It’s always good to lead a slow burn. It’s also great knowing that your brother’s are starting P200 the same day. It makes us all closer and want to strive to achieve what they are doing. Also a P200 runner showed up before he headed to columbia the One and Only Apache! We were all stunned and excited to have this brother of the gloom with us.

Warm-Up
Left over right stretches
Right over left stretches
Cherry Pickers
Wind Mills

The cups were out in full force, but this time they were used as markers for 10 different sections of the parking lot. However…..

In honor of P200 we needed to get at least a mile in before we started this slow burn. We took off and went all the way down to Mount Gallant.

Took some curb and performed some calf raise’s

Back to the main Parking Lot of Petra

The Thang
What started off in my mind as a good slow burn quickly turned south… :

In honor of P200 you do 20 of an exercise at each cup to start it off.

Bear Crawl to Each Cup
Perform 20 Carolina Dry Docks

Thus Brought the pain which apparently it was arm week in Rock Hill, as we had many, “I thought this was a slow burn”.

OMAHA
We didn’t like what I had next, so I switched it up.

Return trip:
Lunge walk to each cup
20 squats

Spin around
Alligator crawl to 4 different cups
50 LBCs

Then 50% run to end of the line.

Back down cup alley with some sprint

Reverse with some Karaoke for 2 rounds

Then bring it back into COT

Moleskin
P200 is today, prayers were sent to each man that was on a team. It was also encouragement to see more people from Rock Hill join next year!

Bill Nye and Water Boy are killing it out there week in and week out. It is amazing to see how quickly they have become lynchpins to what F3 is about!

Prayers
Injured Pax
Men competing in the 200 for safety and rest.

Lead by example or be lead into a place that you need not be. We are in a broken world and the enemy is attacking our families through a variety of things. Consult the word, lean in on the Lord, and lean in on each other!

The Riddler

Men of F3 in the Fort, on Friday April 15^th at 0610 What Did will be hosting a 3^rd F Convergence at Eternal Church.  The last 3^rd F Convergence was on Whetstone and Accountability. This month we’re focused on Fatherhood and our accountability as Fathers.

This is a very important topic and many times during COT we have men asking SkyQ for guidance, support and even each other to help us be better fathers. But what does it mean to be a better Father?

It’s an easy question to ask and doesn’t have an immediate right or wrong answer. It’s different for each of us, whether we’re an expecting dad, father of one, two or even more and especially if we’ve already walked the course of life and are now empty nesters or even grandfathers.

We’ll have fellow Pax sharing their perspectives based on raising their own children from early childhood (<5), adolescences (6-12) and teenage years (13+).  Discussion topics include the role of the Father and successes and mistakes that we make along the way.

What a great Saturday morning. The rain held off, temp was close to 60 degrees.  It was going to be a good day to try and tame the Dragon! I was so excited for my first full Q of the Dragon I woke up an hour early and got to the AO 30 minutes early.  I did a little recon to check my route on the Weinke, and I’m glad I did because a gate was locked on a primary path I wanted to take.

The PAX started gathering and we had a little bit of good mubblechatter before we got started, and I was happy to see Kunchuck EH’d an FNG Heath to join us (Welcome Redwood!).  We had 8 PAX ready to roll at 7am.  Gave the long disclaimer, and we were off.

The Thang

Dynamic warmup in the parking lot with light jog, high knees, butt kickers, knee to chest, ankle pull to chest.

Mosey over to the flagpole.

COP

Gave a little instruction to the PAX around proper COP and cadence structure. Announce exercise, prepare the PAX and tell them to “begin” when leading the count.

20 SSHs 20 IWs 30 MNCs 20 MCs 10 Merkins Manly Yoga (Honeymooner Downward Dog RAH LAH) 15 Plank Jacks

Mosey to the Wall

Little mumble chatter about the Dragon being quiet this morning.  If you don’t know when the Dragon speaks, come to York and you’ll soon find out!

People’s Chair for a few PAX 10 counts, BTTW rinse & repeat 3x

Stopped to discuss the 1st F and F3’s Mission Statement and Purpose. Why were are here. Gave a little bit about my experience over the last year.

mosey to the next area…and it happened.  See the moleskin…

Now a slow mosey to the marching band field

Bear crawl 10 yards 10 merkins bear crawl 10 yards 5 burpees, go around 100 yards repeating this cycle. (I personally modified to merkins only with the bear crawl)

The Dragon finally spoke! Stop and complete the “Dragon Walk.”

Mosey to the ROTC field

Course start at beams for arm crossing, at the poles zig zag crab walks, at the end 25 LBCs then the net, bear crawl through the hurdles. (I love this feature of the Dragon) Did this twice.

checked the time and modified the Weinke, light jog to the small road for Lt Dan’s.

Quick discussion around the 3rd F and what Faith means in F3.

Mosey to AO start for a 4 min Ab Lab

Flutter Kicks, Freddie Mercurys, LBCs

COT

Annoucements: 4/30 Mudrun; 4/9 Nun Run; Sandie’s 2nd F coffeteria

Prayers for High Pockets wife and pregnancy; Limp Bizkit’s home and family (lighting strike).

Moleskin

I was so excited to be able to lead in York at the Dragon for the first time.  I’ve been out there several times and was supposed to Q previously, but CSAUPs and Qs elsewhere had kept me away on Saturdays for over a month. I’ve shared little bits and pieces while joining the PAX about F3 but today was my day to really be able to share what F3 means to me and how it’s changed me for the better. I was well on my way until about 25 minutes into the workout.  I was moving us to the 4th of 6 locations I had set up in my Weinke, and was thinking about where and how to work on the next exercise. Well that’s the rare time I was NOT watching the curb intentionally like most times during a workout…and my left foot slipped off the curb and turned inward at a terrible angle! I took one more step before I knew how bad it was and then stopped abruptly. It was bad. I tested my ankle, and was a little relieved that I didn’t have sharp shooting pains in my first few steps indicating it was broken…but it was severely sprained at best. The PAX stopped and asked if I was OK…and it took me a while I know if I was. I asked them to go ahead and I’d catch up. Then Drydock says to me, “Didn’t you say no man is left behind this morning? We’re not going without you.” In that moment, I knew things were being done right in York, that the F3 message is being heard loud and clear.  That the bonds you make during the 1st F are multiplied through the 2nd F and then strengthened with the 3rd F.

We made it through the workout, my wife cursed me for continuing after injury… and my ankle is “thanking” me Sunday from the bruising and swelling that will be around for some time.  I received messages from members of the PAX all over our region asking how I was doing and praying for a quick recovery. THIS is one of the many core strengths that F3 provides, and we need to share this with ALL men!

An Honor to Lead…

Royale

Written by our QIC Chappie:

(A nod of respect to Royale who served as my humble inner-web post amanuensis to bring this BB to you…still getting things figured out.) Second time YHC, Chappie, was given the opportunity to Q a workout, but first things first…

The Thang:

Drifter got us warmed up on this surprisingly cooler Gloom with some serious stretching:

`Leg stretches/back stretches

`Reverse crunches/Superman

`Mountain Climber Merkins

`Air-squared/Hillbillies/Seal-jacks/Moroccan Nightclubs

Down to the parking lot light pole and back: High knees/Lunges/Side-to-sides/Dragon Crawl…then shortly thereafter she (The DRAGON) snorted…always time for 10 “steps” of the Dragon Crawl no matter where you’re at on the York AO. If you don’t know what that means, join us and you’ll figure it out. Shout out to TURBINE: That Dragon will never be tamed, Drifter’s gonna make sure of that. GREAT WARM UP w/Drifter!

DRIFTER HANDED IT OFF TO CHAPPIE – time to mosey to near corner of the building and prepare to paint the four corners with some upper and lower workouts: CHAPPIE called for “18” count on every exercise done in cadence.”18″ to be the anticipatory thought lodged in PAX minds for a future THIRD F. Hmm…intriguing…let the anticipation build.

Building Corner #1:

Patty-Cake Merkins followed by Prisoner’s Squats

Mosey to next corner (it is a big building!)

Building Corner #2: (PAX on Six)

Not-so Lazy Boys for an “18” count followed by American Hammers

No mosey here, laid some RAILROAD TRACKS to destination–far end of the building…

Building Corner #3:

Imperial Squat Walkers (in cadence) followed by OYO Tempo Merkins followed by the Gold Standard: Side-Straddle-Hops (in cadence with double-digit counts – “zero, one. zero, two. zero, three”…you get the idea)

Easy mosey to Alley of Pain for some THIRD F

YHC read from Exodus 33:12-15 and gave a brief word on that “One thing we CANNOT do without”: Moses was to lead the people into the Promised Land but initially God said an angel would go with them, but NOT His presence. After Moses interceded and pleaded for God’s presence, He promised that His presence would go with them. Moses replied in v. 15 “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not lead us up there.” Key: That one thing HIM cannot do without is God’s presence. It’s what makes them HIM personally, in Family, in work, in all of life, etc. But have you ever thought about why would God withhold His presence or hide it from His people? YHC shared how this was brought home to me when my 2.0’s were younger. Walking the trails through the woods near our home, two of my three toddler 2.0’s were distracted and would not stay with me. They were distracted and wanted to keep exploring on their own, build forts, play with sticks…as boys naturally do. The problem was that it was dusk and it was time to head to the house. After several reminders to keep up, and their continued ignoring of my promptings to stay close; rather than cruelly heading out of the woods on my own, across the parking lot, and into the house to abandon them shivering and panic-lost in the cool night, I simply slipped behind a big tree and hid my presence from them. They could not see me but they were NEVER out of my sight. Immediately I heard the words I’d expected: “Daddy, where are you? DADDY!” That’s when it hit me…Hiding my presence from them brought them to call out the very same words our Heavenly Father desires to hear from us when we sense that He’s hidden His presence from us: “Daddy, where are you?” That’s what Moses cried out to the Lord, and it points out that one thing HIM cannot do without: “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not lead us up there.”

Time to mosey again, but not before hitting about 40 yards worth of LT. DANS on our way to…

Building Corner #4:

Protractor held for “18” count @ 90, 45, & 10 degrees followed by Rosalita’s (in cadence)

All-out mosey back to corner #1 and AO to close out the Gloom.

COOL-DOWN HANDOFF TO ROYALE

But first 18 more SSHs! Then static stretches including foot over foot calf stretches, honeymooners, and downward dog

Uh, oh…what was that!? She (The Dragon) snorted again…time for one more DRAGON CRAWL. We almost skipped this one due to ‘selective hearing’, but she, like our M’s, has us listening more attentively all the time.

COT: Numberama, Name-arama (Thanks again Royale), Announce-a-rama followed by Ball of Man Praises & Prayers:

Praises for the men of F3, the PAX at the Dragon AO. Great to see High Pockets again, without you showing up, brother, there are no Patty-cake Merkins (gotta pair up, right?)

Prayers for Royale’s family; Limp-Bizcuit and family ;P200 PAX on their rigourous journey this weekend…run Forest, run!

I was honored to be granted the privilege of leading these #HIM. Appreciate especially the apprenticeship taking place between all you F3 veterans and those of us not so distant from FNG status.

Great job by all.

CHAPPIE out! (but not without HIS presence)