Ida rather be somewhere else(?)

7 PAX gathered at The Sandlot just hours after Hurricane Ida devastated the Southeast Louisiana coast. Just a few hours prior to that, I was feeling an odd sense of FOMO and homesickness as I heard about the hurricane party at my aunt’s house in Baton Rouge, where several relatives gathered (including my freshman-at-LSU niece and my cousin with his 9-months-pregnant wife) to ride out the storm.  Standard hurricane prep includes firing up the generator, gathering flashlights and batteries, and stocking up on plenty of booze to stretch through several days of power outage.  Louisianians are tough, and we know how to have a good time!  That said, Sunday’s scenes of unforgiving floodwater, piercing wind and torrential rain cured my FOMO as I tried to plan out a simple 45 minutes of voluntary toughness.  Here’s how it went.

Warmup: SSH (10xIC) and Imperial Walker Squats (5x with slow but sloppy cadence for demonstration).  Enough warmup, mosey to the park gate for a preview of today’s “IDA” routine:
Imperial Walker Squats (15, count each squat)
Dying Cochroaches (30, count one side)
Alligator merkins (15)

Mosey on to the middle of the softball fields for “hub and spokes” sequence.

Round 1:  Carioca to parking lot for same “IDA” sequence above, then Carioca back to middle for “Hurricane Hoedown” (Flutter kick circuit performed in cadence: 7 IC Seated Flutter Kicks with hands raised in Hallelujahs. Move immediately to 7 IC with hands behind you. Move immediately to 7 IC normal flutter kicks. Move immediately to 7 IC LBC Flutter kicks. Rinse and repeat working down the cadence ladder 7,6,5…)

Round 2:  Carioca to walking path for same “IDA” sequence above, then Carioca back to middle for a new “IDA” sequence: 
Indian Bear Crawl around the center building
Derkins or Donkey Kicks, 25 each PAX choice (since I wasn’t sure if there were benches, and there were)
American Hammers, 30 (count one side)

Round 3:  Nur to parking lot for same “IDA” sequence above, then mosey back to the flag with 7 minutes remaining for a round of Mary that included plank jacks, oblique crunches, and heels to heaven.  Close out with POA and COT.

Announcements:
Labor Day 0700-0800 in McAdenville (Sandlot + Mt. Hollywood collaboration)
JJ 5k – Sept 27
Extinction Run – Nov 6

Prayers:
JK2’s oldest daughter, Ida’s victims, Afghanistan

Lagniappe:  The PAX that came out today certainly became tougher.  Thinking of my family members (who, by the way, are all safe and fortunate despite minor house damage and inconveniences) and others who survived Ida’s wrath (many of whom are not so fortunate), I’m reminded that by challenging and pushing ourselves each day, we prepare ourselves for the times when we really need that toughness.  I’m honored to have the privilege to lead and contribute to a small part of that for the 7 PAX at The Sandlot (and thanks to those PAX for going along with my “Ida” themed workout).

– Nutria