Movement

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14 Men, 45 Minutes, Goals Met.

The Thang:

COP Warmup:

  • SSH
  • IW
  • MNC

Mosey to Parking Round-a-bout, bear crawl the circle

Pearls on a String – 3 sets of each group after some distance.

Mosey

  • Merkins – 10
  • Monkey Humpers – 15
  • Dying Cockroach – 20

Mosey

  • MC – 10
  • Squats – 15
  • Flutter – 20

Mosey

  • CDD – 10
  • HB Squats – 15 (Crowd Pleaser)
  • Box Cutter – 20

Mosey to Pull-Up Bars,  Partner up

Partner 1 – 2 Pull-up Burpees
Partner 2 – Run the hill
Repeat 5 times

NMM:

Ring Of Fire Site Q request a verse that speaks to the Q.  Today mine was Ephesians 4:14-16, specifically focusing on how we are all fitted together for building up the body.  Seek to “know your role” and contribute where Sky Q has you.  You’ll make a bigger impact if you are working for his glory and not your own.

Finished with COT, Praise-o-rama.

Read your newsletter.

Honor to Serve.

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7

Bushwood Board of Bother

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Six men joined YHC for a “Bushwood Board of Bother” on this cool Wednesday morning. Here’s what we did:

The Thang

  • Short Mosey
  • 10 SSHs (IC)
  • 10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
  • 10 Windmills (IC)

BoB Round 1

  • 50 Squats
  • 40 Big Boy Situps
  • 30 Ranger Merkins
  • 20 Maktar Jais
  • 10 Burpees
  • Run

Round 2

  • 3 Minute Plank
  • 30 Second Rest
  • 2 Minute Plank
  • 30 Second Rest
  • 1 Minute Plank
  • Run

Round 3

  • 50 SSHs
  • 40 Flutters
  • 30 Overhead Claps
  • 20 Seal Jacks
  • 10 Diamond Merkins
  • Run

Round 4

  • 50 LBCs
  • 40 American Hammers
  • 30 Alternating Shoulder Taps
  • 20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • 10 Merkins
  • Run

Round 5

  • 50 Little Baby Arm Circles
  • 40 Mountain Climbers
  • 30 Freddie Mercurys
  • 20 Bomb Jacks
  • 10 Burpees
  • Run

Stretching

  • Butterfly
  • Left Leg Out
  • Right Leg Out
  • Left Leg Back
  • Right Leg Back
  • 10 Burpees
  • Run

Total mileage: 1.5 miles

NMM

It as an honor to share the Gloom with you men. Thank you for the opportunity, L-Train. I shared this morning that my wife spent the last seven days in the hospital for severe inflammation associated with her Crohn’s Disease. As such, I was at the hospital for the majority of the days. Had it not been for friends, family, and loved ones (including many F3 brothers), it would have been difficult to cope with the extra responsibilities of being both mom and dad. Every day, a new meal was waiting for me when I got home. It was one less thing I had to worry about. It reminded me that its okay to accept an outstretched hand. Don’t think of it as charity, instead, think of it as someone extending their love for you. There will be times you will be down, that’s when your brother is there to pick you up. There will be times when you will be up, that’s when you lift up a brother. Don’t be too proud to accept the love and care from others. And when you have the chance to return the favor, do it.

Aye!
Italian Job

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Finding Cindy

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The cars really poured in this morning….

25 PAX Present

Changed my plans a bit….Modify as necessary, right?

Warm-up
SSH in cadence….had to part the waters for River Rat’s arrival
Burpees in cadence. I think we hit 18
Imperial Walkers in cadence 15ish

Brisk Mosey to the Church of God

COP
SSH
Hillbilly Walkers
Some Yoga
Mountain Climbers
Slow Count Merkins (always a crowd pleaser)
A few burpees in cadence

Mosey through all the brick stairs at the Church of God
Plank it up in First Baptist Parking Lot
Some More Yoga (squats)

Thang:
Bear Crawl with additive Merkins at each parking line
1-2-3-4-5-6 (total 21)
distance – a long way to bear crawl
Al Gore
Cossack Squats

Brisk Mosey up to the Rug factory

COP:
More Yoga? Yep
33 Monkey Humpers in cadence (nobody liked this)
Some burpees in cadence

Brisk Mosey to Sisk Memorial Parking Lot to find Cinder Blocks
(There’s a reason it’s called Block Party)
Thang:- divided into groups of 3
– Three Stations: Manmakers, plank, run to bottom of Massey hill and back
Had time for everyone to do one rotation (probably 15-20ish manmakers)

7 Additional Burpees in cadence
11 Bomb Jacks

Mosey with the blocks back to COT

NMM:

Quote for the day from Thoreau’s Journal August 5 1891 ““The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”

A word on today’s naming: the Q takes responsibility for the outcome. That was me today. On naming an FNG, I went with “Dude Wipes” as a suggestion thrown out. Not the worst name, but was not right for this FNG.

It didn’t feel right. I did a poor job reading his body language. I should have vetoed it. Not my best moment as Q. We’ll rename this FNG.

When we’re on Q, we are charged to take responsibility. In this moment, I accepted responsibility for the outcome of the naming. In the future, I’ll take responsibility fearlessly when convicted. Even (especially?) when that conviction appears as a still small voice. If that means going against the flow of the PAX, so be it. After all, that’s a leader’s job: influencing movement towards advantage. Sometimes we gotta row upstream. I should have rowed harder today, and that’s on nobody but me.

Besides, none of the PAX wanted to do that many burpees or monkey humpers anyway. So if I go with a name they’re not happy with, it’s just more of the same from the 1st F side of the morning.

Welcome – unnamed FNG, It’ll be good to post with you again soon.
Welcome – Barrel Age, I think you brought out a lot of PAX to support you today!

Prayers for the kids, teachers, and parents of the FMSD as they plan for a return to school 5 days a week at all levels.

—
Band Camp Dismissed

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Even an IR Guy can Q Part 2

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Answering the call of my Shieldlock brother needing a Q for The Ballroom, I figured I could dish out some pain.  PAX could modify up or down as needed.  Its YOUR acceleration. OWN it!

Warmup

Imperial Walkers, Hillbilly Walkers, Windmills, Cherry Pickers, Big Arm Circles, Baby Arm Circles, Moroccan nightclubs, Arm Stretch, Down dog, Calves, Honeymooner, Down dog, Calves, Honeymooner, Down dog, Walk leg and hands together and stand slowly

The Deal – 3 Rounds, 9 exercises each focusing on Upper body, Core and Legs

Round 1 – 10 each exercise

Merkins, LBCs, Calf Raises, Diamond Merkins, Flutter Kicks, Squats, Wide Arm Merkins, Hello Dolly, Lunges

Take a lap or Bear Crawl until crew gets back

Round 2 – 10 each exercise, find a curb

Incline Merkins, Bridges, Step Ups, Switchboards on and off the curb, Rosalitas, Side Lunges, Dip, Freddie Mercuries, Back Lunges

Take a lap or Crawl Bear until crew returns

Round 3 – 10 each exercise, find a curb

Decline Merkins, Heel taps, Al Gore, Left Incline Merkins (left foot and hand on curb), BB Situp, Right Incline Merkins (Rt foot and hand on curb), WWI situp

Take a lap (fast guys were to take 2 laps)

Airborne Hip Flexors

Round of Mary

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Even an IR Guy can Q

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While on recovery I have found ways to still participate and push my brothers.  I brought a Deck of Pain to The Hive.

Each Suit was a part of the body (Shoulders, Arms, Legs, Core).  Odds was one exercise for that part, Even was another.  8 total  exercise.  Suit, Odd/Even and Face value determined the Exercise and Reps.

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Deck of Pain

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Glad to see that some PAX don’t let rain interfere with their accountability. 6 PAX chose to get better in the rain. YHC lead the PAX to the Lowes covered porch for some pain.

The Deck of Cards came out – a first for YHC.

Hearts = merkins

Diamonds = wide arm merkins

Spades = V-ups (double the card value)

Clovers = LBCs (double the card value)

After a full deck without jokers (they were lucky I didn’t check the deck to see if I had any), we mossy to other end of lowes and back for round 2.

Round two

red cards = hand release merkins

black cards = flutters (double the card value)

Mossy back to COT.

 

Prayers to schools, D2D runners

 

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We’ll Drive Home Backwards

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9 Men showed up at The Pit for a Kettlebell Workout from a Runner (not a professional).  YHC made a commitment to less than a mile of total distance.  Fortunately Odometer Fraud (look it up) works for the workout as well.

Here’s what we did:

COP – SSH, Windmills, IW, MNC

Paula Abdul

Carry the bell 2 lines forward, 1 line back, set of KB exercises, Repeat till end of lot

  • 20 Swings (160)
  • 15 Goblet Squats (90)
  • Interlude – KB Bear Crawl the Line
  • 10 Curls 5 Ea. Arm (60)
  • 10 Overhead Press (60)
  • 2 Man Makers alternating arms on the Merkin (12)

Mosey back for COT

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21s in the gloom

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YHC has only been to the bubble once before, and that was a 0515 pre-ruck in early December 2020. Any Q with Sugar Daddy and the ability to breath is an opportunity for some good mumblechatter. The guy is always bringing up all these “obscure” facts and information that confounds me. Things like “sports” and “Wayland Jennings”…

This is why I was looking forward to my Q at the Bubble. I didn’t know the area (unless we’re talking about the patio outside of  Grapevine… I know that area well). Unfortunate that the Daddy of Sugar couldn’t make it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

the gloom

I arrived in the S YMCA parking lot after reviewing the potential running path, which I determined to be too dark without having notified PAX of needing lights and reflectors. The lot was full, but I didn’t see anyone.  I was prepared to do a few solo miles when 98 Degrees appeared (he was already there, I just couldn’t see him).

warmup

Mosey up through the N parking lot and around to the entrance and back to the N parking lot.

SSH x20
Imperial Walker x10
Full Orbit stretch x3 each side (see this post, warmup #6 for a description)

the thang

Keeping it simple, these were 21’s. The south island to the north island in the north lot. Starting with one BBSU and 20 regular merkins… and go.

This kept us busy, it’s almost like BBSU dilate time… When we finished there was about 5m left. So mosey back out the N entrance and around to the central entrance and back to CoT.

< 2m left. SSH until you drop. 30 down and the buzzer hit.

cot

Talked about the Yeti and encouraged 98º to try running part of it. Me? No, I’m not going to be able to do it this time.

Prayer for 98’s M, a teacher, and the insanity that is this school year. Prayer for YHC and struggles with getting the weight back off.

nmm

Good chatter today. That seems pretty easy when it’s just two PAX who have never met, but for YHC it’s hard to strike up a conversation. Glad to have someone who knows how to carry a meaningful conversation while doing 210 merkins and 210 BBSUs.

We spotted Cobra Kai, Dinghy and one other PAX whose face I didn’t catch as we were about to start our 21s and invited them to stick around. They did not take us up on this offer.

98 recognized a walker out of a trio of women and greeted her. Then, after she left the other two remained to walk laps around the N lot and offer criticism of merkin form.

It’s a good start to a morning.

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Long laps for slow PAX

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10 days ago YHC got a message asking him to Q at Sweep the Leg. Now, a little background, the only way I’ve come close to the top 3 finishers at STL is when there have been 4 people in attendance, and usually STL picks a top finisher to Q.  I accepted almost immediately, but then almost had to take it back when I remembered that today is the M’s (somethingith) birthday.

No false modesty here, my running game has improved significantly over the last 12 months, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the more aquatic, fried-snack based PAX in long distance Qs (though I give a ton of credit to them for kiting me along over the past who knows how long).  At the end of every STL session my brain is usually so starved for oxygen that the left half of my brain has logically concluded that i have died, and the other side is reliving the horrors of the Whinny the Pooh ride at Disney World.  I love it!

So, big thanks to Vuvuzela for inviting me to take the reins.

I knew I’d need something to keep the expeditious PAX engaged that would also make room for personal survival, but also made it difficult, if not impossible, to cheat on the running.

The gloom

After driving out to the Colosseum and dropping off some signage and lights, I hauled arse to CoT and got there with just enough time to realize I had two left hand gloves and swap them out.

6 PAX were stretching and chatting when I arrived and since I used my extra time to replace one of my gloves, the disclaimer was very short. I simply said, “Welcome to Sweep the Leg. I assume you’ve all read the disclaimer, let’s go, wait, who’s that guy?” as I pointed at Grinder. Fishsticks vouched that he knew the risk and off we went as I said, “Oh, and I’m 38 Special, we’re headed to the cul-de-sac at the end of Patricia”

The thang

After the 1/2 mile warmup. YHC handed out instructions. Every stop would need to multiply the lap number by a certain number of exercises. At the cul-de-sac it would be 10x SSH, which we did in cadence before starting.

Run towards the school and at the L that turns in, a sign was waiting that said:
<—-
5x Dips x Lap
3x Werewolf x Lap

YHC forgot to mention what a werewolf is, and I still had energy enough at this point to still be near everyone and demo the werewolf (I call them circular pushups, but in the exicon, it’s a “Werewolf”)

Turning left here (because of the arrow!) run down the hill a little ways and there’s a sign at the bigger traffic loop:
—–>
3x Burpee x Lap
5x BBSU x Lap

Each lap was almost exactly 1 mile.

CoT

Fishsticks and Tesla got 1st place, very shortly followed by Vuvuzela.  The were actually the last three arrivals, but they did four laps and the rest of us just three.

Counted and Announced and asked for prayers or praises from everyone.

nmm

SLT has no ten counts, no stop and breath moments. It’s all about pushing forward knowing that it’ll be over (in one way or another) in 45 minutes or so.  It’s about as blank as my mind gets trying to pull myself up that damned hill on Dave Gibson.  If I let my mind wander, I’d probably just fall into the ditch.

It hurts and it’s cathartic.

You want to know what I’m dealing with inside? Get me  thoroughly exhausted. Too exhausted to care if the world knows the worst things I think about myself. And then head to CoT. Today I shared about trying to get my weight (back) down. I’ve tried prayer, begging the M to hit me with a broom if she sees me unconsciously eating a stack of cookies she insists on leaving in one of those glass displays on the counter, self shame…

I heard some good prayers from exhausted PAX today. Real needs expressed. Always good to hear those.  And Quack Attack is good company on long killer sessions like today.

Looking forward to the next STL…

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Cupid’s Cup 5k at Minnow Pond

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The date on Thursday marked 6 years since YHC found himself in a non-siren, precautionary ambulance ride to Atrium Pineville with some annoying chest pain. Turns out my LAD needed 3 stents and I needed some cardiac rehab. Ever since then, about this time every year, I support that program by running in The Cupid’s Cup 5K put on by Atrium Health. The donations and support from F3 have always been overwhelming.

Well, 2020-2021 being what it is, the event was virtual this year. Not only that, but the cardiac rehab program added another Pax to its list of graduates. Bonsai, as you know, had a hiccup in his LAD this past summer. While both of us know that program is awesome, the F3 brotherhood plays an even more important role.

And it was on full display Thursday 2/11/2021. 25 of you came out to support us. You ran hard with us. You prayed with us and you supported the cause with you donations. It was truly humbling to be surrounded by so many Pax giving so much of themselves.

Congrats to Scalp for 1st overall and Long Duck for 1st of the respectables.

And please remember, if you’re experiencing any sort of chest discomfort, arm pain or unexplained nausea/vomiting, don’t brush it off. Get to the doctor/ER/Urgent Care. Time is precious when it comes to treatment and care. The time afterwards when you’re surrounded by the love and support of F3 is priceless.

Aye!

Boeheim

P.S. – Still time to donate/run virtually through Sunday 2/14

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