It was a brisk cool morning, but perfect for a Friday run club! We had 10 PAX join ( Banks, Beaker, Cheese, DaVinci, Hotbox, Katniss, Panhandle, Saga, Shamu, Toto) join for a run/ruck combo. Saga & Davinci took off rucking and the rest of us ran the prairie path using the mile markers as our targets. With the PT Test coming up next week, the goal was to work a faster pace into today’s workout. We ran to mile marker 1 as a warmup, then we regrouped and ran for time to mile marker 2. After a break to catch our breath, we ran for time back to mile marker 1 and took another breather. From there we jogged back to Ground Zero to wrap up the day.
It was a great day to be out and glad to have these men around to push me to go harder than I otherwise would on my own. Prayers for Cooper as he continues to heal and for Beaker as he travels to a funeral this weekend.
Prayers for @Dr Phil’s brother who had a severe stroke, @Babe & @SAGA churches dealing with disciplinary issues, @Hotbox’s M and 2-year-old, Cooper’s recovery from brain surgery (@Bloomer’s son)
MOLESKIN: #sword-swallowers—if you can’t remember the verse, at least remember the 3Gs…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is thegift of God, not as a result of work, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good work which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Eph 2:8-10
When I arrived I was not surprised to see Sparrow talking with the FNG I invited, perhaps attempting to brainwash him into thinking Sparrow invited him. Sparrow is very convincing.
All of the above were present for the first ever Wheaton Joker Q. We were solemn and yet brimming with anticipation as Shiplap passed out the deck of cards. The last card was given to me…I looked and there, on the piece of red and white glossy cardboard was the image of a court jester. I knew right then that I had the Joker. That’s when it occurred to me that I would be leading, right then after I saw the Jester which is a Joker, that’s when I knew.
WARM O RAMA:
An entire beautiful story could be written on the precisely choreographed warm up. But it is enough to state here that it achieved its purpose with grace and dignity; of preparing the pax for the workout to come. The warm up was not appreciated in its own time, but often genius is overlooked for the normal and expected. A great big sleek looking and ornately made musical box was present on wheels as well; compliments of Shiplap. Ode to Katniss and Archive: One must recognize and give homage to those who have gone before and inspired him to greatness.
The Thang:
We paired up and moved over to the pull up bars.
Pull ups I/C: Sets of 10,8,3 with the final pull up including a hold.
Race to the hill: Partner teams raced around the small loop to the hill. Partners alternated between doing Rifle Carries and Murder Bunnies and conducting either Overhead Squats and Blockees while waiting for the partner to catch up. Katniss and Hotbox were the first to the top of the hill.
ANB: Anything But MARY I/C. When we all arrived at the top of the hill the pax formed a circle and the Q graciously gave each pax (except Jolly and Sparrow) a turn at calling whatever exercise their heart desired as long as the pax could perform the exercise, it was not an ab exercise, and the pax could call cadence for the exercise. The q quickly realized that he should have not been so magnanimous and should have placed more specific parameters on his unruly subjects. Crack, Banks, and Saga started out all calling some form of a push up exercise with Banks performing 20 I/C burpees. I also learned that bigmac has an impressive vertical as he performed 20 I/C star jumps and Shiplap led a forearm exercise to simply show us we are all weaker then he. And of course when we arrived at hotbox and told him he could lead us in one exercise, he took great liberties and led us in three exercises.
A final sprint to the the top of the hill ended the first joker Q.
A fast paced, high-heart-rate role playing game with dedicated roles for runners and ruckers.
If future pax are reading through backblasts looking for ideas, I recommend skipping this one. It was a lot of fun to plan, but would have worked better with a smaller field of play or about 20 more PAX. Regular capture the flag might be fun to try. If you need a visual cue to recognize who is one what team, I thought “hats vs heads” worked well.
For natural and healthy reasons, our Mondays are divided between ruckers and runners. But there is much that unites us, not the least of which is sweating with friends before the sun comes up.
A game was designed with the following goals
Ruckers carry heavy things
Runners gonna run
Everyone sweats
Before the game starts, each pax will choose a running or rucking role, and maintain that role for the entire game.
Runners will be running throughout the game, unimpeded by weight or pain stations.
Ruckers will be carrying their rucks and occasionally a sandbag. Runners cannot carry.
The entire pax will be divided evenly into two teams, with the runners and ruckers split evenly between the teams.
The AO is divided into two even halves, four bridges divide the territory. Islands belong to the Northern team.
All of our available sandbags will be divided evenly between the two teams, let’s say team had 2×60 pound sandbags.
At the start of the game, the ruckers on each team will carry their sandbags away from the starting bridge all the way to the other end of the park. If all pax reach the other end, they earn one point (In hindsight, this was probably unneccessary. It did create a more traditional ruck feel, but used up most of the time that could have been spent playing the strategy game).
The ruckers are trying to defend their sandbags by moving them around constantly or by stashing with partial visibility them within 12 feet of the outer track. Each sandbag was given a “certificate of visibility,” which had to be visible. (in hindsight, we had more daylight than expected and slightly less visible sandbags would have been fine.)
When ruckers are on their home turf, they will be referred to as “defensive ruckers”.
When a Rucker leaves his home turf and crosses a bridge in search of the other team’s sand bags, he is acting as an offensive Rucker.
The runners primary job is to gather intelligence for their team. Runners should be able to spot the location of stashed or moving sandbags and report it to their Rucker teammates. Stashed sandbags must always be visible from the outer track. Runners also have the ability to send an offensive pax to jail when he is discovered out of his home territory. Finally, runners can empty their own jail by running past and tagging it. (in hindsight, the runners mostly just ran.)
In order to steal a bag, the offensive team has to challenge the defensive team to an exercise. If there are more than 2 pax involved, the challenges take place man-to-man. If one team is outnumbered, their pax have to compete more than once. For this reason, numbers are an advantage.
In the end, Archive’s team was a strong contender, both in strategy and exercises. Sparrows team (hats), proved a competent defender. Each team stole one bag, defended one bag, and made it across the park, for a tie score of 3:3.
Welcome FNG “Babysitter” Welcome back Kotter, “Picasso”
It was a beautiful morning at Tarpit even though it was a little on the chilly side for a May morning. The PAX all commented that it was light at the start of our workout, which is a nice change from the dark mornings of winter. YHC had 2 workouts planned, if there were 10 or more PAX we would play Ultimate Frisbee, and if less than 10 showed, it would be a devastating beatdown. Thankfully for all of us, we had 12 PAX (Archive, Banks, Big Mac, Jolly, Katniss, Noodles, Panhandle, Rain man, Rancher, Shiplap, Sparrow, Tortuga)show even with a few fartsacks!
Warm-O-Rama: The Usual
7x Motivators
10x Mountain Man Poopers
15x Merkins IC
Thang 1: Team Race
We broke up into 4 teams of 3 and headed to the football field. The teams sprinted 100 yards, and then turned around to complete Broad Jump Burpees back to the start. At that point, the teams needed to advance their sandbag 100 yards out and back. For the first 100 yards, for each 15 merkins the PAX completed, they could throw the sandbag, on the way back 15 Squats earned a throw.
This proved to be a good burn to get the heart rate up and get our bodies loose for some fun.
Thang 2: Ultimate Frisbee
We broke into 2 teams of 6 and played Ultimate Frisbee. It was pretty evenly matched as the final score was 5-4. YHC thought I was getting in better shape, but this event definitely proved me wrong!
COR/NOR/COT:
Thankful for the day and being out with all these HIMs. The games have been a lot of fun recently, and where else are a bunch of guys willing to get up at 5:30am on a Saturday to come hang out and play a game together! Prayers for our FNG/Kotter drive that started today and for growth of the group to reach men in the community who need what F3 has to offer. We also lifted up Cooper as he recovers, and the FiA group who is planting their flag in Wheaton/Glen Ellyn.
Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte was a combat infantryman with the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Bragg. He died Sept. 29, 2007 of wounds sustained while on a ground patrol in Afghanistan. In April, Tellier’s unit was on a mounted patrol when one of its vehicles drove over and detonated a bomb, which set the vehicle on fire, officials said. Tellier pulled two paratroopers to safety, suffering severe burns to his hands. He was awarded the Bronze Star with valor for his actions. Tellier also had received two Purple Hearts. After he was burned, Tellier jumped up in the turret to return fire, said Sgt. Michael Layton, a member of his unit. A lieutenant made Tellier get out of the vehicle because of his injuries
10 burpees + lap / 10 merkins + lap / 10 sit-ups + lap / 10 lunges + lap / end w/10 squats
CoR/NoR/Cot: 8 PAX in attendance: @Banks @Big Mac @Milk Duds(respect) @Noodles @Panhandle @SAGA (Q) @T-bone (respect) @Tortuga (respect)
Prayers for @T-bone’s M’s friend, Caroline, whose father died in Africa and she is unable to be present / @Noodles and his job search / @Bloomer’s son Cooper and his healing and recovery after surgery / Ms & 2.0s
MOLESKIN: The gift of a PAX and those who have gone before us and gave their lives to secure our freedom. We too are called to daily give our lives for others.
remember #sword-swallowers:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of work, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good work which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Eph 2:8-10
#3rd-f opportunities: Exodus World Services + $ to get a gift for @Bloomer’s son Cooper
Eighteen PAX assembled at 5:30am, greeted by a setting April pink moon over AO Mastodon. Coupons were required and sleeveless tees were optional and donned by the brave.
All PAX moseyed over to Hoffa with coupons in tow. We partnered up, with one partner in each pair lugging their coupon to the top of Hoffa (each partnership shared one coupon at top of Hoffa, one at bottom) as Q announced directions for the Thang.
It was similar to a Dora setup with partners each performing exercises on opposite ends of a circuit, then trading positions.
Partner 1: Completes one of the below before tagging partner at bottom of hill to switch.
He begins at bottom of hill by counting blockbee and big boy situp reps, AMRAP.
He keeps track of the cumulative rep count for each of the two exercises separately (and tells his partner each time they trade spots; e.g., “90 blockbees, 125 situps”)
He may switch between big boys and blockbees whenever he wants
The goal is for the partner duo to complete a total of 250 blockbees and 250 situps before time is called. If they don’t, they owe one Redrum (murder bunny up hill, 10 blockbees, rifle carry down) at end of the beatdown. (None of the duos completed this impossible feat, but one or two were within spitting distance once Q lowered the blockbee threshold to 200; alas, all did redrums)
COT: Prayers for Bloomer’s son as he recovers from surgery and navigates rehabilitation Prayers for T-bone’s family friend who recently passed, leaving behind 10 little ones.
Eight PAX gathered in the gloom for this morning’s beatdown.
WOR: Michael Phelps OYO, arm circles, copperhead merkins (slow count down IC), copperhead squats, tappy taps IC.
Thang One: Partners shared a frisbee. The goal was to hit each lamppost in order from the west bridge to the north westernmost lamppost. Throws were earned by reps. 10 hand release merkins, 20 flutter kicks (4 count), or 30 squats. Rep order was not mandated, but all three had to be completed before repeating any reps. Frisbees were advanced frisbee golf style: each throw was attempted from the landing spot of the previous throw. Tap-ins were allowed but still counted as a throw and had to be earned.
Thang Two: Same reps and rules from north westernmost lamppost to the monkey bars. Winners of round one started at the first lamppost. Second place at the second, etc. At the monkey bars each PAX went down and back. Only one frisbee made it into the pond. (I’m looking at you, Banks.)
Thang Three: In Dan Taylor alley. New reps. 10 Bonnie Blairs (1=1), 20 shoulder taps (2=1), 30 lunges (1=1). Goals – baseball field backstop followed by the four soccer goals.
Thang four: No reps. To travel to the frisbee you had to bear crawl for the first two goals, lunge the next, crab walk the fourth, and mix and match to the final goal. Throws must alternate between partners. If you arrived at the frisbee before your partner and it wasn’t your throw, you could double back to them. Once you reach them, both PAX can mosey to their disc. (Saga arrived in the middle of this round.)
Thang five: mosey back to Hoffa, zombie crawl up, first to the top called out “Manrise!” The rest of the PAX moseyed up to hold an Al Gore. We did have a couple on a picnic blanket for the sunrise at the top of Hoffa, so it had to be done.
BigMac and Loafers had to go, so we did NOR before Mary, thus the seated NOR video.
Mary: flutter kicks with PAX reciting the verse in place of the count made it through the first chunk of our passage before running into multiple versions being recited. “For by grace you have been saved through faith.”
COT: prayers were lifted up for Cooper, Bloomer and their family, BigMac’s church as they will be presented with their pastoral candidate Sunday, Brian as he will be moving to rehab soon, Saga’s M, who is having some brain scans to try to figure out what’s going on. Praise for bodies that work and men to push us on.
Donuts were consumed (Thanks Jäzz Händz!), directions to Tortuga’s church were shared, and after a brief coffeteria, most PAX headed out to move some mulch.
10 Pax for a Town & Country run (Archive QIC, Banks, Shiplap, Tortuga, Whittler, Shamu, Dr. Phil, Hotbox, Panhandle, TBone). Route was as follows: Town: east on Prairie Path to Parking Garage. To the top of the garage. North past library. West on Lincoln to Prairie Path. North on Prairie Path. West through the Marsh to overpass. East on Childs to startex.
COR NOR BOM: Prayers for Boomer and Cooper, giving thanks for wonderful surroundings to run in.
Moleskine: “Be kind for every man is fighting a hard battle”
It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood at AO MASTODON. Possibly the last frost for the season blanketed the ground and mist rose off the lake as 12 PAX (Hot Box, Archive, Da Vinci, Whittler, Jolly, Tortuga, Beaker, Big Mac, SAGA, Noodles, Shiplap, Cap’n Crunch (QIC)) arrived and threw in their lot with their deranged Q. Having made vague promises of restraint in his pre-blast, YHC will leave it to the PAX to decide if he kept his word.
Warm-o-Rama:
Motivators IC x 7
Mountain Man Poopers IC x 10
Abe Vigoda IC x 10
The Thang: Cap’n’s Hill (a terrible Dora)
99 Yurpees (clap merkin + 2x tuck jumps)
198 Monkey Humpers
297 American Hammers
Split the above with a partner and take turns doing Bernies up the hill with 20 Star Jumps at the top
The Filler: PAX’s choice
Welsh Dragons or Dan Taylors up Hoffa, up to 9
Aiken Legs: 20 x (Squats, Box Jump, Lunges, Split Jacks)
Overtime! 3 Min of Mary:
Hurricane Hoedown (Motivator Style Countdown Cadence from 5) (Thanks Tortuga for the co-Q getting the count right for everyone else!)
Seated Flutters
Recline Flutters
Normal Flutters
LBC Flutters
COR/NOR/COT: Prayers for Noodles job search — praise for Whittler passing his exams — praise for good health and prayers for the continued blessing, protection, and healing for those looking at surgeries or who are currently recovering (Cooper, Bryan, Katie)
F3 Wheaton 