With all of the fun stuff happening in the workouts lately, I thought I would put my spice into the mix.
It was a cold, dark morning when I arrived in the gloom to see Dolph and Whoopie there. Whoopie has been putting in some work for the rucking workout…yes, that is somewhat of a double entendre. Anyway, time comes and we circle up and with the running shoes on my toes, this is how it goes.
Disclaimer
Pledge
WU – SSH x10ic, Don Quixote x10ic, MNC x25ic
The Thang – Mosey to the front of the school for a relay. Count off into threes. #1 runs the loop around the front, #2 does one merican and five squats, #3 planks and move to the next station as a new man comes around. Not really much of a time element to it, just more of a feel. I enjoyed doing this by breaking the run up.
Next over to the golf ball bucket with the spoons. I hijacked the spoons from the house and did a modified egg carry. If the golf ball dropped, you had to do three burpees. At the end, winners had to do five burpees. There was some cheating by some folks who wont be mentioned by name, but ones claims to be a heart doctor and the other has severe competition issues.
Next was the shuttle run. This was a little tight in the space designated and with Dolph and Breaker Breaker running at each other, they both moved in the same direction to get out of each others way and it did not work well.
Then to the wheelbarrow race. Odd number so YHC decided to do burpees while all teams finished.
Then the bearcrawl race….that sucked so a quick jailbreak to the start for a good old fashioned game of freeze tag with some changes. Everyone is it and if tagged, do 10 audible SSH and get back after it. If tagged again, plank until no one is left. We did to games and then some Mary. All pax got the chance to call out an exercise and I love finishing with abs.
Announcements – Xmas party 12/1/17, Convergence at the Scheile 12/2/17 (bring toys for operation sweet tooth), we need Qs. Stand up and lead either for the first time or again. The numbers seem to dip down again around this time of year. Be thinking if you want to take over site Q responsibility at any AOs.
Prayers – Brownstreak and his losses/setbacks (he took the Q today and it was awesome to see him), Tesla and his sister, Stroganoff and the loss of his uncle.
It was a perfect weather Wednesday Nov 29th at SnoBalls and the pax were out in full force with 16 #HIM ready to Get Some. Don’t know if it was the weather or having Brownstreak back but the morning somehow felt special so I mustered all the strength I had to deliver a beatdown the pax would soon want to forget. After usual disclaimer started with warm-up at Whoopee pace:
20 SSH
10 Merkins,
25 Flutterkicks
Pledge then time to Get Some
The Thang:
Mosey to picnic tables for some upper body Tabata work
3 sets of merkins, 3 sets of Dips, 3 sets of Derkins AMAP for 30 sec each with 20 sec rest in between. It was a real crowd pleaser (pretty sure no one could raise an arm afterwards as if they could I’m sure I would have been jacked). Mosey to parking lot for some ab work in the form of 11s with Flutterkicks and American Hammers. Tclaps to Short Sale. who made it look like childs play. Then mosey back to turd shack for another round of Tabata 3 sets of wall sits, Sumo Squats and Burpees again 30 sec each with 20 sec rest. Wrap up by moseying back to SnoBalls for Stroganoff Flutters to exhaustion. Strong work today by all who went head to head in a battle royale of you vs. you and won!
Announcements:
Pizzaman and site Q’s collecting shoes for needy
Christmas Party at Lotus Friday at 7PM
Convergence Saturday at Schiele – Bring a toy for Operation Sweet tooth – Other AOs closed down
Prayer Requests:
Sherman- dealing with suicide in family. Brownstreak, T-Square and all pax dealing with loss of family members and the stress that the holidays will bring.
Thanks for all pax in F3 family and the encouragement we get from each other. Thanks for healthy minds and bodies to post. And special thanks to have Brownstreak back in action!!!
Saturday, Dec 2 presents two unique opportunities for the PAX of the Gastonia region to come together for an epic beat-down. Both Folsom and The Fighting Yank will be closed so all able bodied men can attend the workouts to be led by Freight and Tool Time. For those nursing injuries or wanting to take it at a slower pace – Rudolph will have you covered with The Pain Lab. Rest assured you’ll get a good sweat with kettle bells and other core strengthening work.
Beyond the workout is a bigger reason to post: Operation Sweet Tooth. This will be our second year to support the creation of F3 Olive, who lost his daughter to an illness in 2016 but out of the sadness created the campaign that carries on her memory by giving to others. In this season of giving, F3 Gastonia will once again partner with the Gastonia Boys and Girls Club to make this Christmas a little brighter. Below is a list of items recommended to donate. Cash and gift cards are welcomed as well.
We plan to deliver the gifts to the Boys & Girls club in person on Tuesday, December 12 at 4:00 PM. We will meet in the parking lot at the Gastonia Boys & Girls Club located at 310 S. Boyd Street in Gastonia. We want as many PAX as possible to be present to present presents (wow… did I actually just do that?).
So head over to the Schiele Museum on Garrison Boulevard and get there prior to 0700 to join a large circle of your brothers. Find some time this week to do some shopping and bring you gifts for collection.
17 showed at Midoriyama and the Nantan didn’t even have the Q. Well after a week of eating everthing in sight and sitting in a tree stand several days it was time to get off my rear and push a rock or something.
This is what I remember
WARM UP
SSH 15 IC
GRASS POKERS/PICKERS 15 IC
HILLBILLIES 15 IC
LBC’S 15 IC
MOSEY TO PLAYGROUND
3 SETS OF 7 PULL UPS AND 20 LBC’S
MOSEY TO PICNIC SHED
Next we did merkins 5 reps of each exercise
Incline, Decline, Regular, we did these for a few mins
Then mosey to the dam wall for some dips and squats
20 dips IC
50 Squats
Then back to picnic shed for more merkins
This time 3 reps of wide , diamond, regular,
Again for a few mins , by this time I was really filling the burn as notice by a few pax , I knew I was going to have to change it up a bit to keep the pax working hard .
Next mosey back towards the turd shack for some shoulder work, If I plan on defending my title at next burpeethon. I must keep training and besides who knows Whoopee may even show up for next one .
Stop on way to shack did 25 squats IC
At shack did 2 sets of 20 HIPP slappers, and 15 mike Tysons IC
Next did a few lundges about 20 yards down and back.
Then back to flag for pledge and 22 merkins for vets
PRAYER REQUESTS. Pizza man family, friends of Tooltime, all those on IR, and those waiting on us to head lock into showing up # GIVE IT AWAY…
Moleskin: since the Christmas Town 5K been having some things on my mind about those that aren’t able to work out and How that things could change in my life and I would need the strength from F3 to push a different Rock if I were in that same position, or my child was in one of those chairs, thank you to those that participated in speed for need . KEEP PUSHING. …
4 loyal Pax posted in the Folsom gloom for another MW WO. YHC wasn’t very optimistic on a big crowd, but I knew there’d be a handful. Seems like the colder it gets, the smaller the showing, but it’s all good. With the temperature reading 27* , the clock hits 5:30.
warmarama
SSH, Gravel pickers, toy soldiers x15 IC
thang
mosey to the park entrance to the flag for the pledge. Yes, we Had to hit the Big Flag even if there’s a shovel flag right there. Ok, mosey again down to the pond parking lot for a little Route 66, but first let’s do some LBCs x20 IC. Line up for 66 with Bobby Hurley’s each line. Aight, mosey around the back of the lower pond to the shelter for some arm squats, flutter kicks x15 IC. Recover, 10 burpees OYO. Short mosey to the turd house for some wall work(Huck would be proud) hip slappers x10 IC, 20 donkey kicks OYO. Mosey back up the the tennis court for some dreaded 11’s. This time it’s suicides using each out of bounds line of each court starting with 1 Merlin up to 11. Mosey to start.
Announcements: Pre-Christmas Christmas Party Friday, G-House Convergence Sat at Sheille.
YHC took us out in Prayer
Always an honor to Q. Nice work men. Thanks for the encouragement and accountability that keeps me getting up at the butt crack of dawn to work out. Continue to push tha rock and be the men the Sky Q calls us to be!
No turkey for me. This blast was written before the actual beat down, yet I post it 11 days after. I shall commence to 14 Merkins, 3 Burpies and 2 Squats as repercussion.
No, this was not in honor of Batman. At least, I don’t think it was. As brave King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail, he came to an important river crossing being guarded by the Black Knight. Unsuccessful to convince the Black Knight to join his crusade, King Arthur attempts to cross the bridge, only to be blocked by the Knight. “None shall pass!” challenged the Knight. Soon an epic battle ensued, and King Arthur was victorious as he doomed the Black Knight to a life as a quadruple amputee. If you’ve never seen footage of this epic battle, click here:
Meanwhile, The Gashouse pax celebrated the great victory of King Arthur by renaming the lands of Martha to the name of his arch nemesis, The Black Knight. Yet as historical accuracy is often called into question, so are the memories of the pax after a workout. Thus, the mistaken name of “Dark Knight” was born.
Enough with the Chivalry, now time for tha thang:
As Brave sir Whoopee and valiant Stroganoff galloped in from the land of EC, coconuts rattling, YHC began with the pledge:
Warm-up: Imperial walkers, take a lap around Snoballs, Grass pickers, take a lap, Flutter kicks, take a lap, get some blocks out of the car, take a lap. Moroccan night clubs, take a lap, plank merkins, recover.
Partner up, grab a block, carry it to the realm of the Black Knight. Mike Tyson’s on the curb, IC x 20, mosey some more to the shelter of feasting for some sort of medieval Dora. 100 step ups on the picnic table, 200 chest presses with the blocks, 300 dips, and for good measure, 300 bicep curls with the blocks. Partners swap running up the parking lot, around the shrubbery on the 4th island, and back to the shelter.
Then for 20 Mike Tyson’s in cadence, then 20 little baby box jumps onto the curb. grab the block and carry it half way through the parking lot, rest the arms with the blocks and do 20 more Mike Tyson’s, then with time running out, mosey back to the parking lot. Brave sir Whoopee led us in 15 merkins ic and then YHC with 40 low-medium squats in cadence to finish out the workout.
Strong work by all. Reminder of the Convergence at the Schiele for the toy drive this Saturday, Forgot to mention the Christmas party Friday night, and prayers for Stroganoff’s Aunt who recently lost her Husband.
Honored to lead you in this valiant crusade to be 3rd.
It seemed like only yesterday YHC was sending JRR Tolkien a txt saying “This SpeedForNeed Thing, I have to be a part of it. I have to push a Chair do you Understand, I have to!” Fast forward 5 months and here we are at Gashouse’s inaugural SpeedForNeed Race! Something changed in YHC when I saw this thing that is SpeedForNeed; there was a deep down in your gut Heart response for YHC….this mattered.
Wow is it November 25th already? The day seemed to take FOREVER to get here….and then when it was upon YHC it seemed like there wasn’t enough time! YHC was a nervous wreck the day of! Would all the Track Commanders make it? Would their Families have parking? Would anyone get hurt and so many more things flooded YHC mind. Then what should’ve happened first Pray! God was in this YHC knew he was in this! And let me tell you for those of you reading this that were unable to make it HE showed up in a BIG MAGICAL way!
The Families arrived one by one and YHC talked with them as they arrived. YHC had the pleasure of meeting James’s, Amy’s and Austin’s families before the race. And I have the Pleasure of knowing T-Square as my F3 brother for about 2 1/2 years now! YHC didn’t know at the start of all this that meeting the families BEFORE the race would be such a blessing. Men that’s where the connection happens! You get to KNOW there stories and their stories matter! Edison, Dolph, and Pizza Man all went with YHC to meet there riders, and having met them there’s more of a bond on the track the day/night of a race! If YHC could recommend anything to a Q / Driver for future events it would be to meet the families before a race it makes all the difference.
Thank you everyone involved in this at Gashouse! All of you made a difference that night with these kids. They were smiling and you could see the joy in their eyes! Thank you JRR Tolkien for sharing your vision and making it come alive for the f3 Nation to serve some of the most overlooked members of society through SpeedForNeed! Men I just don’t know how to emphasize YHC heartfelt gratitude for you all jumping in head first with YHC in this adventure!
The Thang:
Here’s what YHC remembered …what a whirl wind…. We are gathered at the tent…17:30 time to get the Track commanders in the chariots….the Primary drivers of each Chariot load the commanders in! Gather in front of the YMCA in the street! BOM now while we have everyone! Pray!! Pray that we would be HIS light! That we would Be the difference….that the riders would experience JOY!!! And that we all would be protected from injury! Wow….prayers answered. Let’s go! We head to the starting line and lineup at the start 4 in a row with all the PAX right behind the chariots. At this point as YHC looks at all of YOU …YHC fighting back tears! You had to see it men! From YHC’s perspective looking at ALL of you. What a group of men….doing this on a Saturday night holiday weekend….and you’re all there support these kids….humbled…almost brought YHC to his knees . The image of all of you at the start will FOREVER be etched in YHC mind!
Were off! 2mins prior to the race the course is ours!…YHC runs with Pizza Man and Amy ( she was SO excited ) to start so YHC could see her because YHC knew Pizza Man was going to tear it up and well…YHC just isn’t that fast! Drop back hang with Dolph and Austin! Man Austin was loving it smiling and laughing! Drop back run with Edison and James….the smile on James priceless! Drop back run with T-Square and Mason! Mason looking around….taking it all in chilled and relaxed as he’s on this ride! ….hey YHC can still see Pizza Man….sprint (I know Defib doctors orders no sprinting) YHC only did it once! Only because I couldn’t catch him again! Rinse and repeat the drop back sequence….YHC continued to cut through drop back as much as possible to be able to spend as much time as possible with each Track Commander. As we were heading back YHC could no longer catch Dolph or Pizza Man so I ran through to the end with James and Edison! As YHC got back in line with them YHC notice a PAX about 30 yards or so ahead carrying a flag and yelling to the crowed…” this is James! Cheer for James” well done Norwood! Well done indeed! Run though the finish line!….YHC knew Mason was out there still….run back through the finish an d backwards on the course YHC heard his 2.1 yelling “ Dad your going the wrong way!” As I see Mason coming with the “Girazelle” known as Sargento driving …grab a side ToolTime and we jail break it in through the finish! Gather again with the Pax avaible …and BOM …JRR Tolkien at YHC request prays for the group again.
Then back to the finish line! And watch Mayor, Hushpuppy, Pockets, Roadie, Huckleberry and others finish their 5k’s (PROUD OF YOU MEN! AYE!)….then Bam just as quick as it started its over….some fellowship and stories shared of experiences on the course ….stories of the joy of the riders….wow…the joy of the riders…that’s what it’s all about men …that right their….sharing Joy by doing something for some one that can’t do it for themselves! That’s WHY we are here on this Earth! YHC asked each of the Primary drivers to write a little something….here are their recaps!
The Christmastown 5k was finally here and you could feel the excitement meeting all the Track Commanders at the SFN tent. I had the honor to drive Amy along with some HIMS from F3 Gastonia. There was nothing like the anticipation of having 4 chariots at the start line and wanting to give the Track Commanders the time of their lives through the lights. As we hit the streets of McAdenville, the crowds were priceless. Every supporter we passed cheered louder and louder!! With every cheer and all the lights, we could hear Amy’s excitement in her voice. Every time we heard her excitement we pushed harder. Heading back to the finish line the supporters were chatting Amy, Amy, Amy. With all the Christmas lights and the supporters along the course, my words can’t describe the excitement we saw in Amy as we crossed the finish line!!! I would like to thank Quiche, Defib, and WeeWee for helping me give Amy the time of her life. This was truly one of the most memorable days of my life. Special thanks to Tolkien and ToolTime for giving me this opportunity. I would like to give a shout out to the men of F3, their M’s, and 2.0’s for all the support.
Pizza Man
TClaps ToolTime for pushing this event. Great job brother, honored to be part of it. Tool Time and I went to meet Austin and his parents last week, and yeah it was a little awkward but we had a good conversation and we were set and ready for the 25th. Austin is 6 and has cerebral palsy and can’t talk or walk but he has this little laugh that we heard a couple of times tonight that lets you know he is having fun. We were Team Green and we had a blast. Following a good distance behind Pizza Man we were rolling. The lights were bright and shining and the crowd cheering and shaking their cow bells as we ran by seemed to get Austin excited and he would kick his legs and let out that little laugh. Slaw kept pace with us and offered to push for a while, which I took him up on. As we ran through the neighborhood Austin got excited and somehow managed to throw out one of the side pads from his chair, I told Slaw to keep going as I went back to get it. Seeing Austin kick and laugh was awesome. Honored to be a part of it. It was a great time had by all for sure and look forward to the next one. Thanks to all the Pax for coming out as well. #ISI
Dolph
ToolTime and I met James and his grandfather “Pop Pop” at Holy Angels about 2 weeks before race night. Pop Pop took us on a tour of the facilities and we had an opportunity to hang out with James for a little while. What an awesome little guy. Although he doesn’t communicate verbally, you can tell by his smile and his actions, he is following along. From the moment I met him, I knew race night was going to be special.
On race night, we got James strapped in to his chariot and met in the middle of the street for BOM. Team blue met and made its way to the start line. Team blue consisted of Wheezy, Freight, Ash Pond, Madoff and 2.0s, Norwood, WoJo, Blart, McEnroe, ToolTime, JRR Tolkien and Graham who is my son’s and James’ best friend.
When the race started, team blue set out at a modest pace. As we watched Pizza Man’s and Dolph’s groups pull away, we heard James laughing out loud as the lights passed by. Team blue was amazing, at the beginning of every uphill climb, 2 guys would grab handles on the side of the chariot and help get up the hill. A short way into the race, Norwood, carrying the American flag, pulled about 30 yards in front of our group. Every group of spectators that he passed, he would yell, “This is James, cheer for James!” The whole course was filled with people cheering “GO JAMES!” as we passed. Team blue finished mostly together and met for prayer with the group at the finish line.
This was such an awesome experience. Thank you JRR Tolkien for SpeedForNeed and everything you do. Thank you ToolTime for helping bring Speed For Need to Gaston County. Thank you Pop Pop for sharing James with us. Thank you team blue for sharing this experience with me. I look forward to more SpeedForNeed events in the future.
Edison
I feel honored to be a part of F3 and appreciate the opportunity to push Mason in this special event. We enjoyed meeting the other Speed For Need riders and their families, as well. This was definitely a memorable experience for my family!
F3 GasHouse has been there for me & my family through the good & bad. Thank you guys SO much!
T-Square
1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)
13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[a] Be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 (HCSB)
13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.
Proverbs 27:
17Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.
THANK YOU ALL!
Great work today by all PAX. It was an honor to lead you men!
It was a cold but clear Sunday morning at Coconut Horse. 12 hours earlier, The Pax could be found doing work of a higher calling, “pushing the rock” at SPEED FOR NEED during the McAdenville 5K (GREAT job, by the way, TOOL TIME!!!), so I wasn’t expecting too many to show for the early morning hour. Thankfully, Sargento and I had talked Saturday and committed to the run. Defib had given me a soft commit at Speed for Need, so I was hoping to be able to endure the gloom with someone in addition to Sargento, with whom I have spent hundreds of mornings of gloom.
I showed up about 7 minutes early, almost hitting a darkly clad gentleman walking down S. New Hope Road at 613 AM wearing white “Beats.” Sargento rolled in about 5 minutes later, looking fresh and ready after the previous nights jaunt at Christmastown USA. He mentioned that he saw the gentleman as well, but didn’t come as close to hitting him. At least he was walking against traffic instead of with traffic and had white “Beats” on, would have been harder to see otherwise. Much to my chagrin, Defib left us hanging. I tried to put on a good face for Sargento. He, in usual fashion, was in a good mood, trying to tell corny jokes.
Warm up: None. When you run, the first 1/2-1 mile is the warm up; trying to do something before running is just wasted energy that could have been used for running.
The Thang: We set out at 631 for a 5.1 mile run. Where we went, you will never know, but Sargento and I have a rule that you always try to run a road that you have never run before, so needless today, the DOG and GOD run were modified. We also tend to talk about whatever comes to our minds. This can make for interesting conversations, as “runners brain” often takes over. For those of you who cannot relate to this, I would recommend that you go run 2 miles as fast as you can and then try to have a conversation about something deeper than what time you woke up that day. It can be challenging!
Despite this runners brain, I couple of things stood out from our conversation today:
Sargento has a gift of EH’ing anything and everything within earshot. At one point, I think he EH’d a light post, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was yelling at an inanimate object.
Did you guys know that one of the most popular songs on the radio right now is a song that tries to convince people to NOT commit suicide? So many thoughts come to my mind when I hear things like this and I could probably go on hours about the root causes these situations, but I think a good deal of it boils down to this: make sure you have a proper view of who you are in relationship to God, your Creator. My former pastor used to say “cheer up, your’e a lot worse than you think.” This comment would then be followed up by a comment about how despite this, we have a God who loved us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his Son for us. If we all saw ourselves this way, understood the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and understood even a sliver of the love that God has for us, it would be much more difficult would feel the loneliness and isolation that is so prevalent among many people who contemplate suicide.
In a society where sexual deviance and sexual abuse seem so prevalent, we MEN need to be setting proper role models for our sons and setting expectations that they will be and act different from the way that many of our leaders and celebrities act. We MEN need to be modeling to our daughters how they should be treated so that they have appropriate expectations about how others should treat them. Talking about it is helpful, but acting it out in our relationships with our wives and significant will have much more impact, I believe (I have found that my children are much more likely to imitate my actions much more than my words, unfortunately, given that I am a very imperfect person).
If you guys don’t have a man in your life like Sargento, go find one and cultivate the relationship. After running with him for 8+ years, I definitely am the better man for it.
What a great way to spend a cold Sunday morning, running with a good friend. Wouldn’t have it any other way!