When thinking of a weinkie for the Q at The Abyss I was pretty much drawing a blank (no smarty pants comments). Long hours at work tend to do that. I knew I had to bring it, but not kill folks or make them never want to return. When perusing the BBs from other workouts I got alot of good ideas, but nothing really jumped out. I did not want to do ANY running for the 16mi ruck for H&C pretty much hammered my feet – they still hurt when I woke for this Q. I took a break and then saw something on the Pathfinder Facebook page that totally struck a chord with me. This weinke is not a NASA original.

The morning was totally icky nasty warm, humid, and just dank wet with steadily light rain showers. Abyssmal conditions. PERFECT!! As the clock drew closer to launch time there was a good group of PAX committed to making themselves better and stronger, regardless of the conditions. No FNGs, brief disclaimer made (modify if needed and don’t die). Time to get after it.

Brief run around the main parking lot to a smaller lot on the side of the school for the COP:

SSH x 20
WM x 20
IW x 20
MNC x 20
PJ x 20
Honeymooner and Downward Dog x 2

Pretty much a standard NASA COP. Heart rate is up, all muscle groups warm and pliable. Then another short run to the back lot of the school for the main event.

7s to Honor the Fitzgerald 7

The recent tragic maritime accident between a huge container ship and the Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan claimed the lives of 7 brave souls. In honor of those 7 we did a HIIT 7/7/7 workout – 7 reps of 7 exercises done 7 rounds. No rest when transitioning between exercises, no running from one point to another (a first for a NASA Q), no cones (another first). Everything done right in one spot together as a group in a nice, not too quick, cadence  – to replicate how a group of soldiers exercise at boot as well as to make sure we get the most out of every exercise, focusing on form instead of finishing first.

First group of 7 exercises:
* Merkins
* LS Squats
* LBCs
* Flutters
* Lunges
* Burpees
* Plank Jacks

PAX got through all these pretty well. We took a short break after every even # round long enough for very brief moleskin discussions. We completed all 7 rounds, and man we felt it!  Then we moved to the playground equipment for the next group of exercises.

Second group of 7 exercises:
* Derkins
* Inclined LBCs
* Hip thrusts
* Dips
* Hello Dollys
* Pull Ups
* American Hammers

We only got through 3 rounds of this group of 7s before we ran out of time. The PAX did great!! Good mumblechatter, alot of support and encouragement. Love it!!

Next time – more leg work (won’t be favoring my feet) and no COP.

Slow Indian run back to the COT just in time.

Announcements:
* CAH Guidance this FRIDAY 7pm, Decibel! on Q
* F3 Dad’s workouts are BACK!! Saturdays in July, 10am at WEP
* Mastodon CSAUP in York
* River Rat Run overnight camp CSAUP
* New Fort Logo shirts out
* Ragnar is coming!
Prayers and Praises:
* Praises for the PAX disregarding the weather in their quest to get better
* Prayers for Royale, his Dad, and his family
* Prayers for Vinny’s Dad
* Prayers for Cornerstone’s daughter and his family
* Prayers for Qwerty, Mr T, and all the PAX going through their struggles. Be there for them.
* Prayers for Cheech in Lexington

Moleskin – The Fitzgerald 7 and Faith

What struck me when I came across the 7s in honor of the Fitz 7 workout idea on the Pathfinder page was not so much the workout. Yes, it was a great idea someone came up with for a weinke. But it was mainly the thought of how these sailors died and how I tied them to our theme of the month – Faith.

Some of the sailors on board the Fitz were asleep when the two ships collided. They did not see their end coming, being taken suddenly and unexpectedly to be with Our Lord. Same thing for the motorcyclist who perished this weekend in Rock Hill, and Cheech in Lexington. Those tragic events made me think about how precious yet sometimes fleeting life is, and that at ANY moment your life can end in a myriad of ways. It is a fact of life that is always right smack dab in front of us, yet most people never even think about it or acknowledge it. They do not want to think about it. But we ALL need to be and should be prepared for it.

A soldier HAS to be prepared for that (I was not a soldier so this is in my perspective). They willingly, knowingly, voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way, understanding that they may not walk away from it. They are (hopefully) prepared to deal with the consequences of their choice to do so. They are prepared for whatever may happen. How do they prepare? To me it all centers around faith.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. – Hebrews 11-1

A soldier has faith in their commander to make the right decisions, so they follow them (a vast majority of the time). A soldier has faith in their comrades to support them and fight with them no matter how dire the situation without any doubts. A soldier has faith in their training and equipment, so they do not hesitate in their actions knowing they will have an expected result. Plus the one that ties it all together is that they have Faith in Their Lord – protection during their fight for just cause, providing for their families while they’re gone, and that Their Lord will lift their souls to Heaven if they perish. When you have a strong foundation of Faith like that, in all aspects of your life (spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically), there is nothing you will be afraid of. With that you can act without hesitation, freed from the reigns of fear holding you back. We all must be prepared in the same way as well.

I am going to take a moment and make this BB more introspective. This is where I questioned myself – am I prepared in my Faith if my life were to suddenly end? Right now I am not sure if I can say that I am 100% yes. I do not want to leave my wife, my kids, my family before I feel they will be fine without me. So I am being selfish in my faith that I do not feel they will be taken care of if I am gone, and I need to, have to, want to physically be there to love, nurture, provide for, and protect them and feel their love, all of which make me ‘go’ in life. As a born and raised Roman Catholic, I should not doubt my faith, falling back on my formation of beliefs in Him and Our Lord that are woven into the fabric of me. All of those things that I am selfish with I should have Faith that He will provide to me as well as my loved ones if/when I am gone. As a scientist – there is no such thing as a former scientist, for it is in our being, our nature to be one – I need proof, substantiation. There are millions of things ‘proving’ He exists in many ways, but science has ‘explanations’ for some of these things as well. These two sides of me used to always be at odds with each other, in a battle for ownership of my foundation of faith.

As I have grown older, the spiritual side is winning out more and more. I have become closer and closer to saying 100% yes. In my opinion no matter how much science tries, there are still some very basic, transcending, and simple questions that they cannot prove – whether correct or incorrect – nor can they completely explain without another “why?”, “how?”, or “what?” to follow on for them to tackle. Occam’s Razor comes into play here, as well as belief in Him and His Word as gospel.

We are all His children. He will take care of us. He will provide. He will nurture. He will unconditionally love. He will heal. He will protect. Whether it is in this life here on earth or not is not something to be concerned about, for He has a plan for all of us. I am understanding this more and more as I evolve in life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you – Isaiah 43:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight – Proverbs 3:5-6
I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see – 2 Corinthians 5-7

My fears are being assuaged. I am becoming more and more prepared, closer to 100%. It is a work in progress, but …. it is in progress. F3 and the amazing PAX I have met have helped immensely in this. I hope that in some way I can eventually return the favor to you all.

F3 can have a wonderful impact on one’s life in many aspects – if you commit to it. Keep pushing each other, supporting each other in every way. Keep making each other stronger – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

9 PAX did just that at The Abyss.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead…. and be led.
– NASA

• WARM UP

  16 WINDMILLS

  8 MORRCAN NIGHT CLUBS

  16 CHERRY PICKERS

  MOSEY TO BENCHES

  THE THING

  PARTNER 1 RUNS DOWN PATH UP ROAD HALF AROUND CIRCLE TO STEPS

  GRABS 5 GALLON BUCKET 2 X 25LBS WITH WATER OR 2 X 35LBS WITH SAND GO UP STEPS AND DOWN

  BACK AROUND CIRCLE BACK TO THE BENCHES

  PARTNER UP PARTNER 2 DOSE 20 IRKINS THEN 10 PULL UPS

  RINSE AND REPEAT TILL PARTNER GETS BACK

  THEN 20 DIPS THEN 10 PULL UPS

  RINSE AND REPEAT TILL PARTNER GETS BACK

  THEN 20 DIPS THEN 10 PULL UPS

  RINSE AND REPEAT TILL PARTNER GETS BACK

  THEN 20 CAROLINA DRY DOCKS TEHN 10 PULL UPS

  RINSE AND REPEAT TILL PARTNER GETS BACK

  STANG SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A HILL SINCE HE HAS NEVER BEEN TO THIS AO WHY NOT GIVE THE

  TOUR. SO WE OHAMA TO THE HILL ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SCHOOL

  RUN DOWN THE HILL AND 5 BOMB JACKS BEAR CRAWL UP THE HILL 5 PLANK JACKS

  RINSE AND REPEAT INCREASE REP BY 1 EVERYTIME WE DID ABOUT 3-4 ROUNDS

  TOTAL 2 MILES

  MOSEY OVER TO COT FOR 4 MIN OF AB LAB

  UDDER CALLED HEELS TO HEAVEN (THIS IS NEW TO ME I WILL DEFINITELY ADD THIS TO MY CIRCUIT) IN

  CADANCE

  STANG CALLED OUT HEEL TOUCHS (PENGUINS) IN CADANCE

  FLEA CALLED OUT HELLO DOLLY’S IN CADANCE

  WARM UP
• ANNOUNCEMENTS

  UP COMING EVENTS

  HOG AND COYOTE THIS SATURDAY ( LAST YEAR THIS WAS GOING ON I WAS 1 1/2MONTHS INTO F3 AT

  THAT TIME I WAS LIKE THESE GUYS ARE CRAZY, FAST FORWARD A YEAR I AM STOKED RUNNING IT AND

  PUTTING THIS ON IN THE BOOKS)

  CAH RIVER FLOAT BRING BULK DRINKS IF YOU ARE ATTENDING NO SOADA, JUICE WATER ECT.

  RAGNAR COMING START TRAINING.

  PRAYERS

  PRAYERS FOR STANG FORTHINGS SPOKE OF IN COT

  PRAYERS FOR VALLEY GIRL FOR 5 WEEK OLD LITTLE BOY

  PRAYERS FOR FLEA AND HIS ANKLE

  PRAYERS FOR MY DAUGHTER AS WE HAVE CHEMO FRIDAY

  T CLAPS TO THE PAX THEY DID GREAT AND AWESOME PUSH FROM EVERYONE

  THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO LEAD

What a great day to Q a bootcamp. Perfect conditions for sweat and pain. When I showed up there were already a number of cars in the parking lot with Pre-Ruckers and Pre-Runners aplenty. Once all the other cars started to roll in we had 12 Bootcampers ready to roll and 2 runners out doing there thing.

We took a long mosey around the school with some dynamic stretches (i.e. Toy Soldiers, Butt Kickers, Side Shuffle). We circled up in the back parking lot for the Warmup:

• Windmills x10
• 1 Burpee OYO
• Moroccan NCs x25 (Thanks to DaVinci for the reminder to not be a hero)
• 2 Burpees OYO (Groan from the crowd, they are seeing the pattern)
• SSH x20
• 3 Burpees OYO
• Imperial Walkers x10
• 4 Burpees OYO
• Low Slow Squat x10
• 5 Burpees
• Hydro Merkins x10
• 6 Burpees OYO
• Seal Jacks x20
• 7 Burpees OYO
• Peter Parkers x10
• 8 Burpees OYO
• Mountain Climbers x10
• 9 Burpees OYO
• Plank Jacks x10
• 10 Burpees OYO

Asked for a couple 10 counts after this fairly aggressive warm-up. Then we were off to the hillby the school for THE THANG:

This was a workout I first did at Laces In and I love it. A real push for the Pax and it gets the heart rate WAY UP. Starting at the bottom of the hill:

Pyramid 1
10 Merkins, 10 squat jumps, 1 Backwards Run up Hill/Run Down
14 Merkins, 14 squat jumps, 2 Backwards Run up Hill/Run Down
18 Merkins, 18 squat jumps, 3 Backwards Run up Hill/Run Down

Pyramid 2
10 Bomb Jacks, 10 Plank Jacks, 1 Bear Crawl Up Hill/Run Down
14 Bomb Jacks, 14 Plank Jacks, 2 Bear Crawl Up Hill/Run Down
18 Bomb Jacks, 18 Plank Jacks, 3 Bear Crawl Up Hill/Run Down

With the Pax feeling the burn I gave them a choice. I had two exercises written down but only time for one. We either did another round of Pyramids or a mystery exercise (Would have been the Iron Hulk). The Pax went with what the knew versus the unknown, so it was another modified round of pyramids.

Pyramid 3
2 Burpees, 10 LBCs, 1 Sprint Up Hill/Run Down
4 Burpees, 14 LBCs, 2 Sprint Up Hill/Run Down
8 Burpees, 18 LBCs, 3 Sprint Up Hill/Run Down

After a couple of 10 counts, we lined up for a short Indian Run back to COT.

Thanks to the Pax for putting up with my craziness. There was no quit in this group today.

Moleskin:

Less than a year ago, we opened this Abyss and Dark Helmet asked if I wanted to be the Site Q. I jumped at the chance without really knowing what I was getting into (Thats my F3 motto: “Just say ‘Yes’ and figure it out later). What a great ride it has been in a short period of time. I received incredible support and leadership from the Pax. They were always willing to step up for Qs when asked, we always had great numbers and everyone pushed hard at the workouts. While its a bitter sweet moment for me, I have all the confidence that Bones will be able to take this AO to the next level. Thanks to all the Pax that have posted, Q’ed and supported this AO.

Announcements:
Friday Convergence
The Deep Time Change

Prayers:
Cornerstone’s Daughter Emma
Patience for Fathers

Until next time, back to the hunt…

12 men gathered on a humid gloomy morning.  No FNG’s were present so no disclaimer was given and we moseyed to the back of the school track for the warmup.

Warmup

15 – Mountain Climbers
15 – Peter Parkers
15 – Parker Peters
15 – SSH
15 – IW
20 – Moroccan Night Clubs

We briefly discussed the theme for the month, Maturity.  What a huge one that both something that we should focus on as HIM but also a challenge for all.  From the theme document, YHC challenged the PAX to think about two questions as we worked out:

1. Where do you feel you have the most area to mature in your life?  How are you moving in that direction?
2. What worldly distractions are your biggest obstacles to maturity?

That gave us something to think about as we moved to the Thang.  Most of the PAX don’t get over to WEP for Jekyll’s annual Board of Pain challenge.  No worries, YHC brought the board to the Lake Wylie PAX.  There was a lot of mumble chatter when the board was revealed but we partnered up to give our best to conquer as much of it as we could.

The Thang

Partner 1 – Start on the board
Partner 2 – Run a lap around the bus circle

100 – Kraken Burpees (Audible to standard burpees halfway through)
150 – Calf Raises (50 Regular, 50 In, 50 Out)
100 – Big Boy Situps
100 – Merkins
100 – Deep Squats
200 – LBC’s
100 – Carolina Dry Docks
100 – American Hammer/Russian Twists
100 – Makhtar N’Diayes

This is about all we had time for but the rest of the board (for another time)

100 – Jump Squats
100 – Mountain Climbers
200 – Shoulder Raises
100 – Jumping Lunges
200 – Hello Dollys
100 – Diamond Merkins
100 – Squat Jacks
200 – Reverse Crunches
100 – Burpees

Having finished half of the board we slow moseyed back to COT.

Moleskin

We finished up with a few thoughts on maturity. Most of the world focuses on selfish things which carry over into life decisions including relationships. God wants us to move beyond “self” into his will for our lives. How do we know what that is? We simply have to ask him to show us daily and ask for the power to carry that out. If we can move beyond ourselves into a life where our thoughts and actions are governed by our creator, that is maturity.

Great job by the PAX. It is such a privilege not only to lead but to be surrounded by HIM that are trying to get better each and everyday. I am truly thankful for F3 and for each of you.

Announcements

New running AO on Tuesday (Same Location as Poopdeck) – All are welcome
Shovel Flag at The Abyss is transitioning from Witch Hunt to Bones next week
Children’s Attention Home – Newsletter – Get Involved if you can. It is making a difference in the lives of young men who need encouragement.
Score One for Spencer – Cornerstone is going to post on Twitter
24 Hours of Booty – July – Raise money for Cancer – Check Twitter and the Newsletter

Prayer Requests
Cornerstone’s daughter, Emma and her treatment
Axl’s wife – surgery
Royale’s mother-in-law – recovery from surgery

Honored to lead,

Hauschka

After the disclaimer was given we were off on a mosey then a nice COP to ensure we were warmed up to prevent injury!

15 minutes of warm-up is highly recommended!

Your normal stuff, SSH, Seal Jacks, Squats, Merkins, Mountain Climbers, Plank Jacks and a few other exercises!

Mosey over to the hill and partner up

Partner one runs up the hill and does 1 burpee while partner 2 does LBC’s then flap jack
Increase burpees by one each round and continue LBC’s until you reach 1000 combined!! (Crowd Pleaser)
8 burpees was the final number for me

Mosey over to the track
Keep your partner and one partner does Flutters while the other does a half lap, flap jack
Complete 500 total Flutters combined (Easy)

Time!

Checking the schedule Monday, I realized I was without a Q for the Abyss. Whoops. No one to blame but myself, so looks like I am calling my own number.

With all the running and rucking activities these days, I find bootcamps are few and far between. But I love nothing more that a strong morning bootcamp beatdown to start the day. So that is what the Pax got this morning. I took all the pent up bootcamp energy I had been saving and wrote up a wienke I thought would challenge the Pax.

When 5:15 arrived, we had 13 Pax ready to work. We started with a mosey through the parking lot with some dynamic stretching thrown in (side-shuffle, karoake, toy soldiers, butt kickers & high knees). (T-Claps for Flea for being in the front of the Pax for the mosey. He continues to get stronger with every workout.) We circled up in the back parking lot for COP:

• SSH x25
• 5 Burpees
• Moroccan NC x30
• 4 Burpees
• Imperial Walkers X15
• 3 Burpees
• Low Slow Squat x10
• 2 Burpees
• Hillbilly Walkers x15
• 1 Burpee
• Mountain Climbers
• Slow Merkin
• Honeymooner/Down Dog
• Plank Jacks

With the Pax ready we moseyed to the side of the school for some wall work.

• Peoples Chair while each Pax does 2 Burpees
• Peoples Chair while each Pax does 5 Diamond Merkins
• Peoples Chair while each Pax Bear Crawls to curb and back

From there we moseyed to the bottom of the hill across from the school for The Thang:

I promised the Pax we were going to break things down and build them back up. So we started by breaking down the Burpee.

2 Squat Jumps
2 Plank w\ Hip Touch
2 Merkins
2 Froggers
2 Squat Jumps

Run Hill 4 times.

4 Squat Jumps
4 Plank w\ Hip Touch
4 Merkins
4 Froggers
4 Squat jumps

Run Hill 3 times.

6 Squat Jumps
6 Plank w\ Hip Touch
6 Merkins
6 Froggers
6 Squat jumps

Run Hill 2 times.

8 Squat Jumps
8 Plank w\ Hip Touch
8 Merkins
8 Froggers
8 Squat jumps

Run Hill 1 time.

10 Squat Jumps
10 Plank w\ Hip Touch
10 Merkins
10 Froggers
10 Squat jumps

But once you break something down it needs to be built back up. So after a couple ten counts we switched to burpees.

• 5 Burpees
• 4 Hill Runs
• 3 Burpees
• 2 Hill Runs
• 1 Burpee
• 1 Hill Run

Couple more ten counts then we headed to the front parking lot with 5 minutes left to go. Instead of Ab lab, I went with my new favorite, Cover and Move. We partnered up and completed this across the parking lot. Then headed to COP.

It was a great push by all the Pax. There was no quit in anyone.

Announcements

• 4/22 Convergence at The Deep
• 4/1 Easter Egg Hunt
• 4/1 BrewRuck
• 4/1 CAH with Nasa on Q

Prayers

• Cerrano’s friend dealing with her job loss
• My M’s dealing with Father’s loss

Until next time, back to the hunt….