Tag: Vuvuzela

Tour de Golden Corral

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2020 was a bad year. COVID, death, etc. I am a creature of routine and nearly ALL of them were interrupted or flat out stopped. My cheese was moved big time. I was also in a big time headspace rut. Down on myself. Coming off an injury filled 2nd half of 2019. Body and mind tapped out. No motivation at all to get out and post. This was my 2020. Lutefisk, among others, knew that and kept at me to get out. Then he triple dog dared me with a Q request. A few of them. After turning a couple down I finally said enough is enough and I am going to get the heck out and try to put together a Q that is somewhat respectable. Thank you Lutefisk for keeping after me!! You are much appreciated!

Great morning. Great crowd gathered and the mumblechatter was wonderful. I admit I was nervous. I had not Q’d in a year or so. I made a few disclaimers and off we went. No warmups. Right into it.

The deal was pretty simple. We ran a loop of about 1.8miles, with stops for fun time at the following locations: frontside of Walgreens near Burn Boot Camp; across Gold Hill, down Lake Vista Rd to its end near the Y; back across Gold Hill to the side wall of Harris Teeters; behind the shopping center to our favorite dumpster behind Red Bowl; across Stockbridge and up the cell tower hill; to the far corner of the parking lot of Grace Presbyterian Church; then back to COT. At each of these stops, 8 total including starting at the COT and finishing at the COT, we did the following:

* 25 SSH
* 15-25 Merkin
* 25 Reverse LBC
* 25 LSS
* All were 4-count, in cadence (rather rapid)
* Plank ~2min for discussion time

Everyone did great. Shop Vac hung in there, he made it to every stop except one, and he did all the exercises!! Keep pushing it SV!! The mublechatter was great, and the group did real well watching their form. YHC had the enjoyment of nearly going face-first into some deer poop in the grass near the cell tower. Lovely. We all got a kick out of that!

COT, P&P:
* READ YOUR NEWSLETTER. Get involved. Invigorate the leader in you.
* A lot going on in everyone’s lives. I made it a point to stop by each of the PAX and have them offer a prayer and a praise, a la CSPAN.  We lifted up quite a lot to our Lord!

NMM – Foundations:
At each stop I pieced together the following. All around us in Fort Mill, Charlotte, etc. we see development, improvement, building, “progress” and such. You can’t go anywhere without seeing it.  The first thing builders do is prep the ground to handle the foundation, then build the foundation solid and strong. That takes some time to do, then they continue from there. They know that without a solid, strong foundation that is securely connected to the structure, whatever it is they’re building will NOT last long, nor will it be able to withstand stresses, etc, from storms or whatever it is exposed to.

When we are drawn to F3, as well as throughout our F3 journey, we are set out to improve ourselves in many ways – physically, mentally, socially, spiritually, etc. We strive to become better, stronger, faster. We start slow then progress as we become better and better. Each day we move ahead in our progress, we lay a brick in our structure of becoming a better person.

My challenge to the PAX was for them to gauge their foundation. What are we building on, and what is the basis on why we are trying to get better? Your foundation should be your relationship with the Lord, and it needs to be as strong, solid, and connected as you can possibly get it. Most people reach out to the Lord when they are in need. There is nothing wrong with that at all, better then than never. But that does not always yield a solid foundation that can endure even the most strongest of storms.  The best way to build a strong relationship with the Lord is to abide in Him every day. Become a son to Him, and let Him be your Father. Let His word marinate in your mind, heart, and soul to where it becomes a guiding force in your life, helping steer you to good decisions, words, and actions. Trust in him completely, with personal abandonment. When you do that with dedication, discipline, and consistency, your foundation will be one which can handle anything life throws at you, at any given time.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” – Psalm 119:105

Stay connected and trust that the Lord will guide you.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead. SYITG
-NASA

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Sweep The Leg: Called in off the Bench to Close this one out!

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Respect the Claves as started a few days early! Vuvu called me up to fill in and I happily accepted.

The Thang:

19 PAX emerged from the gloom at Sweep the Leg for a Monday morning kick in the teeth.

  • Mosey to the Baxter mushroom pool and do lunch walks until 6 arrives
    • Take a .5mi lap and then complete the reverse board of pain, dropping one exercise each round
    • 10 Dips x1
    • 10 Merkins x2
    • 10 Squats x3
    • 10 Big Boys x4
    • 10 Burpees x5
  • Back to COT with anywhere between 3-4mi and potentially 50 burpees

Cyclops got the Bundt cake prize

River Rat had the actual birthday

Shortstop prayed us out and it was surely a gift for sure!!

 

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Impromptu

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10 PAX @ 0515, but no Q

Kaiser tapped me to run point until B.O.B. arrived

Warmup circle near parking area to make sure BOB wasnt’ searching for us when (if?) he arrived.
Did some warmup stuff
-SSH
-MC
-Shoulder Tap
-Yoga
-a few burpees
-Merkins
-more yoga
Trying to buy time for B.O.B.

Went to the track took a lap to thing about what we were going to do.

Goal Line
– bear crawl as a group, stopping every 10 yards for 5 merkins
– stop at the 50

50 yardline, partner up
– one partner goes one way the other goes toward the other goalline
– Lunge walk out
– 10 American Hammers (called by ‘el Spaniard)
– go to the 40
– sprint back to the 50
– go to the 30
– etc.

After finishing line up on the far goal line
– bear crawl as a group, stopping every 10 yards for 5 merkins
– stop at the 50

B.O.B. finally shows and we head to the pull-up bars for 7s with
– Squat Thrusters using a cinderblock
– Pull-ups

COT for some mary

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Three the Hard Way

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Three men showed up on a windy morning at Minnow pond.  After the Pledge, we started up the hill on Massey toward the Fort Mill Church of Nazarene.  We stopped for a few exercises (Merkins, Squats, and LBCs – 10 of each).  Next, we headed down Harris to Harris street park for a brief stop and completed the same exercises as above.

We then ran up to Fort Mill High School to converge with Laces In.  Trucker was on Q so we met at his favorite place, the pull-up bars.  We split into teams and did a Dora mash-up with various exercises:  Pull-ups, merkins, LBCs, V-ups, and more running.  Once we finished up, we headed back on the road.  We took Jackson Street back to Walter Elisha to tour the changes.  Back to COT.

 

Great job everyone..thanks for the opportunity.

 

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Primed at Minnow Pond

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Minnow Pond….

Prime numbers today:
2 burpees,
3 bombjacks,
5 merkins,
7 squats,
11 wildcard reps every time we stopped.

We stopped around 11 times?

Total of 3.5 miles.

NMM:
Luke 5:31 (both prime numbers)
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
Make sure you’re seeking out the “sick” (sad clowns?). Don’t spend all your time with the healthy. That may mean posting with a newer PAX at a moderate to support them.


https://www.strava.com/activities/5007069647

—
Band Camp Dismissed

 

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Swimming Laps on a Frigid Morning

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17 posted to STL on a crisp morning, perhaps one of the last ones of winter 2020-21 with temps in the 20s.  70+ in the days ahead — sunshine and pollen, Spring is here.

The Thang

Pretty simple weinke this morning

Quick mosey to Baxter and the Mushroom Pool parking lot

From the parking lot run out Richard’s crossing back across Front St, past the homes of Sugar Daddy, Tesh and other pax around the loop and back to the MP parking lot

OYO exercises at the parking lot:
10 Burpees
20 Parker Peters
30 Squats

Rinse and repeat

Return run home

COT

Moleskin

Great to see the pax out pushing hard on a cold morning.  The pace was brisk too, so the bodies warmed up quickly.  Those who made 5 laps ended up with 3.9 miles and those with 4 laps finished with 3.4 miles.  A few OCD pax had to get that 4 mile click so they added a loop in the parking lot on return.  Great effort by all!

It was great to meet Juan Valdez for the first time — keep posting, amigo!

My word for 2021 is NOW.  It’s surfaced a lot in the first two months — a constant reminder to live in the real world with the people immediately around me in the place that I’m in at that moment.  Get out of my head and be aware of what’s happening NOW and how I’m called to live NOW.  Hopefully the challenge for each pax to live my word for this day bore fruit.

A big thank you to Vuvu for the Site Q exemption from the Top 3 rule at STL.  Always an honor to lead the pax.

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Long laps for slow PAX

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10 days ago YHC got a message asking him to Q at Sweep the Leg. Now, a little background, the only way I’ve come close to the top 3 finishers at STL is when there have been 4 people in attendance, and usually STL picks a top finisher to Q.  I accepted almost immediately, but then almost had to take it back when I remembered that today is the M’s (somethingith) birthday.

No false modesty here, my running game has improved significantly over the last 12 months, but it’s still not enough to keep up with the more aquatic, fried-snack based PAX in long distance Qs (though I give a ton of credit to them for kiting me along over the past who knows how long).  At the end of every STL session my brain is usually so starved for oxygen that the left half of my brain has logically concluded that i have died, and the other side is reliving the horrors of the Whinny the Pooh ride at Disney World.  I love it!

So, big thanks to Vuvuzela for inviting me to take the reins.

I knew I’d need something to keep the expeditious PAX engaged that would also make room for personal survival, but also made it difficult, if not impossible, to cheat on the running.

The gloom

After driving out to the Colosseum and dropping off some signage and lights, I hauled arse to CoT and got there with just enough time to realize I had two left hand gloves and swap them out.

6 PAX were stretching and chatting when I arrived and since I used my extra time to replace one of my gloves, the disclaimer was very short. I simply said, “Welcome to Sweep the Leg. I assume you’ve all read the disclaimer, let’s go, wait, who’s that guy?” as I pointed at Grinder. Fishsticks vouched that he knew the risk and off we went as I said, “Oh, and I’m 38 Special, we’re headed to the cul-de-sac at the end of Patricia”

The thang

After the 1/2 mile warmup. YHC handed out instructions. Every stop would need to multiply the lap number by a certain number of exercises. At the cul-de-sac it would be 10x SSH, which we did in cadence before starting.

Run towards the school and at the L that turns in, a sign was waiting that said:
<—-
5x Dips x Lap
3x Werewolf x Lap

YHC forgot to mention what a werewolf is, and I still had energy enough at this point to still be near everyone and demo the werewolf (I call them circular pushups, but in the exicon, it’s a “Werewolf”)

Turning left here (because of the arrow!) run down the hill a little ways and there’s a sign at the bigger traffic loop:
—–>
3x Burpee x Lap
5x BBSU x Lap

Each lap was almost exactly 1 mile.

CoT

Fishsticks and Tesla got 1st place, very shortly followed by Vuvuzela.  The were actually the last three arrivals, but they did four laps and the rest of us just three.

Counted and Announced and asked for prayers or praises from everyone.

nmm

SLT has no ten counts, no stop and breath moments. It’s all about pushing forward knowing that it’ll be over (in one way or another) in 45 minutes or so.  It’s about as blank as my mind gets trying to pull myself up that damned hill on Dave Gibson.  If I let my mind wander, I’d probably just fall into the ditch.

It hurts and it’s cathartic.

You want to know what I’m dealing with inside? Get me  thoroughly exhausted. Too exhausted to care if the world knows the worst things I think about myself. And then head to CoT. Today I shared about trying to get my weight (back) down. I’ve tried prayer, begging the M to hit me with a broom if she sees me unconsciously eating a stack of cookies she insists on leaving in one of those glass displays on the counter, self shame…

I heard some good prayers from exhausted PAX today. Real needs expressed. Always good to hear those.  And Quack Attack is good company on long killer sessions like today.

Looking forward to the next STL…

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Hilltopia

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Eight men posted for Sweep the Leg on a cool, but dry, first day of February.

Disclaimer given
Short mosey run to launch point and lay out the plan:
Start at the bank and do 12 Bobby Hurleys
Run out to and down to Patricia lane where a lighted cone sits.
At the cone do 12 merkins.
Resume running to front of GHES and at the flag pole do 12 gas pumpers.
Return towards the bank, stopping to do the merkins and doing the bobby hurleys at the bank.
Rinse repeat
Got just over four miles in.

Your leading pax were: Fishsticks, Straight Up, Longshanks

Prayers for the country and schools/school kids.

Route for STL 2-1-21

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Consider my leg swept

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We ran fast and stopped when I needed for merkins. (did forget to hit pause on the mileage calculator once so the numbers are a tad off) Actually the first two miles were upper body, mile 3 was lower body, there was a little yoga thrown in cause we had time and needed it.

I think we hit 100 merkins, 50 dips, lots squats, and then finished with 10 burpees EMOM until 0600. Also 3.3 miles  

https://www.strava.com/activities/4678144477

NMM:

No vocal message today. I’m actually trying to be still and listen a bit more. It’s against my natural instincts, but so is waking up for a workout at 0515….so there’s that.

Thanks to VuVu for the call. Really grateful for the opportunity to lead at this AO. The amount of super fast PAX pushes me to MOVE. When I Q at STL, I know I can’t (shouldn’t) fall back to the 3 or the 6. It makes me give more effort than I might otherwise. Oh that we all could be leaders in groups that push us to be better.

—
Band Camp dismissed

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Minnow Pond 12.17.2020

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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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