Category: Uncategorized

Date: 2026-07-23
AO: Mastodon
Q: Mr Roboto ,
PAX: The wet burrito, Mr Roboto, Falsetto, Audible, LouGee, DQ, Da Vinci, Stock boy FNGs:
COUNT: 8
Conditions: A beautiful, crisp 54° with breathable air

WOR:
Motivators x7
Tin Soldiers x20
Mountain Man Poopers x15

Thang 1: Bataan Death March
PAX jog the long mile while one stays behind to perform 3 Burpees and then sprint to catch up.

Thang 2: Bearpees
Banks wrote “We headed to the tennis courts and started Bearpees (1 Burpee 4 Bearcrawl) until we crossed the full length of the courts. After this evolution the Q graciously gave the PAX a 10-count to catch their breath and then had everyone go the full length back but instead of 1 burpee each time he upped the game to 2 burpees and 4 bearcrawls.” I did the same, but gave us TWO 10-counts. 😅

Thang 3: Burp Back Mountain
Mosey to the hill and perform 200 Burpees Dora style. While one PAX performs the exercise, the others Bernie Sanders halfway up the hill and run back down. (200 was not enough, so we did 150 more before finishing with a Bernie-rise.

Thang 4: The Finale
No time for pullups, but we did do Jack Webbs at the flag. (1 Merkin 4 Overhead Claps, 2:8, 3:12…except I thought the claps were double the Merkins, not x4) Ended with some Mary

Moleskine:
Some of us saw The Odyssey yesterday. There’s a moral code called “Zeus’s Law.” It means that you welcome beggars into your company because you never know when one is a god in disguise. It reminded me of the biblical story of Abraham welcoming angels into his gone and being told he would have a son. For me, the point is that you never know someone’s story, so treat everyone with respect.

COT: Health, jobs

Original Banks Q from https://pax-vault.f3nation.com/stats/events/1641333

Tags: Mastodon, The wet burrito, Mr Roboto, Falsetto, Audible, LouGee, DQ, Da Vinci, Stock boy

Date: 2026-07-22
AO: Tar Pit
Q: Too Big To Fail (TBTF) ,
PAX: Panhandle, LouGee, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Tortuga, Portage FNGs: None
COUNT: 5
Conditions:
brisk

WOR:
Abe Vegoda’s, SSH, CH Squats, Arm Circles, Stretch OYO

The Thang:
Chutes and Ladders (kid’s board game) themed beatdown. The AO has 4 (rather lengthy) staircases leading to a common area with a ramp down.

At the base of each staircase we started with 5 blockees, 10 OH Presses, 15 curls. We then drew a card (there were 10 unique cards) which assigned us a mode of travel up the stairs, an exercise at the top of the stairs/common area, and a mode of travel down the ramp.

We did all 4 staircases once and repeated one (so 5 rounds total).

Then back to the flag.

Moleskine:
the workout themed after the board game Chutes and Ladders was intended to reflect that you work your way up a challenge (a set of stairs in this case) and life can knock you back down however the PAX just kept going back up. Moleskine = keep getting back up and pushing. It will work out as God intends it to.

Tags: Tar Pit, Panhandle, LouGee, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Tortuga, Portage

Date: 2026-07-21
AO: Mastodon
Q: Too Big To Fail (TBTF) ,
PAX: Da Vinci, LeMond, Stock boy, Mr Roboto, Endo, Big Mac, Samsonite, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Bostaff, The wet burrito, Tortuga FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
Conditions:
typical July

WOR:
SSH, Abe Vegodas, Arm Circles, Good Monrings

The Thang:
45 minute beatdown inspired by watching Jim Abbott receive the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Jim achieved his dream of becoming a professional athlete despite being born with only one hand. All we had to do is show in the gloom and throw around some coupons – and the HIMS showed up!

4 rounds:
Round 1 – starting with your dominant hand (use other hand not at all or as minimal as possible) – 1 minute coupon overhead press
– 1 minute bent over rows
– 1 minute curls
– 1 minute goblet squats
– Farmer carry across the field and back
– drop the coupon (finally) and mosey up/down Hoffa
– One hand/arm plank for the six
– mosey up Hoffa and back, hold 1 arm plank

Round 2 – Repeat Round 1 with non-dominant hand.

Round 3 – back to the dominant hand/side
– 1 minute One-arm overhead hold
– 1 minute Lunges
– 1 minute Merkins
– 1 minute Flutter kicks
– 1 minute Plank
– mosey up/down Hoffa
– One hand/arm plank for the six

Round 4 – repeat round 3 with non-dominant hand/side

Then back to the flag

Moleskine:
Today’s beatdown was entirely using one hand at a time (modifying as needed of course). It felt harder than it should be, it was a little frustrating, and it was ackward but that was the point. Life isn’t always easy, life can be unfair but at the end of the day that doesn’t stop us. If you find a way to deal with it you will always be better on the other side (ie Jim Abbott theme of the beatdown – he found a way to overcome his challenge and found success despite the odds)

Tags: Mastodon, Da Vinci, LeMond, Stock boy, Mr Roboto, Endo, Big Mac, Samsonite, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Bostaff, The wet burrito, Tortuga

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