Day: March 13, 2022

It’s Friday night I’m here at the Rusty Rabbit drinking all by myself once again. This is the second week that I was the only one who showed for 2nd F. I’m hitting up Slack and GroupMe saw that err body is standing me up and staying home. While scanning through all the mumblechatter I see that Tiger has posted that he needs someone to pickup his Q tomorrow so I said what the heck I’ll take it. I’ve been working on a few different things and I’m wanting to try them out so I’ll do it. It’s now Sat. morning it’s pouring rain and I’m having a hard time getting motivated to do anything let alone go workout but it’s what we do so off I go.  As I pull up I noticed no cars in the parking lot and I think hell I wouldn’t be running no EC today either it’s cold and raining cats and dogs out here I can’t blame anyone for not getting in a little extra in out here in this crap. Then a few minutes later my phone is buzzing that means it’s 0659 1 min. till and still no one, nothing, nada dang soul. I’ll give it a few more min. as I’m thinking maybe a few of these guys realize that I’ve now got the Q and I’m pretty much running @ 2 -3 min. late every morning. Clock now strikes 0705 still no one. Now I’m thinking WTF maybe it’s just me who else gets stood up for drinks and a workout within the same 24 hours. Well be danged if I’m going to miss out on a good time just because nobody wants to show. Just like last night I’m flying solo. I grab a block out of the ol’ F150 and get to work. I hit up a circuit of 5 rounds 20 reps each as follows.

Thrusters

Curls

OH Extensions

Good Mornings

High Pulls

I ended each round with a lap around the track. Pretty JV so far I know. At this point I’m really ready to throw in the towel and just head out for breakfast a little early. I’m finishing the last lap of my circuit when I see Mayor pulling in from Folsom he realizes no one was here to pull, push, or kick my whining ass across the so called finish line he jumps out of the truck restarts his watch and says he wants to finish the workout with me. With no real plans on what to do since I was ready to call it quits. Mayor says we’ll just run till 0800 so we head out towards the OG Courthouse. We then headed up to Ingles then back down to the park for 1 final push around the track for a total of 1.5 mi. and we’re finished.

TIME

Thanks Mayor for that final push I needed that.

COT

No Real Need for Name-o-Rama

Pledge

Prayers

Well I guess this went as good as it could have being it was short notice. Also once I saw no one  was going to show I guess I could have just went on home. If I went home I would have just told myself no one will know if I was here or not but Mayor was there so someone would have known. I’d rather do the work than pretend I did it any day. It’s not always the things we do when when others are watching that matter. Often times it’s what we do when we think we’re all alone or no one is looking. What will you do when no one is looking. Just food for thought.

I’m not bagging on anyone and I hope it doesn’t look that way. I know that there were a lot of F3 events today. Good luck with Q School today and Great Work to those of you who ran The Rooster today.

I’M OUT

I’m trying hard not to buy into climate change. Yesterday (Saturday) was an anomaly, with a cold and rainy start in the 40’s that got progressively colder in the 7-8 am hour. Cold and Rainy is not a great combination for an F3 workout but as one of our core principals says: “Held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold.” In most cases, there is likely some other idiot dumb enough to suit up in the gloom and post. It’s been a while since I last Q’ed at The Fighting Yank, so good to make the trip over for a Saturday morning despite the conditions. As I arrive at 6:50, our Nantan awaits me at the curb as Sargento has the Bunker. We quickly assess the situation and decide attendance will be light at best, so we should combine our efforts and give the PAX a Two for One special. Sarge informs he has an FNG coming (“Always be EHing”) and he did in fact show (bonus points for posting in the nastiness). Only Dirt was out for EC so as we counted down to 0700, cars began rolling in. The disclaimer and warm-up are brief with the rain pelting us.

Warm-Up: Don Quixotes and SSH’s – grab some gear out of Sargento’s trunk and head up the hill to the upper picnic shelter. The Bunker portion would be first as Sargento planned 10 stations. With 11 PAX, we modified to a merkin station – except Flintstone is working around an elbow issue – so he ran most of this time. The others worked our way through a circuit of:

• Standing straight arm raises w/ bricks
• Curls with 250 pound weights on curl bar (not really – no idea of the weight)
• Standing kettle bell extensions (3 lb kettlebell)
• Flutter kicks
• Shoulder shrugs with paint cans containing exactly 78 oz and 104 oz of paint left in the gallon buckets
• Standing front shoulder raises with paint cans containing exactly 93.5 oz and 77.3 oz in the gallon buckets
• Bent over rows with full concrete block
• Standing triceps extensions with 22.5 lb kettlebell
• LBCs
• Bent-over flys with bricks
• Merkins (except Flintstone)

Sargento brought his mega JBL speaker which his phone and the Tabata timer was connected. Each exercise went 1 minute with a 3 second rest. Music was supposed to play but we were sparred (briefly). I tried the Roscoe move to hijack the bluetooth speaker but it turned into a co-Q fail not only not playing the music on my phone, but no longer announcing the time of the exercise. The rain had subsided at this point but the concrete under the cover had plenty of puddles leaving only a few dry spots for the flutters and lbcs. We found a  way to persevere. With 11 exercises and a few seconds of rest, everyone completed a full circuit plus a few extra rounds to exhaust The Bunker’s first half hour of the Twofer.

With the gloom and doom forecast, I had planned to keep the PAX under the shelter but exact a cardio beatdown unlike no other experience. But what does a Q do when plans change on a dime? Adjust, Omaha, call it whatever you want but I spent most of the time contemplating my adjusted workout. I also was trying to workaround our FNG’s knee injury but there is only so much you can do and still give the PAX their money’s worth. Instead of multiple rounds, I sped through these circuits one time:

1. Squats x 25, R Lunge x 15, L Lunge x 15, R Side Lunge x 15, L Side Lunge x 15, Bench Jumps x 20 (butt to the bench and jumps up off the bench)
2. Calf Raises x 30 (had salute Dirt’s favorite), Bonnie Blairs x 20, Imperial Walker Squats x 20 (count the squat), Bench Jumps x 20
3. Merkins x 15, Shoulder Taps x 30 (ct each tap), Merkins x 15, Peter Parker x 30 (total), Burps x 15
4. Dips x 15, Derkins x 15, Dips x 15, Crab Cakes x 15
5. Glute Bridges x 25, Bulgarian Squat 30 (15 R/15 L), High Knees x 30 (Total)

Partner work: P1 does counting exercise to 25 reps; P2 does AMRAP exercise to maintain the cardio. Two sets for each exercise so the counting equals 100.

1. P1 – SSH’s x 25; P2 – Burpees AMRAP
2. P1 – Mtn Climbers x 25; P2 – Hand Release Merkins AMRAP
3. P1 – LBCs x 25; P2 – Plank Jacks AMRAP
4. P1 – Squats x 25; P2 – Ski Abs AMRAP

Of course I had to introduce some bit of complication but the PAX picked it up and really embraced the activity, especially the AMRAP portion. I had done some parts of this before but as with any new weinke – the timing is the one variable that you can’t always account. So I had about 8 minutes left to burn and we jumped into some core work to finish out the event.

Announcements: Q school and burgers – yesterday – hope you attended and learned something. Community Foundation Run April 9th – have you registered yet?; Prayer Requests: Tesla, Roscoe’s FIL/M – there are others that I missed.

COT – Sargento had been working to EH David Hamilton for a few years. The 1989 Ashbrook Greenwave was a dominant small forward in the Southeastern 4A has since migrated to Belmont to live with his family that his kids attended or currently attend South Point. As our FNG explained some things about himself, Sargento said he had the biggest set of hands he’d ever shaken – hence we’ll now call him The Glove – welcome. For a cold and wet day, we survived it. Doodles, who works for US Air said it best: “I can work in the cold or I can work in the rain, but I don’t like working in both.” As the kids text, TBH, I don’t like working out in the rain or the cold either. I’m ready for Spring.  But the chatter was pretty steady today during both sessions of the combined workout. And getting in a workout with the PAX is better than going at it alone.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

6 PAX descended on Lake Murray for some relay miles, in the Dam to Dam Relay.  Here’s the highlights:

Team Name:

• Burly Sebastians

Team Roster:

• Go Greene Go (F3 Shelby) – Got us out to a fast start, as he was the first runner from our heat to reach Exchange Zone #2.  GGG scoffed at all the newfangled gadgetry, conquering his legs and the weekend with no watch and a flip phone.  His group texts showed his perseverance to finishing a task using only T9.
• Latte (F3 Shelby) (R) – The captain of our ship, and the only rookie on the team.  Latte’s van got the job done.  With over 250,000 miles, that sucker had seen a lot, but it hadn’t chauffeured a relay team through the back roads of South Carolina, and it got stamped with it’s very own F3 sticker for its efforts.  Latte’s legs were strong too, coming in under his predicted times and running farther than he ever had in one day before.
• EZ Rider – Part of the Respect Twin Towers that anchored the Burly Sebastians, EZ just crushed the first of three 7+mile legs on the course. With 12+ miles in 2 legs, EZ stepped up his training and his game on race day.  No quit in EZ.
• Flintstone (Q) – The guy who pulled the team together, Flintstone made sure that 6 guys made it to the start line (even though there were only 4 at the start).  He also had a streak of trying to drop one in the stalls at 3 Exchange Zones in a row.  Probably hit up 90% of the restrooms on the course.  Ran a 7+ mile leg, too.  Caught by Sargento.
• BOS – The second of two Respect Twin Towers, BOS finished with the most miles on the course.  Ran strong and fast, like the competitor he is, and found whatever was left and emptied the tank when it got tough.  A pro.
• Gavel – The most clutch member of the team.  Gavel was a late addition to the team, and the pilot of our second ship.  Stepped in when needed and crushed his runs.  Got the Glory Leg for his efforts.  Accelerating.

Results:

• Total Time:  9:21:33
• Place: 56 of 102
• Team Average Pace: 8:51
• Beat predicted time by 10 minutes

Moleskin:

• What a great day for racing.  The weather couldn’t have been better, and it was a Saturday in February.  Plenty of sun and plenty warm.  The legs were well designed.  The Exchange Zones were all churches, but the people and facilities were nice.  The burgers and doughnuts at the finish line were top notch.  The view at the end also couldn’t be beat.  It’s really a well run race and a great experience.
• That said, there’s always still meat left on the bone, and always a reason to get out and do it again.  Lookin forward to the next one.

Thanks to all who took part and all who supported us running with us in training and throwing some encouragement our way.

Yabba Dabba Doo

Mosey to playground for warm up: SSHx20, Hillbilly’sx12, Moroccan night clubsx10, gravel pickers x10, stretch from plank foot to hand.

Mosey to tennis courts. Partner up – 10 booyah merkins, run opposite directions, 5 burpees when you reach your partner, continue lap in opposite directions, 9 booyah merkins when you reach your partner. Continue laps around the tennis courts until partners complete down to 1 booyah merkin and total 50 burpees. Following a 10 count, we stayed on the tennis courts for escalating corners. Beginning with 10 lunges then escalating for 15 diamond merkins, 20 squats, 25 american hammers – running and bear crawling in between – and back around de-escalating.

Mosey back to the school for curb shuffle, step ups and dips on the benches, and finished on the playground with some ab exercises Mary.

Announcements: Q school at Gashouse 3/12 8:30am, Slaughter to Q downtown 3/18 2nd/3rd F to follow, Friday happy hour 5pm to Traust in Mt. Holly and expected rotation, Rice and Beans help needed 3/15 contact Virus

Prayer requests: Pax and family, pax on IR and injuries, family traveling

Honored for the opportunity to lead.

-Gator

Warm Up. Seal Jacks, Mo Rockin Nite Clubs,

To the Theatre
Dirty hook ups, SSH, dip, 10x each
We did this multiple times until it was time to move on.

Tennis Courts
Dora 1, 2, 3, Merkins, Flutters, Imperial Squats,
I had the pax partner up with someone they dont normally work with.
This encourages many things, it allows you to learn more about another Pax and may help each other to push the rock just a little further than the day before.
I know BallJoint, we have been friends now longer than we have not. However we dont partner up as much as we did back in the day.
Balljoint pushes me to improve I hope others this morning got or gave a push to the man beside of them.

Deck of Death with box carry
pretty simple two pax carry a box (weighted) said distance. the other pax do the work on the card.
I felt that my cannon ammunition box had been getting a little light lately. So I put a 40lb ruck plate on top for a little restrictor plate weight. We did this many times back and forth mumble chatter was good fellowship was great, and the workout was eh, ok. Preparing for the P200 this month has me focused on the challenge ahead so my Q was JV. But I am very thankful for the friends of F3. Each year when the 200 comes around I begin thinking of the time I was fired on my day off just after I ran my first leg of the 200 in 2019. That shit sucked big time, I lost my insurance income and faith in myself as a man and husband all while staring at a group of strong Men who are in my mind some of the best around. What do you do? I had to call my wife then rest to be ready for the next leg. Luckily my M is amazing and she was actually glad. I hated this Job it was not a career I was Just over Broke and was looking for a way out of this job anyway. God just helped me rip that band aid off, little did I know I was in the best place for that to happen. I am thankful that these men were around me. I was thankful my wife was supportive.
I am now very Thankful of how my life is vs 2019. So when you are carrying that heavy box of life and you get an extra 40pounds dropped on top of you. I encourage you to reach out to the brothers of F3, your family, and other groups that you are a part of.
Hold your head up carry that Box until it is time to let it go. I will always be thankful for the Men of F3. I know in my heart we can rely on each other and inspire greatness in the World around us.
Today is the day I am letting go of this Box that reminds me of that day in 2019. This year the P200 will be better than ever!
PB’s will be smashed by many, our Fitness will show, Fellowship well yall know how we do it. Faith I know God has us protected and taken care of already.

The Bed Pan is Full!

I agreed to Q Pain Lab, and created what I thought was an awesome chest-heavy workout.

Then came the rain and the cold.  I didn’t think anyone would show up, but I knew my prepared workout wouldn’t work.  I wasn’t going to ask everyone to lay in puddles.

Instead we carried our coupons into the trail and found several covered areas.   At each we did different workouts. At the final one, we did most of that original awesome chest workout.

The gentlemen of Diablo started with an obscene number of calf raises.

Afterwards rucked into the neighborhood and up Gaston’s Hill.

At the top we planked (almost to failure), each man gave a 20 count.