Author: backblasts

Date: 2026-03-20
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Cottontail ,
PAX: Beaker, T-bone, Cottontail, Mr. Bean, Endo, LeMond, Panhandle, Tortuga, Stock boy, Sparrow, Mr Roboto, Samsonite, Carmen San Diego (F3 Naperville) FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
WOR: SSH, SOYO

The Thang: we ran south, some rucked south, some ran somewhere

Moleskine: Spring Clean time! Take inventory of your activities, discard what is not going anywhere and just taking up time, focus on what is important.

COT: Mr Roboto’s friend marriage, Sparrow’s trip.

Tags: Ground Zero, Beaker, T-bone, Cottontail, Mr. Bean, Endo, LeMond, Panhandle, Tortuga, Stock boy, Sparrow, Mr Roboto, Samsonite, Carmen San Diego (F3 Naperville)

Date: 2026-03-20
AO: Flat Earth
Q: Wagyu ,
PAX: Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Cheese, DQ, Oompa, Wagyu, Manhole, Pine tar, Hypotenuse, Bloomer, Krampus, Shiplap, Gummi Bear, Jolly, Panda Express, Candyland, Earnhardt, Capy, Cutter FNGs: 2 Capy, Cutter
COUNT: 18
WOR: SSH & stretch down & back

The Thang: 9v8 ultimate

Moleskine:

A quote from the founder of Chick-fil-A, Truett Cathy

How do you know if someone needs encouragement? If they are breathing.

COT: rest

Tags: Flat Earth, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Cheese, DQ, Oompa, Wagyu, Manhole, Pine tar, Hypotenuse, Bloomer, Krampus, Shiplap, Gummi Bear, Jolly, Panda Express, Candyland, Earnhardt, Capy, Cutter

Date: 2026-03-06
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Mr. Bean ,
PAX: LeMond, Dumpster, Panhandle, Tortuga, Mr Roboto, T-bone, Endo, Beaker, Mr. Bean, Da Vinci FNGs:
COUNT: 10
WOR:SSH OYO

The Thang: RUN RUCK

Moleskine: Using AI daily. Continue to use critical thinking and test against what you know to be true – do not believe everything just because AI says it.

COT:

Tags: Ground Zero, LeMond, Dumpster, Panhandle, Tortuga, Mr Roboto, T-bone, Endo, Beaker, Mr. Bean, Da Vinci

Date: 2026-03-19
AO: Mastodon
Q: Mr Roboto ,
PAX: Stock boy, Tortuga, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Big Mac, Sparrow, Dumpster, Homie FNGs:
COUNT: 8
WOR: ~5 min
Tortuga got us started since YHC was a minute late. (Yes, I did burpees.) Abe Vigodas x10
Mountain Climbers x10
Mountain Man Poopers x10
Arm Circles x10

The Thang:
O’Hare – 10 min
AMRAP at the Shop (30 sec work, 10 sec rest for 5 sets of 4 cycles): 1. Superman with weight (kind of a breast stroke motion)
2. Stretches with bands (palms up with elbows in at sides, grip band in each hand shoulder distance apart, pull hands outward) 3. Table presses

Sears Tower – 20-25 min
2149 overhead clap with weight Dora spittoon – 1 for each stair of the Sears Tower. (It will always be the Sears Tower.)
(Based on “Feedback February,” we did spittoons to 200—10 at a time—before running up Halffa, which is 50% of Hoffa.)

Lake Shore Drive – Till Time
Thrusters while partner bear crawls to the trash can, about 30 feet out. Switch.

Moleskine:
Tell people what you appreciate about them. YHC went around the COT to tell each PAX what he appreciates about them.

COT:
Big Mac 2.0, Sparrow trip, health, jobs, thanks for the beautiful day

YHC did his 10 penalty burpees as others began to enjoy the Big Shoulders coffee.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1aSAItlSqQb7MSiXl5ybYl?si=XqDH759-Tfi2VjqfahDo-A&pi=Ppy8-6eyRbGAs

Tags: Mastodon, Stock boy, Tortuga, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Big Mac, Sparrow, Dumpster, Homie

Date: 2026-03-19
AO: Dark Room
Q: Jolly ,
PAX: Jolly, Panhandle, Beaker, Lakers, LeMond, Framed, Manhole, Endo, Banks FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
WOR:
SSH, Mountain Man Poopers, Arm Cricles
The Thang:
Separated into two teams. Each team carries their coupons and a couple sandbags to the start of the path. The team with 5 got a 60lb and an 80lb sandbag and a sand ball while the team of four got two 60lb bags and a kettlebell sandbag.

Round 1:
The teams had to make their way around the loop in opposite directions carrying all the items. One 60lb bag had to be thrown and each team had to complete the following exercises spittoon style: 100 Thrusters
200 merkins
300 Squats
400 Curls

The team of 5 won by a few seconds.

Round 2:
Carries everything form the path back to the flag completing the following: 50 Sandies
100 Skull Crushers
200 Bent over Rows
300 Big boy sit-ups

The team of 4 one by an unbelievably large margin.

Ended with a 1:30 plank hold.

Moleskine:
Do hard things AND have fun
COT:
Toto traveling, Injured PAX.

Tags: Dark Room, Jolly, Panhandle, Beaker, Lakers, LeMond, Framed, Manhole, Endo, Banks

Date: 2026-03-18
AO: Tar Pit
Q: Panhandle ,
PAX: T-bone, DQ, Panhandle, Da Vinci
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WOR: SSHs, Abe Vigodas, Good Mornings, tappy-taps, copperhead squats

The Thang:
– Four sets of exercises (25 reps each) interspersed with a stair loop run – pax add the next set after each loop – Set 1: merkins, BBSs, lunges (2-1)
– Set 2: CPRs, American hammers (2-1), block squats
– Set 3: OHPs, leg lifts, bonnie blairs (1-1)
– Set 4: thrusters, LBCs (2-1), goblet squats

Moleskine:
We lost our beloved family dog, Friday, early Monday morning. Grief is a funny thing in the way it can sneak up on you. But we should embrace the grief because it is a reminder of what we have loved and that the world is not what it should be. But we can also hope for the redemption of all things.

This is a video Anna Catherine sent around to the family. It is really beautiful.

https://youtu.be/uKuPLVNsZzY

COT:

Tags: Tar Pit, T-bone, DQ, Panhandle, Da Vinci

Date: 2026-03-18
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Audible ,
PAX: Manhole, Stock boy, Audible, Samsonite
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WOR:
Side Straddle Hops
Goofballs
Stretch OYO

The Thang:
Rucked through Lincoln Marsh

Moleskine:
Look for folks to lift up by offering a word of praise when you see them doing something well.

COT:
PAX looking for jobs, Cookies and his M, other unspoken needs of the PAX.

Tags: Ground Zero, Manhole, Stock boy, Audible, Samsonite

Date: 2026-03-17
AO: Flat Earth
Q: Cheese ,
PAX: Banks, Hypotenuse, Shiplap, Jolly, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Wagyu, Cheese FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
WOR: SSH & Down and Back

The Thang: Ultimate Frisbee

Moleskine: St. Patrick’s Day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down and Christ when I arise.

COT: Count’s school’s plays

Tags: Flat Earth, Banks, Hypotenuse, Shiplap, Jolly, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Wagyu, Cheese

Date: 2026-03-17
AO: Mastodon
Q: Dumpster ,
PAX: Endo, Stock boy, Dumpster, Big Mac, Ankles, Falsetto, Audible, Da Vinci, Samsonite, LeMond FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WOR:
Arm Circles -17
Goofballs – 17
Mountain Climbers – 17
Stretch OYO

The Thang:

Irish Jig
SSH and kicks for 1 min

An Irish Rover in Third Class
Three movements around the curb:
1. Lunges
2. Side shuffle
3. Skip
(Repeat until end of song)

Mosey to base of Hoffa

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

Stone Put competition (in Ireland and
Highland Games- a Celtic competition) Grab numbered sticks. Line up 1-10

– Those not throwing/ waiting are doing squats. In numerical order- throw the stone as far as you can with one hand, like a shot put. Mark spot of stone with your numbered stick. Bring stone back to next thrower and continue squats until all are done. Congratulate winners.

Mosey and Bring sticks to the shop (McConnell O’Reilly’s Pub) and each pax picks up two “pints” (bricks)

Irish Pub Song
Calf raises while drinking pints (curls)
Step ups with pints raised above head
Squats and cheers your pints together

American Wake
Partner up 1-2, 3-4, 5-6…
One person does BBSUs on tables while the other lunges to the lamp post and back, then switch.

Mosey to base of Hoffa

Split into two teams #’s 1-5 & 6-10
Place sticks at bottom of hill

Mosey to top of Hoffa

Each team does 100 Merkins ring of fire style, when finished one person sleds down gets a stick and brings it back with the sled and puts stick in the bucket with the sled. When the teammate is gone, other pax are doing squats. When sledder gets back to the top, do 100 more ring of fire merkins and then next person sleds. Repeat until everyone sleds down, gets a stick, and puts it in the bucket.

We all had some good Craic together
Collected the sticks, bricks, and sleds and moseyed back to the start.

Recover Recover

Moleskine:
Shared a story about making a dumb mistake and missing the driveway yesterday when backing out to take my daughter to school. Got our van stuck in a muddy mess in my neighbors lawn and couldn’t get it out, even with a few friends coming to help try and push it. A friend with a truck and tow rope ended up pulling the van out!

Lesson: Admit your mistakes and acknowledge your shortcomings and ask other people for help when needed.

Tags: Mastodon, Endo, Stock boy, Dumpster, Big Mac, Ankles, Falsetto, Audible, Da Vinci, Samsonite, LeMond

Date: 2026-03-17
AO: Dark Room
Q: Lakers ,
PAX: Flower Boy, Portage, Lakers, Toto, Framed, Beaker, Manhole FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
WOR:
Lap around the parking lot
Arm circles
Shoulder stretch
Squats

The Thang:
Set off running around Dark Room only to realize the trails were for ice skates, not shoes. Modified to the north parking lot.

After each lap, did 17 reps of an exercise. Exercises were:
Merkins
BBSUs
Squats
Mountain Climbers

Ran to the shelter to escape the bitterly cold wind.
Pot o’Gold workout. 17 reps of everything:
– Jane Fondas
– Fane Jondas (abductor lifts)
– Horse Gallops
– Scorpions (excellent choice for quality mumble chatter)
– Superman’s
– Side Planks

Switch sides

Groiners with Merkins (this was a good one!)

Shoulder Stretch in Child’s Pose

Calf Hammy Lunge stretch

Glide Squats

Moleskine: Make your own luck by setting yourself up for success. Prepare yourself and be ready for new opportunities.

COT: Toto traveling for a few days, blessing over him and his family.

Tags: Dark Room, Flower Boy, Portage, Lakers, Toto, Framed, Beaker, Manhole