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.

8 brave PAX paddled out to the gloom at Eagles Nest for a Gauge VQ. Temperature was nice but a steady drop of rain kept the men moving trying to dodge rain drops.

The Warmup:
Quick circle with 15 SSH IC, 10 Windmills IC, and 15 Moroccan Night Clubs  IC

The Thang:
1 mile run with a couple of stops to throw in some merkins and burpees.  The run wound up at the light posts and after some quick stretching the fun really got started.

Alternating high knees and butt kicks at every light pole with 5 merkins at each transition. Most Pax completed the 6 sets required except Walker who decided to knock out and additional 6.  Then we worked our way back to the starting spot except this time we alternated bear crawls and walking lunges with 5 squats at each transition. This was followed by a short mosey over to the stairs and in honor of the Tarheel victory last night we knocked out a 4 corner routine. Burpees, squats, merkins, and dips made up the corners with a stair climb in between.

After a brief pause to catch our breath we started our mosey home with one stop on the way to throw in some more dips and derkins. Once back to base we knocked out a quick Ab circuit of 6 inches, hello dolly, and American Jack Hammers

Finish up with Count, namorama, and named new FNG ( Strings).

Announcements: get signed up for Joe Davis run and Yeti.

Walker lead us out

13 Pax posted for today’s soggy workout. #Diapers. These brave men were not afraid of the wet terrain. Apache headlocked Mayhem into posting after being out for a while. Each HIM stretched themselves. 

The Thang.

• Mosey to the front of the church.

• COP: SSH (30x), IW (20x), WM (15x), Sumo Squats (15x), MC (20x) and Rosalettas (15x).

• Mosey to a corner of the building for pyramids at each station/corner of the church with Heels to Heavens, Diamond Merkins, Donkey Kicks in increments of 5 until you hit 15 repetitions then countdown to 5 as a group. Run to each station.

• Mosey to the parking lot next to the church for a partner drill. One partner runs to the end of the parking lot and back while the other does reps LBCs, Wide Arm Merkins and Freddie Mercuries until 200 of each exercise was complete.

• Mosey to the stairs in front of the church for Incline Merkins (20x), Decline CDDs (20x), Dips (20x), rinse and repeat these exercises.

• Mosey to the back of the church for People’s Chair, Balls to the Wall and Wall Merkins (2x)

• COP: Scorpions (10x each side), Pepper Grinders (15x), Extreme Moroccan Night Clubs (15x)

Moleskin:

We should glorify God in all that we do. People sometimes go to church and may try to live honorably Sunday afternoon. Once their week starts, their focus on God subsides to a low priority. When Sunday comes back around, they glorify God. That tends to be the routine for many.

God wants us to continually and glorify Him. A great example of a man who glorifies God is Stephen Curry. During his MVP award speech, Curry said that he plays basketball for God. Curry dedicate his talents and awards to God. Unfortunately, we don’t see such open glorification often enough. People tend to act as if they are the sole reason for their success. Dedicate your talent and accolades to our Heavenly Father.

Bible Verse:

• “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31
• “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen”. ~ Romans 11:36

33 men of The Fort posted on a soggy morning for a frolic in the gloom.  24 pax ran the Joe Davis 5k course as a preview and 9 pax exercised their vocal chords along with their bodies on a 12 Days of Christmas tour through Fort Mill.

The Thang

Jog to corner of park near Ardrey & 160

COP (12 reps IC of everything) – Mtn climbers, IWs, Peter Parkers, Windmills, Merkins, SSHs

Mosey to playground

12 pull-ups

Run 1 lap around playground

12 pull-ups

Proceed on series of runs to 12 various markers in town (ie, Confederate Park, Hardees, fire station, post office, etc) with stops at each marker for 12 reps of various exercises (ie, burpees, monkey humpers, CDDs, merkins, etc).  All pax took a turn leading an exercise.  Each exercise was followed by singing one round of 12 Days of Christmas for recovery before launching to the next stop.

12 burpees for final good measure!

Run home

COT

NMM

T-claps to all pax for ignoring Mr Cantore and posting in the rain!  In case there was any doubt that the rain may hold off, the skies opened up promptly at 0515. Bring it on!

S/O to the Area 51 pax who posted for a taste of Joe Davis 5k course.  Good to have you guys along for the fun.  We look forward to another round of friendly competition with the SOBs come Jan 9.

While the Laces In pax won’t be sought after by American Idol or The Voice any time soon, they certainly left it all out on the course.  Thanks for stepping outside your comfort zone with zeal. In the words of Buddy the Elf, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing out loud for all to hear.” Special props go to El Diablo for recalling Lords a Leaping and Maids a Milking among others…that Duke education is clearly paying off.

Thanks to Twister for the chance to lead.  It is always an honor.

Merry Christmas to all!

I don’t get the chance to post often to #OldTown due to being #FiAed most weeks! But Posh had me on the Q schedule (I think he knows how much I miss it!) for this morning so I had to be there!!

After screwing down almost 600 sq ft of 2 x 6 decking yesterday afternoon my back was begging for a break, so I figured some running would be in order. Boy was I wrong!

We circled up for a quick and sweet COP to get the blood flowing (wind mills, IW, SSHs, merkins) and took off for the #HotBox. We moseyed to the lowest entrance for 10 squats then a run up the ramps and back down the steps. We repeated the 10 squats, added 15 monkey humpers and went up the steps and came down the ramp. At this point my ham strings were screaming and cramping up … talk about feeling like a crappy Q! But the PAX didn’t rub it in and kept putting in good work!

YHC stretched while the guys came back down for 10 squats, 15 humpers and 20 bobby hurleys then up the ramp and down the steps. At the bottom it was 10 squats, 15 humpers, 20 hurleys, and 25 donkey kicks. A return trip up the stairs and down the ramp for 10 squats, 15 humpers, 20 hurleys, 25 donkey kicks and 30 calf raises.

After the raises were done it was time for a mosey back to COT and a few minutes of Mary.

And yes Boots, all we are going to do today is legs 😉

Thanks for the chance to lead! Next time I won’t spend the day before installing decking!

Catfish … out!

16 Pax posted this morning for fellowship and an intense workout. Twister brought coupons and a painful warm up. Deacon picked up at half time to continue the beatdown. The workout heated up to where Apache ended up in a t-shirt despite the 27 degree temperature.

The Thang:

Q: Twister

Mosey to the parking lot on the side of Sullivan Middle School for partner drills w/cinder blocks.

Partner Drill 1 w/Blocks: 15 Squats

Partner Drill 2 w/Blocks: 15 Curls & Box Jumps

Partner Drill 3 w/Blocks: 15 Presses

Mosey to the flag behind Sullivan Middle School for partner drills w/cinder blocks.

Partner Drill 4 w/Blocks: 15 Flat Presses & LBCs

Partner Drill 5 w/Blocks: 15 Skull Crushers & Merkins

Q: Deacon

Mosey to the parking lot on the side of Sullivan Middle School for 12 Count Drills.

12 Count Drill 1: Squats, Wide Arm Merkins then take a lap around the parking lot.

12 Count Drill 2: Lunges, Carolina Dry Docks then take a lap around the parking lot.

12 Count Drill 3: Monkey Humpers, Diamond Merkins then take a lap around the parking lot.

Mosey to the parking lot in the back of Sullivan Middle School for Wind Sprints.

One partner runs to the end of the parking lot and back while the other did reps of LBCs, Freddie Mercuries and CDDs until their team completed 100 of each exercise.

COP:

Scorpions (15x each side), Superman (10 second counts) and Pepper Grinders (15x)

Moleskin:

Life tends to throw us challenges that are far too great for one man to handle. It’s important that we lock shields with our brothers, especially, when they are in need. Our Pax is as strong as our strongest link. Be there for your brother. Praying for each other helps but being there for one another makes the real difference.

Bible Verses

• Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
• A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

#MyBrothersKeeper

Runners of The Fort…We are just over 3 weeks away from the Joe Davis Memorial Run on January 9th.  If you’re like me, being familiar with a race course ahead of time is key to posting a good time and possible PR.  Knowing when to push, knowing when to back off, knowing to conserve a little extra energy for that hill at the finish line! Since it seems as if every pax of The Fort is a runner these days what better time to come out and get a good look at the Joe Davis Memorial Run course.

The Details:

Thursday 12/17 – 05:15 at Walter Elisha Park. We will warm up with a lap around the park before setting out on the 5K loop course.  After completing the course there is a 1.5 mile loop through downtown to hit 5 miles and back at COT.  Course map below:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/942218929

For those interested in extra credit there will be a 3 mile launch at 4:40.

*Note* Tempo AO will be closed

A buttery layer of fog set the scene on a unseasonably warm December morning as 20+ PAX representing 4 Regions came out to test themselves in the arena of the Gladiator Games.

There were some small changes from GG IV, but the basic principle is the same – Push yourself until you want to vomit.

I had several PAX tell me they watched the video and thought “It doesn’t look that tough”, only to come face to face with the Gloom Monster known as the Gladiator Games and piddle in their panties.  So those of you who watch the video and think it looks “easy” please HC to the next installment. We’d love to have you.

Here are the final results

Pebbles 5:08

Dolph 5:11

Longshanks 5:19

Maximus 6:08

Ringer 6:31

Geronimo 6:58

1 9er 7:11*

Dark Helmut 7:13

Birdcage 7:42

Mario 7:42*

Toro 8:18

Socrates 8:34*

Freight 8:45

Soft Pretzel 9:02

Fire Hazard 9:08*

MP 9:33*

Patton 9:45

Linus 9-something*

Torpedo 10:22*

Atlas 10:30

Lego Land 12:29*

Icicle DNF – 545 to the tire*

*indicates competitor required assistance and/or could not complete tire flip

**Please submit any corrections to me via twitter

Moleskin

I witnessed some pretty incredible displays of heart and strength watching PAX navigate the course. The most mind blowing was watching Dolph carry the dumb bell like he was carrying his wife purse at the mall and throwing tires like they were tic tacs. The guy is an absolute beast and would have likely had a better time if he ran it again, but declined the offer.

It was great to meet guys from other regions, we appreciate the support and thanks for coming out.  This event seems to grow a little each time and the Tribesmen in Indian Land are certainly looking forward to the next one!