10 pax helped celebrate Gilmore’s VQ at TheYard, despite the air being thick enough to cut with a 9-iron. Gilmore, sounding like a professional, offered a disclaimer and kicked off the first half:

The Thang
Mosey to front parking lot and circle up

• Side Straddle Hops – 20 count
• Moroccan Night Clubs – 25 count
• Imperial Walkers – 20 count
• Mountain Climbers – 20 count

Mosey to parking lot with basketball goals, find a place on the knee-high wall:

• Dips (15)
• calf raises (20)
• merkin (10)
• Repeato for total of 3 sets

Partner up – “aggregate” 1 doing exercise while 1 runs around the loop

• 100 Carolina Dry docks
• 150 LBC
• 200 Sumo Squats

Hand-off to Old Bay

Mosey to lot near the flagpole
Bear crawl Suicides (BCs out, runs back)

4 Laps, 6 stations throughout each lap. Start with 2 reps at each station, then increase by 2 reps for each additional lap (so 2, 4, 6, 8)

• Bombjacks
• Lunges
• IWs
• Merkins
• Plank Jacks
• Scorpion Dry Dock

Run to wall for people’s chair. Pass the rock with 2 overhead presses (3x)

2 minutes of Mary
– Russian twists (x15)
– Flutter kicks (x20)
– Chopsticks (x15)

Moleskin
Let me start off by saying Gilmore did an excellent job at his VQ. In YHC’s humble opinion, he’s ready to be added to the Q schedules for any AO. T-claps to #HIM, and to the pax that came out to support his VQ appearance.
(The) Pusher recently sent me an F3 Foundation article on igniting the potential energy in men to convert it to kinetic “leadership” energy. It strikes me as fascinating that the leadership energy is already in each of us – not an energy that has to be created from scratch. With the proper ignition source, everyone can become a “leader in motion”. Knowing this makes me look at leadership development in a whole new way, starting with myself, then looking at my kids, then looking at leaders greater than myself. It’s not always “building up”. Sometimes it’s just figure out how to release it with a few sparks.

18 Strong rolled into The Yard for my first Q appearance at this AO.  All worked hard and left it out on the asphalt.

The Thang:

Warm up COP
SSH, MNC, IW, etc.

Mosey to hill at the entrance of the school, for the first sequence

• Triple Nickel: Squats/LBC up and down the hill.
• Hallelujahs: Cherry Pickers/Chinooks with Suicide Sprints
• Escalator: 5 jump squats, 10 side lunges, 15 monkey humpers, 20 lunges, 25 squats

Mosey back to Concrete Lot for second sequence:

• Yul Brynner: Wide Merkin, Merkin, Diamond, CDD, Crucible, Ranger, Wide Merkin (5 each)
• American Hammer
• Railroad Tracks x 4
• Dips, Derkins, & Donkey Kick series x 3

Finished with 2 MOM

BOM

NMM

I told some of the PAX that I hadn’t been to a moderate workout in a while and had some challenges coming up with the Wienki (astute readers will note that the exercises above spell out “THE YARD”).  On top of this, I had an FNG that I had EH’ed and I definitely didn’t want him to regret showing up.  The beautiful thing is that, when done properly, the workout caters to the PAX level of engagement and fitness.  No one splashed merlot, but I am pretty sure no one left disappointed in the workout either.  All in all a success.

A few items to point out upon reflection:

1. There were 4 2.0’s at the workout (all middle school aged).  It is a real testament to the father/son bond to have your 2.0 out there working in the Gloom.  Socrates, Quickbooks, and Twister (who brought his 2.0 and a friend) you have my respect and admiration for this.
2. I had never met quite a few guys at this particular AO before who are regulars there.  While this sounds bad at first, it is a testament to the proliferation of F3 in the region.  These men settled into the workout behind a Q who they didn’t know and they pushed on through to the end.
3. Yul Brynner is hard.  If you can’t Q it, don’t do it.
4. Today is Lugnut’s birthday.  Tell that stud Happy Birthday if you get a chance #RESPECT.

Announcements:

Read your newsletter.  If you don’t get the newsletter, let me or Old Bay know and we’ll fix that.

Prayers:

Freon’s mother in law is going in for some tests.  She has some swelling that may be related to spreading of cancer.  Prayers for peace and wisdom.

Quick Books is looking for work (CPA).  If you know someone who you can help him network with, please hit him up.  Even if you don’t prayers for employment are appreciated.

Honor to Serve,

12 Pax posted to The Yard on a sticky Sat to exercise their vocal chords as much as their bodies.  Following a half-baked disclaimer and a brief preview by YHC of the Fatherhood Part II theme for the morning, the festivities began.

The Thang

Short mosey to parking lot behind school

COP — Mtn climbers, IWs, plank jacks, SSHs, Seal jacks, Moroccan night clubs

Run to patch of grass behind fenced in utility depot at bottom of gravel trail behind school

COP — Peter parker, Parker peter, Monkey humpers, Slow sumo squat, Mahktar N’Dyae, Knee Tar N’Dyae

Run halfway back up trail, then bear crawl AYG, backward run AYG, lunge walk to finish

Plank series

Mosey to playground and split into two groups of 6, with each group stationed at swings on opposite ends of playground

Swing crunches x20 run to other side, Swing crunches x20 (rinse & repeat)

More planks

Shift to picnic tables

11s — Derkins x10 + Dips x1 (ladder down and ladder up)

Shift back to playground

11s — Forward jump over playground edging x10 + 1 monkey humper (ladder down and ladder up)

6MoM — Rosalita, Dollies, Freddies, Flutters, Superman

Run home for final plank series

COT

Naked man moleskin

My first time to Q at The Yard — thanks to Old Bay for the invite!

One thing the pax at The Yard pride themselves on is the mumble chatter.  Covered a wide range of topics on this outing, starting with colonoscopies and declining in terms of anatomical/biological topics from that point forward.  Cranking the Slow sumo squats to 25+ reps in cadence knocked some of the wind out of the most chatty pax.  Then the back-to-back 11s killed the mumble chatter entirely.  Nice work persevering through the pain, men!

A “moderate” workout seemed to be an appropriate setting to reign in the running and dial up the core moves; also good timing for ab work with beach season coming soon.

The theme of “Part II” on Fatherhood surfaced as a follow up to the prior day’s 3rd F convergence on Fatherhood, where good intentions, best practices and other wisdom was shared with 50 pax.  One of my takeaways from that session was that fatherhood for me is more often than not “messy”…the pointers in the Friday talk were summaries of lessons learned through lots of painful mistakes on my part.  And in virtually all cases, the failures have been the result of one sin — PRIDE.  Too often I get in my own way of successful parenting.  I imagine the same is true for all the pax.  Take some time to review where you are putting yourself in the middle of the path to an effective fatherhood experience for you and your 2.0.

We prefaced Ball of Man with each pax remembering their father by name.

Magnum jumped from the middle of the PAX to take on his first Q. Everyone survived his maiden voyage, It started with a mosey to High Knees, Butt Kickers, Toy Soldiers, Lunge Walks, and Kareokes. We mosied to circle up for 15 Windmills, 25 SSH’s, 10 Merkins, 15 Mountain Climbers, 10 Squats, 10 Carolina Drydocks, 15 Gorilla Humpers, and 15 Elbow Plank Jacks. We then enjoyed some 11’s (LBCs and Squats). Mosied over for Calf raises, Dips, and Derkins (15x10x5 each). Peoples’ Chair while each member of the PAX took turns completing 10 Merkins. A little rosie of 15 x Freddie Mercurys, Peter Parkers, Parker Peters, Holly Dolly, Box Cutter, Rosalita, and Low Slow Flutters. We finished it off with a rousing round of the Bear Crawl Ring of Fire with each member taking turns of 10 Merkins. Flat Tire hadn’t had enough so he added 5x each of Merkins (regular, wide, diamond, offset right and left)…..and Magnum was pleased.

In January 2015 I read the following Backblast by a PAX member named Diopter and posted on his behalf by Gnarley Goat. I have never met either of these men:

http://f3nation.com/2015/01/09/ditches-and-the-white-picket-fence/

I reread the backblast over and over. I shared it with my wife. Then I read it some more. I now keep a copy of it in a drawer at work. It sits alone with one other backblast titled “Pushing the Rock,” which was written in response to the Columbia support effort showed by the PAX last fall. I read them on days that are really hard depending on what support I need.

This Q was built on the backblast listed above and dedicated to all PAX in the 3rd 500 who dug themselves a hole in search of white picket fences…

I made sure we completed the workout as a group, didn’t leave the six behind and shared the message of the backblast above. This is what has got me through the last year!

The Thang:

-Mosey around parking lot

-COP
-Windmill (10)
-L. Slow Squat (10)
-Side Stretch to the L (8)
-Side Stretch to the R (8)
-MaRockin’ Nightclub (10)
-Windmill (10)
-Merkins (10)
-Drop Hips – Stretch

Mosey – Line up shoulder to shoulder

-Side shuffle from building to breezeway (and back)
-Toy Soldier to BB Hoops & Jog it out (and back)
-Karaoke from building to breezeway (and back)

Dirty McDeuce (4 rounds of 3 exercises – 12 reps each)
Merkin Wide-Arm Merkin Staggered Merkin (R) Staggered Merkin (L)
LBC Freddie Mercury Russian Twist Low slow Flutter
Squat Monkey Humper Lunge Calf Raises

Deck of Cards
Hearts – Dips
Diamonds – Carolina Dry Docks
Clubs – Squats
Spades – Over Shoulder Claps
Jokers – 10 LBC

20 Merockin Nighclubs

COT

2015 sucked… I mean really sucked. I won’t go into the details because it isn’t the purpose of this backlist. Let’s just say I had dug a ditch, a deep ditch, and found myself alone. I mean really alone.

My 30’s were a mixed bag of positive and ehhhh. I moved to SC at age 29 after living in Seattle my entire life. I am a cancer survivor, which occurred in my late 20’s, just after my first son was born. I am mostly estranged from my parents and only sister (my twin). During my 30s we had two beautiful boys and a home we loved. In addition, my career advanced positively. I wouldn’t change a thing, but by age 38 … (with the exception of F3) I was alone… New city, new culture, new role (husband and father), no blood family support, … alone. However, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love it here … I just needed to find myself again. Or as Curly says in City Slickers … I needed to find my “One thing!”

In trying to find myself I sunk deep into my career. I had dug in deep with all my focus and energy to chase my professional dreams. When I met my goals I was left standing in that 3rd 500 … Without focus, without a plan, without a new goal, having lost myself in the process of getting there. The ditch is safe, but as Diopter stated … “it is cold and lonely.”

I have often looked out of our front door to our yard. There I envision my personal and professional dreams. A metaphoric white picket fence sourounded my yard as I dreamt of what my mariage would look like and what my boys would become. However, those dreams caused me to lose sight of who I was as a man, a husband, and as a father. And in the process, the ditch got deeper and deeper.

Yet it is at this time in life (mid 30s – mid 50s) we are called to be a #HIM. Kind of Ironic that the time we are called to be a #HIM is when we (as men) are often the most lost. It is in the 3rd 500 when we are called to be mentors, heads of household, business leaders, political leaders, and the ones sought for advice.

This is why F3 is important to me. Every day that I couldn’t get out of bed I had members of the PAX dragging me out of the fartsack for a run/bootcamp. Repeatedly different PAX would talk about being a #HIM, about being a good father, about being a good husband. The PAX reiterated that there are standards by which men should live to be a #HIM.

And so …. I have slowly began filling in my ditch. Iron does sharpen iron and inspiration comes in many forms. It can come from Package at Mushroom Pool, from Pusher in the car talking by my mailbox, from a summer run in the #Gloom with Santini, it comes from Menthol and WWL challenging me to be physically better than I have ever been, or a conversation with Jekyl, sitting on our luggage, after P200 2015 outside of the hotel.

Inpiration came to me when I stared at my sleeping boys’ faces at 11 P.M. and then fell to my knees in prayer with tears in my eyes. And it came from a moment in a condo, in Murels Inlet, when I remembered why I started this crazy adventure with my wife called marriage.

Finally, inspiration can come from a backblast written by men like you, that you have never met, but whose words literally change your life.

So … What is your dream? … What is your white picket fence? … Where are you in the past 5 to 10 years? … Do you like where you are today? … Are you in a ditch? If you are in a ditch then how deep is it?

I am still filling in my ditch everyday. With the support of the PAX I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone. Recently, I signed up for an Ultra team for BRR and I’m flying out to Kirkland next weekend to support F3 in the community where I grew up. More importantly, I want to give back to F3 which has given me my life back.

So PAX … Keep posting in the Gloom, keep writing those Backblasts, keep be a #HIM. You never know when your words/actions will change the lives of another! I will probably always be working on my ditch, but I have a nation of F3 brothers to help!

Aye!