellent workout opportunity.
Started with a mosey to ‘Industrial Parking lot’ … listen to Nomad whine about his legs and arms hurting from Conviction on Wednesday.
Disclaimer
- 20 LSS
- 20 IW
- 19 SSH
- 16 Abe Vigoda
Note: Erratic exercise counts due to the Q not being able to think straight with all the excessive mumblechatter.
Mosey to the church parking lot:
Partner run / 100 Merkins – Partners go to 100 or whenever the Q says stop. Bonhoeffer was hesitant to recover from the pavement when we were done. Must have hoped for more Merkins??
Karaoke around the parking lot – Start delayed by Tweetsie’s Google search and discussion on the definition of an alley.
Partner run / LBCs – Go until each PAX runs three times or whenever the Q says stop.
Bear Crawl to the second small tree, lunge walk to the end of the parking lot. Return. Some had difficulty counting to ‘the second’ small tree. Not everybody can be a math major.
Mosey to the rear school parking lot:
Five legged Starfish
- 15 Pull-ups
- 15 Donkey Kicks
- 15 CDDs
- 15 Bomb Jacks
- Run 1 lap on track
Six legged Starfish (Slim Fast doesn’t like for starfish to have an odd number of legs so we modified for the R&R)
- 15 Pull-ups
- 15 Donkey Kicks
- 15 CDDs
- 15 Bomb Jacks
- Run 1 lap on track
- INSERT 10 DOLLYS IN THE CENTER BETWEEN EACH EXERCISE to add the 6th starfish leg.
Mosey to the starting parking lot
- 20 Flutters
- 19 Rosalita in Espanol
COT
No Announcements
The Moleskin
Truly an enjoyable workout with a wonderful group of PAX. I had not Q’ed P51 in a while. Lois and Sensei graciously allowed me to pick any date I wanted to Q in January. Really glad I didn’t pick last week given the sub-freezing temperatures. I choose to believe that all the mumblechatter about my leadership today was due to the PAX being really glad I had returned to Q. No other reason makes any sense 🙂
kW
Breaking new ground
13 PAX at Devils Turn today for a relatively warm run compared to last week.
Today’s route included the end of the Charlotte 10 miler route with the famous ‘Nut up or Shut up’ Strava segment. The route (a new route for DT, and henceforth referred to as the Nut up or Shut up Loop): Down Bevington, Elm, Creek Bend, Ridgemore, Hickory Forest, Prince Edward, Endhaven, Comm House, Johnston, 51, Baybrook, Bevington to the finish. Make it long… loop in the village. Make it short… cut back on the greenway from Johnston Rd.
With the new route in mind and low lighting in sections, as well as the jaunt down Elm being not well protected for runners, the request went out on Slack for headlamps today.
The Mole: A rare (but increasingly likely) sighting of Paper Jam at a 2nd running workout for the week happened today (running like a champ), only to be forgotten with the realization that Madame Tussauds, was in our midst (a rare-er-er sighting at running workouts). It would appear that some of our SOB P200 teams are getting their mileage ramped up this week. Glad to see it!
Today offered some options in distance with the chance to shorten the route and head down the Greenway for ~4.5miles. Madame T, Goonie, Paper Jam, and Tootie opted for this diversion. Running with the group, Benny, not realizing it was the shorter option, also headed down the greenway. But not wanting to shorten a good run, he added some distance at the finish… and also had the pre-run under his belt.
Turkey Leg and Chin Music led the pack on the prescribed route, with Mr Brady, YHC and Alf not far behind. Meatloaf, Das Boot, and Wild Turkey were finishing off the lineup at a good clip as well.
At the COT, it was clear that this route is a keeper! It has its hills, but all agreed it was a great route… although many may have just been grateful we were not running 5 Knolls again.
All and all, today was a great run, and a great effort by all, with new scenery and hills to boot.
Thanks for allowing me to lead today gents.
Gumbo
Announcements: Keep Bout Time and his family in your prayers.
2018 BROlympics 2.bro
https://youtu.be/QaV6NW5IVoM
Outstanding Olympic Quotes
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete and four-time gold medalist in 1936.
“The key is not the will to win. Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” — Bobby Knight, American basketball coach of the 1984 gold medal-winning men’s team.
“I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” — Mia Hamm, American soccer player and 1996 and 2004 gold medalist
“Blarfffffffff” – Mighty Mite, BROlympics 2017
Who: BROlympics is open to all men. All regions invited.
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2018
Time: Please check-in at registration no later than 6 AM.
- Opening Ceremonies at 6:30 AM
- Closing Ceremonies at 9:00 AM
Location: Weddington High School Track/Practice Field, 4901 Weddington Rd, Matthews, NC 28104
Registration: To speed up the registration process, all pax are encouraged to click here to pre-register. There is no cost to participate; however, opportunities to give to deserving community organizations will be available.
What: Ten individual events developed to test strength, speed, stamina and physical/mental toughness. Participation in each individual event is optional.
Each participant will partner with a bro for all events (except 1-mile). Your bro will record your times, count your reps and encourage you to do your best. (Scorepad and pencil provided.)
1600m then 100m events heats open at the start of the competition. All other events sites will be open at the start of the games and you and your partner may complete the events in any order.
Events*:
– 1600m
– 100m
- Preliminary heats of 8 PAX (1 in each lane), with as many heats as it takes to move through all competitors
– American KB Swing in 90 sec
– Sled pull there/back (as in Spartan races)
– Max reps 135lb bench press
- No time limit, but once initiated cannot rest the bar on the rack or chest
– Kettlebell toss
- 3 attempts per pax
– Dead hang for time
- One attempt
– Timed bucket carry on 200-yard course
– Spear throw (5 throws)
- Points awarded for accuracy
– Medley: “ThePhlygethon”
*Event list may change
Scoring
Once you finish, you will turn in your scorecard at the registration table. Results will be tabulated on-site. In each event, first place receives 100 points, second receives 95, and it continues to fall by 5 points through fifth place, which is worth 80 points. From sixth to 20th place, the drop is 2 points: sixth is worth 78 points, seventh is 76, and so on. Then from 21st place on, the drop is 1 point: 21st gets 49 points, 22nd gets 48, etc. This means that participating in an event guarantees you points, and skipping means leaving points on the table.
Awards
During the closing ceremony, the top three competitors in each event will be announced, as well as the top “respect” competitor in each event. The individual event winners and the top three overall competitors with the highest total points receive custom awards.
Volunteers & Equipment
If you can’t complete this year, please volunteer. We need volunteers to help register pax, input scores, oversee events and take pictures and video. We need 45 lbs kettlebells and sleds. Click here for to volunteer yourself or equipment.
Final Words
This is a can’t miss event. (Check out last year’s highlights.) No other CSAUP or competition provides this level of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd F. Come and compete against your bros and against your performance at BROlympics 2017. If this is your first games, set a baseline to measure against future BROlympics. Be there for yourself, but more importantly, your bros. SYITG!
Millbridge Run #2: RouteFella
6 men posted in balmy 45 degree temps in at 0515 in Millbridge (subdivision in Waxhaw) to get some miles in and continue to get to know this very strong AO.
After greeting and watching Jingles pull in on two wheels, we were off w/ no disclaimer. This week we ran a 1.7 mi hilly loop route which was about 50% on the road and 50% on a shiny new path through the woods over various wood bridges and through 1 tunnel. The first leg of the route featured a long and deceptively steep hill heading South on Millbridge Parkway. This immediately gave us ~100 feet of gain (elevation profile below is backwards). Next up was a left hand turn on Lydgate, Goodfella’s new stomping grounds. Contrary to prior statements made on #Slack, no one pooped on his lawn (but YHC may stop on the way home). Next we headed North on the beautiful new path through the woods, back to the start at the Clubhouse.
Most of us got in around 3 and a half laps, which meant 4 times up the big hill. YHC had a total of ~500 feet of elevation gain and 6.5 miles.
About a quarter of the way through the first loop, YHC accomplished something that had alluded him for years: the mid-workout EH. As we crossed paths with an oncoming runner at the traffic circle on Millbridge Parkway, YHC successfully snagged FNG Ryan w/ these magic words: “This is going to sound weird, but, would you like to join us?”. It was good running w/ him and getting to know him a little bit. Turns out his son was on Goodfella’s son’s baseball team. Unfortunately Ryan peeled off before COT, narrowly escaping the F3 naming process. Hopefully he turns up next week. Near the end of the run, YHC got greedy and attempted to EH a pair of oncoming runners. They seemed less than interested.
Goodfella spent the run breaking in his new headlamp and Hollywood is about to order his own. We got all kinds of lumens up in here.
Another strong performance by Jingles. Keep up the good work my man!
T-claps to Goodfella, Bratwurst and Jingles for having 100% attendance at the Millbridge run. Goodfella’s streak ends next week due to travel, so it’s up to Brat & Jingles to keep the dream alive.
Thanks to Bratwurst for taking us out.
Join us next Thursday at 0515. We launch from the Millbridge clubhouse. Bring a headlamp.
Announcements
- Unofficial Friday bootcamp @ Waverly shopping center at 0530 w/ 0500 pre-run (workout will be named during COT. show up and have a say.). Official launch is next Friday the 19th.
- Posse looking for teammates for marathon relay in Rock Hill on Sat, Jan 20th @ 9AM
- Dromedary Q schedule is empty starting next week. Sign up!
-TUCK