10 bootcampers appeared in the gloom 15 minutes after 7 runners took off for parts unknown in the greater Fort Mill area.

Began with a disclaimer followed by a short mosey to the band practice parking lot for a predictable count warm-up:

Squat x10
Windmill x10
Cherry Picker x10
Imperial Walker x10
Hillbilly Walker x10

With a call for “on me,” YHC sprinted erratically and planked up waiting on the PAX. Once all the PAX had planked up, the call for “on me” was immediately repeated and followed by another erratic sprint. Repeated this sequence a few times until the mumble chatter began.

Planked up and discussed how we respond when our expectations (mosey–>circle up–>cadence exercises, etc.) are challenged or directly defied.

The Thang (see  photo w/ working thoughts as well)

Exercises:
Burpees, Merkins, LBCs, Squats, Carolina Dry Docks, American Hammers, Mountain Climbers, People’s Chair+Moroccan Night Club

As the exercises became predictable in count and repetition, YHC challenged the PAX to notice if the consistency and expectation made the workout any easier. How does our response change knowing or not knowing every detail of what lies in the 43 feet ahead? How is that response helpful, hurtful, instructive, or destructive.

Added 5 more burpees at COT for what was initially suggested as hitting 60 burpees. Upon further review it was only 45. #1000burpees in September for Double D’s fundraiser supporting Let Me Run.

NMM:

This workout was inspired by a backblast from Lake Norman: https://f3lakenorman.com/backblast/a-good-f3-workout in an effort to keep the PAX together and create  opportunities for as much 2nd F and 1st F. Personally I find it amazing in my own life that I’ll show up at 5:15am and do whatever the Q (F3 makes no representations with regard to the skill level of workout leaders) has in mind (or makes up in that moment) without a problem. But if something goes awry during my workday or home life, my emotions and specifically my patience seems immediately depleted. As we work to grow and train physically, it is important to remember the DRP (Daily Red Pill: The Q’s daily Commitment to Accelerate his Fitness, Fellowship and Faith) includes our spiritual, emotional and mental health as well.

If any PAX know the Professor in Lake Norman, please relay to him YHC’s appreciation of his Back Blast.

Announcements:

Invergence 9/21
Additional runner need for relay: see Hasselhoff

Band Camp dismissed

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Whistles and Field Work

24 Strong #HIMs braved the humid Fort Mill air for a beat down at Thursday staple Laces IN/Laces OUT.

Funhouse was Q for Laces OUT and decided to take his marry band of yoggers (soft J) around the track and either whistle at them or tell them to take a break.  I don’t get it either – you have to ask him I guess.

YHC took the rest of the Pax for a little Field Work.  Here’s the thang:

Dynamic Warm-Up:

High Knees, Butt Kickers, Slide L/Slide R, Toy Soldiers, Dipping Birds, WWL’s (power skips – trademark), Knee to Chest, Long Strides, Shoulder Rotations.

There.  You’re warm.

Mosey to midfield for Partner Yo-Yo’s.  Partner 1 runs 50 yard to goal line and back while Partner 2 does exercise.  Then Flap Jack.

Merkins x 3

Squats x 3

Flutters x 3

Mosey to the goal line for Tandem Bear Crawls.  New Partner 1 bear crawls 10 yards then Partner 2 bear crawls 10 yards and continue that to other goal line.  You read that right – 100 YARDS!!!

Let’s try something similar.  New Partner – same thing (kinda) – CRAWL BEARS this time.

Omaha after 50-yards.  That was a dumb idea.

Mosey to the corner for the confusing part of the workout.  Cross Field Up-Downs with an Accountability Partner.  Cross field every 20 yards then do 5 up-downs and stay with your partner.

Yeah – that was awful.  Another dumb idea.

Give me a 10-count on that one CSPAN!

Next we line up on the goal line for some Matriculating Rugby Sprints down the field.  Hank Stram would be proud.  Did you know that “Matriculate” doesn’t even mean “move” or “progress”?!?!  What the hell, Hank?!

And yes – YHC LIED when posting to the Twitter machine that they would not be featured.  Start a class action.

We finished with 8 MOM.  Yes EIGHT because I was all out of ideas and breath.

Mosey to COT.

Great time out there with everyone – it had been a while.  Always thankful for these men of F3 and the accountability they provide.

Going to be very sad to see CSPAN leave us for Philly but looking forward to the first time we post together in the City of Brotherly Love.  #F3PhillyRising  Godspeed young man and thank you for everything you’ve taught me over the years!  Greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for the opportunity to lead.  Aye!

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Laces Out Happened

It happens every week. I usually go when I Q because it’s like 15 minutes earlier than other workouts. But I’m glad that Nomad in his effort to help those that struggle with the fartsack, keeps me in rotation.

So we ran 5.5-6.5 (see me for the 5.5, MacGuyver for the 6.5). It was a great route with some challenging hills (check Strava). Sam Smith. Harvest Pointe. Nuff said. YHC was the 6.

Oh, Cyclops had his first post at LO. The yearlong EH from STH paid off. He was there too. Thanks for the opportunity and the push guys.  Great to meet MOAB!

Zima Out

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Nothing but Left Turns

6 on the track this morning.

Mile warmup

Dynamic Stretching.

35 minute AMRAP of:

800 meters (fast)
400 Meters (recovery)

.5 mile recovery run followed by Some Broga.

COT and BOM with Laces In.

Thank you Haggis for posting in The Fort today and reminding us how much slower we are than the guys in SOB. Appreciate it.

Shanks Out

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Laces: Super 21 on Maundy Thursday

Laces In:

Slight Mosey to student parking lot

Warm Up – COP
SSH x20
Imperial Walker x10
Hillbilly Walker x10
Windmill x10
Cherry Picker x10

Mosey to Band Practice lot

Super 21s (variation) – Inspired by JWOWW’s VQ at the Hive which used a deck of cards and got me thinking about 21. Then I found Super 21s listed in the F3 Exercises………I wondered why I hadn’t done these before in a workout. Turns out doing Super 21s makes it difficult to raise your arms later…..like days later.

1 merkin to 1 low slow squat
repeat to 10 reps of each
Flutters x21
11-13 reps of merkin/LSS
Hello Dollys x21
14-15 reps of merkin/LSS
Freddie Mercuries x21
16-17 reps of merkin/LSS
Lap around the Painted Lot
18-19 reps of merkin/LSS
Box Cutters x21
20-21 reps of merkin/LSS
Rosalitas x21
(Total of 231 merkins and squats)

Slight mosey to side of Ceramics Studio

Found some curb – stretch calves
Calf raises x21
Wall Sits (slight discussion of the brass technique of multiple tonguing: generated a good deal of mumble chatter)

PAX mentioned (sarcastically?) that if we just did 19 more merkins, we would reach 250. With the challenge laid down, PAX completed 19 merkins and 19 low slow squats. (Total of 250 merkins and squats: except for Trucker who complete 280 and added that to the Name-o-rama so YHC wouldn’t forget.)

Plank up – Because Abiding (see note below) requires flexibility:
Honeymooner to Down dog variations
Stretch out the legs
Leg raises in down dog
One leg plank
Knee taps to elbow x5
Knee taps to opposite elbow x5
Repeat with opposite leg
Pigeon Lunges
Butterfly stretches
Seated forward bends (i.e., touch your toes sitting down)

Mosey back to COT
American Hammers x21

The word for the month is abide. Abiding in God is active alignment of our will to the Lord’s. This is opposed to “the dude” passively abiding in the Big Lebowski. I gave a brief message about how we can abide in what is happening around us or we can strive to abide in God. The word is not a passive acceptance our circumstances, at least not in a scriptural sense.

We also discussed, while sitting against a wall, how I approach my (music) studio teaching at Winthrop. There’s practice dedicated to maintenance/growth at technical elements and the physical skills required to play the instrument (this is how triple tonguing came up), and then there’s practice learning assigned repertoire. Practicing only repertoire means the physical skills needed for new piece/work must be learned from scratch…..every time. Having a set routine for maintenance and growth means the fundamentals on the instrument are already in place, i.e., you’re in shape. At this point, learning repertoire is simply a matter of applying skills you already possess.

My short (5 months) time with F3 reminds me of this model. A routine to develop ourselves (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) so that when we encounter challenges (repertoire) it is only a matter of applying skills we either already posses or are honing. One of the hardest parts of each workout for YHC is leaving the comfort of the bed for the gloom. Yet we are all on this planet (its own form of gloom) called to seek God’s purpose for us and abide in that. I’m grateful to have shared this morning with PAX doing just that . . . . even if that means YHC can barley raise his arms to type a backblast.

Not sure what happened at Laces Out. . . . I’m assuming they ran and can currently lift their arms.

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Laces In/Out 2018.11

This is the 3rd of 3 Qs where I’m catching up on backblasts…  I’m pretty sure I owe someone a thousand burpees by now.  I apologize.

Mosey to band practice lot for some leg work.

I did an extended warmup that us much out of my typical, because I planned sprints, and everyone pulls something during sprints so lack of warmup was not going to be anyones excuse.
SSHs, Windmill, Jimmy Carters, Wide leg stretch left/right, squat stretch groin, downdogs and honeymooners… Next toy soldiers 30 yards, mosey 70.  Buttkickers 30 mosey 70, did this 3 times…

Now for sprints, split into two teams of 6.  Split into groups of 3, 40 yards apart.  Relay race, 1 man per team running at a time per team.  (This took until the 3rd round to get right…  I’m pretty sure some would be clinically prescribed Aderol if sent to take a standardized test.)  When the last man comes in I yell out a random exercise and then we do it all over again.  We did this 7 times.

Mosey back to the parking lot for 6MOM from the Fort’s own JWoww.

 

I don’t know what the runners did… ask them.

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I hate you, I love you, I hate that I love you

Weather – 35 degrees and not sunny with a slight wind coming in from the northeast.

13/14 PAX (not sure the total number but 21 was the total between Laces In and Laces out) showed YHC some love by posting on this beautiful Thursday morning. No joke I thought most would post the Celebrity Q CSPAN on the Track considering it is P200 training season. Though he PAX showed some love, YHC didn’t show it back. Here’s how the beatdown went:

The Thang

Mosey around the parking lot with some Butt Kicks, High Knees, Karoake and Toy Soldiers. Circle up for COP

SSH x 25
IW x 15
Windmills x 10
Mountain Climbers x 15
Peter Parkers x 10
Parker Peters x 10
Low Slow Squats x 15

Mosey over to the hill.
1 partner runs to the first speed bump while partner exercises. Plank after each round of exercise.
100 Hip Thrusters (plenty of jokes about thrusting and humping)
100 Merkins (jokes stopped after they realize whats happening)
100 Squat Jumps
At this point the PAX realize its a deconstructed burpee.
100 Burpees (aka 100 I Hate You’s)

Mosey over to the Large Gym Parking lot where cones were setup
Exercises done Cupcake style (formerly known as a suicide)
40 SSH, run to first cone, 20 Carolina Dry docks, run back to start, 40 SSH, run to 2nd cone 25 LBC’s, Run Back to start 40 SSH, run to third cone 25 Squats, run to start 40 SSH, run to last cone 5 Burpees, run back to the start.
Mosey 3/4 a big lap until over at the 5 Burpee cone.
Rinse and repeat but the start line is at the Burpees.
5 Burpees, run, 25 squats, run, 5 burpees, run, 25 LBC’s, run, 5 burpees, run, 20 CDD, run, 5 burpees, run, 40 SSH. Finish at SSH. Mosey back for 2 minutes of Mary – LBC’s and Flutter Kicks

COT and BOM with Laces Out

Announcements – Yeti 2-24, Reading with kids on Mon/Wed (contact Deacon/Copay), Saturday coffeteria at Peach Stand following workouts, read your newsletter.

Prayers – Corruptions Mom having Surgery today, FMHS teacher that had open heart surgery this week, marriages, families, kids, our community

Moleskin
1. Thanks Lil E for the opportunity to lead this morning.
2. Great Push this morning by All PAX. Moderate amount of complaining. I can handle that. And yes, I have love/hate relationship with burpees.
3. 1 month into 2018 and how are we all with our 1 word. As some of you may know my word is Patience. It has already taken on many forms throughout the first month. The biggest takeaway thus far is to remember to take a deep breath every now and then and just let it all go out instead of keeping everything inside.
4. Just Breathe

Shanks out

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Laces In – Not for the weak minded or those that are hungry!

4 Runners came at 0500 to get some laps in at the track. Daytona is around the corner, but they are preparing for P200 and using their feet. Crawdaddy saw his course for P200 and decided it was time to get training…no messin around!

14+YHC took to the campus of Fort Mill High School. After required discaimer and no FNGs, away we went for a mosey

COP

DID a bunch of stuff….the usuals

  • SSHs
  • Merkins
  • Squats
  • Imperials
  • Peter Parkers
  • Mtn Climbers
  • Flutters
  • Parker Peters
  • Inch Worm Merkins
  • Hillbilly walkers
  • Mosey to front of school for some people’s chair on the wall and 20 overhead presses
  • Mosey to benches for 20 dips 15 derkins 2 rounds

Warm Up over

YHC spoke to the men about the things we keep putting off and avoid doing as much as possible. Tough conversations, the house projects, the doctors visit and most importantly the relationships that need some work or simple phone call. 

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, -Romans 5:4

By pushing through the tough stuff and the hard things we get stronger and we become the men Sky Q built us to be. Avoiding and masking the pain and suffering we only become weak minded and have no character, as we are not who we should be in all areas of our lives. Continue to get better and build character!

Mosey to main driveway entrance

8 exercises – 15 reps each – run down hill and back up in between each exercise. Fun time had by all!

ski hops
lunge Hops
inch worm Merkins
leg lifts
wide arm Merkins
Merkins
sumo squats
donkey kicks
Mosey back to COT with a few ab stops along the way
YETI is 2.24
Sign up to participate as receiver of pain or giver of pain. See Anchorman!
Prayers for Karson Bailey Whitesell and her family as well as first responders and our community.
Thanks Lil E for lead
Cake Boss
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Fartlek – Training to train

6 PAX started Thursday with the 5am start to Laces Out.  Warnings were given via Twitter that running in circles was in order.  The Fartlek was researched and memorized. Here we go:

Warm up with 2 laps and some dynamic stuff (SSH, WindMills, etc)

1 minute @ 5k pace, 1 minute Recovery

2 minutes @ 10k pace, 2 minutes Recovery

3 minutes @ 1/2 marathon pace, 3 minutes Recovery

2 minutes @ 10k pace, 2 minutes Recovery

1 minute @ 5k pace, 1 minute Recovery

2 minutes @ 10k pace, 2 minutes Recovery

3 minutes @ 1/2 marathon pace, 3 minutes Recovery

2 minutes @ 10k pace, 2 minutes Recovery

1 minute @ 5k pace, 1 minute Recovery

Cool Down on field and stretches

COT with Laces In

Some of us got almost 4 miles, the over achievers close to 5.  This workout was to put your body through different stresses and different recoveries.  Just like life.  We go through different lengths of struggles and sometimes we have to recover quickly before the next one pops up.  We had to help each other to continue pushing through each leg, same goes for real life with F3.  To have such a great group of guys that have my 6, I am a blessed man.

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More Running, Less Bootcamp

#HypeTrain rolled into the #LacesIn Station once again.  This time it was a family affair with #SPEEDFORNEED coming south to join forces as well as #LacesOut (#F3RunClub) (#Yogging (soft J)) converging with the Bootcampers for 45 minutes of …..well lots of running.  The irony was not lost on YHC (the artist formerly known as Mountain Buffalo) as he gave up the ‘running for an extended period of time’ thing years ago.  Vowing never to return.  Yet his own Q hijacked by nothing more than simple running.  At the very least YHC squeezed in a couple of merkins (only for #Rooney’s sake) and taught everyone what an “updown” was – seriously?  Who doesn’t know what an updown entails?!?  It’s even in the gawl-dang name.  YHC digresses.  Here is what happened:

Little Baby Jog to the football field (so cushy – so soft).

Dynamic Warmup

High Knees, Butt Kickers, Side Shuffles, Toy Soldiers, Toe Touches, Long Strides, Power Skips (Trademark: WWLs).

Then merkins (Rooney!!!)  and windmills to straighten everyone out.

Time to Bootcamp:

Partner up and size kinda matters for very confusing sequence.

UpDown – Partner Push – Run to Opposite Side of Field – UpDown – Partner Push

Repeat this every 20 yards as you move down the field to the endzone and then go back down to the other endzone.

(This was a rugby (shocker – I know) simulation – expend energy – sprint – get on the ground – get back up – expend more energy – sprint again – then repeat.  While it was unorthodox and confusing to some – it was a smoker.)

Rinse and Repeat with 2 updowns before each partner push.  Another smoker.

Give me a ten count.

Hey – let’s breakout the running chairs and do some sprints!!!  Tolkien was nice enough to give us all a quick tutorial about how they work.  We split into teams and relayed around the track with weights.  Then we got on the field and chased the chairs for 100 yards – over and over and over and over and over again.  Then some (small) pax jumped in the chairs and they got pushed and the rest of us chased for 100 meters over and over and over and over again.  Okay – enough running!!!  Back to the field.

YHC went back to one of his favorites – the extra long bear crawl.  This time – 100 yards.  Crowd pleaser!

We worked our way back with some rugby sprints (could not resist).

Ended with a little bit o mary then ran the chairs back to COT.

 

Great time out there among so major #HIMs and it’s always an honor to lead.  YHC saw a tweet asking for more “SERVICE” to our community from F3Nation.  No better example of pure SERVICE then Tolkien.  The amount of time/energy/passion/service this man brings to #SPEEDFORNEED is incredible.  Follow his lead in 2018 – get out there – get uncomfortable – and serve others!  Aye!

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