Captain Jack never delivered it

Captain Jack never delivered it

17 PAX (perhaps 1 more ghost rider) assembled on Tuesday morning at Swift to join in Captain Jack’s Wild Ride – history lesson in the Preblast.

The Thang:

  • 0500 – Q doesn’t arrive for Pre-run, and all PAX who arrived early either forgot to run on their own (prerun is “show and go”) or were thankful to have the extra 2nd F.  Standing around abounded. 0.0 miles in the bank.
  • 0515 – main event. Warm-up run South/West down Ballantyne Commons, up Ben Nevis (otherwise known as the “Soul Crusher”), turn LEFT into Ballantyne CC, wait for the Six to begin some dynamic warm-up. Mosey to the first low point of James Jack Ln.  1.2mi in the bank.
  • Intervals of 90sec at R-pace (basically full effort) and then recover back to the start point.  Only issue is that there are no flat points on this 90 sec. Basically there are two big hills in this section – 1st one goes up, then long way down, then start 2nd hill that goes really far up
  • 1st interval – up/down
  • 2nd interval – up/down/tad up – a little less up by starting one light post further up the hill
  • 3nd interval – same start point as 2
  • 4th interval – tad up/down/more up – again a little less up by starting one light post further up the hill
  • 5th interval – same as 4
  • 6th interval – down/up – start at the top of the hill, finish on the monster hill. recover to the top
  • 7th interval – up/down – all mosey to the bottom of the monster hill. start 90sec back towards the start to run the first two parts in reverse
  • Head home 1.2mi
  • Total miles between 4.3 and 6.2 depending on length of your 90sec interval
  • Strava reports from Bratwurst, HoneyBee, The Mouth, Strange Brew, M. Tussauds, and Stump Hugger.

Moleskin:

  • Turns out Captain James Jack rode the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on horseback to Philadelphia, but he never delivered it. Something about being “worded so angrily that it would hurt chances of regaining peace”.  YHC will use the same excuse for the delay of this Backblast.  Didn’t want to bring up bad memories of this workout.  IT HURT like only running up a hill at full effort can.
  • The 90 second interval delivers pain in a short burst, but the long recovery (up to 3min) helps to make it reasonable.  Basically a 400m workout for most PAX.
  • Be thoughtful about downhills just as much as uphill.  In the BRR, they’re not an opportunity to coast, but to use gravity to your advantage.  Just like uphills, lean slightly more forward than vertical (to gravity), focus on a smaller stride with a quick 180 strides per minute turnover, but roll with gravity pulling you down the hill.
  • Apparently going shirtless is known in Area51 as “going Metro”.  This is either a reference to those in Charlotte’s Luke Warm Corridor having an affinity for losing their shirts, or for liking to show off the dad-bod a little too much when swimming is not involved.  Other than driving a sports car that is mistaken for a SUV, Strange Brew may have never been mistaken for being metro sexual until baring it all (of the upper half) right from leaving the lot at 0515 (not sure the shirt even made it out of the car).  YHC realized that Brew was on to something because the heat was stifling with dead air, and tossed the shirt once in Ballantyne CC on someone’s lush green lawn that they must pay my mortgage payment in city water to keep green.  We got Hops to join the “Metro” party, but he lives close to the DMZ, so he is practically Metro anyway.
  • Honey Bee continues to push it and cruises those hills with his quick turnover.  Fellow South Carolinian One-Niner continues to close the gap and was right there again.
  • A large middle pack formed once again into a Peloton either to get more 2nd F or because only one of them knows how to program a watch for 90second intervals and they needed to stay close to each other.  Whatever the case, it’s hard to sort out who was and who was not in the Peloton today.
  • M. Tussauds workout report shows some PRs and great 400m results, but he needs to find the Lap button on his Garmin.
  • Tootie was showing off his increase in fitness today and was tearing it up.
  • Kotters to Stump Hugger for posting after every kind of ailment you’ve heard about.
  • Kudos to the PAX that push each other by helping to run to the top of that next hill, or for calling / tweeting their buddy to make sure they make it out at 0515 in the morning.
  • Ringer got credit for posting in the list of PAX recorded by Frehley’s Comet, but YHC doesn’t recall him being there.  Perhaps every fast guy that you aren’t sure posted is just from here on out known as Ringer.

It’s a privilege to have you all follow YHC on a workout every week.  Let’s make a push in the last 6 1/2 weeks to crush the BRR!

Announcements:

  • If you are recording your workout every week, figure out how to get it on Strava to set goals, compare your previous run, track mileage on shoes, and see other PAX doing the same.  It you have a Garmin watch, it’s simple.  If you just have a smartphone, it’s easy (downside is no interval recording) but it’s free.  Join the group “F3Run” on Strava and see what PAX from F3nation across the country are doing.  https://www.strava.com/clubs/f3run

Closed Murder Horn!?!

YHC is very disappointed that someone in the neighborhood that houses the murder horn did not call or tweet to F3 that there was going to be a road closure. Of course, maybe it is all a ruse and the signs come down every morning after our workout. This is something I think Frasier should investigate. No time for a recon mission it was 5:30 and time to go.

We moseyed over to the movie theater parking lot for the COP to warm up.
SSH x 25
IW x 25
Merkins in Cadence x 15

Mosey over to the corner of the theater and find a partner.
Partner 1 around the theater; Partner 2 Burpees; Flapjack.

A little plank work while waiting on the 6 and off we go to the speed bumps.

I think the only exercise that I have not seen thrown into the mix at the infamous speed bumps is a simple suicide run. So YHC thought we should try that out. If you finished all 6 speed bumps and went back for the 6 to finish together it was right at 1 mile. I know Frasier flew past me in the first 10 seconds and may have passed me a few more times. So if you kept up with Frasier I am not man enough to know how many miles you may have ran.

We did a little Mary and Merkins after the suicides and we at a pit stop on the way to Cantina 1511.

Get to Cantina 1511 and grab some wall. Do an exercise and then sprint around the median. Plank it up when you get back. From my recollection we did 20 dips, 20 step-ups or jump-ups, and 20 incline Merkins (I was getting pretty smoked at this point so it is a bit blurry).

Next head over to the hill behind firebirds and do 6’s (5 Burpees at the bottom and 1 squat at the top, etc…)

A few more Merkins waiting on the 6 and then over to do some Mary.

Mary went something like this (mostly stolen from Chipotle):
Toe Tap Crunches – 20
Right leg over left knee crunch – 10 Flap jack – 10
Flutter – 20
Merkins in Cadence – 10

It was an honor to lead this group of men today. From what YHC saw, between gasps for air, it looked like everyone was pushing hard (too many great performers to call out names). YHC appreciates the work and thank you all for pushing me. Still feeling a little smoked so I am going to take a nap.

Announcements:
Southern Discomfort – There are 3 options check the email or Pre-Blast for specifics.

DV

21 movers and shakers put in work at Death Valley.

The Thang

  • Mosey a little and circle up
  • 25 SSH
  • 25 Mountain Climbers
  • Line up (2 lines) for some indian runs to Rosecliff Hill
  • 7s- Burpees at the top Jump Squats at the bottom
  • Indian Runs back to the school
  • partner up, grab a sand bag (1 per partners) and head down to the track
  • Partner 1 Runs with the bag one direction around the track and P2 the other way. Meet up and do called exercises. Switch bag and run around the track again to the starting point and do the called exercises again.
  • Called Exercises
    • 50 Overhead press with sandbag and 50 CCDs
    • 25 Squats with bag and 25 Knee Tucks
    • 25 Hand Slap Merkins
    • 10 Louganis with sand bags
  • Run the bags back up to the start

Moleskin and random thoughts

Strong group out there today. Usual comments at the beginning about me being an angry, serious, unpleasant Q. I just don’t like groups of people. I am better one on one. We were moving pretty good from the start. Swiper and Kirk crushed the 7s. Then Swiper ruined the indian run back thinking “stretch it out” meant jail break. Plenty of Larry Birds out there and a couple of refusniks. The sand bags always bring out the best and worst in the pax. Freedom and Fireman Ed spent their time on the track chewing through one of my bags in an effort to let sand out. Fletch is always a good partner and I claimed him early on in the work out. He carried us and the bag. A lot. Last night Bulldog sent me a  text about how excited he was to come to one of my Qs. He was a no show. Typical. British people.  Semi Gloss asked a few of us earlier in the week if anyone could Q. I immediately stepped up to help out my fellow man. I asked him a short time later if he could do Church on The Street this Sunday. He said no. Seems fair. Thanks for letting me lead. As far as groups of people go you guys were all right.

 

Announcements

20 minute description of Southern Discomfort delivered by Semi Gloss

Shameless plug by Swiper for new work out (Sofa Wib)

Pax needed for Church on the Street this Sunday

 

 

Bagpipe Missing Persons to be filed….

Need to file a missing person’s report for several including Market Timer (trading the overseas markets in the early a.m.?), Wingman (taking July off?), Mic Check (like seriously, did he quit?), Mighty Mite (traveling man?).  Dare I ask if Dolphin is still on vacation….Haggis a/k/ Ironman was missing today (rare for sure) but for all I know he ran 50 miles yesterday and decided to take a few hours of rest.  Nevertheless, Bagpipe is as healthy as ever with 25 total today and 18 for Swift (same AO) so all is well in Ballantyne!

Warmup: Mosey to parking lot beside Einstein bagel, SSH X 20, in-out Squats X 10, Merkins X 15 (30 total), LBC X 20. Mosey 1/4 mile to fountain / knee wall area in corporate lot. Bear crawls to the wall. 2 sets of 5 exercises with first set at 20 reps and 2nd set at 15 reps. Decline merkins, step-ups, dips, incline merkins, heels to heaven/flutters. Bear crawl and lung walk to parking lot for planks, 6-inches X 2-ten count. Mosey 1/4 mile to incline (about 50 yard incline) parking lot for “6’s” including merkins and squats (5 merkins at top, 1 squat at bottom. 4 merkins/2 squats…1, merkin/5 squats).  Dolly X 20, LBC X 20. Mosey to grass hill around the lake. Broke into 2 groups and Ran hills X 5 and Steps X 5. Ran 1/2 mile back to launch stopping in between to let PAX catch up – planks and 6 inches.  Finished with 20 merkins at the launch.

At Least It Wasn’t Humid!

The following is posted on behalf of Buttermaker who came out swingin’ for his inaugral Q at FastTwitch:

24 men (and Swayze) showed up this morning to sweat it out

The Thang:  Bypassed the traditional warm up….hit the disclaimer and headed out to 51 for about a 3/4 jog up to Raintree.

Suicides down a dark dead end street that ended up being about 1 mile in distance

Regrouped and headed to the far side of Windbluff:

  •      10 merkins
  •      run to the bottom for 10 more merkins
  •      top of Windbluff for 10 more merkins
  •      back down for 10 merkins
  •      back up for a final 10 merkins

Parntered up for a friendly game of Catch Me if You Can:

  •     Took this down Windbluff before turning on Shallowood for a bit of a hill and ended at Providence Road
  •      Repeated back to the far side of the Windbluff hill

Headed back to the dreaded dead-end for a last round of suicides that we didn’t get to completely finish due to timing

Hit 51 for the last 3/4 mile run back to where it all began

All said and done, all got in just below or just above 6 miles and a good amount of merkins.  Strong effort by everyone on yet another humid morning.  Nothing out of the ordinary to report…TL assumed the lead basically right out of the gate, Tiger Rag yet again boycotted any and all activities that wasn’t running, and Swayze had his shirt off before Spackler even had time to break wind.  I appreciate the opportunity to lead for the first time and look forward to the opportunity to do it again.

 

Announcements:

 

Southern Discomfort this Saturday.  Ping Spackler if you want to meet up for the 10 mile option.

 

SOFAWIB – You Name It

So I go to bed last night, all snuggled up ready for another great edition of the SOFAWIB.
When suddenly it hits me – there is no way we could come close to completing this workout in the time alloted.
No problem for a veteran Q such as myself.  It’s not rocket science, it’s brain surgery.

So here’s what we did instead –


Partner up – One-Eye/Swiper, Kirk/Voodoo, Iron Mike/YHC

Hang a right on Rea and run to the Harris Teeter and WAIT DON’T START RUNNING BACK.
Burpees OYO at the corner of Rea and Colony until the 6 arrives.

Run to the first telephone pole, flip to backwards run to second telephone pole – 10 good form merkins.
Forwards run to the next telephone pole, then backwards run to the next10 flutters (per leg).
Run forward, run backward – 7 burpees.
Rinse repeat – forwards/backwards/merkins/flutters/burpees
Mix in a little partner accountability check at each named side street – 10 dumbocrats.

Do it all over again on the way back from 51 to the corner of Rea and Colony.


There are approximately 42 telephone poles on each side of this stretch of Rea Rd, a total of 84. Mix in about 10 named side streets and you get the picture.  Dumb.
So to get credit and naming-rights, the partner pair must have compelted all exercises back at OP parking lot in the 45 minutes time allotment. That means the following results
– 2.2 miles of forward running
– 1.3 miles of backward running
– 140 merkins
– 280 flutters
– 98 burpees
– 100 dumbocrats
The workout will remain unnamed for now, as Swiper (War Baby) and One-Eye (War Daddy) came close, completing about 80% of the progression. As Swiper so accurately put it after, “There’s your measuring stick.”  Aye, brother.
I can’t be certain, but Voodoo looked displeased to be collar-jerked by Kirk at the start.  Maybe it has something to do with me luring him into posting with promises of benefits for the clydesdales.
Iron Mike noted that I have a far sturdier undercarriage than his usual partners. Obviously he beleives YHC is carrying a few too many, and would liked to object had I not been crippled by his 125lb feet on my back.  No one that large should be that fast.
And I’m not saying that there was some notable absences from the group, but there was some mumblechatter about how “Bushwood Sucks” would be a great name for the workout. Seems rude, guys. I’m sure he had a good reason for posting in the preblast comments and then not showing up.

Announcements
Something about the BRR, and 44 being far too young to be wardaddy, and I was too exhausted to remember if there was something else.

This one was bad, and it could have been a lot worse. And you should believe that it will get worse, because that’s our promise to you. SOFAWIB is hard and it will get harder.
And you will get better because that’s why you’re there.

And as always, thank you for making SOFAWIB your preferred destination for discomfort every Tuesday morning.

Stairway to….well, not exactly heaven

9 KB junkies showed this morning and handled an all out 0.0 beat down.

 

Disclaimer

 

Warmup:

 

Merkins x 20

Prying squat x 5

Merkins x 20

Prying squat x 5

Merkins x 20

Good Morning x 10

Merkins x 20

 

The Thang:

12,10,8,6,4

R&L

Snatch

Clean

Squat

Swing

 

 

Super Sets 3×10

High Pull R

One Arm Press R

High Pull L

One Arm Press L

Upright Row

Two Handed Press

Lunges

Deadlift

 

Moleskin

 

Another humid one this am. Tunes were gettin it done just like the pax. We mixed it up with high reps to low reps, light weight to heavy weight on the bells. First time I think I’ve ever been to a workout with zero mumble chatter, seriously…zero. A few barking spiders and a little “you gonna use that bell?”, and that was it. I’ll take that as a good sign. Great job out there today. Thanks for the lead and the willingness to follow. Sound off in the comments if you’ve gotten your wind back.

At least the rocks are still here

Posted on behalf of Floor Slapper

After alot of mumbling from pax that they want an easier workout like the Rock, we set out into the darkness

Warmup: Light jog around the lower parking lot – more mumbling
Circle with 20 MTN Climb, 10 Peter Parker (to stretch my injured foot!) 25 SS Hop, 10 Hill Billies, 10 Imp Walker, 20 squats, 20 Merkins

Looong Warm up – playground, 10 Pull ups, 20 Dips, 20 Derkins – Run after Lobster Roll to back playground 10 Pull ups, 20 Squats, 20 Step ups

Soccer Field: Stacks:
1)5 burpees – run field – 5 burpeses, 10 Merkins – run, 5 B, 10 M, 15 Jump Squats – run, 5 B, 10 M, 15 JS, 20 LBC

10 count for a really winded Pop Tart – trying to represent Tar Heel nation poorly

2)5 Jump Lunges – run, 5 JL, 10 Wide Arm Merkins – run, 5 JL, 10 WAM, 15 Squats – Run,5 JL, 10 WAM, 15 S, 20 Freddie Mercury

100 yard sprint – sort of

People’s chair, air presses, 20 incline merkins, people’s chair

Indian Run to Rock Pile

Lifting Rocks avoiding snake or possibly a frog? – 20 curls, 20 Shoulder Press, 20, Triceps, 20 Squats and repeat

Back Parking lot : 5 minutes Mary: Flutter, Russian Twist, Dolly, Bicycle, Heels to Heaven, Rosallita

Finish 10 burpees and there you have it

NFL Training Camp

NFL Training Camp kicks off this week so we thought we would get in shape.

Warm-up

Mosey down to the gravel road to circle up.

SSH x 25 IC

Imperial Walker x 20 IC

LBC x 25 IC

Low Slow Squat X 20 IC

 

Move over to the field to get down to business.

The Thang

Ladder Drill – High knees

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 merkins at each corner

Bear crawl to the next corner

Backwards run to the 3rd corner

Ladder Drill – High Knees

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 squats at each corner

Crab walk to next corner

Backwards run to the 3rd corner

 

40 yrd wind sprints x 8

 

up /downs x 10 or so

 

Round 2

Ladder Drill – Side to side

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 Sit ups at each corner

Lunge walk to the next corner

Backwards run to the 3rd corner

Ladder Drill – Side to side

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 CDD at each corner

Bear crawl to next corner

Backwards run to the 3rd corner

 

40 yrd wind sprints x 8

 

up /downs x 10 or so

 

Football passing drills

Fly patterns (QB has a bad pass 5 burpees, WR drops the ball 5 burpees)

While the rest of the team waits their turn, merkins, LBC, squats

 

We switch to 15yrs in patterns then we get some backtalk from Comet so we lined up to do 6 wind sprints.

 

Up/Downs

Sit ups IC

Bicycles IC

 

Round 3

Ladder Drill – One foot hop

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 Merkins at each corner

Lunge walk to the next corner

Backwards run to the 3rd corner

Ladder Drill – One foot hop

Up and back cones

Sprint 40 yrds 10 squats

 

The End.

 

 

The PAX came to competed for a starting spot on the #F3 football team. I think there are a few of the guys needed to put more work in on the off season. Brat had butter fingers in the passing drills and had two left feet in the ladder drill however he kicked butt in the wind sprints. Comet was doing good until the wind sprints came.   I think it go the best of him. His 2.0 (Meteor) took it to the old man. I am pretty sure that if Meteor keeps coming he will beat all of us. Beano came back for his second showing. He said he wanted a change up in his workout out. I think we are giving it to him. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead the PAX.

Extra points for Brat, he ran before and after our workout. I think we need to make the workouts harder for him.

 

Announcements:

 

Southern Comfort 8/1

Gladiator Games 8/8

 

Bratwurst, thank you for taking us out.

“Well, if it isn’t Porkface Jones.”** WIGGLER: SUMMER HOURS – 6:00 AM Start

WIGGLER: SUMMER HOURS – 6:00 AM Start

“Well, if it isn’t Porkface Jones. I can eat a box of cookies tonight. Can you do that? No. Because you’re [not running The Wiggler] ” **

Don’t be a Porkface Jones, come run The Wiggler!  6:00 am Tuesday – corner of Foxcroft and Rothwood – just coming off vacation at the beach pace…

* Phil Weston, Kicking and Screaming