Fitness, Fellowship, Faith

Month: June 2020 (Page 8 of 10)

Memorial Day @ the SandLot

A slew of us posted at the Sandlot on Memorial day Monday, so off the cuff we went.  We did a little warm-up @ Pelican’s and off we mosied to the playground for a mini-Murph.  This was 25-50-75.  We broke it down to the common 5-10-15. All reps were done simultaneously by all attending F3 PAX.  Afterwards, a lap around the baseball fields returned us to the Picnic shelter parking area.   We decided on three exercises to repeat for some sets.  Big Boys….. are all I can remember (sorry Watts Up, this is why we are diligent.)  Do a set of three, head to the picnic shelter for some work, then run to the next island for the same set of work.  Return to the picnic shelter after each set.  We put in a little work for 45 minutes in the gloom then called it a day.

No Namerama, Yes COT

Happy Memorial day (a little late)!  A “mini-Murph” doesn’t even begin to show the amount of honor owed to Navy SEAL officer Michael P. Murphy, but a forever grateful thanks to all the men and women of our nation who fought and died for our wonderful country.

 

The Eye of the Flamingo

Folsom: The sun rises with new hope greeting the dawn, as the full moon resplendent in glory descends beyond the horizon. Breathing in the fresh morning air, two plastic flamingos stand motionless delighted to have been rescued from the Dollar Tree just the night before.

As the flamingos survey the scene, they are surrounded by a crop-circle-like array of traffic cones. Beyond the glistening field lies a parking lot that is slowly filling with vehicles, mainly trucks. As the crowd swelled to 25 they thought of flying away, but alas, their design would not allow movement, and they had an existential crisis concerning their purpose in life. Stuck in the ground by their wire legs, they were forced to watch as the herd moved closer after a pledge to a flag stuck in a shovel.

After a warm-up of Cherry Pickers, Windmills, Burpees, and a jog, the giants surrounded the defenseless flamingos for four rounds of Menagerie Mayhem Whirl. This routine was made up by Loveboat because there were not enough crazy-sounding routines in the lexicon (sarcasm intended). This involved a smattering of animal-themed exercises. Starting outside of the large circle- bear crawl to the center, Zebra Kicks, then crab crawl out and run around the outer ring. Rinse and repeat while adding a new exercise each time you get to the middle (Monkey Humpers, Crab Cakes). Some animal noises were heard, and the flamingos thought they had been taken to the San Diego Zoo. 

After a much deserved 3-second break, it was down to the cool wet grass for some R & R; Supermans, Scorpions, Y Supermans, then up for some Defensive Shuffles, and Merkins. Since everyone was having such a good time, we added some running, Duck Duck Goose style. Half the group would run a lap as the other half did an exercise and then switched. A sampling of activities during the time (to experience full list you had to be present): Ballerina Squats, Lunges, American Hammers, Shoulder Presses, & Burpees.

Looking like the most unfair game of Red Rover ever the Q vs everyone else on the line for some Jog/Sprint/Back. A whistle for jog, second whistle for sprint, third whistle for jog,… ad nauseam. When you hit the end, you jog backward (or whatever made-up name you call running backward) until the whistle blows again. We wrapped up when there was talk of forcing the Q to swallow his own whistle and he feared for his safety (safety 3rd!).

Then it was back to some good ole fashion circle time, but this time without the flamingos. I know at this point in the recounting you were worried about those flamingos. That is so kind of you to care, don’t worry, they had been moved to safety as to not be trampled during the Jog/Sprint/Back. This lovely circle time did not serve tea and crumpets but served up Mike Tysons, Burpees, Peter Parker Merkins, LB Flutter Kicks, and several other delightful activities hand-selected by members of the group to the sheer delight of all. 

Time was slipping away, so we opted for a memorable mosey jog around Folsom, ending with some Sprinklers, Grass Grabbers, and several other stretches. The sands of the hourglass were all but settled. But we had the task before us, to name an FNG. Gabriel, you will henceforth be known as Big Unit, the tribe has spoken.

The sweat-drenched circle of clothes stood as a testament to the work put in. Great job, Men!


On a note of more importance that dollar store flamingos…In the thought for the day, I shared how I am overwhelmed by the division and injustice in our country. We can politicize it, we can focus on the lawbreakers instead of the oppressed, we can soothe ourselves with how non-racist we are, we can convince ourselves that as long as it does not affect us personally, it does not require action. But there comes a point at which all of these things are just excuses.

I know this is a very sensitive topic, and I am not preaching to anyone. But I know for me I need to change, I need to back my ideals with actions. I need to weed out the thoughts in my own mind that are prejudiced and quick to judge. Those thoughts that tell me if two stories conflict, then I should believe one over the other.  And I need to listen more to experiences that are not my own.

While in prison in Birmingham, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much much more effectively than the people of good will.” I believe that is as true today as it was when it was written. It is easy to look back at history and say, how could people allow this horrible thing or that terrible thing to happen. But  I wonder, what will future generations think of me and my actions or lack of thereof? 

May we be defined not by what we hate, but what we love. 

May history look back on those of us in this circle as those that chose to love. 

May our love lead us to action.

May our actions be those of love that reach out to those in need and stand for justice.

-Love Boat

D-Day – Remembering the Greatest Generation

  1. Today we remembered D-Day by making our sets in quantities of 44.

The exercises were

  • Rocky Balboa’s x4 (176 Total)
  • LBC’s x4 (176 Total)
  • CDD’s x4 (176 Total)
  • Squats x4 (176 Total)
  • Mount Climbers x3 (132 Total)
  • Calf Raisers x3 (132 Total)
  • Merkins x3 (132 Total)
  • Flutters x 3 (132 Total)
  • Moroccan Night clubs (132 Total)
  • Big Boys x 1 (44 Total)

We finished up with 6 burpees x2 to represent June 6th.

Michah 7:8  Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

Big Pappy

Prison Break

I rolled out of the bed and hit the 5 mile road towards Prison Break to see what guys was there and man were there a lot! We had 15 men out at the Prison getting the miles in. It was a great morning for all the guys, we all got better and pushed some rocks! I love this AO and the big crowds on Wednesday mornings. I hope we continue to grow and stay consistent at meeting every week. Good work guys lets continue to push forward!

 

Prayer request

SA family

Breaker Breaker

USA

Each other

Round Up M Pregnancy The baby will be here any time I am excited to see her!

 

Cant wait until next week!

Round Up

Team Sandy V2V

Team Sandy V2V

A few weeks ago, I saw on Slack that my good friend Oompa Loompa was a man looking for a Ville 2 Ville team. After wrangling with it for a day or two, I decided to run with Oompa and pull a team together.

Within a few days, I had a few runners…Oompa, Bedpan, and Pappy were in quickly. Allen Tate wasn’t too hard either, but I used the power of peer pressure and the Whetstone to convince Huck to get on board. Soon after, I saw Purple Haze was interested and was more than glad to have him join!

Allen Tate was on time and I was not. Purple Haze was in the wrong parking lot. We got off to a rough start. We left just after midnight. 3 steps into leg 2, the rain came and I got soaked. 1/4 mile later, a dog chased me. Most of us were up over 24 hours. It got hot. We got tired. It got hotter. We kept on running.

We had a great time and as the miles wound down, Oompa and Pappy rolled out the ceremonial finish line, which Allen Tate burst through as not only a symbol of completion, but also as a symbol of us busting through our limitations! All of the men on our team pushed a little further than they had before.

Here are a few thoughts about this team:
– Bedpan has THE brightest lights in the history or relay running. He also is the most likely to get in a fight with a guy on a scooter! From day one, Bedpan said ‘I will run whatever you give me’. He answered the bell by setting a PR in distance with 7.8 miles on leg 5 and then killed it running the hills on the leg 10 from the church to Midoriyama. He continues to step-up to the challenges given….classic Bedpan.
– Oompa Loompa is pure old school grit. I tried giving him a ‘half leg’ and he responded by running the other half with Pappy because it was Pappy’s first time in a relay. Total HIM move! Honestly, that touched my heart! Let’s not forget Oompa got 2 kills during the race…he passed 2 ladies walking on Cloninger Rd. He also had a lady sad clown stop him on the side of Hwy 279 and yell at him for running on the road! It was like everytime we turned around, he was stirring things up!
– Big Pappy couldn’t run out of the Folsom parking lot 18 months ago. He is the perfect illustration of what F3 is about. He isn’t the fastest or strongest, but he works hard to improve and lives 3rd as much or more than anyone. He always has encouragement for others and is a heck of a guy. He also is the man with the most amazing “unexpected” stories.
– Purple Haze is the “new” guy in our group. I could tell from day 1 at Folsom he was different. My man showed up in tights, no shorts. Bold move Cotton! I mean different in a good way though! Over the past few months, I have enjoyed talking to him. He is just genuinely excited to be here and his positivity is contagious. I am not sure he could ever be in a bad mood! Among our team, I feel like I knew him better than the others knew him going into this trip and I’m glad some others got to see the greatness I have seen!
– Allen Tate gets thangs crack-a-lackin’! You know if he is around, you are going to have a good time! He did what he does…he turned up the 2nd F with his stories and charisma and pushed through his legs as I knew he would. He cares about his fellow brothers as much as anyone and would give a man the shirt off of his back if they needed it. Exhibit A – immediately after running his leg, he rucked the next leg with Huck to give him encouragement. You can tell he has something of an ‘old soul’ that I think comes from being a country boy who spent a ton of time with his grandpa and I dig that. I love hanging out with AT and I know he is a friend I can count on if I need help or just need someone to talk to. Also, he requires sleep. Lots of sleep.
– Huck is always the frst guy there when someone needs help moving or wants to get together to hang out. He is a friend you can count on. I wanted him to join my team as much or more than anyone. It took some persuasion but I knew he could do it. I am thankful he trusted us enough to go for it. Huck stepped up with an effort that helped inspire the team. I was truly strugging through the last 4 miles of leg 7. However, I thought about the work and effort all of my teammates were giving, especially Huck. Seeing Huck running down by Time Out and down Hwy 275 was special and meant a lot to us all! You motivate us all brother!

I asked each man to send me a few thoughts about the relay. Here are their responses:

Purple Haze – I’m just tickled to have been a part of Team Sandy V2V! I feel lucky since I think I got the best 2 legs (weather wise) of all the racers! I think I liked hanging with the guys most of all. It was great getting to know everyone a little better. Kind of like you said, I’ve only been with the F3 crew since late January and I’ve been welcomed into the family like a rich uncle but everyone knows I’m not since I’m UNEMPLOYED!!!

Bedpan – 1. I learned you can go a lot further in a relay/life when your with good friends. 2. Call Purple Haze if you get stuck way up in the air, he has trained to get people off mountains, cell towers, and apparently Doppler Antennas. Side note I learned you know way more about different thangs than the average Man, I’m glad to have a friend like you.

Oompa Loompa (respect) – Bedpan failed to aquire us the liquor cycle as a participation trophy.
Wrong parking spots, rain, dead copperheads, scary dogs, bad drivers, heat and running two legs is all worth it when you have the six best hims as teammates.

Big Pappy – Oompa’s words are perfect. I learned that I would not want to do that again, but at the same time would do it again in a heartbeat. I learned there is no shade on Bob Friday road, its all uphill, and I conquered it going much farther than I thought was physically possible for me.

Allen Tate – Things I learned at v to v. Purple haze is a solid Him. Good dude. Fun to be around. Oompa still has the no quit mentality that he’s had since boot camp. Pap pee is funny and has surprisingly good stories to tell. Huck can get it done when pushed. And tee is till my man!

I intentionally saved Huck’s comments for last because it deserves to be the final word….

Huck – There is a semi-recent song by Zach Williams called ‘fear is a liar’. this song hits home for me. Fear – I have feared relay races. I can’t do them. As someone who played sports their entire life, I can’t stand letting people down in those settings. I didn’t train, I am slow. Here comes the difference between F3 and the outside world. I agreed to be on this team just to ruck. Side note: I’m also terrible at rucking, but just knew I could do that over running. Allen Tate told me from the beginning to just run/mosey/jog/walk, but I didn’t listen. so I took off for leg 1 rucking. Allen Tate ending up joining me and I’m thankful for the company. I’ll be honest, I hate rucking.

Fast forward to just before my second leg. With some persuasion, I decided to ditch the pack. Here’s where fear comes in. I’m not a runner. Not even close. but six other men convinced me it didn’t matter… just do what you can. You vs. you, right? I’ve just once participated in a workout that was longer than my 2nd leg, but that was a long time ago. I lumbered, ran, jogged and walked just shy of 4 miles. For the first time in a while, I conquered the fear inside me and realized it was a liar.

to Oompa: my word. almost sixty and has more drive and determination than most anyone i’ve ever known. much respect, sir.

to Big Pappy: what a difference a year makes, right? from can’t make it out of the folsom parking lot to running two difficult legs… you’re the man.

to Bedpan: my man. you beasted an almost 8 mile leg like it was nothing. your dedication is the stuff of legend.

to Purple Haze: being the relative newbie: your enthusiasm is contagious. way to be a leader on team sandy v to v.

to Montross: i would not have been in this relay without you. you have your own style of motivation, and it speaks to people. remember, an elephant never forgets.

to Allen Tate: there were others involved, but i probably wouldn’t have joined f3 without you. i appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. just don’t tell anyone.

I appreciate this entire team. I know I’m the fat kid in dodgeball, but the brotherhood last saturday was incredibly infectious.

tl:dr – I love you all.

Allen Tate napping

The Finish Line!

First time at the Bobby

9 of us on a supposed to be wet and stormy morning. The storms and rain held off but i kept the game plan. 45 exercises in 45 min. lets begin!!

45 in 45.

SSH

Merkins

LBC

Hillbillies

CDD

Big Boys

Toy Soldiers

Nolan Ryans

American Hammers

SquatsS

Wide Arm Merkins

Dying Cockroaches

Lunges

Diamond

Pretzel Crunch

Imperial walkers

Low Plank

Crunchy Frogs

Rocky Balboas

Burpees

OverHead Claps

Freddie Mercury’s

Skater Squats

Don Q

run a lap

Oblique sit ups

Grass Pokers

Mnt Climbers

run a lap 

Butt Kickers

Peter Parker’s

run a lap

High Knees

Parker Peters

Bobby Hurleys

Calf Raises

High Plank

Burpees

Moroccan Night Clubs

1 Leg Deadlifts

run a lap

Incline Merkins

Decline Merkins

Burpees

There’s a ………. in every workout. 🤦‍♂️

9 of  us today in an early summer heat wave. With help from some inspiration from some of our more stronger PAX, This one sucked.

Warm up.

SSH x 15

Grass pokers x 10 

Don Q x 10

Moroccan night clubs x 15

 

 

Mosey to the small soccer field. perform each and then work back down the line up. 

50 Squats then run a lap.

100 Merkins then run a lap.

150 Plank Jacks then run a lap

200 SSH then run a lap.

time running out and some PAX completing their workout, we moseyed back to the start for some merry.

 

Prayer request.

Breaker Breakers mom and my mom, T-Square and family, Several PAX ‘s kids.  Some PAX may need help and prayer for their jobs.

Keep doing the good work supporting each other and supporting the people in your world!

Jesus saves!!!!

Later

Pockets.

Getting Better

Interpret the title of this BB as you will. It could be that as AOs have opened back up that PAX are posting and getting in better physical and mental shape.

It could also mean that it only took one week to get the BB done instead of two weeks like the last one YHC did. We’re getting there. Maybe next time we’ll have it done before the weekend is over. Goals, folks. Goals.

We ran towards Martha’s. Actually, the rest of the PAX ran. YHC is coming off a brief stint on the IR so YHC walked.

Announcements
Ville to Ville (whooops)

Prayer Requests
Clavin’s M
Whoopee’s 2.0
Sister Act’s 2.0
Anchorman’s move to SF

Prayer to take us out.

Until next time…

All about the Merkins

Warm up

ssh x 18 in Cadence

gravel pickers x 18 in Cadence

Merkins x 18

I chose 18 because it was The M and I 18Th anniversary

Workout

First thing we did is run to the Flag and say the pledge of allegiance. Then we ran back to tennis courts. 1st tennis court we did merkin hybrid  bear crawl. 2nd court same. 3rd court Mike Tyson/ bearcrawl. 4th court cdd /bearcrawl. 5th side to side merkins/bearcrawl. 6th court wide arm merkins/bearcrawl. Then we did triple 50’s. Overhead presses. Shoulder shrugs. Moraccon night clubs. We did 2 minutes of planks.  We circled up and burpees, Freddy Mercuries,  and a few other I cant remember sorry and at the End we did 22 merkins for the Vets.

Fuddruckers

Fuddruckers is a good place for a nice sammich or burger. 6 PAX fuddrucked around for 2.6ish miles. Great 2nd F.

COT

Announcements

Prayer Requests: Clavin M, SA 2.0, HIPAA guts

YHC Took us out

Aye!

HIPAA

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