Author: backblasts

As I prepared for my first Q at AO Ground Zero, I spent some time looking for potential routes this morning. I thought what better way to appreciate a good run than to visit the Wheaton College campus. We ran and saw the campus as well as crept past @Big Mac’s home. 8 PAX took on this morning’s run. Today also served as a reminder that even a seasoned Q gets the jitters when taking on something new. No PAX were hurt on this run as I was reminded that there was no disclaimer! Thankfully, I have this group to keep me in check. Great job @Panhandle for keeping pace and a strong finish! You kept me on my toes!

The Thang (Route):

https://onthegomap.com/?m=r&u=mi&d=6851&f=032b6abadb&n=1&dm=1&context=share&r2=iom~7pcwvGfBGEaPv1YAY1Yx1mVR0qC_2aA_27c1q1I2ENm6Dc8DCw1W1MqF09rMvHAr4z2ZH2Abh1m404dL3hAg1DBjAhJIo5hGBj2X1j1w5zCb5h7f1Eh9A0mV

NoR: @Panhandle, @Shamu, @Banks, @Shiplap, @Whittler, @Tortuga, @Jolly, @Noodles (QIC)

CoT: Prayers for safe travels as Banks’ M travels to St. Louis and Tortugas’ M and daughters fly back home. Continued motivation and drove as many PAX push through the monthly challenges (pull ups & weight loss).

7 PAX gathered at AO Tar Pit on a brisk Wednesday morning for a beatdown orchestrated by YHC, Beaker.

WAR:

Motivators ic x7

Abe Vigodas ic x15

Tappy taps ic x10

Arm circles OYO

Thang 1a Bataan death march:

The Pax moseyed on the road from the bleachers, around the parkway/peninsula and back to the bottom of the sledding “hill”, occasionally stopping for some burpees.

Thang 2a Bear crawl 1-2-3s:

Partners worked together to complete 100 merkins, 200 LBCs, and 300 squats. While one partner was performing the exercises, the other bear crawled to the pine tree and back.

Thang 1b Bataan death march revisited:

More moseying, more burpees; we returned to our coupons at the bleachers.

Thang 2b 1-2-3s revisited:

After bringing our coupons to the base of the hill, partners completed 100 overhead presses, 200 side lunges, and 300 coupon rows. While one partner worked on the exercises, the other ran to the top of the hill and back, completing 3 SSHs at the top.

NOR:

Katniss, Tortuga, Banks, Noodles, Shiplap, Big Mac, Beaker

COT:

Thanks for bodies that work, prayers for T-Bone’s root canal today, prayers for a leak in Beaker’s roof/siding, Prayers for fat campers in their fourth week as the weight loss challenge begins to drag on, prayers for the sword swallowers as they dig in to James 1.

Backblast: 01.28.2021 “Strike”

Late is the hour that I type this, but it must be done. Because if it is not accomplished now, it may never be, much like the non-existent backblast from when I was q over a month ago.

16 pax present: {tags tortuga, archive, hotbox, saga, beaker, big mac, katniss, shiplap, shamu, cookies, sparrow, banks, Rainbow Bright, panhandle, jolly, gummibear.

Warm Up:

The q, arriving precisely at 5:30am was a bit miffed at how many pax showed up early, intent on making him look tardy. No matter, let bygones be bygones. At 5;32 am the session commenced, as there were a full two minutes dedicated to awaiting hotbox to join the circle who was sauntering up as though time was of no consequence and to perhaps suggest that the q can direct but not command him, for hotbox is his own man.

Perhaps, it cannot be said that there was not time devoted in the planning of this workout, but it can be said that the Q had very little idea of what the warm up would entail. As he pondered this at 5:31am, thankful now to hotbox’s cavalier meandering, he blurted out that 15 burpees should be accomplished, which were done with excitement and vigor.

We then jogged around the monument and back.

THANG

Upon completing the warm up we went over the rules (see below) and divided into four teams of four:

Team 1: beaker, big mac, katniss, shiplap

Team 2 : tortuga, archive, hotbox, saga

Team 3: shamu, cookies, sparrow, banks

Team 4: Rainbow Bright, panhandle, jolly, gummibear.

We then gathered on the bridge to begin the game. It was at this point that the q lost control, with teams beginning the race at their leisure.

As our team put our foot over the starting line to begin our long journey, we were excited and confident at our potential for victory and glory. On our second step, we were hit with a “strike” from Cookies. This was a bit deflating and surprising. Our team was surprised, and Cookies’s team was surprised that he should unleash his bazooka so quickly and expend all ammunition. As I finished writing a few reminders in my little black notebook to include the words “cookies, remember to get even” We again set off on our journey. We noted that team 2 had gotten a racing start while teams 1 and 3 hung back a bit.

As we set off rifle carrying, Rainbow Bright voiced what we were all thinking; that the block that had been sitting overnight in each of our respective vehicles, gave a nice cooling sensation to our fingers now. We stopped and hid where all could see; about 10 feet from the road and with no cover. We completed all our exercises, except our burpees, with Jolly and Panhandle doing more than their fair share. It was cold doing the exercises in the snow, but it also felt liberating to not be rifle carrying our coupons.

As we set out, halfway to the pool house, stopping intermittently to complete burpees along the way, along comes bigmac on his way to the finish line and carrying two coupons. I yelled out to him asking him if he had the pleasure of being struck yet, and wondering if we should give him that pleasure. He responded “maybe”, and at that point I believed him, but in hindsight I should not have.

Shortly after, the entire team 2 came running past us on their way to the finish line. We decided to strike them. I courageously left my team with the coupons and jogged without any weight to seek them out and provide a strike. They did not seem happy at first but eventually accepted their fate. I returned to my team, But at this point, with time running out, and only being halfway to the poolhouse and tired of rifle carrying, teams 3 and 4 began our return to the finish line.

As we arrived we witnessed a race to the finish between teams 1 & 2, with team 1 barely edging team 2 out by only about 300 hundred burpees. All three losing teams accomplished 15 burpees to finish it out.

NOR/COT: Prayers for Davinci and his writing deadline.

Moleskin: I am very thankful for a group of guys that will just perform a silly game as the one invented here, without any complaints and with good, joyful attitudes. Such an encouraging environment fosters creativity. Truely, it is a pretty incredible thing to be a part of such a group. May we not compromise, but rather sharpen and encourage one another.

Game Rules: “Strike”

Mission: To be the first team to transport the coupons From the western most bridge to the pool house and back.

Teams of 4

Constraints:

• When traveling (advancing) your team must travel on the “route” (road): be on the road and be visible.

• Prior to crossing the finish line your team must have accomplished the following sometime along the route:

  • 250 Coupon Curls

  • 250 Coupon overhead Squats

  • 250 Coupon Shoulder presses

  • 250 Big Boy sit ups (without coupon)

  • 250 spiderman pushups (without coupon)

  • 250 leg spreaders (without coupon)

• The only way to advance the coupons along the route is either of the approved carries:

  • Coupon Rifle Carry

  • Coupon farmers carry (for farmers carry- one team member must have 2 coupons and only one team member may be accomplishing this at once)

• A team member can be jogging without the coupon, performing exercises on the side, “striking” another team, or defending.

Strike: Each Team has one and only one “strike” that they can use against any other team. The only member of a team that can call and use a “strike” is a member without a coupon. That member may jog up to any member of any other team that has a coupon and call a strike against that team. In order to call a strike you must be within 10 feet of another team. The team who has a strike called against them (if this is the first strike called against them) must accomplish 250 burpees sometime prior to crossing the finish line. If a team is victim of multiple strikes during the crunch mile route campaign each successive strike they receive has a diminished blow of 25. For instance the first strike they receive they must accomplish 250 burpees, the 2nd strike 225, the third strike 200.

Defense: A team is only impervious to a strike when all team members are together (within 10 feet of one another) and are moving along the “route” and all three team members are performing a coupon rifle carry. The moment one team member stops the carry, they are no longer in defense.

Miscellaneous:

• Your team does not have to stay together, but you must cross the finish line together.

• While you must remain on the route to advance and travel along the route, one or more members may hide off route at any time to perform exercises in an effort not to incur a “strike”, while you are performing exercises. However, you must enter and exit the route at the same location.

• After all teams have crossed the finish line each team will have a punishment due, that is dependent on what place the team finished.

• Exercises accomplished by no means need be split evenly or at all across your team. You could have one team member accomplish all the non-advancing exercises if you really wanted to be cruel.