5 Gloom warriors braved the cold and clear skies (for once) to see what was in store for a workout without any rucks, kids or anniversaries.  Not mentioned in the Pax (under the new Isotope site) was brother Longshanks who traveled from the far lands of The Fort to support his F3 and Spartan brother in a nice sweat induced workout by YHC.  For a minute there I thought it would just be the two of us with rucking workouts, FS Kids and anniversaries going on.  Thankfully, a few more pairs of headlights came rolling in and we had ourselves a party.  Some quick introductions and the bell sounded.  Like any good fight, the Pax came out swinging!  Here’s how it all went down:

Warm O Rama- Run through the parking lot of GCC and mix in some butt kickers, high knees, Karioke and circle up by the back of the church.  Longshanks was kind enough to let me run the warmup when I posted during his workout a few weeks back so of course I had to pay it forward.

Cheesy Disclaimer

Via Longshanks:

SSHx20 IC

ISTx10IC

Windmill x10 IC

Mountain CLimbers x10 IC

Moroccan Night Club x10 IC

Peter Parkers x10 IC

Hillbilly Walkers x10 IC

Parker Peters x10 IC

The THANG:

Dora 100

Partner Up (Olive Solo)

P1 completes broad jump burpees

P2 circles the church

Flap Jack

Rinse and Repeato until 100 completed.

Mosey to Hell’s Ascent for 7’s

Bear Crawl up hill and perform 1 squat.  Normal down hill and perform 6 Merkins

Repeato with increasing 1 count at top and decreasing 1 count at bottom.

Mosey to the forest of fun.

10 PullUps OYO

Grab a soaked, waterlogged sandbag with sand pouring all over.

10 Squat with Press IC

Tire Flip x5

Mosey to Home Depot

Peoples Chair.  Add Air Press x15

Add heal touch x15

Ballz to the Wall.

So much fun lets do it again.

Peoples chair with Air Press x12

Add heal touch x 10

Balls to wall

Mosey to rock pile and grab a non travelling rock.

Curls x10 IC

Skull Crushers x10 IC

Chest Press with Low flutter x10 IC.

Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey up the walk and stop in the front parking lot.

Lets go island hopping.

Sprint 1 to the middle island

Sprint 2 to the far island

Merkins x10 IC

Sprint 3 back to cover entire distance.

M.A.R.Y.

Dealer calls game:

Dying cockroach x15 IC Longshanks

Maktar Jai x15 in crazy cadence (Contra)

J SLOW x10 IC (Firestone)

Freddie Mercury x15 IC (Zuul)

Rosalitta x20 IC (Olive)

Peter Pointers x15 IC (Longshanks)

2 Minute Plank (Contra) YHC called out left/right arm up, left/right leg up.

Recover Recover

Naked Moleskin

It is always great to see Pax from other AO’s make a trip.  Its even nicer when one is a friend.  T Claps for Longshanks for making the trip up and introducing us to some Fort exercises-more on that to come.

Kotters for Zuul to be back in the gloom and our Respect and WD today.  Glad that calf is getting better and look forward to seeing you out in the Gloom more often.  Great work today brother.

It’s not every day you get a partial BS call from Contra regarding burpees…but right out the gate I got that slight compliment.  I will say this..man you have one sick broad jump on those. Great work and thanks for the support.

Buck Furpees…definitely looked better on paper.

Firestone is like the quiet assassin.  Not to much mumble chatter and he seems to do the exercises without breaking a sweat…although we know that was not the case today.  Excellent work as always my friend.

This was my first Q at GCC and I definitely made use of the terrain as contra pointed out.  The people’s chair was definitely a leg burner.  And they need to hire better professionals to paint their bricks as Longshanks kindly pointed out.

I must admit, I litterally felt the ground shake after the 2nd round of skull crushers when Contra dropped his rock…ahem boulder.  Sorry YHC did not call a coupon rotation as that would have only hurt me…and Zuul.

Lastly, some interesting mumble chatter during MARY at the entrance to GCC. #ShowtoKnow.  Hopefully we did not desecrate the her holiness to bad with the aforementioned Peter Pointers!

Thanks to Firestone for taking us out during CoT.

It is always an honor a pleasure to lead the great men of F3.  This is what it is all about. Getting together to sharpen our irons, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Being a part of F3 and witnessing all the men who posted at the New Year Day Anniversary celebration was incredile to witness and be a part of.  Lets do our best to EH some #SadClowns so that in another 5 years, that number triples.

Appreciate Ramrod for allowing me to take the reigns and shine some of my light on The Beacon.

Have a great weekend men. Challenge yourselves to have an impact on someone’s life today! #HIM

-Olive

10 Total, on a chilly second day of January

Peach led us out to the first COP. Warmed-up on
SSH*25
Windmill*10
ImpWlkr*15
PepperGrinder*10

Move to Peach’s take on a 12 Days of Christmas workout (all in cadence unless specified):
One Hundred Yard Mosey
Two Mak Tar J’ai
Three Regular Merkins
Four Wide Arm Merkins
Five Diamond Merkins
Six Freddie Mercurys
Seven Hello Dollys
Eight Rosalitas
Nine Long Slow Squats
Ten Step-ups
Eleven Box Jumps (OYO)
Twelve Burpees (OYO)

Moleskin: Accountability starts at home. How many of us make sacrifices in order to be part of an F3 workout? Going to bed early, skipping that additional beer, passing on that couples night out? OK, now how many of us make sacrifices to please our loved ones? If you have the discipline to do F3, then you need to find the discipline to keep your family life together, and to keep it as your highest priority. We should all hold each other accountable to the notion that family is the priority. Now… Go do that chore she’s been after you to do for the last several weeks… Go on, DO IT!

Pass to Posh:
Mosey to Field of Pain
Baseball drill:
– Starting at home, run to each base in turn, do 5 bombjacks
– at home plate, reverse direction and repeat
– Second pass, do the 5 bombjacks and add 10 squats
– Third pass, do 5 boat/canoe, and 20 American Hammer

Posh shares his “Word for the Year”: “Relevant”. Being “Relevant” in every aspect of life.

Meet at the mound for some Jack Webb; 2*4
2 “Sky High” Merkins (down, up, right hand high, down, up, left hand high)
4 overhead claps
add 2 Merkins until the final cycle of 10 Sky High Merkins with 40 claps

Mosey back to COT

Welcome FNGs: “Green Mountain” and “Al Borland”

Disclaimer

As we make New Year’s resolutions, may we focus on things greater than ourselves. The workout will be tough so we can push ourselves physically and mimic how we need to push ourselves and each other spiritually to be #HIM for our families, communities, and country.

Warm up

Mozy to fountain

SSH X20
IW x 15
WM x 10
Peter Parker x 10
Parker Peter x 10

The Thang
Mozy to park

Round 1
30 Burpees
15/side Fly Merkins
20 Pull ups
30 Squat Jacks
15 BTTW Merkins

LOOP AROUND POND

Round 2
40 Merkins
20 Chin Ups
20/side Sumo Squats
20 Diamond Merkins

LOOP AROUND POND

Round 3
20 Blast Off Merkins
40 Dips
30 Squats
10/side Spider Push Ups
30 Monkey Humpers

LOOP AROUND POND

Round 4
20/side Stagger Merkins
40 CDD
20/side Lunges
Gator Merkins across playground width and back
20 Bomb Jacks

LOOP AROUND POND

2 miles of running in addition to the total body beat down

COT
As we start to make New Year’s resolution, we all need to make spiritual resolutions that are greater than we can handle on our own. This will force us to stop depending on ourselves and trust in God or else we will fall on our face. That is a scary place to be as men, but it is exactly the right place to be…right in the center of His will and dependent upon Him. Scripture tells us that, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬
http://bible.com/59/2ch.7.14.esv

It is our job as followers of Christ to start change in our homes, communities, work places, and country. This passage is clear that it is His people, not the President or congress or others, but US!! We must humble ourselves (think rightly of who we are as sinful man) so we can then pray and seek His face, which then allows us to turn from our sin to our Savior. Then and only then can our land be healed.

Praise-Popeye’s VA loan is working itself out now and he expressed gratitude for his F3 brothers walking through this tough time with him.

Prayer- Sgt. York’s wife-medical procedure today

It was an honor to lead this group of men to make our bodies stronger. May we push each other to become spiritually stronger as well.
AYE!!

2016 Blue Ridge Relay- PreBlast #2

Link to PreBlast #1

It’s time to hard commit to the 2016 Blue Ridge Relay, September 9-10, 2016 (Friday – Saturday)

This event is capped at 160 teams.  Last year, it was completely sold out by late May, this year, they expect all slots to be filled as early as April, possible even March, currently BRR has 3 times the number of teams already registered compared to last year….  If you plan on joining one of the best CSAUP events on the calendar, DO NOT DELAY!

We EXPECT to build on F3’s growth and continued interest in this event, which is a near-perfect combination of First F, Second F and CSAUP. 2015 F3 had 54 teams, over 500 pax!

The Basics:

• 208-mile relay race along the Blue Ridge mountains, beginning in Grayson Highlands State Park in southwestern VA and ending in downtown Asheville, NC.
• Race starts on a Friday morning (starting times are staggered and vary from 7am-11am) and ends on Saturday afternoon (our past teams have finished in around 26-30 hours).
• Race is split into 36 predetermined legs of varying distances (2 to 10 miles) and difficulty levels (Easy to Mountain Goat Hard).
• Teams can be a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 people (I think most people will tell you that the 9-man team is the way to go).
• For a 12-person team, the average total distance is 16.6 miles spread over 3 legs (it’s like running three 10Ks in a day). You can do the math for the average mileage for the other teams sizes. Average is just average though – some legs are longer and some are shorter.
• Teams travel along the race course in vans, picking up and dropping off runners at the beginning and end of each leg. You get to know, and smell, your van-mates very well.
• Veterans will tell you that the BRR is a great experience. You can expect a reasonable but very manageable physical challenge and fantastic fellowship.

Given the broad footprint of F3, you will not register for BRR through F3, your Team Captain will register as a TEAM directly on BRR’s website.

What You Need to Do Right Now

The easiest way is to organize a team is to talk among your pax to create teams. To help facilitate communication and organization throughout F3, we are trying to identify a Regional Q to help take the lead in organize their pax to form teams and stay organized.

If you are generally interested in the event and want to be paired up with a team with others from your F3 Region, please complete the online form and we will make introductions to teams looking for pax.

Below is a matrix of Regional Q’s identified as of now- please contact them directly with questions about teams in your region, certainly need you help filling in the gap, if your Region plans to participate, please step up as a Regional Q, you’ll get a few emails along the way and asked to pass info back to your pax.

Regional Q’s are listed below – please contact them directly with questions about teams in your region. (q’s-email me with changes and I will update)  These Regional Q’s will assist with team formation, transportation logistics, and other important details.  If you have a team, but need help filling out the roster, contact these fine folks.

• Region – Q – Email
• NC-Area 51 – Bratwurst / Turkey Leg – paul.wuerslin@gmail.com / smastbrook@metlife.com
• NC-Columbia – SubPrime – markt@guildmortgage.net (potential looking for a sub)
• NC-Isotop – Kumquat – Dudley-Matthew@aramark.com (considering a sub)
• NC-Fa So – LaMatt Doerre – matt@doerreconstruction.com (considering a sub)
• NC-Gastonia – Whoopee – Dustin.Letts@caromonthealth.org
• NC-Asheville – ?
• NC-Burlington – ?
• NC-Charlotte- MECA  – ?
• NC-Charlotte- Metro – Freeloader – steviered1966@gmail.com
• NC-Charlotte- North – ?
• NC-Charlotte- South – Bratwurst / Turkey Leg – paul.wuerslin@gmail.com / smastbrook@metlife.com
• NC-Foothills – ?
• NC-Greensboro – ?
• NC-Greenville – ?
• NC-Kernersville – ?
• NC-Morehead City – ?
• NC-Chapel Hill – ?
• NC-Sandhills – ?
• NC-Shelby – ?
• NC-Wilmington – ?
• NC-Winstron-Salem – ?
• SC-Anderson – ?
• SC-Bluffton – ?
• SC-Charleston – ?
• SC-Columbia – ?
• SC-Fort Mill – WorldWide Leader – Justin.LaRoche@yahoo.com
• SC-Florence – ?
• SC-Greenwood – Flossy – jfennelldmd@gmail.com
• SC-Hartsville – ?
• SC-Lake Murray – ?
• SC-Lexington – Grave Digger – buicekevin@gmail.com
• SC-Myrtle Beach – ?
• SC-North Augusta – ?
• SC-Spartanburg – ?
• SC-Summerville – ?
• SC-Sumter – ?
• SC-Winnsboro – ?
• VA-Richmond – THE Yankee Aggressor – paul@lally-construction.com

If you already have formed a team and want to enter as a team now, please do the following:

• Sound off the in comments below with your team name and pax to let the world know you are HC’ed
• Team captain email the F3 regional captain above to make sure they have your contact info for future announcements
• Each team captain will be responsible for registering their team directly with BRR (rosters don’t have to be finalized when you register the team). You aren’t registered for the race until you register directly with BRR.
• There is no special F3 discount and BRR is not holding spots for us.
• Team captains will be responsible for collecting money directly from their team members.
• All team names should be submitted to BRR in the following format “F3 ……………” (i.e. F3 Lean, F3 Paperboy, etc)
• You don’t need to submit a roster to BRR today (and I suggest you hold off on doing so in case there are changes) – the final roster does not need to be finalized until the summer.
• The form will ask you for an average 10k time. This is what they use to seed the start time waves. The faster the time you submit, the later you start.

FAQ

• Can I do this?
• Anyone who posts to regular F3 workouts and can run a 10K can definitely be comfortable on a 12 man team. A 9 man team is a bit more of a challenge, but you can do it. Last year, South Beach did a 4 man team….any challengers for this year.
• What’s the optimal team size — 6, 9, or 12?
• 9-man team the best. 6-man team is a lot (and I mean a lot) of running without a lot of rest. 12-man team has really long breaks in between your runs (~ 8 hours) and you stay in the same van of guys for both days – but it is still a fantastic experience. 9-man team is the best of both worlds – yes the mileage is longer than a 12-man team, but you are running every 6 hours, and you switch vans several times during the race, thereby getting fellowship with multiple F3 pax.
• I’m interested, but don’t have a team and want to get placed on one.
• Perfect. Just register using the Free Agent Form above, and we’ll find you a team.
• Can I invite non-F3 pax to do this race?
• Absolutely. Just have them register below.
• Will I sleep at all?
• You may get an hour or two here or there in the exchange zones, but if you really want to sleep just don’t draw the short straw to be the driver home from Asheville on Saturday afternoon.
• How do I train for this?
• We’ll worry about that later. But suffice it to say that doing several runs a day (morning, lunch, and/or evening) is good training in the months leading up to the race.
• What does it mean when it says some of the legs are rated as “Mountain Goat hard”?
• Baaaaaah. You’ll find out when you see it. Think steep, never-ending switchbacks.
• How much does it cost?
• Race registration $1,200 (team of 7 – 12) and $600 (team of 4-6 runners). In addition, plan on roughly $150 per person to cover costs of van, gas, food, drinks, etc.
• But I’m already doing (fill in the blank) marathon/half-marathon this fall, so I don’t think I can do this too…….”
• Well, then, you have no excuse, BRR is a perfect training opportunity.

Other questions – email WWL/ Justin LaRoche at Justin.LaRoche@yahoo.com

Don’t delay–you will regret not doing this.

Recently, I had a powerful conversation with a friend of mine.  I asked him how I could help him and pray for him in 2016.  He responded that he had been developing a prayer of sorts for next year around a word.  His word was Justice. He believes that he has a calling to help right what is wrong in the world around us.   Key issues like child abuse, sex trafficking, water shortages, and persecution just move him in ways that require action.  In fact, his word is so alive in him that it is a compass for him and his family as they embark on becoming foster parents.  He just simply looked at me and said, “pray for me that God will guide me and my family as we embark on a journey for justice in this broken world.”

Ummm, sure.  I was stunned.  Wow, what a big word.  What a huge prayer.   What amazing focus and power his word has for him in his life.  Everything he does aligns to this concept in his life.  He ripped that statement off in a matter of seconds after I asked him the question.  I know that as situations come up this next year, this prayer and word will be a filter for everything that he is doing.  This is a #HIM.  A man with a purpose.  Fighting for something bigger.  Something that will impact generations to come.

Three years ago I started on a process called One Word.  A book by Jon Gordon.  Simply stated, each year I go through a process to develop a word that is on my heart.  That word captures the essence of what I’m focusing on Spiritually, Emotionally, Mentally, Physically, Financially, and Relationally in my life.

I used to go through a goal planning process and end a year with a sheet that looked like a list of successes and failures.  I’d list all that I had accomplished on my goals and put checks next to those.  Then I’d have this seemingly long list of goals that I didn’t reach.  In fact, I found that many of the goals weren’t really even relevant at the end of the year.  Worse, I might not have even pulled out this list of goals for months.

Listing out your goals is vital to achieving them, there is plenty of research on this.   I’m still a fan of doing this.  However, I find that it misses and looses when you are in the heat of the moment.  It lacks something bigger and more intentional like stepping back and really asking what is it that I’m put on this earth to do?  What am I doing this next year that takes my purpose and passion (Dolphin and Daffodil D2X) and focuses on a ULP (ultimate life problem) that you are called to go fix or do.

Like my friend, he has walked through his goals for next year differently.  He has taken a larger frame to what his purpose and mission is for next year.  Maybe even for generations to come.  He has listened to that calling deep within him as to what he needs to go do.  And then he puts ACTION behind it.

So, as you approach your goal planning for 2016, step back and listen to what is on your heart.  What is that deep undercurrent that you are hearing and feeling for next year?  If you are bold enough to start to listen and distill that into a word for 2016, then write that word down somewhere.  Share this word with your family.

If you walk out of my house you’ll see on a board in our mud room the 4 words for 2015 for me and my family.  We talk about how we are doing with our words regularly.  It becomes a filter for big decisions for me and my family.  We talked about our words for 2016 yesterday as we drove to see family.  (Great way to save on a data plan btw if you have teens).

Keep writing down your goals.  That is a worthy and needed process.  But, if you want to take this to another level, and really hear a deeper more impactful calling in your life, then I highly suggest you find that word that can become your theme and filter for next year.

Last point.  Your word is just that.  It is your word.  It might not, nor need not make sense to anyone else.  It needs to be big enough to hold a broad range of ideas and goals for the year, yet focused enough to keep rails on your activity and focus on what you are setting out to impact in the world.  My friends word is Justice.  I have no idea how he got to that word but it is his.  I can also tell you that he will change the world this next year because of it.

If you want to be really bold, tweet your word out to your F3 PAX in your region.  Share with another F3 brother and ask him to check in with you regularly on progress with your word.

By the way, my word for 2016 is………..DEEP

See you in the gloom.