16 men were drawn by a promise of (relatively) flat running at Devil’s Turn today. Even with BRR on the way, it is still nice to flatten things out once in a while. Even with a flat course, one quickly remembers that it is still a tough endeavor to hold a respectable pace for a full 45 – 55 minutes. The challenge was present and the men of Devil’s Turn met it with fervor.
One may ask, “but where’s the brush with nature?” Read on for more on that topic.
We started at 5:15 with a full briefing of the route and a promise of chalk arrows for those not familiar with the route. As the group left the parking lot, Long Haul was spotted driving in. Tiger Rag, being the thoughtful guy that he is, asked whether we should wait on him. Nope, that is not per the policy so we left (knowing it is Long Haul and he’s got legs to catch us).
The warm-up was relatively uneventful except for Cheese Curd and Baracus trading places for the lead. They seemed so giddy battling it out up there, no one had the heart to mention it was just a warm-up. With as much running as they have been up to though, the front will become much more common.
At the 1 mile mark, everyone took the pace up a notch to “comfortably hard” which means different things to different people. The suggestion was ~marathon pace on the honor system. It seemed to be followed closely despite the oppressive humidity.
Out at the track, several chose to lose the shirt and go metro (YHC included). It was steamy. Half way around the track, there was shouting of something like “Honey Bee, come here!” Strange words bringing thoughts that someone may be hurt or someone is making fun of my moobs. Oh well, just carry on, they can deal.
Then, all of a sudden, a deer pops out of no where like some kind of magic show and runs across the track and onto the field. It then proceeded to run all the way across to the other side. A few minutes later after buzzing the majority of the PAX, it proceeded to bang its head on the fence while running at ~ 15 mi/hr down the back stretch.
After that display, it was gone. Not sure if there are any other stories from this event, but it would be interesting to hear in the comments from other perspectives. Just crazy stuff right there. After the deer incident, the rest of the run went somewhat smoothly.
There was ~ 37% participation today in wearing the official day glow yellow. Moderately acceptable. Wingman not only wore the offical shirt color, he added the red, white, and blue head band. #Strong. This almost spurred a declaration of an official head wear, but that vote was postponed.
Gumbo was back after a long hiatus for injury. It is good to have you back with us brother. Stay healthy.
Slice came out for his first Devil’s Turn today. From the sounds of it, he is a committed runner going from zero to 5 half marathons in just one year. We hope you will make us part of your rotation leading up to the full at Kiawah in the fall. Great to have you out.
It was good to have Early Bird out. Unfortunately, it was a #Qfail on not getting a chance to talk during the run. Thanks for coming to DT. It’s going to be the place to be traning for the BRR.
Thanks for another great Devil’s Turn guys!
Announcements:
– #F3Dads community service day on Saturday at 8:45 am at Anne Springs Dairy Barn. See the preblast for details: Preblast
– F3 Golf (July 29th) – See Preblast
– Buy shirts, many options to choose from.
15 open minded men allowed me to test out something that I came up with the night before. No idea how it would work. It sort of worked. Was it BS as McGee suggested? Yes Sir it was.
What we did:
Mosey to movie theatre parking lot. Disclaimer given. Disclaimer re-given after being called out for laziness.
– SSH x 25
– IW x 25
– Merkin x 20
Mosey to side of Basil. Partner up.
– 1st partner runs to Firebird’s for 20 decline merkins. Other partner does various exercises while in Ppls chair position. 1st round: air presses; 2nd round: air presses with variant; 3rd round: air presses while left foot raised; 4th round: air presses with right foot raised.
Mosey to fountain #backtoroots
– Keep same partners for 300 dips; 200 flutter; 100 step ups. One partner does exercise while the other runs around both buildings. If you finish early – take another victory lap.
Mosey back to movie theatre for something new and just thought up. Will this work? Not sure but we’ll find out.
– Get in teams of 3. Two partners face each other in plank position 2 car spaces apart. 3rd partner runs from one side to the feet of the other partner and planks – – hand to feet. Partner in front sprints to the other partner and planks hand to feet. As each partner sprints and planks hands to feet behind the other partner the distance will grow until your reach the ends of the parking lot area. Initially we will hold 6 inches while we wait to sprint. That was a quick modify.
Mosey back to cars for quick 30 x cadence count of LBC.
Time.
Moleskin:
– Extra credit for the bankers – Van Pelt and Big Tuna. They were the only one’s to run a victory lap after finishing out the fountain work.
– Flint was on fire out of the gate. Must be the sweet Mustang he’s sporting. Derkins did seem to slow him down though.
– Really great seeing Frehley’s – its been a while and he’s been missed. I didn’t ‘hear’ him though and that was not missed.
– McGee’s trademark ‘This is Bull Sh*t” was spoken when I described the new exercise. Very well said good sir!
– Speaking of the exercise – it was well received except for the holding of 6 inches the entire time waiting for your time to run. That was a quick modifcation. We’ll do it again but without that. I’ve got more ‘BS’ variants to try next time.
– Speaking of the exercise part II – It’s not like we were straining. No reason to sprint. Don’t worry fellas; we’re just hanging out here. You’d have to be on my partner team to catch the smart aleck remarks. If you feel cheated that you’re not in the know – post next time I lead and we’ll talk about when to sprint.
– I feel we’ve got a good regular crew for Rebel Yell. I really enjoy working out with them and very honored to lead them. Thanks brothers.
Announcements:
– SOB Dads service project this Saturday at Ann Springs Greenway
– Area 51 Dads still on schedule at Beatty Park.
– F3 Golf – I heard it was pretty cool. But that’s just what I heard.
14 Made the right choice this morning and arrived ready to put in work at MeatHead. It was about as humid as it gets and the once dry parking lot would not stay that way for long. After a few issues getting the bluetooth speaker to recognize my phone, the pax was dislaimed and we got to it.
Here’s what we did:
SSH – 20 IC
One Handed Swings Rt Hand OYO
IW x20 IC
Merkin Rt Hand on Bell X 20 IC
One Handed Swings Lft Hand OYO
Merkin Lft Hand on Bell X 20 IC
Main Thing – Sets of 11’s
10 Snatches Each Arm – 1 Diamond Merkin on Bell
9 Snatch EA – 2 Diamond Merkin
8-2 (finish with 1 Snatch EA – 10 Merk) – LBC’s when done
10 Goblet Squat – 1 KB Curl
9 Goblet – 2 KB Curl (finish with 1 Goblet -10 Curl) – Flutters when done
10 Cleans Each Arm – 1 Two Handed Overhead Press
9 Cleans – 2 Overhead (finish with 1 Clean – 10 Overhead) – Plank when done
10 Good Mornings – 1 Upright Row
9 Good Mornings – 2 Row (finish with 1 GM – 10 Row) –lay on ground when done
20 Swings to allow everyone time to finish
No time for doubles – Quick two exercise Mary
Flutter with KB Press x 20 IC
Russian Twist x 20 IC
FIN
Moles kin –
The sets of 11’s were pretty brutal this morning. The snatch/diamond merkin round set the tone for the morning and sent the heart rates spiking. Had some shaky legs after that round but we had to continue onward through the remaining rounds. Not a ton of banter this morning given the amount of effort the men in attendance were asked to put forth. Didn’t look like much modification either. Appreciated the calls for proper form from Witch Doctor this morning. Given the reps we were knocking out, exhuastion was inevitably setting in and it was very important to focus on form. Strong work out there by all – good to have Alf and Sanka join the Meathead circle this morning. Orange Whip, Arena and Bulldog were blasting through the rounds as was Blazing Saddles and Retread who seem to be staples at the KB sites. Voodoo, Hightide and Witch Doctor were getting it done with their assortment of competition bells – solid. Turkey Leg must be saving up for Ghostrunner, he was all KB this morning while MAD took off on a solo run. Destiny continues to impress as our lone Respect classification Pax. Ran out of time for the doubles…maybe next time.
Announcements:
Sign up for F3 Golf – Preblast http://f3nation.com/2016/06/15/3rd-annual-f3-golf-classic/
Whetstone Mentoring Program
F3 Pool Party coming this August (details to come)
Enoyed it fellas – until next time,
Fletch
9 for a thick aired workout this AM
The Thang:
SSH x 20 IC
Merkins x 15 IC
Run to HT Parking Lot
At the fountain:
5 Rounds of 10 Decline Merkins, 20 step ups, 20 Dips
Run down to Abbotswood Dr. hang a right and run to intersection of Abbotswood and Summerlin
Plank it up
Run up Summerlin until just before speed bump and then make your way to the top while completing 100 lunges before the stop sign.
Run back to OP playground
5 rounds of:
5 Pullups
10 Dry Docks
20 LBC’s
To the field and partner up for one round of 80 total merkins
P1 run to batting cage
P2 Merkins
Flapjack
Back to Lot for 6-7 MOM
Rotating calls for mary
back to Q
40 Merkins OYO
40 Dry Docks OYO
40 Squats OYO
Recover
Moleskine: I believe this was my VQ at Hydra, if not it’s been years. I had a plan to run and to hit a total body workout, details were TBD but I think we got there. I knew we would need to keep it moving when I saw the cast of characters I was dealt this morning. A fit and eager bunch… This site is really strong with so much to do and endless opportunities on and off campus. I look forward to coming back and adding back to my rotation. Thanks to Good Hands and Puddin Pop for having me and hopefully I can get in the mix on the Q rotation as well. Props to Queen for getting out there on the runs and doing the fastest 100 lunges….ever. Buttermaker made sure to get his reps in and may be a little suspect of the group as a whole on finishing their reps which is always the case. Harley called me out on the final 40/40/40 asking if I was running a 4 corners offense which took me a minute due to O-2 deprivation…yes, yes I was. When I sent off the MOM in rotation I expected more of the Pax to give more than a 10 count and it bit me. Nice work fellas. Sign up for golf – http://f3nation.com/2016/06/15/3rd-annual-f3-golf-classic/
17 pax posted for the latest edition of Death Valley. It was hot and humid, and no FNG’s so quick disclaimer and off we went.
Mosey down to the track, take a warmup lap.
Circle up in middle of the field for COP
SSH x 25
IW x 20
Merkins x 15
Squats x 15
BURPEE LADDER
Partner up along the 50 yd line
Partners run to opposite end zones, do 10 burpees and meet back at the 50 yd line for 10 partner hand-slap merkins.
Repeat with 9 burpees, then 8, etc. 10 hand-slap merkins each time in between. Continue down to 1 burpee.
Plank when finished. Once all-in, 50 recovery LBC’s.
Mosey up to the parking lot then down Strawberry Lane to the top of Rosecliff.
7’s on the hill with jump squats at the bottom and merkins at the top. Got through about 4 or 5 rounds before time to head back.
Mosey back to the school parking lot, with enough time for some LBC’s and Dollies.
DONE
MOLESKIN
Great work today in the #ValleyofSoup. I started sweating the moment I got out of the car. Great work by the pax this morning. The burpee ladder took a little longer than anticipated, but everyone kept after it and finished strong. 100 hand-slap merkins sucks but it keeps you honest. Glad Little Mike was able to find us, conveniently right at the end of the Burpee Ladder. He put in a few miles around the neighborhood before he caught up to us. Not a lot of mumble chatter, except a couple of “who’s idea was this”, and “looks better on paper”. This is true. No one dislikes burpees more than YHC, yet somehow that’s what I came up with. Go figure. Thanks for the opportunity to lead, always a pleasure and the DV pax are a great group. Thanks to Semi Gloss for the take-out.
Announcements:
F3 Dads – Francis Beatty Park Saturdays at 9am in June.
F3 Golf – July 29th. Check website for details and sign up.
Below is the better late than never Skunkworks post from Yeti. It should be noted that two guys left at some point during the workout. Tough to keep up with the sub 30 year-old leader.
21 gathered together at Skunkworks this past Tuesday for a humid and muggy workout.
WARM UP:
Jog to the stop sign and back
20 SSH
20 IW
15 merkins
20 swings oyo
THANG:
Find a partner. Workout is given and the two work together to reach the total. While one is working towards the total, the other has a bodyweight workout to do.
100 swings – Freddy Mercury
100 goblet squats – windmills
80 gunslingers – flutter
80 lunges – merkins
60 snatches – heels to heaven
60 tricep extensions – nipplers
40 clean and press – burpees
40 two-bell lunge – dry docks
Moseyed to the track for a quick finish to the workout
Partner 1: Farmers carry, stop every 10 steps for double swings
Partner 2: Run a lap until you catch your partner, flapjack
SKIN:
Eager to not royally screw up my first Q at Skunkworks, I think it’s safe to call myself over-prepared. I set three alarms in the morning to make sure I woke up, had all my clothes laid out so I wouldn’t waste any time getting ready, I had my workout plan typed into my phone, I quickly sprinted to the car, peeled out of the neighborhood and then…
Sat in the parking lot for a solid 20 minutes waiting for people to show up.
I felt like I’d been stood up for a date. But not just by one person. By 20 people. And all dudes. It was a new experience.
I saw a lone tumbleweed and Harley run by at one point. Then Swiss Miss. Then more silence.
*Sigh*
The good news is that eventually guys did show up. Turns out arriving early to F3 doesn’t mean much unless you’re going for a run. Which I had no intention of doing. Lesson learned.
Other lessons I learned:
– I’ll need to remember to go easy on my side straddle hops. They did Brown in pretty early.
– Word to the wise, don’t interrupt Stone Cold when he’s telling a story and ask him to do a 10-count. He gets testy.
– Donkey Kong makes a great stopwatch. I had every intention of doing a lot more laps around the track as I’d lost track of time. You all owe DK a thank you.
Nice work to all! Thanks for the chance to Q
Yeti (posted by Harley)
This coming October 22nd Area 51 will be hosting the second iteration of our region’s sufferfest known as Southern Discomfort. Margo and Gerber will be our emcees as we traverse the workout areas of the southland, at least the ones in close proximity to Pineville-Matthews Road. The initial thought is to have the route flow from Charlotte Catholic to Matthews Elementary with numerous stops along the way. The 2016 edition of this insanity will be held in the fall rather than the heat of summer, so temperatures should be downright comfortable, the foliage should be on full display, and 80% of Big 10 teams will have lost to MAC teams. We learned a lot from last year’s inaugural effort, and even though the planned route wound up having the accuracy of an Auburn quarterback, everyone that completed the event wound up with hearts full of pride and thighs full of rashes. The latter may have just been YHC since the existence of Body Glide was not known. Every step after the Arboretum was as painful as watching an Air Raid offense, which as we all know, is an affront to all that is good and pure in this world. Further details will follow in the coming weeks as we figure them out, including a possible philanthropic component. Keep October 22 open on your calendars as this is sure to be the premier athletic event of the season.
16 brave men, including 1 FNG, came out to the muggy gloom this morning for Dromedary. Here is what we did:
Warm up with a mosey around the lot that included backwards and a couple karayokes. Circle up for: 20 mountain climbers IC, 15 squats IC, 5 burpees OYO, 20 SSH IC.
Sally (Round 1) – Hopefully no explanation needed here. Strong performances by Frack, Dasher, and Hollywood with Dasher taking the title.
Three rounds of laps around the parking lot with exercises included. Round 1 = 100 walking lunges, Round 2 = 50 plank jacks, Round 3 = 25 squat jumps. Mary after each to wait for the 6. Then cirlce for: 20 pistol crunches, 10 toe tap crunches, 10 russian twists, 10 heels to heaven (all IC).
Run to the school and grab some wall. Three rounds of Peoples Chair w/ 50 overhead presses + 10 donkey kicks OYO.
Run back to launch for Sally Round 2. This time all PAX are encouraged to get back in as soon as possible after failure. We finished the song.
Announcements: 1. Volunteer event at Anne Springs Greenway this Saturday. See Pre-Blast from Honey Bee. This is an awesome chance to serve the community and spend time with 2.0s. 2. 6K race at Whitewater Center this Saturday with beer and breakfast event following. Contact Dasher for details. 3. Sign ups for F3 Golf are live. Date is July 29. Sign up on the web site or contact Bananas for details.
Moleskine: Great to lead this group as always. Special shout out to Shop Dog (respect) for a strong workout and great progress over the last ~6months. Enjoy your shirt, you earned it!
10 Pax showed up in the “gloom” and gained some weight.
Quick Warm COP and Disclaimer in the parking lot:
20 SSH
20 IW
21 Mountain Climbers(Q Counting Fail)
10 Side Lunges
Pax become acquainted with a pair of bricks they’ll be carrying the remainder of the hour.
Edward Brickhands Mile:
Pax run the half mile from the launch point to the gazebo in the woods, pausing for 5 squats with bricks above their head at each light post(~15 light posts)
One Niner led the pax in fluttah kicks as we waited for the 6.
Run the half mile back to the launch point substituting 10 brick curls at each light post. FH led the pax in some mary waiting for the six.
Mosey to the center of the soccer field for some Jack Webb
1 merkin 4 presses, 2 merkins 8 presses,………11 merkins 44 presses.
Rosalita X 30
Mosey to the side of soccer field and lunge walk the entire width a brick twist with each step.
Bear crawl across half of the field *
Pax lineup in plank. End pax does Over/Unders with bricks. We traversed 2 fields and everyone got 5-6 turns making their way through the line.
Mosey up to the school(with a crawl under the trailers) for some people’s chair work.
30, 40, and 50 sets of curls and over head press.
20, 25, and 30 sets of front raises and side raises.
Back to start for 10 man maker merkins.
COT
Moleskine
YHC was unsure of how many bricks would be needed with numbers of this fluctuating. 44 bricks aren’t very expensive but still a little over zealous. It sounds like numbers were down across all of SOBland so no offense taken.
The brick weighted bear crawls were planned for a specific pax who wasn’t present today. Maybe next time.
We did a lot of shoulder work today.
Thank you to Pebble for providing the opportunity to lead. It was fun to finally Q a workout at this AO without KBs.
Announcements:
Whetstone mentorship program is starting to match folks. Still a chance to sign up.
HDHH at Brazwells Ballantyne tonight at 7:30.
Midsummer’s Eve Run at 7:00 at Broken Egg Cafe(next to Brazwells)
Service Project at Anne Springs Greenway at 9? on Saturday. Picnic to follow.
27 Men showed up for Hills on Flag Day. Not “The Hills,” Lauren Conrad might be the pretty new face around here, but the old stand by of Windbluff never disappoints and always leaves you breathless.
The Thing:
Run to corner of Windbluff and Raintree for IW’s and plank for instructions:
Run to bottom of Raintree 10 Romanian Dead Lifts each leg. Run up to Cul-de-Sac on Smoker-ise for 10 RDL each leg. Run to bottom of Windbluff for 10 RDL each leg. If you’re faster then keep running up and down Windbluff until the six is in.
Repeat-o with 15 squats in lieu of RDL’s.
Muster at the bottom of Windbluff for AYG to the top.
Run over to Rising Meadow for a few climbs up to the crest of the hill.
Mosey to Woodfox and AYG to Strawberry. Finish with a couple of gassers in the parking lot.
5 to 7 miles depending on pace.
Moleskine:
It was hot this morning and a big crowd went metro and went metro early. Lots of laundry left on the corner of Windbluff and Raintree. Thin Mint made the old rookie mistake and tried to keep pace with Fraiser. It lasted about a mile. He crushed the rest of the course, but I haven’t seen anyone keep up with Fraiser for too long. The usual crew of Brady, Gerber, Turkey Leg and Hairball up front with Madison, Margo, Baracus and Haze not far behind – all strong work.
Geraldo, Bus Stop, Iron Sides, Utah and Retread are paying their dues and getting faster every week. Keep up the great work.
As for Bounce, Spackler, and Semi-Gloss. I feel like these guys are Lance, Rico and Lenny (the three copies of Michael Keaton in Multiplicity) where each copy is just a bit more disturbing and off-beat than the last one. I am not saying which one is Lenny (#4) but you all have a guess at it.