Cupids’ Cup Virtual 5K at Minnow Pond

For those of you that have been in The Fort for a while, you may remember I had a heart attack on February 11, 2015. To say I was lucky compared to other victims is an understatement. My fitness is probably stronger now than it was before it happened. But the foundation that I built THROUGH F-3 no doubt helped in my episode being mild and allowed a smooth road to recovery.

Another part of my recovery was cardiac rehab through Atrium Health. Every year I run in the Cupid’s Cup 5K. Some of you have run with me. Many more were supportive through generous donations. Since the event is virtual this year, I decided to take the Q at Minnow Pond on 2/11/2021, 6 years to the day and host a mini live event to assist the virtual efforts of the cardiac rehab team.

Last July 2nd, another Pax became a “student” and then a graduate of the Cardiac Rehab program. Bonsai had his own event after a double down. Again, when you see him now, you’d have no idea. He also attributes his good fortune to F3 and his care through Atrium’s program.

TWO OPTIONS TO GIVE

(1) So come out on Thursday if you can. OR run 3.1 miles on your own between now and (through)Sunday. You can register here to send in an official time and be part of the F3 – The Fort team.

(2) You can also donate without running by using this link.

Besides being lucky that we could overcome our heart attacks, Bonsai and I could go to cardiac rehab with no financial strain. This event is a way to make sure everybody has access to the care they need.

This is a great way to get in a regular post and give back to the community.

Boeheim

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Minnow Pond 12.17.2020

The promo:
https://twitter.com/jisenhour/status/1339217811231674368

The route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/2773907426356036818

10 stops along the way
5 burpees/10 merkins/15 squats each time

16 PAX. It was hard. Had to average 10min/mile with the exercises to finish at COT by 0600. We did.

Strava Stats: https://twitter.com/jisenhour/status/1339542289048285184

NMM:
Today was a workout where I tried harder because I was on Q. Being a leader isn’t just about exhorting acceleration in others or the group; it also forces you to accelerate individually. That was pretty evident to me this morning from my heart rate monitor. All the guys that came out today pushed me to be better. When you’re a follower, are you following in a way that is helping your leaders be better?


Band Camp dismissed

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Swimming Upstream

6 men showed up on a cold morning at Minnow Pond.  The theme of the day was hills, lots of hills.

We first ran up Massey to the gas station.  At each stop, we did a set of 10 merkins, squats, and LBCs.  Next stop, the Christmas tree  at Massey Park.  I consider this the warm-up portion of the workout.

Next, we ran to the warehouse parking lot on Wither street.  If you haven’t been there, it is at the top of a hill.  We ran down the hill and at each right turn, we performed the exercises above, ran back to the warehouse parking lot for another set of the exercises.  Rinse and repeat until we reached Tom Hall.  Once complete, we ran the course in reverse.  We were all chasing Sir Topham Hat as he cruised up and down the hills.

 

Back of COT

Great job by all!

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Minnow Power

Seven pax arrived at Minnow Pond on a 62° perfect morning.

Pledge and launch/run to stop “A” which is the small parking lot on Ardrey St. between WEP and the Springs building.

Here the routine is described: board of pain with pairs of exercises. Pax need to do a total of 100 of the pair and can split it up any way they want (i.e. 15 Merkins and 85 squats). Also known as pick your poison.

Then run to stop “B” which is the big parking lot behind Pike. Get there via: Ardrey to Harris to Massey. Distance is 0.7 miles. There’s a board there too. Same deal, pick your poison to the total of 100 reps.

Rinse/repeat run the same route; back/forth between “A” and “B”.

Stop “A” exercises:
Merkins/Squats
Dips/Monkey Humpers
SSH/American Hammers
Stop “B” exercises:
CCD/Bobby Hurley’s
Shoulder Taps/Freddie Mercuries
Calf Raises/ LBC’s

Collected everybody at stop “B” and had cut the last pair of exercises (Calf raises/LBCs) just a tad short since it was 5:59.
Total of 4 miles according to my outdated fitbit.
Fini, COT
Praises for good days and children working on the talents God has given them.

route for Minnow Pond 10/22/20

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Wet Burpee Miles in the Minnow Pond

It rained. 5 bravely showed. One knew what he was in for from F2 the night before.

No stretching. Jogged to previously laid out cones on Confederate St. Burpees Miles: jog about 1/3 mile to furthest cones (from near police station to almost Banks St), do 10 burpees, sprint to inner cones about .05 distance, jog, repeat. After 2 rounds, improvised to countdown burpees by one.

Returned for a round of individual choice ab work.

Do good things. Support good men. Support good deeds. Base your decisions on what you consider your #1 priority. Recognize the bad; don’t support it, don’t make excuses for it and do what it takes to make it better.

If you’re ever feeling down or depressed, consider getting out and helping others. Your giving can hange your outlook and help recognize what you have that others do not.

Saturday, October 2 Anniversary gathering. Stay tuned for details. Schools doing well, kids behaving well. Help support Cash’s family in GoFundMe.

COT video below.

IMG_4078

 

 

 

 

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Take no fish/prisoner

22 showed up to get better….22 left better (more tired like YHC, but they took the red pill today).  Pledge of allegiance was properly performed, very short disclaimer (I think) but 5 core principles were done for the FNG…YHC tried to wait for what he was told about 2 PAX coming in HOT only to realized they were already there.  Upon that notification, we were off at a 7 min pace.

We ran down Academy street to the open parking lot by the top of the hill before we got to all the churches…did some planking while we waited for the 6…counted off to make sure we started and left with the same number.  At this point, YHC explained the drill and early route.

  • 10 – hand release merkins
  • 20 – squats
  • 30 – American (no, not russian twists) hammers

We did these in the parking lot, ran down the hill, were greeted from the Footloose PAX (welcome FNG) with some proper form (I guess) monkey humpers.  Very nice call Trucker – brownie points…  We ran to the corner of Tom Hall where we did our 10, 20, 30 – then ran to Hardees for another 10, 20, 30.  Waiting for the 6 we planked…as we should.  Once all PAX were in attendence, YHC instructed the PAX to run up Spring St and cross over to Unity where we would do 10, 20, 30.  At each “up and over” (basically creating an L), we would perform the exercises at either Unity or Spring depending on the up and over…always doing the exercise at the “over” cross street.  Once we reached Summersby (all the way in the back of the neighborhood), we ran back to Hardees.  Due to bad time management by YHC, this caused everyone to run all the way back to COT so you’re welcome for the non-rest.  Sorry, not sorry.

At COT, we named our FNG – Trickle (welcome!!).  D2D race for announcements which sold out in about 5 hours to the surprise of everyone.  Prayers and praises – we had a little of both.  Overall, just the right amount of suck but we got better and that’s the goal.

Shady out (thanks Shanks for the gap in schedule!)

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The Sweati 2020

The Sweati 2020-
79 HIM took to The Forts annual summer CSAUP event. It was 78 degrees when 24 Ruckers launched from The Coliseum at 0530. They had their disclaimer and direction to the first of the 3 pain stations. Just After at 0600 54 runners took to the route. They departed and ran about 2.5 miles and got to meet Bones at Golden Corral for the first pain station. He worked them over as they came in for about 10-15 minutes. Once he finished dishing the pain they took off to Pantheon only about 1.5 miles up the Road. Fishsticks was waiting for sprints and pain. He had the PAX attention for another 10-15 minutes. Once they left they brought the route back to YHC. While waiting for the PAX to return and doing burpees I decided that my other two Qs most likely put the PAX through so much I would give them a choice. Either 20 burpees at 5 light poles with bear crawls in-between or they could buyout of it for a $50. going to our brother Cash. Most wanted to take on both challenges. We wore black for Cash and am still amazed at the Photos coming in from across the Country showing support to this HIM. We love you Cash. Here is a link to the pay-pal account if you feel you would like to support.

paypal.me/f3thefort

Backdraft Out

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Deep End at Minnow Pond

15 (I think) maybe 16 answered the bell at Minnow Pond for 3 miles- #rabbits got 4 and    Merk/LBC/Squat box of hate.

Twitter machine instructions:

  • 0514: Pledge
  • 0515: AYG to Post Office, Wait for instructions

The Thang:

  • Partner up. leave in opposite directions for a run around the block. Meet up, exercise.  keep running your loop. Meet up, Exercise  Add street from the block back each time.
  • Pain: 50 Merkins Net, 100 LBC Net, 150 Squats net.  Rinse/repeat until 0555 and head back to shovel flag.

Man- Expected Gears and Long Duck DONG to be out front but watching Darkest of All in action is a thing to behold.  Don’t let hair gel (Cat 4 approved) fool you.  Fast lean and drives to front of pack.  Partnered with Refugee (San Diego transplant).  4-5 post so far and crushing.  Although apropo and fitting to be my partner as he spilled merlot.  but gutted it out.  Well done Refugee.

Partner theme appealed to me today and the exercises with net numbers allowed to pick up your partner.  My charge for you today is to pick up someone today.  Emotionally, physically, help with a task or just tell them you were thinking about them.

Prayers for teachers, patience, relationships and for Cash.

Aye!

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Hills, Sprint zone, Steps, Sprinklers, and Fun

13 men showed up for loops of fun this morning.  We began with the Pledge of Allegiance at 05:14.  A quick disclaimer and description of the route thereafter.  The warm-up consisted of running to the top of the hill on Massey Street. We stopped there of a minute so I could explain the “Sprint Zone. ” Four sprints after completing pain station #2.  To keep it simple since I tend to forget the pain station exercises, each station had the same exercises:  10 bomb jacks, 10 hand release merkins, 10 squats.  Four stations:  Gas station on the corner of Massey and Spratt, parking lot on Massey, parking lot on Spratt, and steps on White.  Each loop was about a mile.  The “Sprint Zone” turned into a “Recovery Zone”   for most after the first lap.

Everyone did a great job.  I appreciate coming out each morning,  hearing the encouragement from others, and challenging myself to do better.

Life changing group.

 

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Quality Questions

12 PAX gathered, brief disclaimer and we’re off at what was collectively determined as “not mosey” pace.

Each stop:
5 burpees
10 Carolina Dry Docks
15 Jump Squats
20 Hello Dollys (some in cadence, some not)

At the Harris Street Park basketball court, we bear crawled cupcakes (line touches). FYI, baseline to baseline is a long way.

6 stops total.

Visited the monument to state sovereignty and the “faithful” slave. Talked about the kinds of questions we ask. YHC grew up in this town and never thought to ask why these monuments were here. Minnow Pond meets at “Veteran’s Park,” but “Confederate Park” is just up the hill… a monument to separatists that fought against the armed services honored at Veteran’s Park. Longshanks typically leads the pledge of allegiance before a workout, yet there are monuments to those who flew a different flag designed to replace the “stars and stripes” just across the railroad tracks. Interesting…

YHC is reading, because that is how academics solve problems. Recommended for non-academics as well. #accelerate

Ta-Nehisi Coates:
“None of us were promised to end the fight on our feet, fists raised to the sky. We could not control our enemies’ number, strength, nor weaponry. Sometimes you just caught a bad one. But whether you fought or ran, you did it together, because that is the part that was in our control.”

How are the questions we ask reinforcing togetherness or keeping us divided? Can we ask better questions?

Welcome FNG from West Charlotte: “Chimay”
May have broken his back, good thing I was also the one who EHed him.


Band Camp dismissed

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