YHC has been patiently waiting for my own return to The Arsenal. It has been several months, maybe even closer to a year since being at this AO. Apparently, me not being there has been one of the greatest things that has happened because there were new faces everywhere and I politely had to introduce myself – at ironically the AO that YHC and Pebbles started and Fire Hazard and Ringer truly made it what it is today – great job guys!
One nice change that this AO has sprung forth is the 0500 pre-run option. A perfect 3mi warmup through the hills of Point Carpenter. Also known as Ringer and YHCs old BRR training ground for the infamous 2015 race that we were strangely able to talk Pebbles into – which he elegantly disclaimed he would never run again or was it, “I am never running this $@#$ again”. I think it was the latter. But I digress, these hills today were a good warmup for what was to come. One other thing about this time change and the option to have a 0500 prerun. For those who are runners, this is a great day to get atleast 5-6 miles in and still get a good leg workout in as well…something many of us runners neglect and need to strengthen to prevent injury. #foodforthought
0527 and The Thang was quickly approaching.
I believe it was also at this time that Bounty Hunter shouted out asking who I was. touché.
As the PAX scrambled to figure out if they were going to workout or go home – 2 PAX actually decided to leave. I believe it was Sauerkrat and Pin-up – who I unfortunately mistook as Pimp and still thought it was Pimp until I was finally corrected several hours later. Not sure which is better though. Apparently their Savage Race Tapers were calling but still needed that last 3mi to set them off.
0530 – The Thang
Head out across the AO to the 100yard parking lot. Close to a mile where we ran 4-5 strides. Trying to explain their purpose was obviously lost in translation OR I was just lost in my endeavor to actually try to communicate something I barely understand.
Once our loose legs were loose enough to actually begin to beat them to the slow death they deserved the PAX headed over to the playground to not touch one piece of child equipment that grown men frequently abuse (watch it).
We planked until the six returned and performed some dog pissers (thanks Keilbasa).
We started with leg lifts and lunge x10 on the left leg then took a lap. Repeato with right leg. Then we performed a beautiful rendition of the river dance or one legged hops x100 right leg then ran a lap. Repeato with left leg. Following that nice ensemble we pretended to figure skate across the sidewalk – it was lovely, then took a lap. The last exercise (more of a stretch) was called the triangle x 20 on right leg. Repeato with left leg.
After all those fun games we headed to the wall where we performed 40 lunges and 30sec wall sits, 38 lunges and 30sec wall sits, 30 lunges and 30sec wall sits, 20 lunges then 30sec wall sits and finally 10 lunges and 30sec wall sits.
Ran around the school for 1min of Mary and called it a COT.
Thanks again Ringer for letting me Q. I will be back. Fellow PAX get out to the arsenal, it is something of elite nature now – when I’m not Qing of course. I could see the potential.
5 men were interested in some endurance work, despite whatever was going on up the road.
Warm-up:
SSH X 10 (IC)
IW X 10 (IC)
Windmill X 10 (IC)
Cotton Picker X 10 (IC)
Low Slow Squat X 10 (IC)
Merkins X 10 (IC)
The Thang:
After suggesting the idea of a staircase-like “ladder” to Tuck a few weeks back, he happily named it the Mario Ladder in his BB. For lack of a better term, I rolled with it on this fine morning. Idea is do exercise #1, then #1 & #2, followed by #1, #2, & #3, repeato until all 10 rounds are completed. This mornings 10 rounds included:
Naked Moleskin:
Everything was hunky dory until the rain started pouring during round #9. I mean there was no rain, and then there was all the rain. MT made the comparison to being water boarded, which was a pretty accurate comparison though not having been water boarded before. Don’t want to know for sure.
Sticking with MT, he was yelling something about Outback’s dirt…or di… you know it really doesn’t matter. He also suggested to double up on the exercises and do 20 during the 10th round, which hurt extra good. However, he was NOT seen completing the bear crawl (nor his modified gorilla crawl) back across the patio.
Just when Wild Turkey started becoming a regular at The Brave again, he announces the return of Fight Club. Probably best for YHC, as WT may jump out of nowhere with a right hook or an attempt at a take down. Farewell WT, see you when it gets cold!
Rachel has his first Brave Q coming up on 5/19, and it’s one you won’t want to miss. Dude likes to stick around and give you company while you think you’re killing it, then he hits the next gear and you just can’t keep up. Sleeper pick at Savage (only because he doesn’t talk the same $#!T that Tolkien does).
Haven’t seen Outback in a while, so good to see him back at The Brave again. Hung in there through the entire workout despite some injury and an unusual amount of road rash. Sometimes the questions are better left unasked. Also see above comment about him and MT’s conversations. #hearnoevil
Mario, out.
Announcements:
Stay tuned for F3 Speed for Need info in the next couple weeks.
Sign up for Church on the Streets (COTS) See Strawberry.
Once upon a time, several hundred bootcamp workouts were planned and executed in the Laniakia Supercluster of galaxies, more specifically in and around the Stonecrest shopping center on planet Earth. Gallons of bodily fluids (some of them sweat) were poured out on the ascent of the #murderhorn, various Stonecrest fountain walls and across bleak parking lots. And it was good. Great, even. Over time, though, there were whispers. The local human population began to wonder if, perhaps, there were other hills, walls and parking lots somewhere beyond the normal area of operations. Somewhere entirely less convenient, where a big chunk of the workout would be wasted traveling to and fro. This hunger for inconvenience/inefficiency and the desire to fix what ain’t broke eventually grew into an obsession among the PAX. But who among them would have the courage to mosey past hundreds of yards of perfectly good asphalt, ideal hills and a wealth of walls? To do things way over there that could/should be done right here? Enter YHC.
23 PAX gathered at #F3RebelYell to learn the truth about inconvenience.
Thang
Dynamic stretching: high knees, butt-kickers, shuffle l/r
Mosey behing Michael’s/Harris Teeter/Target. Run towards Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, stopping at every speed bump for 5 jump squats.
Run up hill to the right and onto Elm Ln. Proceed South, crossing over Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. 20 jump-ups or muscle-ups on retaining wall on left side of road next to St. Matthew.
Continue South on Elm Ln. Left on Williams Pond Ln. Right into Robinson Farm shopping center.
Sevens. Run up stairs to the left of Bradshaw Social House. 6 diamond merkins on breezway. Run down other set of stairs. 1 burpee in the couryard. Repeat, this time with 5 diamond merkins and 2 burpees. Continue until 1 diamond merkin and 6 burpees. Mary while waiting for the six.
Mosey across Elm Ln to the Camfield Corners shopping center.
Suicides. Starting at the Southern end of the parking lot, run to the 1st line and do 3 merkins, then run back to the start. Run to 2nd line and do 6 merkins and run back to the start. Continue, adding 3 merkins at each subsequent line. Total of 7 lines and 84 merkins. 50 flutters IC while waiting for the six.
Mosey North on Elm Ln, stopping for 20 jump-ups or muscle-ups at that same retaining wall next to St. Matthew.
Mosey back to launch, stopping for 5 jump squats (again) at each speed bump behind Target/Harris Teeter/Michael’s. Plank for the six.
Lunge walk stop sign to stop sign in front of Regal Cinemas (~100 yards).
Thine Only Moleskine
We did it! We did stuff way over there that could/should have been done over here. But why? Why all the recon and <gasp> extra running? After all, Stonecrest ain’t broke, right? The truth about inconvenience is that it is essential. By going the extra mile (literally and figuratively) we keep things fresh, avoid burnout, find potentially great features (#BenNevis, #TheVillage, #theLC, #TamarronBurgundy, etc) and challenge each other creatively. Wild Turkey, Hairball and others do this for us week in and week out. They keep it fun and keep it fresh. They show the PAX that they care enough to drive around on their own time searching for the next #murderhorn, walk creepily around an elementary school looking for the next #LochNess or wander aimlessly in the woods at night with a headlamp looking for a cut-through from ESPN-U to that playground in The Meadows (there isn’t one).
So get in your car and explore. Do some recon on your lunch break or during a pre-run. Pull up Google Maps and rule out the familiar. Search backblasts for keywords like “Robinson Farm”. When you get no results, you’re on the right path. Take it from YHC, there is a real sense of pride that comes with finding something new after hundreds of workouts have taken place in the same 2 or 3 square mile radius. Most importantly, if you have never Q’d before, do it! It will change the way you look at the world.
Thank you Heartbreaker and Strawberry for the opportunity to lead.
Announcements
Sign up for Church on the Street (COTS), a worthy cause if there ever was one. Reach out to Strawberry w/ any questions.
If you find yourself doing nothing on May 20th something has gone horribly awry. There is an embarrassment of riches on this particular day, so get out there.
Please EH someone for the New Guy Workout at Stonecrest on May 24th. Hoping to have a huge turnout of FNG’s and PAX that have fallen away from F3.
A near-record 28 PAX made a solid life decision to post at Area 51’s loudest workout to be put through the paces by YHC on his VQ.
After a pretty thorough disclaimer, we moseyed out, taking the long way to the back parking lot via the front of First Baptist (#RIPGiantTreeOnTheCorner).
COP
THANG
Head to the bottom of the hill and find a partner for a fun first course.
In tandem, P1 runs forward, P2 backpedals. Reach the first lamp post, one partner planks, the other puts his feet on the planker’s back, 5 derkins. Flapjack.
Flapjack running, so, P1 backpedals, P2 runs forward to next lamppost. Repeato on the plank/derkins. 5 each.
Sprint to end. Plank until the six arrives.
Going back down hill, we did the same drill, but with forward/backward lunge walks. Plank/derks appropriately.
Mosey to the back lot …
Last week, Tweetsie had the easy theme — May the 4th be with you. Since my Q came on the 11th, I was reminded of the best “rockumentary” of all time, “This is Spinal Tap.” So, in deference to Spinal Tap’s world-famous amplifiers, time to do some 11s!
Start at one end of the bus lot, do 1 jump squat. Run to the other end, 10 merkins. Run back, 2 jump squats, run, 9 merkins, etc.
Usually 11s are done on a hill, but since hills are objectively awful, YHC opted for flat land, but long flat land. It seemed to get longer as the reps continued. A lot longer.
Once we finished up, we kept the Tap theme going with what I called “Stonehenge,” which is where a man’s a man and the children dance to the pipes of Pan.
Sounds cool, right? Yeah, it was just a really terrible version of Duck, Duck, Goose.
We formed 2 circles (original thought was 1 big circle, but with so many PAX, 2 proved to be a better choice). On your six, start doing called exercise. One person makes a quick lap around the circle, then when he gets back, resume exercise and the next person in the circle runs, so forth and so on. Basically AMRAP until all are finished running.
This was a new one to the group, so, in the beginning, it was not unlike the intro to the titular song — “No one knows who they were … or what they were doing,” but, we figured it out.
Just enough time to mosey back to launch, count-o-rama, name-o-rama, ball o’ man, Tweetsie with a strong takeout.
-30-
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Starting Wed. May 31, there is a new workout — Conviction — starting up at a new AO — Stallings Elementary. See or talk to Bullwinkle for more details.
If you’re looking for a Peak-style workout on a Saturday, hit up Ascent/Olympus. 0700 at Olde Providence Elementary.
High Tide posted a quick survey on Twitter gauging interest in a possible Area 51 gear order. Stay tuned on that, as those custom orders have a limited window.
Not mentioned in COT, but worth bringing up: Our SOB brothers are hosting an FNG convergence on May 24th at The Maul (Stonecrest movie theater). Pre-blast is here. Time to really crank up the EHs.
MOLESKINE
I did some research, and, according to the Internet, the Peak 51 record is 30 PAX on Nomad’s Q back in February. We were right on the cusp today. It’s awesome to see so many guys coming out to get after it.
Next, special t-claps to Atlas, who ventured up from the hinterlands of Indian Land to support YHC on his VQ. It meant a ton to YHC to have him show up, especially since he was my EHer for a quite a while before I decided to take that #DRP.
Kotters to Dumpster Fire who escaped the wily Pineville PD to revisit his old buddies at Peak. Also, kotters to the legendary Horsehead.
YHC appreciated the heckling from ruck buddies Atlas and Geraldo during COP. What they don’t realize is that coaching 8- and 9-year-olds in flag football has sharpened YHC’s focus such that talking over directed mumblechatter is quickly becoming second nature.
Not as much mumblechatter on the 11s, especially as the reps grew. Everyone was crushing it, though. T-claps to Geraldo, who was doing a great job encouraging everyone as we were pushing through.
More mumblechatter in the Stonehenge portion, mostly in the form of Slim Fast singing some of Spinal Tap’s greatest hits, such as “Listen to the Flower People,” “Gimme Some Money” and, of course, “Stonehenge.” Also, if you missed his cranking up some of those songs and doing some low-key head banging after the BOM, well, I’m legitimately sorry you missed it.
Retread and YHC were talking on the mosey back to launch — we got in just under 2 miles all told, with the 11s accounting for about 1.2 of the total. Awesome, awesome job.
In the COT, Booyah brought up the new F3 Podcast. You should listen to it. The latest episode was timely for YHC, since it’s all about the Q.
On a personal note, thanks for the opportunity to lead. It was an honor to lead such a big group with a lot of heavy-hitters.
I can’t help but be reflective here on VQ day: It was July of last year when one of the saddest of the sad clown brigade sheepishly crept into Mountain Goat one Friday in hopes that this F3 thing was going to be all it was purported to be.
Over these last few months, I’ve so enjoyed getting to know all of you guys. It’s like everyone says — the first F is what first gets you out of the fartsack, but the second F is really what keeps you coming out. So many have served as such an encouragement to me, especially in those early days where I was on the cusp of passing out or dying or whatever at any given moment. Y’all continue to set the bar high, and, more important, set it as a bar worth jumping over.
To the newer guys, it’s true — it doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger — and let’s face it, it’s more rewarding that way.
Okay, I’m done. SYITG!
YHC was cutting rope late into the evening last night while also trying to bottlefeed a clusterfeeding 2wk old. The gents joked this morning when I showed up with ropes “Oh, the M won’t let you use those on her, so you bring those out to use on us instead?’ yada yada yada…jackasses, although correct, still jackasses. 4 grizzled vets were boots on the ground at 5:15 and the music and boom box were cued.
Warm-Up
Partner Up (1 rope x partner group)
The legs were worn…I mean warm. Now on to:
The Thang
Using my homemade TRX ropes the PAX executed the 6 exercises below:
4 rounds total with the following reps 10-15-10-15
Finish off with a little core
Moleskin
Small group today, but the tunes despite no Taylor Swift inspired everyone to press hard this morning. Great work fellas
Gump – glad I saw you yesterday morning, getting your SWOLE session on. Strong work today setting the pace on the ropes and blistering the sprints. The strength work was right in your wheelhouse.
Kirby – always keeping the the comraderie high but knowing when to quit letting the Q BS around and preempt the start of sprints. Also appreciate you continuing to show restraint from stealing the Elementary kids coats from the playground and letting them hang around another week.
Bounty Hunter – cuts through my neighborhood today but was taking no short-cuts this morning on the ropes. Thanks for joining me in the no-glove club this morning. The hands are a little raw because of it but we all know “Real Men don’t wear gloves” hence on how we all made it into this world BOOM
Announcements
Over and Out
-General
YHC led his Q #2 at Dromedary and hopefully the IC was more intelligible than the VQ, though that’s debatable with the twists and new exercises on the scrawled sheet of notes. It’s a great day to wake up and be around others who are trying to improve themselves and the world around them. Thank you for the opportunity. (posted on Behalf of Das Boot)
The THANG
Moleskin
Dromedary began with a bit of unease this morning as the pre-run group did not show up. We considered sending a search party out for them but decided instead that a lost-while-running episode may put hair on their chest.
Big props to the PAX today for working in Agile mode as we tried out a few less-common exercises and adjusted accordingly. The Goofball quickly degenerated into a 1960s Funky Monkey dance – thanks to some of the more seasoned PAX (respect) – and the Heisman, which had the success of Eric Crouch in the NFL. In the coming weeks we may also experiment with the Frug, the Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, along with the Ray Guy and Lou Groza.
Agile Mode continued as we opted for the Scout Run instead of the traditional Indian Run, which took a little explaining. Then on to the Caterpillar which took some adaptations to recognize that spreading out the line helps to get through the jumps and down field more quickly. Blackjack was cut in half because… we’re agile and open to pivoting. However, this did create a heated discussion between Hollywood, Dasher and Doc about the validity of Doc’s merkins, as to whether they were merely pulses or deep, man-making merkins. YHC and his soccer arms cannot comment on this. The pulse discussion came in handy shortly afterwards, though, with the dip and squat pulses and elicited further laughs and questions as to what the difference between a dip and a dip pulse is, but the second round of dips effectively shut up that conversation due to the focus needed to make it through a fourth set of dip-like exercises without rest. Hollywood proved most agile-friendly in converting his squat pulses to monkey humpers.
The rest of the THANG went fairly well, except for a good chunk of the PAX confusing sea turtles for Superman and minus complaining about a few more LBCs – it’s almost summer and we need to work on those six packs. Apparently the pre-run crew conspired to fartsack it today.
Announcements
Because I tend to be indecisive sometimes and have been really busy at work this week, I didn’t feel like I could put the time and energy into making the big decision of running regular route or the reverse route. I know what you are thinking, “dude, just pick one”. But its much harder than that. It’s very strategic. Do we start with a large hill the first mile or do we coast into the run with a gradual downhill for the first mile? Do we pass the only pit stop locations at mile 2.5 or at mile 3.5? Does that even matter now that Alf proved to the whole world that you can hold in a turtle head for 4 miles? Do we start with the black abyss that is Old Providence or do we finish on Old Providence in the day light? What would Semi Gloss do? If we do the regular route and Jello shows up for his Jello Run, will he care that he may be totally alone? Why won’t Hannibal eat any donuts? Do we run 51 mostly uphill or mostly uphill because both directions feel uphill? Which route delivers the best 2nd F donut numbers? Why does Swiper always talk so much while running fast? Will Hairball wear the Lululemon attire if we run the regular route? It’s 9:51 and I’m hungry, should I eat a bagel at Panera or should I wait until my lunch at 11:30? Should we run the regular route, since it gives us a better chance to heckle Death Valley? Will people think differently of me if they knew my favorite donut at DD was the Bowtie? Does Turkey Leg know he is as short as he really is?
Anyways, I didn’t think I could answer all these questions yesterday. My head just wasn’t in it. So, we showed up and everyone (or someone) just said regular. That guy is decisive! It was probably Swiper since he talks so much #HIM.
Until next week!
BW
Under the moonlit skies
And the light that flickers,
17 PAX stepped out,
To get a good tail kicker.
If they’d known about burpees,
They would have done the dart back.
Hopped into their cars,
And headed for the fartsack.
But they persevered and stayed,
As we saluted the virtual flag.
We got a good beatdown,
And even welcomed Speed Bag.
Well, there you have it. The extent of my creativity. As noted, 17 PAX showed up to put the old banker in his spot by dusting him on the workout. Well done.
Warm-O-Rama:
* 5 burpees
* 10 Imperial Walkers
* 5 Burpees
* 10 Sun Gods
* 10 Reverse Sun Gods (God Suns)
* 5 Burpees
* 10 side to side climbers (alpines)
* 5 burpees
The Route:
With 1 FNG and 1 Site FNG, a tour of the Anvil AO would be in order. Why, that is great because that is exactly what YHC had hastily planned in between travel and BBQ competitions. Here we go (moseying b/w stations)
* 1st entrance (not sure it is technically “Entrance 1”)–15 donkey kick merkins
* Rocks–10 curl/press/skull crushers + 5 Rockies (crowd pleaser)
* Sweat Shack–10 jump ups/step ups + 15 Derkins
* 2nd Entrance–15 molitov merkins
* Speed Hump–10 monkey humpers (how appropriate)
* 3rd Entrance–15 hip-slap merkins
* Picnic tables–10 dips + 15 Irkins
* Bottom of North Face-10 jump squats
* Top of North Face–5 one-arm burps (no merkin)
* 4th entrance-15 plank jack merkins
When done with round #1, go at your own pace for round 2+. All completed 2 rounds; the fastholes got in some extra credit.
Finish with some Mary: flutter, dolley, something else (YHC had still not arrived), Freddy Mercury, box cutters, Rosalita. Finish with 5 burpees.
Moleskine:
Anvil is a great AO, with lots of options and things to do. We explored most of it today, leaving out the playground and baseball field. YHC hates sand. It is a much longer circuit that YHC thought. Perhaps we get in 3 rounds? Not so. 2+ was the most.
Rachel, Mermaid, Lorax, and Brilleaux set a wicked pace. Ickey, O’ Tannenbaum, Champagne, and Iron Horse kept them honest. Carmen Sandiego, Shrink Wrap, Slum Dog, Thunder Road, The Wall, Tri Delta, Tag-a-long (he may have been in the front. No idea.), and Speed Bag all pulled through with 2 complete rounds.
Welcome Todd. From NY, via Connecticut, 3 kids under 5 (special award for that), and former boxer. Speed Bag. You boys out to invite him to Fight Club. But be warned–he looks like he could knock the 4th F out of you. Great to have you join the PAX—come on back!
The MC started early. DK Merkins–“is this real?” YHC: “Yes, my wife taught them to me.” Probably the wrong reply. They do get the heart rate up. Then, on the hip-slap merkins, ‘Pagne calls out YHC for form. Evidently, you are supposed to bend your arms on merkins. Who knew? I thought a head bob was sufficient. Lots of chatter about ants on North Face. Good planning meant no LBC’s or other ground work. Evidently, the F3 Grounds Crew has not mowed North Face, resulting in soggy shoes. Cobains.
Announcements:
There may be a convergence on Saturday. There may not be. Check twitter, slack, email, smoke signals, and carrier pigeons.
Good luck to the Spartan Racers. Mermaid, Rachel, and I am sure others competing this Saturday.
Iron Horse is taking on decathlete Dan O’Brien in a few weeks in the Charlotte Heptathlon. My $$ is on IH.
Pleased and honored to lead. YHC took us out.
8 PAX made the right choice and posted at Death Valley for their daily DownPAINment.
COP:
Mosey to the day care parking lot stopping for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
Head over to Serendipity Lane stopping for for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
Get moving to Raintree Lane stopping for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
Mosey to Smokerise stopping for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
Move over to Rising Meadow stopping for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
While we’re here, lets partner up at Rising Meadow. Partner 1 runs up to the second street light while Partner 2 performs called exercise, flapjack. Round 1 LBCs, Round 2 Squats.
Let’s head back tot he start point, stopping at Burning Tree for Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
One more stop at Woodfox and Strawberry, Merkins x 10, Squats x 10, 4 CT Flutter Kicks x 10.
Return to the bus lot for 2 rounds of AYG sprints.
Mary:
Moleskine:
Announcements:
Warming up with a pre-run before your Q could be a bit tricky especially when you arrive to the AO at 5:29 to see the relieved look on the face of one of the Site Qs. So the mats went down, music turned up but the lights stayed on and we were a go.
Devotional: Titus 2:13, looking for that blessed hope.
Warm-up: Knee up, butt kick, hop the fence, toy solider and LSS
The Thang:
Shoulder stretch across body, Traditional Triceps stretch
Butterfly
Starfish
Stand up-legs as wide as you can-fold forward
Seated-legs apart fold forward
Low Warrior I
Half Lord of Fishes
Cobra
One-Legged Pigeon
Dead Pigeon
Calf stretch
We did 2-3 rounds of each stretch holding for 15-30 seconds. To round i t out I included some table top, cat/cow and one downward dog.
Announcements:
Swiss Miss will send out the Gumby Q schedule through December. If a day does not work, switch with someone.
As always, thank you for allowing me to lead.