On a lovely morning at AO Mastodon where it couldn’t decide if it was 1º or -1º, but 13 PAX posted for the first combined Ruck/Run day (Cookies, Shiplap, Da Vinci, Sparrow, Panhandle, Beaker, Big Mac, Jolly, Archive, Hand Warmer(FNG!), Crack, Banks, Capt Crunch). The Q had deliberated on whether some Dan Taylor variations or a PT Medley would best serve the PAX on a cold day.
Ultimately the snow and a desire to keep some good effort going the whole time got the better of him and he chose to enjoy the potentially fleeting opportunity to Q in sled-weather. And Feb seemed like a good month to work pulling muscles anyway. With the potential for a decent number of pullers on the team, a makeshift dog-sled harness was constructed to keep some distance while still affording a good 7-man team. An APB for weight of various kinds and the plan was set.
Warm-O-Rama:
- Motivators (the usual 7)
- Mountain Man Poopers, IC x 14
- Side Lunges, 14
- Arm Circles, OYO for time
- Michael Phelps
The Thang:
After our arm-heavy warm-up, the 5 Run Clubbers decided to peace out leaving 8 men to man the sled with 4 sand-bags and a spare ruck inside (estimated 280+ pounds). Rucks on, and sled behind we dragged to the near-bridge by Hoffa and dropped Banks into the sled. We proceeded to drag him across the island and then swapped him for “Old Nan’Tan” Archive and proceeded to the field of dreams.
Here the game changed slightly, to pay full homage to the “Bataan Death Sled” days of 2018 when we dragged tube-sand around the AO. We broke into teams of 4 and one team did 10 Merkins in the elbow deep snow and caught the other team to exchange the sled. After a few rounds Banks wisely recommended a non-hand exercise, and we opted for squats but transitioned quickly back to team-drag with one rotating rider.
Completing the circuit back to Hoffa gave us enough time to enjoy two very different hikes up the hill. The first time YHC enjoyed a well-timed turn in the sled. The second and final time, he made the ill-advised change of putting all of the rucks in the sled and having the now much lighter PAX drag a much heavier sled up at about half the speed of the previous attempt. Cresting the hill the final time, we saw run-club back from their 3.2 miles so we shoved the sled (and the Q) down the hill to rendezvous back at the parking lot.
COR/NOR/COT: Prayers for health, especially Big Mac’s friends’ M finishing up chemo and Hot Box’s M as she weathers Covid — prayers that the PAX would keep the momentum of the day at work and home, that the week would be productive and we would support those who need added strength in their week.
F3 Wheaton 