Date: 2026-07-22
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Audible ,
PAX: Dumpster, Stock boy, Samsonite, Cheap Shot, Audible
FNGs: None
COUNT: 5
Conditions:
Clear and cool
WOR:
SSH
Stretch OYO
The Thang:
Rucked
Moleskine:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.”
Tags: Ground Zero, Dumpster, Stock boy, Samsonite, Cheap Shot, Audible
Date: 2026-07-21
AO: Flat Earth
Q: Hypotenuse ,
PAX: DQ, Jolly, Pine tar, Oompa, Hypotenuse, Bloomer, Cheese, Panda Express, Gummi Bear, Krampus, Lib, Boomerang, Cookies, Wagyu, White Noise, MaiTai, Shiplap, Chopsticks, Waffles, Knuckleball, TubaGoodingJr, Boomerang FNGs: 1 Boomerang
COUNT: 22
Conditions: Nice
WOR: 15XSSH , DnB
The Thang: Two Games
Moleskine: Manage Expectations
Tags: Flat Earth, DQ, Jolly, Pine tar, Oompa, Hypotenuse, Bloomer, Cheese, Panda Express, Gummi Bear, Krampus, Lib, Boomerang, Cookies, Wagyu, White Noise, MaiTai, Shiplap, Chopsticks, Waffles, Knuckleball, TubaGoodingJr, Boomerang
Date: 2026-07-20
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Cheese ,
PAX: Flower Boy, Cheese, Endo, Archive, Mr Roboto, Hypotenuse FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
Conditions: Cooler Temps brought Sloane and Mermaid to join the PAX.
WOR: Stretch on your own.
The Thang: Head north.
Moleskine: Historical note: 57 years ago (July 20, 1969), the first lunar landing. Neil Armstrong was the first & Buzz Aldrin the second to walk on the moon. Buzz Aldrin famously took communion before stepping on the moon. Then transmitted to the world as he stepped out of the module, “Beautiful, magnificent desolation.”
Tags: Ground Zero, Flower Boy, Cheese, Endo, Archive, Mr Roboto, Hypotenuse
Date: 2026-07-20
AO: Downrange
Q: Crack ,
PAX: Noodles, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Portage, Crack, Brainfog, Beaker, DQ, Stock boy, Lakers FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
Conditions: Lovely! 60°F, light fog in low lying areas
WOR: SSH, Abe Vigodas, Bat Wings, Mosey around perimeter of park
The Thang:
Dora 1, 2, 3: Sandbag Thrusters, Bent-Over Rows, Deadlifts
One partner ran down to large goal (~50yds away) and back while the other partner did reps.
Mary Ring of Fire – American Hammers, Double Leg Lifts, Oblique V-ups (aka DQ’s), Minnesota Manhole Meatballs, Plank
Moleskine:
“You don’t rise to your goals, you sink to your systems.” – Joe de Sena, founder of SpartanRace.
We all have goals, but we can’t achieve them without a system to support the habits and actions needed. Make sure your systems are solid.
Tags: Downrange, Noodles, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Portage, Crack, Brainfog, Beaker, DQ, Stock boy, Lakers
Date: 2026-07-07
AO: Dark Room
Q: Ankles ,
PAX: LouGee, Ankles, Portage, Crack, Flower Boy, Body Double, Lakers, perculator FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
Conditions: Muggy w/ a Chance of Corn Dog. (Camera Park access was limited due to setting up for Glendale Heights Fest, but the PAX was undaunted.)
WOR: SSH; Abe Vigodas, Arm Circles; Picking Daisies; various runner stretches.
The Thang: HooverBall x Boot Camp = Sweaty Leather Balls
ao_dark_room was introduced to the F3Wheaton version of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooverball. The F3Wheaton version eschews scoring & amends most of the other rules to maximize player participation & encourage constant movement. The PAX formed 3 different teams (A, B, and C) of 2-3 PAX each, and rotated through three activity stations:
Station A: BC Exercises, done “spittoon style”. (See Below)
Station B: HooverBall Court Side 1.
Station C: HooeverBall Court Side 2.
The team doing Station A set the pace of rotation & displaced the team at Station B once finished with their exercises.
The exercises at Station A were done “spittoon style”, but each individual exercise had to be performed by the PAX as a whole. (i.e., Individual PAX could not “specialize” in one specific exercise on behalf of the entire team; everyone had to do some of everything.) Overall rep counts were assigned on a per capita basis & exercises changed after every full rotation:
Round 1:
20 Burpees per PAX
50 Merkins per PAX
50 BBSUs per PAX
Round 2:
25 Coupon Shoulder Presses per PAX
50 Coupon Goblet Squats per PAX
50 Flutter Kicks (4 is 1) per PAX
Round 3:
50 Coupon Curls per PAX
50 Lunges (2 is 1) per PAX
25 Plank Jacks per PAX
Round 4:
100 One-Arm Rows per PAX
50 Dips per PAX
25 Coupon Swings per PAX
Results & Iterations:
– Pacing. Initially, Station A was a grind & the rotations moved more slowly than desired. Fortunately, the Q had previously created the music playlist w/ an easy-to-guess theme, (“summer/sun/hot”) for this contingency. The Q told each team that if they correctly guessed the playlist theme after their first Station A rotation, they could eliminate one of the 3 listed exercise types for all subsequent Station A rotations.
– Intensity: Some of the 3 person HooverBall teams were too stationary when not handling the ball, so a new rule was added to require every PAX to do one burpee immediately after they handled the ball before they were eligible to handle it again.
Overall feedback was very positive, with a suggestion that the rotations be even faster & also have the PAX to do a fast mosey/sprint back to the HooverBall court to create a stronger sense of urgency/pacing.
COT:
Moleskine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_of_small_differences & the negative effects it can have in our lives & community. Try to notice when it’s happening & make a proactive steps to avoid/de-escalate it when you see it. (i.e. “Pick your battles.”)
Prayer Requests:
– Job searches.
– Marriage/relationship/divorce transitions & conflicts.
– Safety while traveling.
Ended with a version of The Serenity Prayer often used in 12-Step Programs:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference. Amen.”
Tags: Dark Room, LouGee, Ankles, Portage, Crack, Flower Boy, Body Double, Lakers, perculator
Date: 2026-07-20
AO: Tar Pit
Q: Jolly ,
PAX: Oompa, Tortuga, Big Mac, Jolly, Da Vinci, Panhandle
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
Conditions:
Clear sky, 61°F, Feels like 62°F, Humidity 83%, Wind 2mph from SSW
WOR:
SSH, arm circles, picking daisies
The Thang:
Started with a warm up lap around the track
5-min EMOM, 35 SSH & 5 Blockees (Tortuga and Big Mac added a blockee each round and I believe got up to 9)
Partnered up. One partner runs a lap around the track while the other partner does the following:
10 reps (did 15 the first round but that was too many) of:
Overhead press
Curls
Squats
Thrusters
After completing the reps you lunge with your coupon until your running partner catches you and you switch. Because lunging is really slow we switched to rifle carry.
When the coupons made it all the way around the track we did an American hammer spittoon to 300 with coupon.
We repeated the partner exercises and changed to:
10 reps each of:
Rows
We’re not worthies
Skull Crushers
WWWIII sit-ups
Framer carried the coupons this round.
Finished with a BBSU spittoon to 300
Moleskine:
Do hard things and get out of your comfort zone.
Tags: Tar Pit, Oompa, Tortuga, Big Mac, Jolly, Da Vinci, Panhandle
Date: 2026-07-18
AO: Tar Pit
Q: LeMond ,
PAX: Beaker, LeMond, Tortuga, Da Vinci, T-bone, Panhandle
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
– Background
– Homer’s “The Odyssey,” which is a classic epic poem about the adventures and trials of Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the Trojan War: – Warmorama: 5 mins
– 25 SSHs
– Tappy Taps
– 20 4-ct mountain climbers
– Bat wings
– Lotus Eaters
– Pax circle up and hold low squat
– Each Pax takes a turn counting down from ten and calling a burpee. – Cyclops’ Cave Escape
– In slow cadence
– 10 one-legged merkins, left leg
– 10 one-armed burpees, left leg
– 10 one-legged toe touches.
– 10 one-legged squats, assisted
– Repeat with all exercise with right leg
– Odysseus next receives help from Aeolus, ruler of the winds. – Scout Run up Hawthorne St to Main Street, and back
– Circe turns Pax into swine
– At the track
– 50-yard swine crawl, 20 burpees
– Swine crawl back, 20 leg lifts
– Clashing Rocks
– 5 uneven merkin drag coupon, 5 BBSs with coupon
– 10 uneven merkin drag coupons, 10 BBSs with coupon
– 15 uneven merkin drag coupons, 15 BBSs with coupon
– The underworld:
– 10 absolutions, an 8-count exercise
– Sirens’ Call
– Pax hold balls-to-the-walls against construction fence for 1 minute – Scylla and Charybdis
– Scylla: sprint to the top, 10 stair merkins going down
– Charybdis: rifle carry to the top, 10 thrusters, rifle carry down – Pax choose one path.
– On the second round, they take the other path
– Battle of the Suitors
– 108 coupon swings, 108 one-armed rows, 108 coupon presses, split among the group – Mary
– Flutter kicks
– LBCs
– Moleskin
– “By hook or by crook, this peril too shall be something that we remember.”
– This line, spoken by Odysseus, reflects his resilient spirit and determination in the face of adversity. It’s a powerful reminder that the challenges we face today will one day be memories, shaping our stories and teaching us invaluable lessons.
Tags: Tar Pit, Beaker, LeMond, Tortuga, Da Vinci, T-bone, Panhandle
Date: 2026-07-18
AO: Flat Earth
Q: White Noise ,
PAX: Hypotenuse, Snatch (F3 NW HWY), Gummi Bear, T.B., Archive, Has Been, White Noise, Cheese, Jolly, Shiplap, Banks, LouGee, Rnauld FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
Conditions: small gusts of wind; hot; sweaty; breathable
WOR: SSH, stretching, D+B
The Thang: 7v7 then 7v6 ultimate frisbee
Moleskine: luck and anger
Tags: Flat Earth, Hypotenuse, Snatch (F3 NW HWY), Gummi Bear, T.B., Archive, Has Been, White Noise, Cheese, Jolly, Shiplap, Banks, LouGee, Rnauld
Date: 2026-07-17
AO: Ground Zero
Q: Cottontail ,
PAX: Beaker, LeMond, Tortuga, Mr Roboto, Endo, Cheap Shot, Crack, Stock boy, Noodles, T-bone, Cottontail, Panhandle FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
Conditions: warm, smoky, AQI of 500
WOR: SSH, SOYO
The Thang: we ran east, 3 went to Joe Bean, did stadiums, 3 rucked, the rest ran east
Moleskine: Proverbs 16:9, 19:21, when interruptions come, maybe stop and go Roth the flow, there might be a greater purpose.
Tags: Ground Zero, Beaker, LeMond, Tortuga, Mr Roboto, Endo, Cheap Shot, Crack, Stock boy, Noodles, T-bone, Cottontail, Panhandle
Date: 2026-07-18
AO: Mastodon
Q: Stock boy ,
PAX: Falsetto, Jailbreak, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Cheap Shot, The wet burrito, Stock boy, Profesor, Sparrow FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
Conditions:
Warm, humid, and GNATS!!!!!
WOR:
Abe Vigodas, world’s greatest stretches, SSH, toy soldiers
The Thang:
HIIT to songs where we switched to high intensity movements triggered by parts of the song;
1. ‘I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers – rifle carry switching to coupon lunge walk triggered by the chorus
2. ‘I Ran’ by Flock of Seagulls – plank Jacks switching to run up Half-a triggered by “I Ran”
3. ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ by The Tokens – rows switching to overhead press triggered by “O-wimoweh”
4. ‘Tubthumping ‘ by Chumbawamba – SSH switching to burpees triggered by “Knocked down”
5. ‘Hooked On a Feeling’ by Blue Suede – Popeyes switching to curls triggered by “Ooga Chaka”
6. ‘Cult of Personality’ by Living Colour – calf raises switching to thrusters triggered by “Cult”
7. ‘Signs’ by The Five Man Electrical Band – plank switching to merkins triggered by “Signs”
8. ‘Turning Japanese’ by The Vapors – shrugs switching to clean to front rack triggered by “Japanese”
9. ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin – imperial walkers switching to blockees triggered by “Be Happy”
10. ‘Jenny / 8675309’ by Tommy Tutone – bicycles switching to nutcrackers triggered by “Jenny”
11. ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ by Steam – squats switching to goblet squats triggered by “Na na na na”
Moleskine:
When things aren’t going as well as you like, think about when times were harder, keep it in perspective, and remember God is in control.
Tags: Mastodon, Falsetto, Jailbreak, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Cheap Shot, The wet burrito, Stock boy, Profesor, Sparrow
F3 Wheaton 