On this All Saint’s Day, 9 pax shook off the sugar coma from last evening and gathered to stretch out the stretchy parts and lengthen the shortened parts, those parts shortened by our considerable efforts six other days per week. Notable, 5 pax pre-warmed all those various parts with a pre-run.
Turning the convention of the past year of Gumby workouts 90 degrees counter-clockwise, with some pax (& Q) confusion and disorientation, mats were laid and the pax put through the following paces:
The Thang:
Savasana
Devotional – the Divine Treasure Map, by David Bernthal
Gentle warm-up:
Balance work:
Vigorous warm-up:
Lunge series:
Corpse pose (savasana)
Devotional encore – excerpt from Susan Wright
Time
COT
Announcements:
Fluid moleskinne:
It was great to get back among the Gumby pax today, as YHC has been using Wednesdays for recovery (sleep) recently. Perfect weather too (not that it matters so much indoors).
YHC picked up the “vigorous warmup” section from a power yoga class attended a few weeks back. (Pro tip: think twice about doing a heavy strength workout before a power yoga session #shaky.) Madison correctly called out that the high-low-high planks were just a stealth merkin. #cantgetanythingpastthatguy
Additional background links on Martin Luther and the Reformation:
Thanks, as always, for the opportunity to lead today. It’s an honor.
Aye.
14 men came to Anvil this morning and got a full body workout in. Including some lifting in the form of rocks.
The Thang
Quick COP that included 15 x Merkins, 15 x Mountain Climbers, and 15 x Low Slow Squats. All in cadence. Followed by a Burp n Merk set to 5 OYO.
Mosey to the end of the parking lot near entrance 4. Instructions were given to run to each speed bump along the perimeter road. At each speed bump, stop and perform a Burp n Merk set up to 5. When finished at the last speed bump, turn around and do the same on the way back. Finishing where we started.
Mary while waiting on the six.
Mosey to the rock pile near the baseball field. Before choosing a rock, run to the playground, do 15 x Pullups, and run back.
Choose a rock suitable for lifting and running. Carry said rock to the light pole nearest the rock pile.
Round 1 of rock work consisted of 10 x Bicep Curls, 10 x Shoulder Presses, 10 x Triceps Extensions. Drop the rock. Run to the second light pole. Perform 10 x Jump Squats. Run back to your rock. That’s 1 round. Complete 5 total.
Mary while waiting for the six.
Before moving onto round 2 of rock work, run to the playground for 15 more Pullups.
Round 2 of rock work consisted of 10 x Thrusters, carry your rock to the first light pole, drop the rock and do 10 x Burpees jumping over the rock after each Burpee. After the Burpees are complete, pick the rock back up and run to the start. That’s 1 round. Complete 5 total.
Mary while waiting for the six.
Take the rocks back to the pile. Mosey back to the launch. Time is up. Actually a few seconds over.
Naked Moleskin
YHC posts many workouts that take place at Calvary Church so there have been some ideas for workouts floating around in YHC’s head for a while. Glad to get to use some of them this morning. That was fun. Hopefully everyone got something out of it. Thanks to Hannibal for the take out.
Announcements
Area 51 Christmas Party is Friday 12/8 at Seaboard in Matthews.
Summary, Thang, Moleskine, and Everything Your Heart Desires from a Backblast…
22 men showed up to play with some man-strollers…. boy-toyz… this isn’t working. Let’s just call them what they are… SPEED FOR NEED racing chariots. Fresh off his sub-20 minute 5k, Benny got there early intent on falling on his face at least once more to make himself prettier… um faster. Disclaimer and Operating Instructions… left a couple of minutes late because YHC likes to hear the sound of his own voice. It’s sexxxy like that. And old ladies at home and less old ladies at Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctors offices waiting rooms around Charlotte were serenaded by it for all of 2 minutes yesterday on FOX Good Morning Charlotte (http://www.fox46charlotte.com/good-day/seen-on-tv/290443874-video ) #MongolTV. Mosey down Woodfox Drive to where Fireman Ed lives on Burning Tree Drive. We did 5 laps of the cul-de-sac loop alternating pushing the chariots filled with 50-80lbs of weight. There was a strange banging noise coming from the general direction of Ed’s bedroom… and some panting. But alas, it was just Cheese Curd huffing and stomping his rucking legs around the circle, he was working hard. Nothing to see here. Next over to the steep hill on Rising Meadows Road for 5 trips up and down with the racing chairs, alternating between PAX. Backwards run halfway to top if not pushing. Hillz Part Deaux: 3 or 4 trips up to the top, this time pushing a PAX AYG to the top (switch halfway if needed). Turkey Leg helped simulate a small child Track Commander riding in the chariot Marathon Day. He kept playing that role when we were done with the workout… the small child. The guy can flat out act, and stay in character! Back towards launch for some speed work (aka time filler). Sprint down Strawberry lane from one speed bump to the next, with instruction from YHC to try and beat the chariots. Purell and Lorax… you completely failed the test. You won the “Least Willing to Care About Anyone But Yourself Award” for finishing ahead of the racing chair, while the rest of us didn’t take the bait, and finished behind. Redefining #HIM the wrong way… High INDIVIDUAL Men. Finish off with 35 Merkin Ladder (regular/wide/diamond/R-hand Fwd/L-hand Fwd/R-leg up/L-Leg up) really only because Mr Brady was there and YHC wanted his male hormone dispenser to re-simulate the BRR a year ago… or was it this year… both? By doing a strength exercise. Eh whatever. Finito! Thanks Haze for the takeout. YHC will tag the South Charlotte Twitter handle a few less times for it… but you won’t be able to tell.
More musings: Breaking news… Alf is not helpful. In fact he’s something that rhymes with BRICK…. Yup, he did have a little cough this morning.. SICK! His efforts to coordinate the marathon relay were negated 10x by releasing the inventory amount of SPEED FOR NEED shirts sitting in YHC office… 526. Did YHC mention it’s the second highest selling shirt in all of F3 Nation? YUP* it is. YHC didn’t recognize One Eye this morning… mixed him up in the group of 35-45yr old white guys that showed this morning, except Margo who hasn’t stopped growing his Movember since last year. Men’s health all day every day! Poptart…. excuse me, Rachel is… the model of men’s health. They both are models really, BEFORE and AFTER. Thanks Madison for coming and preaching more SPEED FOR NEED… YHC will unblock you one day, since it’s so irritating my feed is littered with your Tweets. Ok, would love to stay and provide more candor in this backblast, but time to get home to trick-or-treat…. My son is Indiana Jones, and YHC knows because of the whip mark on my back from the “toy”.
Tolkien’s Thoughts (the somewhat serious part)
Thanks for having me out this morning, and thanks everyone for your support, big or small for SPEED FOR NEED. Sometimes I can get emotional in presence of my brothers because you guys are my family, my outlet, and I appreciate being able to have that in my life, and hope you all feel like at some point you can confide in another brother and feel like F3 is true community as well.
Here is a segment of the backblast I wrote for Lake Norman’s Amazing Grace 5K Race, the only race I have pushed in so far, but thought it would be good to share with the group.
“When I think about it, our being at the Amazing Grace Race was no accident. It was God giving us a gentle reminder, in the midst of so much short term success and exuberance, of why SPEED FOR NEED exists. It was about Him refocusing us on what SPEED FOR NEED is really about: to be there and help the community, with the gifts He has given us… our time, our money, our fitness, our kindness, and for SPEED FOR NEED, our racing chariots. A reminder that each of us can make a small difference wherever we are at, whether it’s a 15,000 person race or just a few hundred. A reminder that when we feel burdened by soccer games taking up every Saturday, that there is a mother and father out there that will never see their child kick a ball, since they’re immobilized in a wheelchair. SPEED FOR NEED isn’t about having 50+ F3 Nation runners signed up to get the largest team award. It’s not about how fast we can push our Track Commanders to the finish line. And it’s not about how many people watch our Youtube videos or like our Facebook page. It’s about continuing to help the community one person at a time.”
Announcements & Events
SYITG ~JRR Tolkien
Halloween Trick or Treating
On a crisp autumn morning, 18 PAX showed up for Fuze Boxes Virgin Q and some Trick or Treating fun. We were graced with not one, but two Bottle Caps. It was determined that since Jingles showed up on time dressed as Bottle Cap, that he now needs to come dressed as Bottle Cap for future workouts.
Warm up:
• Two laps around the parking lot
• Side Straddle Hop
• Opposite Knee to Elbow mountain climbers
• Peter Parkers
• Imperial Walkers with a squat hop
• Cherry Pickers – yes, we looked ridiculous
Mosey to Bus Parking Lot
Thang:
• Partner up. One does one legged step up while the other runs the bus loop. Transition exercise 5 partner darkens with hand slaps. 2 rounds. Its right about here where the complaining started about the number of new exercises introduced. I tapped down the uprising with promises of candy at the end.
• Partner up. One does Durkens while the other runs the bus loop. Transition exercise: In and Outs (Bottom half of a burpee). 2 rounds.
Mosey to Rock Pile
• Partner up: One partner does curl press with a heavy rock. Other partner does toe touches on the curb. 2 Rounds.
• Partner up: One partner does front raise and triceps extension with a heavy rock. The other partner does lung/squat/lung. 2 Rounds
Mosey to back of school
• Peoples Chair with 50 overhead claps
Mosey into a Jailbreak to side parking lot
• Lock horns with partner and push partner to top of parking lot. Sprint back to lower parking lot and flap jack with partner. Several PAX sucking air on this one – including the VQ.
• While waiting for 6 in, group started small arm circles out to the side.
Slow mosey to front of school while doing arm circles
• American Hammers while passing bucket of candy around. Each Pax takes one piece of candy and we preformed exercise until the candy was gone. It was reported that Money Ball turned the candy bucket up during the exercise. The chocolates around his mouth was all the evidence we needed to confirm our suspicions.
• Finished workout with Pistol LBC’s
Moleskin:
• We welcomed FNG – Matt to the group. He was given the name “The Great Pumpkin” in honor of Halloween being his first Q and the tie in with his work at Metlife/Snoopy/Charlie Brown’s The Great Pumpkin.
• Mad Dog and Halfback out early offering encouragement to a nervous VQ who was teetering on loosing his voice from a night of coughing. Thanks guys.
• Shout out to Posse for giving me the opportunity to Q for the first time and for the constructive criticism afterwards. Some lessons learned after this first Q and I hope to improve during future Q’s.
• Posse provided the pink handkerchief in support of Brest Cancer Awareness month. Posse shared a personal story earlier this month of losing his mom at a young age that has stuck with me all month. Thoughts to all those affected by this horrible disease and the impact it has had on families and friends.
• After all the talk – only one Halloween costume was brought out today. Thanks to Jingles for adding some laughter to the group.
• Good work by the group. I threw in some curveballs with new exercises mixed in with my inexperience of leading the group. Everyone was able to hang and figure out what I was attempting to do.
• In listening back to the recording, I can barely make out Money Ball’s name as he is chomping down on what is thought to be a Snicker bar. I’m glad some of yall enjoyed the candy. That Caramel really locks down the jaws when you are combining fun sized to make real sized bars. Despite his best efforts, all the candy in the word won’t bring Tennessee another win this year.
Announcements:
• Union County F3 Christmas Party at the Red Barn. Information posted on Group Me.
• This Thursday a movie will be playing for one night only at Stonecrest that tells a story of a guy pushing his terminally ill friend 500 miles through Europe. A few tickets still available.
9 men succumbed to FOMO and entered the DMZ for a workout brought to you by Joe Weider and inspired by TR
Merkins x 30 IC
Mosey to C@C for some laps:
Lap #1 (~1/3 mile) – 12 Jerkins on the corners. Flutter on the 6.
Partner up, groups of 3.
#2 – Partner One, run with a 45# rubber plate . Partners Two & Three, 10 Monkey Humpers, then chase down the plate carrier. Rotate through, 10 MH each transition until plate back to starting point. Plank on the 6.
#3 – Partner One, Hairburner w/33#* “Weider International” steel plates. Partner Two – Repeat rounds of 5 Merkins, 10 Squats, 15 LBCs. Partner Three – run (use breezeway) until reaching burner man. Burner man back to exerciser, exerciser runs to burner. Rotate through until plate is back to starting point. Plank on the 6. (* 15 kilo)
#4 – 12 HR Merkins on the corners, Freddie Mercury on the 6.
#5 – same as #2, except with 10 Jump Squats on each transition.
#6 – 6 Diamonds & 6 Wide Arms on each corner, LBCs on the 6
#7 – just a lap
Mike Tyson x 10 IC
Rosalita x20 IC
Derkins x 2 IC
End.
Check out Speed for Need if you haven’t. When & where are Thanksgiving convergences?
Great takeout by Snowflake.
NMM
AF
Although the temperature dropped, it did not discourage 4 PAX from following a new route conjured up by Bratwurst filled with sprinklers and hills. At 5:15 we launched and tackled the menacing hill of Ardrey Kell to go past the high school. A right onto Zachary Ave, right onto Pomerane Place, right onto Old Ardrey Kell Rd (where we found the sprinklers), then through some other neighborhoods (I cannot remember which ones) and we ended up on Community House Rd. A quick left onto Highgrove to complete a loop around Highgrove-Fortbridge-Summer Club, Pemswood and then back to Community House. Down to Adrey Kell and a left back to base. The broga mats and a towel came out for stretching led by Paper Jam.
MOLESKIN
As a person who is often looking at the backs of other PAX in workouts, I sometimes get discouraged because it seems like some guys never struggle. They show up to a running workout, knock out 5-6 miles at some incredible pace or they show up at a boot camp and are always in front. It can be quite intimidating. They make it look easy. So when Gumbo relayed to us this morning his latest marathon story, one that documented how he successfully fought through physical battles with his body and second thoughts about running the marathon, for me, it was not only inspiring to hear about his triumph but also encouraging to know that I am not alone in the mental and physical struggles of our F3 workouts. It makes guys like me, who may never run a marathon, feel like we belong at an F3 workout with someone who can. Thank you Gumbo for a great start to my week.
PAX will launch from the Vine Restaurant on Tuesday morning at 0515 to reach for the objective Citius, Altius, Fortius. It will be a next phase in the Swift training regiment. We have been doing Repetition Pace training intervals over the last 2 weeks in pursuit of Running Economy. We’ll now turn to Interval Pace to get back to the training intervals similar to 3 weeks ago in order to maximize Aerobic Power .
The THANG:
See you in the Gloom,
Bratwurst
AYE. The PAX gathered in the gloom and 05:30 came and went without any floors being slapped. We were about to have a Q by democracy and Da Squids was explaining something about 4 stations and then YHC decided it was time to take charge. Not because DS would have done a bad job, but because YHC remembered that I had to pay penance for missing my Kevlar Q last Friday. For good reason, by the way, but still missing it. So here’s what happened next:
THE THANG
Mosey to lower parking lot, run a lap and then COP for SSH x 10 and Imperial Walkers x 10
Enough of that shiz
Mosey to end of parking lot and partner up
Partner 1 runs a lap, Partner 2 does stated exercise
Goal is cumulative total reps per exercise
Round 1 – 200 Merkins
Round 2 – 300 Jump Squats
Round 3 – 400 LBCs
Round 4 – 500 Mountain Climbers
Round 5 – 400 Sister Mary Catherines
Round 6 – 300 Flutter Kicks
Round 7 – 200 Jump Squats wait, nevermind, 100 Burpees
Finish out with a little bit of Mary – Heels to Heaven, High Slow Flutter, Jackknife
AYG to the finish line
YE OLDE MOLESKINE
That’s it. Something about a Christmas party and a 5k as well. #horseneck OUT
The Thang
o Timed 1.5 mile
o Max push-ups in two minutes
o Max sit-ups in two minutes
o Max pull ups
Moleskin
o Applicants must be between the ages of 17 to 28 [… sorry Uncle Leo, but turns out that you and I are almost 20 years outside of the range]
o Eyesight requirements: 20/40 best eye; 20/70 worst eye; correctable to 20/25 with no color blindness. [Interesting… not sure if I have a “best eye” and “worst eye”.]
o Meet the minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score: GS+MC+EI=170 or VE+MK+MC+CS=220 or VE+AR=110 MC=50. [I have no idea what any of this means… but looks pretty impressive].
o 1.5 mile in 11:30 or less, with a stretch goal to do it in under 10 minutes
o At least 50 push ups in two minutes, with a stretch goal of 80
o At least 50 pull ups in two minutes, with a stretch goal of 100
o At least ten pull ups