The Set That Keeps on Giving

The Set That Keeps on Giving

Good group on 24 at Centurion with some brisk weather but not too bad.  YHC did a scouting prerun and caught up with Snowflake and Jamboree in the deck for a good run before.  A good bit of run-ins as well with Mermaid, Cane and Bout Time that I know of, may be others?   After a failed disclaimer for my VQ at Centurion, I was focused on the full disclosure this time around.  All that focus and I forgot to ask of any FNGs up front.  So Lugnut, my apologies.  I hope the workout was tough but will leave enough there to keep you coming back.

Mosey to the shopping center at Carmel and 51 for COP.

COP

  • SSH x 15 IC
  • IW x 15 IC, might have actually been 16
  • Mountain Climber x 15 IC
  • Merkin x 15 IC

The Thang

We ran the stairs of the shopping center with 40’s of squats and lunges at the bottom of the stairs. First run was 30 squats and 10 lunges, then 25 and 15, 20 and 20, 15 and 25 and 10 and 30. Mermaid led some plank work while waiting on the six.  I’m pretty sure that Chelms actually started with the rest of us but I’ll have to check the tape.  Not sure about the rest of you, but this set is going to stay with me for a while.

Mosey to the picnic tables at the front of the AO.

Groups of 3 did a combined 150 derkins at the picnic tables and 150 dips at the benches by the front entrance with the 3rd person running in between and relieving.  Theoretically this should work, but when Runstopper and YHC stay at the picnic tables doing derkins, no one ever comes in relief of us or Udder.  We’ll get it next time.  Did the same format with 150 LBCs and bicycle.

Mosey to the top of the deck with backwards run on all of the inclines.

Pax lined up across the top of the deck in a plank.  Did walking merkins to the other side.  This set was originally supposed to be an over and back on all exercises, but when YHC got to the other side I realized my back would not have happened.  So we did bear crawl dry docks back to the other side.  Crab cakes (crab walk with touching opposite hands and feet) back across and then broad jump burpees brought us home.  Some people’s chair in between.  I was trying to avoid the cars late in the workout by going up top, but didn’t realize how rough the concrete was.  If you didn’t have gloves, well hopefully this one made the hands tougher.

Mosey back to the cars for Mary

Mary

  • Heels to Heaven x 25 IC
  • Rosalita x 25 IC
  • High Flutter x 25 IC

YHC took us out in prayer

Moleskin

Strong work by all today and a great turnout.  A puke and rally speaks volumes for the hard work.  I had wanted to add more leg work that I felt had been lacking lately, and so far it has worked.  But we hit a lot of the high points of the AO and ran a couple of miles.  Not bad for a Friday morning.

FNG Rob Ferguson, aka Lugnut from Concord who doesn’t like racing, welcome.  It’s a strong group every Friday and a privilege to lead today.  I’m sure I missed a bunch, so feel free to sound off below.

Annnouncements

5 Years of F3, March 5 at the Music Factory.  Chelms is looking for a date but has special requirements.  Sign up now.

Balrog March 12th, 5, 7 and 11 mile options through 5 SOB AO’s.  Get in touch with Tuck and sign up.

Anne Springs Family Hike tomorrow at noon.

Chelms looking for a premature BRR van driver

 

Up and down Gma- ouch!

The Pax slowly started to emerge from their warm urban chariots, gathering with mumblechatter, greetings, and handshakes.  The gloom was chilly at 32 degrees but not too bad for Feb.  All seemed ready for a variety packed beatdown.  Disclaimer stated, and we were off.

Warmup- catch up with our moseying resident foot shuffler.  One day we’ll rope him in.  #sadclown

Swing back by the chariots to pick up Funky Cold and Semigloss #alarmfail then down to the field.

SSH x 25

Merrkin x 15

Low slow Squat x 20

Diamond Merkins x 10

Imperial Walker x 20

Wide-arm Merkins x 15

Partner up for Run:  400 at 50-75% then another 400 at 100+% push each other.

Plankarama

G-ma Mountain Tour of Duty- Up -1 merkin, down and back up, 2 merkins, down and back up, 3 merkins, etc to  we get to 10.  Ouch!

Mary- LBCs x 25, Slow Flutter x 15, Something Pop Tart lead (Can Opener?), Dolly x 20B

Back with Partner- 20 decline merkins on Pt back while in plank (flapjack), 15 Shoulder presses using PT legs with Pt in plank (flapjack), 100yd out and back.  Rinse & Repeat

25 yd walking lunge, 5 Burpees, 25 yd Broad-Jumps, 5 Burpees, 25 yd Bear Crawl, 5 Burpees, 25 yd Crabwalk, 5 Burpees. back to goal line 1 AYG 100 yd dash.

Back to Parking lot.

COT

Naked Moleskine:

Joker emailed me last night  about how much Hill work I had planned.  I told him some…Up and down a few times.  My math on “a few” may have been slightly off.  Under promise and Over achieve.  Gma is one tough lady.  She’ll whip you into shape, fo sho.

Good thing we did the 400s before Gma.  The pax is fast.  Love to see us push each other out there and compete.  #ISI

Lots of mumble chatter from our favorite toasted morning pastry (PopTart).  So YHC invited him to lead a interested Ab exercise called the Can Opener.  Imagine somewhat of the famed diving board trick but on land, on your back.  Thanks PopTart.

Puddin’ was in short sleeves, a nice gray one I think, well, at least it was in the beginning.

The Pax didn’t seem to like the Shoulder presses with your partners legs….what was it?  Too awkward, too hard, what?

Any comments are welcomed….we had a great group this am.  Thanks for letting me lead, Header.

Announcements:  F3 5 year anniversary celebration on March 5, sign up online.  Also Joker is leading efforts for a cookout at Alexander Youth Network on Mar 5th as well.  Stay tuned for details.

 

They Thought I was almost late

Morning came early!!! Only had a couple minutes to put the work together that I had planned for the gloom and shuffle off to meeting place.

WU:

40 SSH, 30 MC, 20 LBC, 15 Peter Parker

The Thang

Mosey over to the front of the school for a quick 15 dips and plank it up ( while the q is struggling to get my speaker to work for the later activities). Mosey over to the high school, on your six for a quick round of Russian twists in cadence (finally, speaker works!) mosey over to the gate, with some tunes as motivation, partner up to do a round of 200 combined supines while the other partner runs the loop.

Mosey over to the FAR back parking lot to discover what caused the Q and Shop DAWG to be “almost late.”  Four stations were set up with 2 cones at each station 30 yards apart with a  steel plate on the ground next to the first cone.  Teams of 3 formed,  partner 1 does first cone, partner 2 does a worm burner to partner 3 at the opposite cone, partner 3 takes the plate back swap,,, so on and so forth.  Stations were fairly simple. 1 100 lbs Squats, 2. Heels to heavens 3. Triceps extension 4. Russian twist (with Med ball) 5. Curls with bands 6. jump rope 7 burbees 8 flutter kicks.  We did each station for 4 minutes!

Mosey back with a quick stop at the benches 15 dips, 15 Derkins and 15 LBC’s on your on and then hold the V up till everyone was done.  Time got tight had to make the long mosey back to home base.  Only 30 seconds left to do a quick round of Russian twists to finish the workout!

 

Moleskin:

Morning went quick!   It was work, mixed in with a bit of running.  Snoop, welcome to the crew,  you’ll be taking the blue pill shortly enough!  Always enjoy working out with this crew, we push each other, support each other and work!  Furthermore, work with a purpose, it is clear the hearts of our PAX it is to grow, to be better Fathers, Husbands, Community members and to lean into the one who has given all of these abilities in the first place, God.  I am grateful to be part of this PAX!  Peace out!

 

 

Run To The Hills – Mountain Goat Pre-Blast

Based on the promise of warming temperatures, YHC was inspired for some Blue Ridge Relay early training… which means some hills!

After some warm-up, we will do the following:
1.  Find the nearest hill that is uncomfortably steep
2.  :30 seconds at moderate pace, then :20 seconds next harder pace, then :10 seconds near all you got… slow mosey back to start.
3.  We will do that repeat 5 times, and then do a 2:00 recovery… that is 1 set.
4.  We will plan to do 3 sets depending on the time.

Looking forward to seeing everyone Friday morning!  0500 for some early pre-warm-up warm-up.  Main event at 0515.

See you at SCMS!

Devil’s Turn – Murderhorn Edition

12 men joined the skins team and headed off to lay down some blistering Strava segments this Devils Turn.

The challenge of the day was the Murderhorn in the back yard of the Maul and Rebel Yell. The later took hold of the challenge via Twitter and vowed vengeance.

After the obligatory “bring it” and “it’s already been broughten” were exchanged, it was time to get down to business.

A 2.2 mi warmup was completed on the way to the Murderhorn. We then proceeded 3 times up and down the Horn. FNG Citgo held constantly fast throughout while most everyone else tapered off after the preliminary irrational exuberance wore off.

The 4th time up the horn was called off due to time but FNG Citgo was determined to get in the full workout and headed back down for a fourth (he forgot his shirt). Respect was gained all around and we headed back in unison the 2.2 miles.

It was an excellent run with you guys and it looked like an all out effort by all. See you next week.

Sign up for the 5 year party!

A sweaty running Fonda

The Q is wide open at #F3Dromedary – sign up now!  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4baeaf29a46-dromedary

The VSF was planted and 8 PAX headed off into the gloom at 0530 from Marvin Ridge HS.  Wait, here comes 1 more getting slowly out of the car.  Wait, here come three amigos late to the party.  After a long mosey, let’s circle up in a side Courtyard for this week’s edition of #F3Dromedary.

The THANG:

– Imperial Walkers ICx15
– Low Slow Squat (butt touches calf) ICx15
– Mountain Climbers slow (probably has it’s own name, for this is an exaggerated slow stretching exercise), ICx15

Run to Middle School Entrance and do LBCs until the Six arrives.

Count off into threes – 1 & 2 stay put, 3 goes across flag pole to other side of the loop.
Begin – 1s Watch. – 2’s start running around loop towards 3s, 3s start an exercise when the 2s take off.  Once the 2s arrive, 3s go run, 2s recover, and 1s start the exercise.  All groups keep it going until you have done each exercise at both points of the loop.
– Hand-release Merkins,
– Diamonds,
– Carolina Dry Docks

VERY Short mosey to the middle school awning.  Explain that we’ll do each exercise for one minute, recover briefly while Q demonstrates the next exercise, and then complete next for 1 minute.  The exercises are:
1) Inchworm Plank – walk hands out (keep legs straight), 1 pushup, walk hands back
2) Burp-Mountain Climbers – 5 each leg
3) Curtsy Lunge Hop – right foot diagonally behind left hip, drop to lunge, explode up, 30 sec each side
4) Scorpion Fighter – Derkin position, swing bent knee under to opposite shoulder, back up and around, 30 sec each side
5) Side Plank with Leg Lifts – 30 sec each side
6) Maktar Jai – 30 sec start each side
7) Lateral hops into runner position
8) Windshield Wipers – on back, arms spread wide, palms down, knees bent 90 degrees
9) Plank rotation to side – elbows stacks horizontal, hand on hip
10) Single Leg Deadlift – switch to other side after 30 sec
11) Marching Bridge – on back, knees bent, lift into bridge, pick up one foot at a time knee toward chest
12) Superman Plank – 6 count, right hand up on 1, left leg up on 2, hold 3,4,5, down for 6, other side.

Explanation about exercises: http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/training/book-excerpt-build-your-running-body_109459

Long mosey back to cars.  Heels to Heaven until 6 arrives.  DONE!

Moleskin:

  • The Lawson crew was once again out strong at Dromedary.  A lot of new faces with Bottle Cap for 2nd week, and some less well-known PAX like Moneyball.
  • Welcome Transporter from @F3Alpharetta – apparently he’s been working out more down there that at the Dromedary lately.
  • After Shampoodle destroyed the PAX on several runs last week, we think he started from the back this week with the 3 Amigos that arrived late.  Eventually he caught up.
  • Someone noticed a PAX flying around the loop on the 3 man grinders, “look at that dude!”.  Turned out it was the SoftPretzel putting the hammer down.
  • Dromedary PAX are hard nosed, but they don’t like wet hands.  At most opportunities to do merkins on the 3 man grinders, several PAX chose the dry concrete sidewalk versus the damp pavement.  YHC is guessing that those same PAX were satisfied with the cover of the middle school awning that was dry, covered, and out of the weather.  Didn’t quite need the awning for the weather on this particular day, for YHC had picked it for acoustics for a stashed BlueTooth speaker to play some entertainment while we worked through the 12 exercise.  However, tech fail as the smartphone didn’t reconnect in time while the PAX got impatient standing around and wanted to dive into the inch worm.  We’ll try this again next time – we all know the PAX wanted to hear Mozart and Coltrane as they worked out.
  • YHC had perhaps scared the PAX with a lot of runnnig today in the Preblast announcement.  While we did cover some ground, we made sure to give plenty of rest and wait on the 6 to recover.
  • The bulk of the last 15 minutes was the 12 exercise.  While it did heat us up, and GreaseMonkey felt the need to strip down, there were some comments about “Jane Fonda” dictating the exercises.  Sure, the side plank with lateral leg raise should probably be renamed the “Jane Fonda”, but it’s not easy – I challenge any PAX to do it for more than 60 seconds.  Many of these exercises work the small stability muscles and ligaments that aren’t worked through just running.  As we get stronger in the small areas, we can continue to build the big areas and avoid injury.  YHCs hamstrings were dead this morning.  Take some time today to warm-up the muscles and have a good stretch (or a session with you favorite STICK or foam roller) to speed recovery.

Announcements:

Angry Starfish

Carried the substi-Q this week as Gummy continues to rehab a bum foot.  Was a little weary of this one as a certain basketball game tips at 9pm (actually like 9:12), and a shortened slumber turned even shorter as YHC had trouble sleeping, being heavily perturbed with that pathetic final four minutes of the game.

Anywho, I digress, three other men decided to join me in this cold clear sky gloom to slay the starfish.

COP

SSH x 20

IW x 20

MC x 20

Squat hold (Eddie the Eagle) x 5

Here’s the Thing

Starfish

Corner 1 (far corner of practice field by parking lot) – Dive bomber merkins x 10

Corner 2 (outfield fence post of baseball field right by bball court) – Jump squats x 20

Corner 3 (railroad ties by batting cages of field 4) – merkins of choice x 20

Corner 4 (outfield fence by field 5) –  jumping sister mary katherines x 10

Home base (playground) – Dips x30

Covered two rounds of this, swapping dips for pull-ups x 5 (supine x 10) after first round

Changed up exercises after second round to:

Corner 1 – LBC x 30

Corner 2 – Dolly x 30

Corner 3 – Flutter x 30

Corner 4 – Rosalita x 30

Made it around 1.75 times during this circuit

Hit the practice field for AYG down and back

done

Thoughts/Observations

I’m not going to say anything more about the game…I’m just not.  Other than it was pathetic.  Let’s keep it G rated.

Anyway, I had plans for some three man grinders, but with four, had to audible and the starfish it was.  We ended up covering some ground as Buttermaker’s handy dandy GPS had us at 2.6…not too shabby.

Buttermaker and Marge were pacesetters as you would imagine, and Nuke was killing it on the pull-ups.

Nuke also has pretty good case for renaming a squat hold to Eddie the Eagle, as you look like a ski jumper in a tucked position in squat, and then explode up out of it upon take off.

Great group out there this morning hanging together, pushing one another.

Nuke, thanks as well for taking us out, brother.

Until next time, after some really good REM.

Swift happened, we can prove it

At 0515 on Tuesday morning, 7 men rolled out of the lot at the Vine American kitchen without a care of the overnight monsoon, or that there may be ice, but soon discovered an empty canvas on which to unleash some speed.

The THANG:

  • 0500 – a couple of Bagpipers and a few Swiftys left the lot for some pre-run.  Gumbo and YHC, late is our calling card, forged our own path to find said mixed-workout group and tracked them down over the last part of the run.
  • 0515 – letting two of the early Bagpipers continue of their run, and 1 early Bagpiper / vagrant in a hoodie / Pebbles with a kettle bell swing in peace, 7 PAX headed out for the high land of the Bridge over 521
  • Repeat of a workout 2 weeks ago should give us a chance to check our improvement.  Not exactly the same course, but the same pace and distance goals.  We did find ourselves easing into some extra work on the backside.
    • 3 rounds of 200m at R-pace (1 mile race pace), 200m recover, 200m R-pace, 200m recover, 600m at R-pace, bend over / wheeze / gasp for air / recover for 600m
    • 2 x 200m at R-pace again, but we’ll leave that additional 600m in the tank we’re out of time for anything else
  • Surprise BountyHunter with the Shortcut through Lance parking lot / fitness trail / Lochness, and head home

Moleskin:

  • 6 of the 7 PAX can prove they actually did the workout today.  Never has such a large group of calculating, analyzing, and out-to-prove-it PAX been assembled:
  • On the warm-up, Bounty Hunter was practically re-introducing himself to OneNiner again.  While OneNiner has been nursing an injury, Bounty Hunter has been consistently posting for many weeks.  Getting pretty fit out there, but also noticing that this running thing is easier the more you do it.
  • Chasing down HoneyBee most of the morning was OneNiner right on his heels.  And then many times, here comes Gumbo!  Gumbo was sure that he couldn’t possibly hold that pace for a mile, but then OneNiner casually offers, “if I can do a sub 6 mile, you for sure can.  It’s just gonna HURT!”
  • After the first couple of intervals, Strange Brew was not in a good place, but he held in there and actually maintained the aggressive pace if looking at his results.  Just goes to show that you may not feel it, but it’s in there somewhere and you maybe just need to back off a few and then find it.
  • Tuck is the quiet leader.  Busy building up his new DaVinci workout into legend status already, and taking on the Balrog, he’s out at Swift still learning what he’s capable of.  Looking for good things as he starts building the miles.
  • HoneyBee hides his workouts.  Yes, he posts them to Strava, but he claims some sort of bug in his watch is preventing some of the more granular details coming across from Garmin.  It’s likely that he’s just hiding training secrets from Haggis.  The next 1 mile showdown is going to be interesting.

Announcements:

  • 1 mile challenge is coming soon.  Dare I say that it’s going to be March, but we do have the Balrog and Palmetto200 to plan around.  Let’s just see where this 1mile training takes us.
  • Next week we’ll try a new course with an old workout with 2/1/30, but then it’s on to a new Phase of 1mile training that includes some new tests.

 

 

Sweating Out the Nougat

16 Men picked the right day to show up at Anvil, so we did some work.

Mosey from new parking spot to old parking spot

Roaming COP:

8-Count Body Builders – IC  (Yeah, just like that, we are into it.)

Hold plank and mention that the 1st station of our station work is in the Hot Box – Split Leg Squats and Derkins are the exercise.

Mosey toward playground

Flutters – IC, hold at 6 inches and note that the 2nd station of work in the playground is knees-to-elbows and box cutter (abs)

Mosey to rocks

Jump Squats – IC, hold squat – discuss the third station was to grab a big rock for Overhead Squats and Louganis.

Mosey down to Rea Rd entrance and backwards run up hill.

The Thang:

Run to Station 1, Hot Box, for 10 Derkins, 10 Split-Leg squats, each leg.

Station 2 for 10 knees to elbows and 10 box cutters

Station 3 for 10 Overhead Squats and 10 Louganis

Back down entrance hill, backwards run up, and 10 – 8-count Body Builders

Keep repeating cycle:  Round 2 is 20 reps of each, Round 3, 30 reps, etc.

With 2 minutes left gather at rocks for some mosey/sprint combinations back to cars.

The Moleskine AKA: the stuff you might actually read.  Maybe.

You have to bring it tough to Anvil, no doubt about it.  So between that and Horsehead HC’ing I had to make it painful.  See here’s, the deal.  HH claimed my last Q at Kevlar was “Moderate FIA” level easy.  Admittedly Kevlar wasn’t my best weinke and I have a brand to uphold. HH lets me know yesterday he just ate the top tier of a Whitman’s sampler and needed to sweat out some Nougat and probably some other highly processed food like substances.  Time to bring it Anvil.

I could have brought out all the sandbags and plates for hairburners, but don’t want to be a one trick pony Q, always relying on the toys.  Plus carrying around 500 extra pounds in your trunk kills gas mileage and who can afford gas these days?  All that and I showed up at 5:28 so no time to pull out a bunch of gear.

Rachael and Mermaid pretty much crushed this one.  Left everyone in the dust.  New site Q’s McGee and Lobstah Roll gave a solid chase but they were 8 lengths ahead when Lobstah pulled up lame in the 2nd round.  Hope the knee gets better Lobstah.  Blazing Saddles, Lorax, and Jamboree weren’t far behind.  Hops, Horsehead, and Purple Haze were farther back with HH mumbling something about maintaining proper form.  Appeared that most got half way through the third round and Mermaid and Rachael were a good ways into Round 4.

Great work men.

Apparently the men over at Death Valley tried to creep up on the otherside of the AO while we weren’t there.  Didn’t see them, otherwise we might have had to have an old school gang fight.  In my mind it sounds tough, in reality it would probably be more like Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video with solid dance moves and awkward stare downs.

Thanks for joining me out there,

Alf

Thanks to Hops for the send-off.  Very well done indeed.

Announcements:

March 5, F3 is 5 party.

SOB Balrog CSAUP on 3/12.  Sign up on weekly newsletter so they can get headcount.  Mileage options very from suck to suck real bad.  Go for suck real bad.

 

 

 

Black Diamond PreBlast

When: Thursday 2/18 at 5:15 a.m.

Where: Launch point for #DaVinci – Blakeney Shopping Center at the fountains, next to Bravo

What: “Black Diamond”

Pebbles did a good job detailing the point of Black Diamond workouts in his original preblast. Check it out here: http://f3nation.com/2016/02/03/pre-blast-black-diamond-sob-land-launch-2102016/.  I’m honored to pick up the Q flag after our first BD of 2016 last week.

I won’t give away the workout here… just saying it will be a mix of running, bootcamp, and strength exercises that give everybody the opportunity to push.  As always, the effectiveness of the workout will start and end with the PAX.  YHC will call out some stuff, but the results will come from iron sharpening iron.

All F3 workouts are hard.  Calling men together for a “Black Diamond” is just one more way to elevate our 1st F game: bust through plateaus, compete with other regions, and hit personal goals for races and competitions.  If you’re down with all that, you’re down with this…  All fitness levels are welcome… just come with the right expectation and let’s get after it!

SP