Author: Flintstone (Page 16 of 23)

5 of us posted for some morning-after work, with a lot of fingers pointed at the 1st F Q for the hateful pains he had caused.  4 runners and Whoopee doing Whoopee things in the parking lot.  Paces were slow today.  Imagine that.  Kudos to those who followed up yesterdays mileage and heat/humidity influenced nastiness with more of the same today (YHC excluded).

We swapped a JJ for a Short Sale and had a good conversation introducing Q2: Live Right.  “Right” is nothing more than being in the stable, upright position and not being a leech draining those around you.  Once we’re Right, and don’t have to worry about Getting Right, our brains are free to explore other things, like what the Sky Q called us to do, and how to help others.  Once we’re right, it seems that our goals continue to get loftier and farther reaching so that we’re both capable of doing more than we’d imagined as a Sad Clown, and wanting to reach those higher heights.  We put in Guardrails to keep us from careening off the cliff, and realize that there’s this drive to help others Get Right too.  The pursuit of all of this makes us more likely to Stay Right too.  It’s not that any of it ever gets easier, you… well, you know the rest.

Happy to lead this group of HIMs that have been most influential in this former Sad Clown Getting Right and trying to Live Right.

Yabba Dabba Doo

3 of F3 Gastonia’s finest ruckers got some work in holding each other’s sacks.  Here’s what I remember:

Tube’s been leading the charge, EHing guys to get back out in the Gloom, and doin a great job of it.  Nobody took the bait this week though, and it was just YHC and Tube at 0530.  Castle Rock rolled in hot, and we skipped a warm up and got after it.

The Thang:

Ruck to the parking lot of the Dollar General and stop and unstrap the rucks for some work:

• 10 x Overhead Presses (IC)
• 10 x Double Crunches (IC)
• Circle up hold your rucks out straight.  YHC put down his ruck, so we had 2 rucks being held, and we just held the rucks in front of us with straight arms, then turned clockwise to pass the ruck to the guy with empty arms.  Complete 10 passes, then flapjack and go counterclockwise for 10 passes.  Let’s call this “Hot Potato” so YHC doesn’t have to describe it over and over again.
• 6 inches (Count down from 30)
• 10 x Squats (IC – Pack on)

Ruck back to Riverwood, and down Plantation Trail to the back entrance to Martha’s.  After passing through the woods to the park, we did it again:

• 10 x Overhead Presses (IC)
• 10 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 10 x Hot Potatoes CW
• 10 x Hot Potatoes CCW
• 6 inches (Count down from 30)
• 10 x Squats (IC – Pack on)

Ruck through the park, up the gravel entrance, and back to the bank besides Snoballs for some Group Work:

• 1 person in the group keeps their pack on and grabs another group member’s pack and rucks around the bank, carrying both however they choose
• 2 of the group members do Wall Sits until the other partner gets back
  • If they have to break the Wall Sit, stop for
  • 10 x Dwight Howards (OYO)
• Each partner takes 1 turn carrying 2 rucks

Wrapping that up, we were close to time, and finished a little more work before heading back to the flag

• 10 x Overhead Presses (IC)
• 10 x Double Crunches (IC)

45 minutes on the nose!

Announcements:

• Memorial Day Murph – The Sandlot @ 0700
• 5/21 – CSAUP

Prayer Requests:

• Turtleman
• PAX Traveling & on IR

Always a good time and good mumblechatter at Diablo.  It really is a fun place to Q.  If you haven’t, you should.

Yabba Dabba Doo

Wednesday at the Labyrinth and it was a good day to have a good day.  Strong group of 6 got out and mixed it up.  Here’s what I remember:

The Thang:

• 10 x SSH (IC)
• 10 x Don Q’s (IC)
• 10 x Hillbillies (IC)
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)

Grabbed a bag from my car and didn’t wait around to show it off, ran to the next stop which was the far entrance at the maintenance building for:

Triple Triple

• Pick a parking spot
• With hands on the lines, crawl sideways to the end of the spot
• 3 x Werkins (OYO)
• Crawl sideways back to the start
• 3 x Werkins (OYO)
• Repeato for a total of 3 times

Grab up the bag and mosey into the park.  We didn’t pay the bills again, so the lights were off, so care was taken not to hit a root on the back side of the fields, heading to the picnic shelter by the turd shack for:

• 15 x Dips (IC)
• 15 x Bulgarian Split Squats L (IC)
• 15 x Bulgarian Split Squats R (IC)
• 15 x Decline Peter Parkers (IC)

What’s in the bag?  Jump ropes! YHC passed ’em out and everyone got familiar with their ropes.  No double dutch was done.  This time.  Instead, it went like this:

• Mosey to the 2nd island
  • 15 x Hand-release Merkins (OYO)
  • 15 x Superman Pullups (OYO)
  • 15 x Double Crunches (OYO)
  • 15 x Penguins (OYO)
  • 15 x Gorilla Humpers (OYO)
• Mosey back to back
  • 10 x Jump Ropes (?) (OYO)
  • This side escalates to let us know what round we’re on, so 20, 30, 40, etc.
• Repeato x 5 for a total of 6 rounds

We took a “break” after round 4 to go back to the shelter for a second round of

• 15 x Dips (IC)
• 15 x Bulgarian Split Squats L (IC)
• 15 x Bulgarian Split Squats R (IC)
• 15 x Decline Peter Parkers (IC)

We finished all 6 rounds and moseyed back, and we were only 2 minutes late!  YHC stuck around and knocked out my 20 burpees for bringing the PAX in late.

Announcements:

• JJ on Q next week (May the Fourth)

Prayer Requests:

• EZ Rider’s Family
• JJ & M married for 20 years

Enjoyed gettin the jump ropes out.  Nobody struggled with it at all.  They’ll definitely be back out.

Good stuff.  Thanks y’all.

Yabba Dabba Doo

10 PAX posted on a gorgeous Saturday morning for BOS’s last ride as Site Q of The Fighting Yank.  Burpees were in the forecast, and the cops were shutting down streets.  Here’s what I remember:

Belmont had it’s Belmont Classic 5K at 0800, so the police had eyes on shutting down parts of Main St.  Tiger and Breaker caught it and threw enough warning out there so our chariots didn’t get blocked in.  Anyways, 0700 came and Virus was antsy, letting YHC know it was time to get started, so started we got.  A piss-poor disclaimer followed, and we moseyed to the Bunker for warm-ups.

The Thang:

• 1 x Burpee (OYO)
• 10 x SSH (IC)
• 10 x Don Quixotes (IC)
• 10 x Gravel Pickers (IC)
• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)

We left the Bunker boys back with Breaker to babysit them as they played with their toys and sidewalk chalk and we headed across the train tracks for:

• 2 x Burpees (OYO)

Hardly worth the effort of calling them

Mosey to Phil Champion State Farm where we’d set up shop to get a good look at the runners as they warmed up, and they’d get a good look at our best sides as we put in work.  For the next 30-40 minutes, every time we went anywhere, we always came back to the State Farm to hang out with Belmont’s finest and our Good Neighbors.

• 3 x Burpees (OYO)
• 5 x Burpees (OYO – Train #1)
• 10 x Hip Slappers (IC)
• 10 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 10 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 10 x American Hammers (IC)
• 10 x Flutter Kicks (IC)
• 10 x Oblique Crunches R (IC)
• 10 x Oblique Crunches L (IC)
• 10 x Calf Raises (IC)

Next, we got in our pre-race warmup by running the block up to Todd, back to Center, and around to the State Farm, returning for

• 4 x Burpees (OYO)
• 5 x Burpees (OYO – Train #2)
• 15 x Hip Slappers (IC)
• 15 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 15 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Flutter Kicks (IC)
• 15 x Oblique Crunches R (IC)
• 15 x Oblique Crunches L (IC)
• 15 x Calf Raises (IC)

Next up, partner up.  One partner runs a similar loop, but the other way, going up to Circle, running all the way down Circle, and coming back to State Farm.  While that partner is running the other stays for:

• Wall Sits

So we were probably looking at 4 minutes or so of Wall Sits, so to break it up, we did Wall Sits to failure, but when failure set in, PAX did:

• 10 x Dwight Howards (OYO)

When partners returned, we switched and did the other part.  Once the second partner got back, Doodles wanted to go again, but we resisted, and cranked out

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)
• 20 x Hip Slappers (IC)
• 20 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 20 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 20 x American Hammers (IC)
• 20 x Flutter Kicks (IC)
• 20 x Oblique Crunches R (IC)
• 20 x Oblique Crunches L (IC)
• 20 x Calf Raises (IC)

Time for some Traveling Lindsay, with the catch being every time we traveled on the day, we stopped and added another burpee to the set, so sets looked like this:

• State Farm
  • 30 x Monkey Humpers (OYO)
  • 10 x Diamond Merkins (OYO)
• Mosey to Glenway & Woodrow
  • 6 x Burpees (OYO)
  • 25 x Monkey Humpers (OYO)
  • 15 x Diamond Merkins (OYO)
• Mosey to shopping center at Kenwood
  • 7 x Burpees (OYO)
  • 20 x Monkey Humpers (OYO)
  • 20 x Diamond Merkins (OYO)
• Mosey to Kenwood & Main
  • 8 x Burpees (OYO)
  • 15 x Monkey Humpers (OYO)
  • 25 x Diamond Merkins (OYO)
• Mosey back to the Yank
  • 9 x Burpees (OYO)
  • 10 x Monkey Humpers (OYO)
  • 30 x Diamond Merkins (OYO)

That was enough.  Finished right on time.  No time to make up for the “No Reps” on that last set of Diamonds.

Breaker Breaker took COT

Announcements:

• Gavel is the new Site Q @ The Yank
• Golf Tournament – Check Buckshot’s post in Slack

Moleskin:

Congrats to both BOS and Gavel on a strong body of work.  I have a ton of respect for both men, and believe that good things are in store as they keep punching the clock in the Gloom.  One man’s finish line is another man’s starting line.  Just a reminder that this thing is bigger than any one of us, and yet, we are heavily influenced by the HIMs that are posting beside us every day.

It’s been a while since I Q’d at the Yank, but I love the site.  So many different ways to go.  Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

Yabba Dabba Doo

Strong showing of 13 men showed up to start a fine Wednesday morning.  Here’s what we did:

The Thang:

• 15 x Goofballs (IC)

Head to the track for a quicker paced warm up:

• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 10 x Don Quixotes (IC)
• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 10 x Hillbilly Walkers (IC)
• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 10 x Mahktar Ndiayes (IC)
• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 20 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)
• Mosey 1/2 Lap
• 10 x Mahktar Ndiayes (IC)

We were back at the parking lot at this point, and we headed to New Hope Presby for some core work.

• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 20 x Penguins (IC)
• 10 x Heels to Heaven (IC)
• 20 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 10 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

During the core work, we varied the cadence, slowing things down for the Cockroaches, Heels to Heaven and Flutter Kicks.  We focused on controlling all the movements.  Turns out, slow Flutters add another layer to the madness.

Once we finished up, everyone got a parking spot and we planked on the parking spot, then side crawled (?) from one end of the parking spot to the other.  Each time we got to the other side, we did 1 merkin.  Timer was set for 3 minutes.  Repeato.

Turns out, the parking lot is built for boats.  The parking spots were long, and there was a good bit of complaining.  But you can do anything for 3 minutes, so we pressed on.

Next, we took a quick mosey to Tomshir for a lap around their loop, then back to the church for

Triple Nickel

• Side 1: 5 x Burpees
• Side 2: 5 x Burpees

The only way to Triple Nickel.

Solid work all the way around.  We pushed each other, and got it done.

Next we did another round of the 3-minute-parking-spot-merkin-side-crawl-fest, or whatever you’d rather name it.  It still sucked.

Next, back to the flag for one last round of core work

• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 20 x Penguins (IC)
• 10 x Heels to Heaven (IC)
• 20 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 10 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

Again we varied speeds.  Also, true to form at the Ricky Bobby, we had to scatter as Mrs. Breaker tried to run over PAX like Carrie Fisher in Blues Brothers.

And that was that.

COT

Great push by the group today.  A rare day too where the no- Respect crowd significantly outnumbered the Respect crowd.  A good crew of fresh faces too, with Umbro, J2C, and Offshore.  Also, welcome back to Stone Cold, with a Kotter off an injury.

Finally, if you’re reading this far and haven’t Q’d at the Ricky Bobby in a while, or at all, what are you waiting for?  There’s neighbors to wake up, Sentinels to see, and Nantan’s monkeys to hump.  Hill work, track work, ball fields, parking lots of all sizes, shelter, and PAX arriving by foot make the Ricky Bobby a great place to start the day.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead

Yabba Dabba Doo

Twas the week before the big rivalry game – the one that would ultimately end Coach K’s career, and that was all anyone could think about.  8 PAX gathered to play Final Four Corners and get in the Tobacco Road spirit.

The Thang:

• 10 x SSH (IC)
• 10 x Don Quixotes (IC)
• 10 x Hillbillies (IC)
• 10 x Moroccan Night Clubs (IC)

Mosey to the entrance of Martha’s to finish up the Warm Up

• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)
• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 10 x Jingle Balls (IC)

Mosey down to the Picnic Tables by the Turd Shack for

• 15 x Superman Pull-ups (IC)
• 15 x Decline Peter Parkers (IC)
• 15 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 10 x Step-ups (OYO – Each leg)

Down to the main soccer field for a little 4 corners and some trivia.

Here’s how it’ll go.  We run to a location, we ask a trivia question, if the PAX get it right, they get to choose the next exercise.  If not, YHC chooses.  All questions are about the Carolina/Duke rivalry.  But before we start all that, mosey to station one for

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)

Next to the second corner:

Question: Does Coach K have a winning, losing, or even record agains the Tar Heels as Duke’s coach?

Answer: Winning (50-47)

PAX answered correctly and added 10 merkins, so we did

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)
• 10 x Merkins (OYO)

Corner 3:

Question:  Who is the only All-American playing in the UNC/Duke Final Four Game?

Answer: Paolo Banchero

PAX answered incorrectly, so YHC added the only logical thing, 15 Bobby Hurleys

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)
• 10 x Merkins (OYO)
• 15 x Bobby Hurleys (OYO)

Corner 4:

Question:  Who is Duke’s all-time leading scorer?  YHC gave the hint of all hints that JJ would know this one (which he would… in fact, the whole time, everyone wished JJ was there to make this whole thing easier… he would have known them all)

Answer: JJ Redick

PAX answered correctly, and added 20 Flutter Kicks, so the lineup was

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)
• 10 x Merkins (OYO)
• 15 x Bobby Hurleys (OYO)
• 20 x Flutter Kicks (OYO)

So at this point, we turned around to go back, and undo all that we did.  At each station, we’d ask a question, and if the PAX got it right, they would get to take an exercise off the list.  If they missed, they all stayed.

Question: Which school, UNC or Duke, has won more NCAA Championships in basketball?

Answer: UNC (UNC 6, Duke 5)

PAX answered correctly and got rid of the Bobby Hurleys

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)
• 10 x Merkins (OYO)
• 20 x Flutter Kicks (OYO)

Mosey to the next corner

Question: There have been 4 Wooden Award winners in UNC history.  Name 2 of them.

Answer:  Phil Ford, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison, Tyler Hansborough

The PAX correctly picked Jordan and Hansborough, so they got rid of the 5 burpees

• 10 x Merkins (OYO)
• 20 x Flutter Kicks (OYO)

2 questions left.  Next station

Question: Who is the most hated player in the history of the UNC/Duke rivalry?

Answers:  YHC would have accepted a number of answers, but the PAX were unanimous – Christian Laettner.  Take of the Merkins.

• 20 x Flutter Kicks (OYO)

Last corner

Last Question:  Spell Krzyzewski

No answer

• 20 x Flutter Kicks (OYO)

5 of 7 was a good test.  Solid 71% for this group.  If JJ were there, they would have aced it.

Back to the picnic tables for another round of:

• 15 x Superman Pull-ups (IC)
• 15 x Decline Peter Parkers (IC)
• 15 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 10 x Step-ups (OYO – Each leg)

Then with the time remaining, YHC wanted to do some 22’s in honor of the rebounding performance by Armando Bacot in the Elite Eight game, but we ran out of time, so instead, on the way back, every streetlight we passed we did

• 2 x Merkins (OYO)

to the entrance, then ran it out to the flag.

And that was that.

COT

Fun way to start a fun week.  Got some work in and learned who Duke’s All American was.  It was a privilege as always to lead these men.

Yabba Dabba Doo

Seems like if you do this enough, you’re bound to show up to Q and be the only one there.  Today it was my turn.

I rucked.

Prayer Request:

• Castle Rock’s mother-in-law
  • Prayer answered as the surgery that was scheduled was cancelled because her healing was progressing well enough that there was no reason for the surgery.

Yabba Dabba Doo

No, not 20 PAX at Gashouse.  There were 8 of those, and the groans were plenty when they heard we were combining PainLab and Gashouse for a joint beatdown, but  no running today.  At all.  If you were a F3 Gastonia PAX and wanted to run, there were plenty of options between the relays and the Community Foundation Run.  Today, at Gashouse, we carried.  Went somethin like this.

The Thang:

• 12 x SSH (IC)
• 12 x Hillbilly Walkers (IC)
• 5 Burpees (OYO – Train)
• 12 x Gravel Pickers (IC)
• 12 x Toy Soldiers (IC)
• 12 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 12 x Mountain Climbers (IC)
• 12 x Mike Tysons (IC)

The Footmobile was loaded up with coupons (cinder blocks), so 6 of us grabbed the 6 blocks that YHC brought, and the other 2 grabbed a kettlebell and we were off.

With a combined beatdown, we could go to the track and take our sweet time and not get run off the track by Wojo and sprints, so that’s where we were headed, but a couple stops on the way:

At Garrison:

Core work

• 20 x Toe Touches (IC)
• 20 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 20 x Heels to Heaven (IC)
• 20 x American Hammers (IC)

Got tougher as we went.  Also, the phrase “hung like a gnat” may have been used.  May have.  Wasn’t the last time unit jokes would make an appearance.

The cinder blocks were like the robot babies that the early childhood development classes made students keep to simulate caring for a newborn.  Wherever we went, our coupons went.  The main difference is you can carry them however you want without fear of public shaming.  Or maybe just being in public with these men in the gloom was shaming enough.

Anyways, up the hill to Grier for:

Partner work

1 partner exercise/1 partner hold, then switch roles

• 20 x Merkins / Plank
• 20 x Calf Raises / Al Gore
• 20 x Reverse Crunches / Six Inches

The “Six Inch Hold” strikes again as a PAX mumble chatter favorite.  Needless to say a number of us overestimated our 6 inches.

Drag the baby, errr the coupon, however you want to the track.  Here we hit a little Wolfpack Grinder, but a little different, with PAX choice and call and a different pair of exercises at each stop.  First stop, YHC asked for volunteers to lead an exercise, and Les couldn’t wait to get out “LBCs” before YHC announced that it need to involve the coupon.  So LBCs with the coupon were born, or rather just described as:

• Les Nessman – Some kind of reverse crunch thing x 20 (IC)

followed by

• Voodoo – Squat Thrusters x 20 (OYO)

Carry the coupon 1/2 a lap

• Clavin – Box Jumps onto and off of the coupon x 20 (OYO)
• Bondo – 30 x Curls (OYO)

Another 1/2 a lap

• Flintstone – Chest Press x 10 (IC)
• Castle Rock – Coupon Swings x 10 (OYO)

Last 1/2 a lap

• Linus – Upright Rows x 10 (IC)
• Orange Peel – Overhead Presses x 30 (OYO)

As we came in we noticed some gates were unlocked, so we meant to go explore parts of the school we don’t usually have access to, but time was getting short on us, so we took our coupons up and down some stairs, and around the sidewalk under a covered walkway that was apparently made for vertically challenged middle schoolers to a spot which was a good length for:

• Murder Bunnies

This was a new one for some of the PAX, and I was glad to dust ’em off.  I learned later that Merlot was considered.  No splashing though, and we still needed to finish up.

As we head out, Leslie is telling jokes about twenty six year olds and we start retracing steps:

Partner work

• 20 x Merkins / Plank
• 20 x Calf Raises / Al Gore
• 20 x Reverse Crunches / Six Inches

A quick spell of dizziness, then we hauled our coupons back to the flag, where we dropped the blocks back in the Footmobile, but not before sacrificing one of the weaker coupons to the PainLab deity-of-choice as it was cracked and care was taken not to have the break and it’s mess take place in the car.

One last round of Core Work before we wrapped up:

• 15 x Toe Touches (IC)
• 15 x Freddie Mercuries (IC)
• 15 x Heels to Heaven (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

And that was that.

No relevant announcements as all the runs are already over.

Prayer Requests:

• Bondo’s wife
• Turtleman
• Huck

Moleskin:

Strong showing by the PainLabbers today.  Bondo and Orange Peel threw it down and made that work look easy.  Solid little sweat today too.  Voodoo said somewhere along the way that he saw something where someone was asked to hold an 8 ounce glass of water, and it’s not heavy until you’re holding it for 30 minutes, and hour, 2 hours, and so on.  Sometimes your body can get used to some things, and it just doesn’t seem hard anymore, but sometimes the consistency itself, and a perpetual grind can turn out to be the hard thing over an extended time.  The focus can be exhausting.  What can we do to stay sharp and keep accelerating?  Sometimes it’s just hard as hell to stay focused, because the “stay” part has no end.  We’ve never fully won and it’s never over.  That block never really felt light, but we just kept grinding.  At the end of the day, we do it for each other.  Thanks for the push today and every day.

Yabba Dabba Doo

Relay weekend, so it was a given numbers would be low across the region.  With all the horses recovering from their Kentucky Derby, Stinky Bird and YHC filled the gap and got in a few miles.  The classic loop got its first week off in a long time.

Q Source discussion today on Shorties spoke to the importance of being a present father.  In wondering how, we looked to our own parents and their examples, good and bad, being more important than any words they ever told us.  Keep them safe.  Give them all your love (and according to Dredd, all your money).  And know that God is ultimately in control.

Prayer Requests:

• Stinky Bird’s family
• PAX traveling and recovering

Great start to the morning.

Yabba Dabba Doo

We rucked.

If you weren’t here, you missed a good workout at Diablo Sammich.