Month: March 2024 (Page 15 of 15)

There was 2 of us at Old School this morning. It was myself and The Old School OG himself Freight. We got in some good hard work and fellowship this morning. There was a lot of Merkins and Squats along the way to Carr Elementary were we got in several rounds of Pull-ups paired with a lot more Merkins and Squats. We followed up with a quick round of 4 corners that consisted mostly of core work before we headed back towards the Old School parking lot for some fun with Sandbags. We got in several rounds of various carries, presses, deadlifts, etc… We finished things off with a Burpee to Deadlift complex that was totally uncalled for, unnecessary, but very effective.

TIME

Announcements – 4/13 Convergence at Community Foundation Race – Speed For Need Pushers needed for Community Foundation Race see Purple Haze

Prayers – Hall Family, Turtleman, Huckleberry, Anchorman and many more I am failing to remember.

Team 6 showed up in force this morning, 3 out of 4. There were 2 other HIM’s that showed. Some ran/some rucked.

YHC discussed God is working in you.

God gives us the ‘want to’ and the ‘ability to’, even when our flesh wants what we want. Go check out Philippians Chapters 1 &2. One of my favorite verses is 1:6 that says, “that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”

Disclaimer:  Not a professional, but we will not move to fast or too far that you will not be able to keep up.  Work in between will be done with my count or a count of others who are called on.  Work hard for them. Stay with the group in cadence.  We will not go so fast where anyone gets left behind.
Principles of F3:
1) Free of charge (zero cost, never charge for a workout)
2) Open to all men (no matter the man, you are welcome)
3) Held outdoors (rain or shine, heat or cold we are out there)
4) Peer led (led in a rotating fashion by the men who attend)
5) End with a Circle of Trust (always ends with a COT)

Mission of F3:  Plant, Grow and Serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Motto:  We welcome men of all fitness levels and all physical abilities to our workouts. We have no requirement for membership other than you show up on time to the location and follow what the workout leader has planned. We will not leave any man behind!

Pledge

Warm Up: Mosey around lot to loosen up, SSHx10 IC, Grass Pickers x10 IC, MNC x10IC
Thang:  Blockbuster…10 each Blockees, Good mornings, Press, squats, curls, row, then run two laps and repeat.  We did three rounds.  Third round we did rifle carry for a lap.

Hand Release Merkins:  5×30 seconds with 30 second rest in between

WW3 Situps with block press for two rounds of 30/30.

Time….

Announcements:  Rice & Beans March 12 at Salvation Army (see mumblechatter and Anchroman, Clothes donations contact Hei Hei, Bulldog is moving to Thursday at WA Bess, Food Drive ruck at 05:45 starting at the Yank, Speed for Need (SFN) April 13 see Purple Haze), April 20 Extinction Run at 10:00 at Primal Brewing

TAP:  Jason Hall (Ratchet) and Family for his son Jackson, Turtleman, Anchroman, Huckleberry, My 2.1, Breaker and his multiple family members with health issues, Hot Corner with healing

Name-O-Rama

I haven’t Q’d in a while and it showed. I showed up a few minutes early but got caught by a train. Jane Fonda and I were on the wrong side but we got to catch up. Made it across just in time and didn’t have to call burpees. I forgot the pledge all together, sorry men. Little to no disclaimer hope I don’t get sued. 0700 and we’re off! Headed to the shelter for the warmup when Orangeman notice the nice new playground mat around Stowe Park. We stopped to check it out. Here’s what happened.

Warmup at playground:
Stretch
Toy soldiers x11 IC
SSH x11 IC
Merkins x11 IC

Mosey to bunker:
Blocks: 11s – curls/chest press

Mosey to Hawthorne hill:
10 CDDs at bottom, 10 big boys at top 5x

Mosey back to bunker for CORA: 50 WWII, 100 dying cockroaches, 150 LBCs

Mosey to the Fighting Yank statue and finished with flutters and Freddie Mercurys.

Announcements:
Rice & beans 3-13
Bulldog moving to Thursdays 3-8
3-16 food ruck 0545 at Yank before beatdown
4-13 convergence at Community Foundation Run 0700 all other AOs closed
4-20 extinction run

Prayer/praises:
Jane Fonda
Ocho’s family after grandma passing
Holbrook Middle School after the passing of a 6th grader
BOS’s mom mass on lung
Virus’ father in law and M
Breaker’s aunt
Anchorman and his M

YHC prayed.

Happy to lead again but also happy to have others jump in too. Thanks men.

10 runners ran at the Pub.  Armory route, so nobody can get lost.  The pace was quick, as the 5 mile paces were all 8:40 or lower.  Maybelline and Stroganoff ran off, but Sargento started moving and Whoopee did Whoopee things like run by you just to show you he can.  The bus showed up at the turnaround point and some PAX debated using public transportation.

We announced the announcements and prayed for Maybelline’s granddad, Sargento’s client, and others who are sick and suffering.

First run since race day.  Good to get the wheels turning again.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

Yabba Dabba Doo

The relay race is a staple in F3, and F3 Gastonia is no different.  Among the best of the relays is Dam to Dam.  It’s got the local convenience and small town atmosphere with no bells or whistles.  Just a bunch of F3 guys putting on an event for their friends.  As the race has grown over the years, they’ve done a great job of scaling it up and giving back to the local churches that make Dam to Dam what it is.  It’s always on the calendar, but this year was a little different, as I got curious about goin Ultra.

I got to training, running every chance I could with anyone I could run with, putting in a couple “3-a-days” and just trying to keep pushing.  It didn’t matter how far I went, it never felt like enough, as the 31.5 miles that was scheduled for the day loomed.

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”  Life happens, and things don’t work out the way we expect, but that doesn’t mean they don’t work out.  Team dynamics changed, a lot more than expected, and my Ultra team became a 4-man team, with Ville to Ville runners prepping for a race 2 months out filling in the rest of the spots.

Legs were assigned:

1. Flintstone
2. Gumby
3. Flintstone
4. Blart
5. Termite
6. Gumby
7. Flintstone
8. Blart
9. Flintstone
10. Termite
11. Flintstone
12. Gumby

So the day of the race came.  Plenty of Q Fails along the way, as we had little preparation, printed maps, breakfast or coffee plans, etc.  You name it, we didn’t do it.  But what we did was show up.  2:00 AM – Wake up.  3:30 – Meet up in McAdenville launching in Termite’s truck.  5:30 – Arrival.  6:00 – Launch.  And just like that it was on.

The day went quickly, and it was 2 weeks ago, so this backblast is way late (another Q fail), but here are the things I remember:

• Gumby is a monster.  He crushed his 3rd leg, running a 7:48 pace for 3+ miles with the last quarter mile under 7:00.
• There’s not a better guy on the planet than Blart.  He was the one who held us all together and did all the little things – driving, navigating, staying ready with a joke, and just generally aware of what needed to be done all along the way.
• Termite was clutch, joining the team the week of the race, offering a vehicle, driving, and taking the longest leg.  He wandered off a lot less than expected, but nobody had a better time than Termite.  He showed up smiling and left smiling.
• The burgers at the finish line were great as always, but don’t sleep on crinkle cut fries.  They kept them hot the whole time too.
• After my last marathon, Golddigger mentioned to me that in those distances, you go through phases, and if something hurts, it’s just a phase.  You learn what to pay attention to.  I didn’t have my fastball on the day, and the miles were more of a grind than I wanted, especially early, but as the day wore on, I kind of figured it out and at the end of the day, with the help of my teammates, we got it done.
• I didn’t have a goal for a pace, just to finish, but as the day wore on, I realized I hadn’t walked, so I figured that was the goal.  I was able to finish my legs without walking a step, so that felt like something.

We didn’t win the race.  We didn’t see any other Gastonia team, finishing probably 2 hours after they did.  We ran.  And drove.  And pissed in urinals at the churches.  But everyone stepped up and we did the thing, and that’s what it’s about.  You never know how it’s going to go, but that’s the point.  There’s a little discomfort, but a lot of comfort in knowing you’re in it together, and you’ll find a way to make it to the burgers at the end.  A huge shout out to my teammates – Blart, Gumby, and Termite – who made it a great day.  And to all those who spent time logging miles, as that’s where the real work is done.  And of course to Virus, whose razor-sharp memory was the impetus for the Ultra try and whose push has got me through, from early days and bear crawling bootcamps to 20 mile runs and whatever comes next.

Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless.  If you don’t know, ask, and get involved.  It’s livin at it’s finest.

Yabba Dabba Doo