Category: Backblast (Page 222 of 904)

3 ruckers, 6 runners and a couple for QSource today as we got in some miles in the cold.

10 for QSource as we covered Missionality and Lizard Building to wrap up the year.  “A sidewind is the same as a headwind” is true for Missionality, but those sidewinds are also often part of the cost of business.  The trick is not to invest too many resources in them and to get back on Mission as soon as possible.

Lizard organizations are dependent on strong relationships.  Developing Sua Sponte Leaders who lead from within the organization is most effective.  12 or 43 are the magic numbers, depending on the context.  Keep teams small, and stay prepared as a leader, keeping an eye on the big picture, and incentivizing I2.

Announcements:

• Coconut Horse is closed for Christmas
• QSource 1/1 will be on 8 Block

Good to see some different faces out there this morning.  And good to see the familiar ones too I guess.

My last Q for the year, I think.  Time to start preparing for 2023, but not by sandbagging for the challenge.  Will see y’all on the other side of the ball drop.

Yabba Dabba Doo

It was a another foggy, damp gloom but the HIM showed for the action. some ran, some rucked.

The Word:

Proverbs 12: 1, 2

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns.

Announcements: New Year Challenge, Beer mile 12/31 @ 11am at Sargento’s

Prayer: Wirenut’s daughter, Huck, Turtleman, Slaw’s M sick, stress of the season, our men & women in uniform, Chubbs dad losing sight

Our Redwoods series is over, but 11 HIM came back for more at The Sandlot. YHC left without the shovel flag for the first time in 2 years (well, the second, but burpees were paid for that one).  Here’s what I remember:

The Thang:

• 10 x SSH (IC)
• 10 x Don Quixotes (IC)
• 10 x Hillbilly Walkers (IC)
• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 10 x Hello Dollies (IC)
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)
• 20 x Elwoods (IC)

Mosey out to the center of the ballfields.  On the way, the mumblechatter left me scrambling for a change to the Weinke.  Easy enough.

No gimmicks today.  No theme.  Let’s just end this thing like every other Monday – with good, strong, solid work.

Core work early and often.  Mary throughout.

• 15 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 15 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

Sit & Spin

Partner Up

• One PAX runs around Field #3 (outside the fence, as the PAX needed clarification for some reason)
• The other does Wall Sits til they get back (and as the Q was feeling benevolent, PAX could choose burpees or 6 inches instead)
• Switch and repeato

Mosey to the Turd Shack

Same partners

• 2 minutes on the clock
• One PAX does Hip Slappers
• The other does Wall Sits
• Switch back and forth til time expires

More Mary

• 15 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 15 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

Picnic shelter

Lindsays

• 10 x Dips / 30 x Monkey Humpers
• 15 x Dips / 25 x Monkey Humpers
• 20 x Dips / 20 x Monkey Humpers
• 25 x Dips / 15 x Monkey Humpers
• 30 x Dips / 10 x Monkey Humpers

No 10 Count here, but a several minute break, as YHC shared a few thoughts.  Don’t know really what was said, but will try to get into some of it in the Moleskin.

Turd Shack

Partner

• 2 minutes of Hip Slappers / Wall Sits

Mosey back to the center of the ballfields

• 10 x Crunchy Frogs (IC)
• 10 x Double Crunches (IC)
• 10 x American Hammers (IC)
• 10 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

Sit & Spin Round 2 around Field #3

Back to the flag for the handoff to the new Site Q of the Sandlot – JJ.

JJ led

• 22 x Flutter Kicks (IC)

and that was that.

Moleskin:

When I took the Site Q at The Sandlot in December of 2020, I was really just getting started as a consistent presence in the Gloom.  I had only Q’d 5 times at that point.  2 years later, I’ve Q’d almost 100 times.  I feel like I’ve been doing this long enough that it’s hard to remember what it felt like to be anything other than Flintstone and most of that time as Flintstone I was also the Site Q at the Sandlot.

I’ll admit to reflection really sinking in hard in the days leading up to the handoff.  Redwoods was fun, but I knew about halfway through the series that that would be it for me.  I needed to turn it over, but the days before, I realized that it wasn’t going to be easy.  The mental commitment to being there every Monday is woven into my life.  When I take away the responsibility and the service of getting to work for the Sandlot PAX, how will that change me?

And I realized that it wouldn’t.  As a pusher of rocks, I’d wake up the next day the same as the day before and go out and get after it.  There’s no room in my mind for slack.  I’ve been made better as a result of being one of you, and getting to lead the Sandlot.  I also have screwed up enough times, thinking that I’d accomplished something and taking my foot off the gas as a result, only to watch all my gains come crashing down and the proverbial Pogo 40 or the Flux, or whatever mental hurdle I faced get the best of me.  Fail 100 times.  Get back up 101.

The Sandlot is where I cut my teeth.  I got my name there.  I Kottered there in July of 2020.  And I spent a lot of time growing up there the last 2 years.  Thank you to all the PAX who have been there along with me, getting after it and teaching me more things than you’ll ever know.

When I was looking for who to hand the flag to, I wanted someone I knew we could all count on.  JJ was an obvious choice.  He’s been a HIM I’ve looked up to as long as I’ve been doing this.  His consistency is unmatched.  When he’s here, he’s posting.  When he’s out of town, he’s running.  When he’s got a goal, he reaches it.  And whatever you need, he’s there.  I’m glad to have him in my corner, and look forward to continue not missing Mondays at the Sandlot.

It’s been an honor and a privilege having the opportunity to lead and grow with all of you.  Thanks.

Yabba Dabba Doo

YHC prepared for the rain and part of that was knowing that there would be at least some getting wet! It just has to happen in this environment or we’re not working hard enough. So it went like this:

COP:

SSH X 20

IW X 20

Gravel Pickers X 20

Tesla Stretches

Mtn. Climbers X 20

Escalators as follows:

10 HR merkins – parking lot lap

10 HR merkins + 20 big boys – lap

10 HR merkins + 20 BB + 30 squats – lap

10 HR merkins  + 20 BB, 30 squats + 40 CDDs – lap

10 HR merkins + 20 BB +30 squats + 40 CDDs + 50 CDDs

Mosey over to the basketball courts and the benches for some bench work and some suicides:

Dips, step ups, dirkins, inclined Big boys

Round 1 – 10X each

Round 2 – 15X each

Round 3 – 20X each

After each round, BBall suicides, 5 jump squats each stop.

Back to COT:

NMM:

Didn’t get too wet today, thought it might. We managed in the drizzle pretty well. Effectively I would say. Shout out to Mainframe for showing up and doin the work! Proud of my brother here. A rock pusher. What I would like for all of us to be.

Prayers up for many pax right now. It’s been a difficult last several years and it’s wearing guys down.  I see it everywhere. Get out and post! Feet on the ground and move out early doing something hard. What follows won’t be easy. But we pray to be stronger men.

Tesla out!

Four pax showed, Tesla with Q.  All decided to ruck downtown Belmont and back.

Due to small crowd, Tesla pushed Q Source topic – Team Accountability to next week.

Announcements: Three month team Challenge beginning in January, see Flintstone pre-blast, beer mile New Year’s Eve morning

Prayer Requests: Turtleman, Huck, Radar sister, Tiger and family, Pax traveling

Tesla prayed us out

12 Bootcampers & 2 Ruckers got after it on a Saturday morning at The Fighting Yank.  Lots of reps, not a lot of running, something about fish at Christmas and a photo op that went south in a hurry.  Here’s what I remember…

The Thang:

To the Bunker for the warmup.  We lost the ruckers already:

• 10 x SSH (IC)
• 10 x Don Quixotes (IC)
• 10 x Hillbilly Walkers (IC)
• 10 x Can Openers (IC)
• 10 x Dying Cockroaches (IC)
• 10 x Hello Dollies (IC)
• 10 x Mike Tysons (IC)

Anyone who really didn’t want to run was gone, so we took a quick mosey and ended up… right back where we started, at the Bunker.

• 15 x Superman Pullups (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge R (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge L (IC)

YHC put on Christmas music, and we heard “Run Rudolph Run” twice in 3 songs, and an ad for tuna fish, which somehow turned into a Christmas Carol about tuna.

Lazy Dora

Partner Up – One PAX does called exercises, other does the called hold

• 100 x Apollo Ohnos / 6 inches
• 200 x Moroccan Nightclubs / Balls on the Ground (like a Merkin, you just don’t come back up)
• 300 x Toe Touches / Wall Sits

Enough of the Bunker, off we go.  In front of The Station for

• 20 x Dips (OYO)
• 20 x Step Ups (OYO – count each step)

Mosey on around back down Glenway to the big parking lot to watch guys on bikes take 30 minutes to do anything, while we got into round 2 of…

• 15 x Superman Pullups (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge R (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge L (IC)

Back with your partners, one stays and performs called exercise, the other runs to the end of the long parking lot and back.  Switch when they get back and do same exercises.  Here’s the exercises picked…

• Perfect Form Merkins
• Reverse Lunges
• Boat Pose
• Repeato for a second cycle

Was so much fun, we had to do it twice.

Mosey past Jekyll & Hyde to Nellies for one last round of…

• 15 x Superman Pullups (IC)
• 15 x American Hammers (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge R (IC)
• 15 x Single Leg Glute Bridge L (IC)

Triple Nickel on the Weinke.  No time for all that.  Let’s just travel as a group and get done what we get done.

• 5 x Burpees (OYO)

We started to mosey back down the street when our Nantan-elect ordered up a group photo.  11 PAX, shoulder-to-shoulder, all the way across the street, and a SUV looking for a way through, parked in the parallel spots trying to thread the needle by us, with a mail truck way off in the distance.  Sounds like a perfect time for YHC to call some monkey humpers.  Did about 3, but we needed to get out of the road.  Cars were trying to get by.  Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2023 SLT!

• Short Mosey
• 30 x Monkey Humpers (OYO – to the beat of Christmas Vacation)
• Short Mosey
• 5 x Burpees
• Short Mosey
• 30 x Flutter Kicks
• Short Mosey
• 5 x Burpees
• Short Mosey
• 30 x Monkey Humpers

Back to the Yank, arriving with the ruckers for COT.

Moleskin:

This was the first Bootcamp I’ve led in 3 months.  Glad to get back at it.  Thanks for the opportunity lead and get after it with a solid group of HIMs.

Yabba Dabba Doo

4 HIM’s overcame the fartsack and gathered on a cold morning to get better. By the time I got my coupons and bluetooth speaker ready at the gathering spot, it was 0530, go-time. Warm-up was hillbilly walkers, Moroccan nightclubs, and Nolan Ryans (10xIC). In the distance I heard the whistle of a train so tacked on 5 burpees. PAX debated whether I actually heard a train. Orangeman said it was a car. “So you did hear it!” I replied – as if I even needed a train to call 5 burpees.

The Thang:
Set up the music (The Offspring Pandora channel helpfully added by my 15-yr old daughter who has somehow developed remarkably good taste for 90s alternative rock).
Set up the timer: 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest.

“Exercise 1” consisted of:

Derkins
Kettlebell swings
Bulgarian split squats (switch legs halfway)
Lawn mower rows (switch arms halfway)
Kettlebell pullovers

Step ups
Merkin pull throughs
Clean and press (switch arms halfway)
Dips
Reverse lunges

Flutter kicks
Side plank star crunches – L
American hammers
Side plank star crunches – R
Scissor kicks

Some of these exercises were picked for their emphasis on balance. Most of us could use more work on that.  The side plank star crunches were especially ridiculous. Thanks to F3Carpex for introducing me to that little gem – it will surely make another appearance in a future Q. 

There were coupon-carry breaks after each set of 5 exercises.  After about 2.5 complete rounds, we finished up with 2 minutes of Mary.

Announcements:  New Years Day stuff – check Slack for details; 2nd F lunch

Prayers:  Turtleman, Huckleberry, my Brother-in-law Dylan

Privileged to lead a fine group of HIM’s this morning,

 – Nutria

Many a HIM was roaming around the northern territory in today’s gloom. Some rucked, some ran, some discussed Persuasion and how it applies to the HIM life. All were better for the effort.

Prayer Requests: Wirenut’s daughter, M & In-Laws, Huckleberry, Turtleman, Mayor’s boss’ father in law, Whoopee & Rebar Covid, Christmas time stress and those who face the grief of the season, our Men and Women in service especially overseas

Annoucenments: Bell Ringing this Thursday and Saturday, Flintstone B-Day Saturday, New Year’s Challenge, 2nd F Lunch on Thursday the 22nd

Merry Christmas men!

It was Sunday morning and the temperature hovered in the high 40’s. Perfect for a run. As the Q, I showed up on time – that’s right, 6:29:50. Stroganoff, Roscoe and Maybeline were gathered. Stroganoff yelled at me to hurry up. I yelled back for the runners to take off because the Q was gonna ruck. It was going to be just like that. Those three men took off and I went the opposite direction. About 45 minutes later we reconvened at the starting spot.

Roscoe asks if there are any announcements…”step off Nantan, this is my Q,” I say. Only one week into his Natanship and apparently the Old Nantan ways were shared in the onboarding. While I fumbled through my phone looking for an American flag so we could say the pledge, Stroganoff suggests a Q should be better prepared. As the Q, I quickly suggest a good Site Q would have already planted the flag. Guess who the Site Q of Coconut Horse is? Candor is being spread thick like a peanut butter sandwich.

We moved on and got through announcements, prayer requests for Turtleman, Stroganoff’s co-worker that lost their son unexpectedly, and Whoopee who is suffering from the ‘Vid. I took us out. We moved indoors. Roscoe bought me a coffee because I forgot my wallet – thank you brother. We then covered QSource Q4.8 on Team Accountability. Oh – fresh off his VQ (5 years in mind you) Hunch Back joined us for the Q-Source. He needs to come back. One of the points was a Q should not only lead by example, but the Q must exceed his Team’s Standards. I recounted a story when former Appalachian State Football coach, the legendary Jerry Moore told a story about running on a treadmill for hours as his team arrived to the weight room and having his team see his light gray shirt soaking wet because he wanted his team to see him working as hard as he could to set the example. I think I saw a tear in the corner of Roscoe’s eye. Those were the glory days. We all went on to share some stories about team accountability and the various challenges we have faced in our work places.  Some men are Kimonos and some are Toxic. It is imperative to uncover those personalities so not to disrupt the Dynamism of the team. The chapter concludes with advice on the Q not giving up on the willing. There is a difference between the man who can’t as opposed to the man who won’t meet the Standard.

If you’ve never been to a Q-Source, come check out one of the three on Sunday morning. If that doesn’t work for your schedule – start one during the week. In the first quarter, you can get an extra point for attending. See 1st F Q Flintstone’s pre-blast about the 2023 Challenge.