Author: Virus (Page 1 of 4)

January started out with relatively good showings for 5AM in the COLD! The inaugural year of Ground Assault did ok in February and March with plenty of HIMs preparing for races and relays. This year February and March attendance did not disapPOINT with the Pushing Rocks Challenge, even with some cold and rainy Wednesdays. However, today at the aPOINTed time, there were only three HIMs there to join me, all of them ruckers. Seemed I was going to be running by myself so I did not need to go through the wayPOINTs for today’s route. After we said The Pledge someone POINTed out to me there was a car arriving a little late. Turned out be Minivan who pushed me through the run. While we may not have received any points for any challenge, from my standPOINT we all benefited from being out there getting better!

Announcements:

• Convergence, Fuse Park, Apr. 13 – 7:00 AM
• Extinction Run, May 18th

Namarama and COT

It was a perfect morning with just a little chill in the air. What better way to start a Friday than a workout at Tequila Sunrise? As we gathered in the parking lot it looked like the Pushing Rocks Challenge was continuing to bring out a good crowd.

Warmup

• SSH
• Don Quixote
• Arm Circles

Mosey to the road at the back entrance to the school

• 1 burpee, run to the first telephone pole on the left and do 1 jump squat and 1 merkin, run back to the start
• 2 burpees, run to the second telephone pole on the left and do 2 jump squats and 2 merkins, run back to the start
• keep incrementing until we reach the STOP sign at the end of the road, should be up to 10 reps by then

This took almost 30 minutes but all the PAX were dedicated and worked hard to finish.

On to the Triple Nickle

• hand release merkins at start
• LBCs in the middle of the route
• flutter kicks at the street light

We got a few reps in and then had to mosey back to the school and catch the Pledge. We spoke briefly about pushing yourself a little. We always mention that you should modify as necessary, but at the same time you should push yourself as necessary.

Announcements:

• Convergence, Fuse Park, Apr. 13 – 7:00 AM
• Extinction Run Upcoming, details to come

Prayer Requests

• Gavel
• Hall Family
• all those spoken and unspoken

As 2022 was coming to a close there was some talk in the gloom of starting a new running and rucking AO in Belmont. With all the relays, half-marathons, marathons and other events that the PAX were participating in it seemed like it stood a good chance of making it. The other idea was to see if a 5:00AM launch on Wednesdays would actually work. So on January 4th, 2023 there were 11 crazy PAX there at 5:00AM for the debut of the new AO. Now we find ourselves at the end of 2023 with the aptly named Ground Assault still going strong.

Today we had four ruckers and six runners who braved the misty mess to get just a little bit better. We said the pledge before heading out to ruck and run The Loops.

Here’s to a great first year for Ground Assault and to an even better 2024!

Announcements:

• Beer Mile, Dec 30th – reach out to Sargento
• New Year’s Convergence, Jan 1st – Martha Rivers Park, 7:00AM with EC rucking and running options at 6:00AM leaving from Pelican’s

Prayer Requests

• all those traveling
• Turtleman & family
• Montana
• Jane Fonda
• all those unspoken

COT

Our announced running route for this morning was Loftin Park. As we set out some took an early turn onto Catawba, but then joined back up with the others. As we came down Park to turn onto Catawba we were joined by Roscoe who had chased us down. After we all looped around Loftin Park there were various routes taken by the PAX to get back to downtown Belmont, but in the end, we all made it back.

Announcements:

• Beer Mile, Dec 30th – reach out to Sargento
• New Year’s Convergence, Jan 1st – Martha Rivers Park, 7:00AM

Prayer Requests

• Turtleman & family
• Friend of Dr. Seuss, stomach cancer surgery
• all those spoken and unspoken

COT

The one thing about running out of downtown Belmont is that just about any direction you head, you have to start by going uphill. The good thing is that it is usually a downhill finish. One of the first routes put together by Flintstone was “The Loops” which could have also been named “The Hills” as it features a pretty good hill on each of the loops. We said the Pledge and then five runners and two ruckers set off to put in some work.

Announcements

Prayer Requests

COT

The feel of fall is finally here. The PAX got the pledge in and then headed off into the gloom. The route for the day was “Loftin Park”. There were four ruckers and four runners of which one was an FNG. Welcome to Kudzu, EH’ed by Termite.

Announcements

Prayer Requests

COT

As the clock hit 5:00 we said the pledge and the set off. We ran the “Loops” route. As both the ruckers and runners approached downtown to cross the tracks to the finish that ominous horn blasted out through the silent morning. It was a long train, so we all got in some extra loops around downtown as we waited for the train to clear.

Announcements

Prayer Requests

COT

Pledge

Disclaimer

Warm Up

SSH – 10 IC
Side Straddle Hops – 20 IC
Don Quixote – 10 IC
Arm Circles– 10 forwards, 10 backwards OYO

Get to It

Mosey down to the school wall for some work:
5 Dips in cadence, 5 Derkins OYO
10 Dips in cadence, 10 Derkins OYO
15 Dips in cadence, 15 Derkins OYO

Mosey on down the street to the center of town and cross over railroad tracks. We ran around the buildings and to the back parking lot where we did Walls of Jericho: 7 different exercises and complete 7 reps of each and run one lap around the building. Repeat for 7 laps.
The following were the called exercises:

Jumping Spider
Merkin with a bounce on the up (getting feet & hands off the ground)
E2k
Elbow to knee
Russian Twist
American Hammer, but I needed an “R”
Imperial Squat Walker
Cruel cousin of the Imperial Walker, squat between each elbow to knee
Crunchy Frog
this keeps us getting up and down
Happy Jacks
5 side straddle hops quickly followed by two jump squats
One-legged burpee
Not enough exercises start with “O”… this was a crowd pleaser

When I scouted out the area I noticed the back corner of the building was a little dark so I warned the PAX. Unfortunately, on the first lap Red Ribbon tripped over a curb and had a very hard landing on his shoulder. I did not see the vehicle that had backed up against the curb and its shadow obscured where the curb was sticking out. Again, we all need to be aware of lighting and hazards and consider where we hold our workouts.

After completing our seven laps the PAX mosey back to the middle school.
We cruise into the parking lot and we are done!

Announcements

Namarama

COT

During last week’s installment of Ground Assault we ran past someone out walking who was wearing an F3 10th Anniversary shirt. He turned down Keener Blvd before we got to him. I decided to run back and EH him (although I don’t guess it is an EH if he is already in F3). I had a quick conversation with him and he said he had been inactive for a while. I gave him some quick information about F3 Gastonia and ran back to catch up with the group. So when I arrived this morning, there he was, ready to go ruck. He said he was Wax On and that he had invited another Kotter. A couple minutes later another rucker appeared out of the gloom and introduced himself as Solomon. As the top of the hour approached it became apparent that we had three runners and two kotter ruckers. I offered to walk with them but they said they were good. I also offered to send them the standard rucking route but they said they knew a good route. The clock struck five so we said The Pledge and we were off.

Since I had mistakenly posted the link to the “Catchy Named Route – Reversed” last week, we ran that. During the run we hit the substantial downhill portion on Ewing Dr. and Gavel remarked, “What goes up, must come down.” Unfortunately for us this was the downhill leading into a couple really fun uphill sections.

As I said previously, we set out with two ruckers and three runners. Our ruckers didn’t make it back to the COT, but we did end up with four runners as Termite came running in and told us he had gotten there about five minutes late.

Announcements:

• Lunch, Pita Wheel – Gastonia, Sept. 20th
• Half Marathon Ruck, Oct. 21st

Prayer Requests

• Termite and family
• Turtleman
• all those spoken and unspoken

As the PAX gathered in the gloom it became apparent that we only had runners in the group. The plan was to run Bubba Sparxxx’s “Catchy Named Route.” But the reverse of this route was the one that was posted. The decision was made to run the “forward” version. We said the pledge and then headed out. Yet another humid run, but we were all better for coming out and getting in an early run and a great start to the day.

Announcements:

• Half Marathon Ruck, Oct. 21st

Prayer Requests

• Norwood
• Turtleman
• Termite and family
• PAX on IR
• all those spoken and unspoken