Author: backblasts

Date: Thursday, 3/3/22
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Hancock @Tortuga @Archive @Sparrow @8-Track @Da Vinci @Panda Express @SAGA @Jolly @Cookies @Beaker @Bo-Peep @Captain Crunch (AJ)FNGs: 0
Q: @Hancock
Total: 13

Conditions: 30 ºF, minimal ice left in pond under bridges.

Lent is the observance of the 40 days of fasting in the wilderness that Jesus went through before beginning his ministry.Note: anytime we do merkins where 2-is-1, they count towards the challenge as 1-is-1. I will announce the expected merkins count in the CoT, (if you didn’t modify.)WoR

• 40 SSH
• 20 merkins (2 is 1)
• 40 LBC’s
• Picking daisies OYO

Let’s start with the end first. Because… well, it fits my agenda better. Jesus will rise from the grave on the 3rd dayThang 1 @ base of Hoffa

• Run up the hill x 2, 10 merkins each at top
• Run up once, 10 merkins, come down
• Be sad for the first two, but happy for the last one.

Thang 2

• Mosey around AO to represent 40 days of Jesus moseying around in the wilderness
• 20 merkins (2 is 1)

What do we do during lent? Prayer and fasting and alms giving? Let’s go!Thang 3 @ base of Hoffa

• Prayer: hold an Al Gore, but instead of hugging a tree, we’re praying
• Fasting: sprints. Run around Hoffa.
• Group 1 does prayer while other does fasting. Swap once fasting partner returns.
• Alms giving: group 1 does “alms giving squats,” 40x. Group 2 does merkins, 40x. Switch.

Oh, we’re human! We have sinned! Angry invisible sky god must be appeased! We must show penance for our sins! Feel the shame! The guilt! The horror of your evil! Offer your human sacrifice at the top of Mount… Hoffa.

• Penance: run up hill, 10 merkins, come down (while pondering your shame in what you have done)

Oh, wait, this just in…“You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?” (Isaiah 58:5, NLT)“Penance” like this isn’t really what God asks of us! Whoops! We’re supposed to repent! Turn from our sins, and turn towards Jesus.

• Repentance: back to back. Take the coupon from your partner on your left, curl in the middle, give to your partner on your right. 40x. Take your sin, give it to Jesus.

Thang 4

• Back extensions with hands at your side. Flopping like the fish that we’re allowed to eat on Fridays. 40x. Definitely NOT a cult.
• More merkins. 40x.

Thang 5

• more wilderness moseying.

CoT

• prayer for Ukraine
• Prayer for DaVinci’s friend’s nephew who was arrested in a protest across over there

Total merkin count: 200, if you only got 40 in during alternating alms giving. I am counting 20 “2-is-1’s“ as 40.Moleskin
We often think the opposite of peace is conflict. It’s not. The opposite of peace is chaos. You don’t have to have chaos with conflict, but I’ve always thought the two come hand in hand. Expand below on your experiences that highlight this.

Backblast: March (merkin) Madness
Date: 3/1/22
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Beaker @Jolly @8-Track @Bloomer @Cookies @Panhandle @Panda Express @Bo-Peep @TBTF @T-bone @Hancock @Tortuga @Sparrow @SAGA @Ralphy
FNGs: 0
Q: @Ralphy
Total: 15
Conditions: High 30s and clear skies. Perfect conditions.WOR:
Side straddle hops x20, Michael Phelps OYO, Arm circles x10, Picking Daisies OYOThang 1:
Mosey to basketball court. Collectively complete 80 suicides and 500 merkins. Inspired by this movie clip from the movie "Coach Carter" … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p3GaCwvUoEThang 2:
Basketball Trivia. Split PAX into 2 teams. Trivia questions asked to both teams. 5 merkins and 1 mucho-leggo for a correct answer, 10 merkins and 2 mucho leggos for incorrect answer. 10 questions total.Thang 3:
Suicide up and down HoffaThang 4:
Spelling bee. Each PAX must contribute one letter at a time respectively to spell K-R-Z-Y-Z-E-W-S-K-I. For each incorrect letter given, all PAX ran halfway up and back Hoffa.COT:
Continued prayers for logistics and planning for@Cookies‘ trip.
Ongoing war with Ukraine/Russia.Moleskin:
Where are we placing our identity? Are we placing it in temporal things/people/jobs? The only place to find that true fulfillment is in the eternal savior.

Date: 2/19/22
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Noodles @Sparrow @Tortuga @Bloomer @TBTF
FNGs: 0
Q: @TBTF
Total: 5
Conditions: Cold, so cold
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH (IC) x50, Copperhead Squats (IC) x15, Copperhead Merkins (IC) x15, MoseyThe Thang:
Mosey to the pool house steps
Sheldon Cooper routine using Burpees/Squats/Merkins, we did a set of 10/10/10, ran to the opposite side of the parking lot and back, then did a set of 9/9/9 followed by another run to the opposite side of the parking lot and back. We did down to sets of 1
And then because it is a TBTF Mastodon workout you know we are going around the AO. We moseyed to the southeast corner of the Archive Mile and lunged the entire path to the beginning of Dan Taylor Alley.
Ultimately we moseyed back to the flag making a few more stops along the way to get some merkins in as well as other equally as fun exercise type activitiesCOR/NOR/COT:
I waited too long (again) and can’t remember but rest assure God heard us.Moleskin:
Life is busy but it is okay to slow down. Try being intentional about your time and invest it wisely.

The Valentine’s Day Cardio Love Fest
Date: Monday, 02/14/2022
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @SAGA @TBTF @Sparrow @Spokes @Jolly @Archive @Tortuga @Da Vinci
FNGs: 0
Q: @SAGA @Sparrow
Total: 8

Conditions: A brisk morning made all the warmer due to the love we shared.
Warm-Up: @Archive led us through the gloom with a choreographed WOR to “Physical” by Olivia Newton John.

The Thang: As a metaphor for love we entered the mundane and routine as the runners ran and ruckers rucked. Staying in the AO and together, the runners ran to the pool hall and did suicides until the ruckers arrived to release them wherein the runners ran to the parking lot by the tennis courts and did suicides there until the ruckers arrived again – rinse and repeat for four rounds. A reminder to keep on keeping on through the long road of love.

Count-O-Rama: PAX to the right was the valentine for each PAX. We paused to write a note on a My Little Pony valentine (a term of endearment for a PAX to another PAX). Valentines were exchanged along with a selection of candy!

Moleskin: Love is a long road of doing the same thing over and over again: consistency is a way into integrity. Keep coming back to love those in your midst.

Backblast: Winter OlymPax Games
Date: 2/9/2022
AO: #ao_tar_pit
@Banks @Panhandle @Tortuga @T-bone @SAGA @8-Track @Katniss @Bloomer FNG: 0
Q: @wet burrito
Total:9
Conditions: wintery

Warm-a-Rama
 Motivators
 Abe Vigoda
 Apolo Ono
 Arm Circles
 Toe Squats

The Games -with Partners
Event 1- Uphill Slalom with 6 Apolo Ono & Burpee’s per set -to the top (3 attempts)

Event 2- Synchronized Figure Squatting
(Tuck & Star Jump combos with rotation)

Event 3 -Murder Bunny & Rifle Carry Relays

Medal Round
Event 4-(Uphill &) Downhill Bobsledding

COR/NOR/COT
Olympic Opening Ceremonies is heavenly -every tribe represented

Ranger Rick 9:25 AM
Backblast: The Strenuous Life
Date: Monday, 2/7/2022
AO: #ao_mastodon
Pax: @Archive@Panhandle@8-Track@Panda Express@Da Vinci@Jolly@Banks@Shiplap@Crack@Bo-Peep@Tortuga@SAGA@Ranger Rick
FNGS: 0
Q: @Ranger Rick
Total: 13Warm-up:
SSH IC – 20
Merkin Lunges – 10
SquatsThang: Run/Ruck in WheatonMoleskin:
Teddy Roosevelt embodied leadership and public service. He advocated for the strenuous life, a life of toil and effort over laziness. He did not shrink from danger nor hardship. He believed that men should act beyond their own self-interest and indulgence, and instead, strive to be leaders and good citizens.He believed men should continually try to better themselves, even if it meant failing at times, because failure provides an opportunity to learn.Citizenship in a Republic: The Man in the Arena
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.COT: Prayers for @Crack‘s family as they mourn the loss of his M’s uncle. (edited)

Date: 2/8/22
AO: #ao_mastodon
PAX: @Shiplap @Tortuga @Cookies @Hancock @wet burrito @Da Vinci @Sparrow @Panhandle @T-bone @Banks @SAGA @Beaker @Jolly @Pink Drink @8-Track
FNGs: 0
Q: @8-Track
Total: 15
Conditions: Clear, Frozen. 18*F at post time
Warm-o-rama:
SSH – IC 25
Burpees – 10
Leg Stretch – on your own
Arm Circles – forward/backwards
Merkins – Regeluar-15 , Wide-10, Dimaond-5
Thang 1: Spin the Wheel Rock Paper Scissors- PAX divided into 3 groups named Team Rock, Team Paper, Team Scissors. Each group was either the winner, tie, or loser and had exercises according to spin outcome
Beat down exercises: Long Run, Short Run, Blockees, Thrusters, Over head arm press, squaks, Durkins, curls, merkins, lunges, air-squat
Thang 2: PAX were not in teams anymore and chose there symbol to play against the spinning board
Thang 3: A single spinner represented all the PAX for the beatdown
Merry: Flutter-kicks IC x 40
COT: Prayers for @Beaker M’s father who is battling dementia and @Saga continual surgery recovery with prayers for current burdens in life.
Psalm 139:14 – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Backblast: Old School
Date: 1/29/22
AO: #ao_tar_pit
@PAX: @Shiplap @Archive @pillow mint @Tortuga @Da Vinci @8-Track
FNGs: 0
Q: @Shiplap
Total: 6
Conditions: ColdWarm-O-Rama:

• Motivators x 7
• Arm Circles
• Abe Vigoda x 10

Thang 1: 4 corners
Using the ramps on by the school we designated 4 corners. Two on top and two on bottom. At each corners we performed the exercises and reps below. We did each exercise at each corner before advancing to the next.
7 – Burpees
14 – Merkins – as a group
21 – Squats
28 – BBSU
21 – Lunges
14 – Imperial Walkers
7 – ThrustersThang 2: Dora
We started at the spa. Partner 1 ran to the bottom and back up. We rotated throwing a sandbag down the hill and running it back up.
100 – Merkins
200 – BBSU
300 – DipsCOR/NOR/COT:
Concentrate on the simple things to make a big impact (edited)

Backblast: Nolan Richardson w/ a twist
Date: 2/2/22
AO: #ao_tar_pit
@PAX: @Shiplap @Katniss @T-bone @Tortuga @8-Track @Jolly @Da Vinci @wet burrito @Panhandle
FNGs: 0
Q: @Shiplap
Total: 9
Conditions: ColdWarm-O-Rama:

• Motivators IC
• Abe Vigoda x 10
• Arm Circles

Thang 1:
Nolan Richardson w a Twist. Partnered up. PAX 1 ran down the hill then Bernie’d up (brutal). Flip
150 Burpees
300 Squats
150 Merkins
300 Arm Circles
150 BBSU
300 Imperial Walkers
ended right on timeCOR/NOR/COT:
A 24-48 hour challenge. Replace "have to" with "get to"

Backblast: Smells Like F3 Spirit
Date: Monday, 1/31/2022
AO: #ao_mastodon
Pax: @Panhandle@Jolly@TBTF @8-Track @SAGA @Sparrow @Jailbreak @Panda Express @Tortuga @Cookies @Ranger Rick
FNGS: 0
Q: @Ranger Rick
Total Pax: 11Warm-up:
SSH
Merkins
Squats
SSHThang: Run/Ruck in WheatonMoleskin:
Invictus (William Ernest Henley)
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soulCOT: Thoughts of support for Cookies’ family as they navigate the process to begin their mission in Thailand.