Backblasts

AO:  The Patriot

QIC: Lucius

THE PAX: Down Range Dixie Chick; Dr. D.; Hightower; Jenner; Major Payne; Noodle; 90210; Poe; Prenup; Sub Prime; Lucius

WARM UP: SSH; Arm Circles; Cherry Pickers; brief social shuffle to preview BLIMPS.

THA-THANG:

PAX split into two teams and performed:

FFIO:  As a team, PAX moved coupon collection (cinder blocks, 50-lb sandbag, hi-lift jack, mini-log, kettlebells, and sledgehammers) 50 yards … without standing up. Technique left to team discretion. FFIO.

BLIMPS – Stations of seven burpees, 4-count lunges, 4-count imperial walkers, Merkins, 4-count plank jacks, and body-weight squats.  25-yard shuffle between stations.  Team picks up the six at each station.

After both teams moved the coupons for 50 yards, all the coupons ended up in the far end zone.  The PAX regrouped and brought them back:

Bucket-Brigade: PAX passed coupons from man to man, performing a curl, goblet squat, or press with each coupon as it went by.  After all coupons passed, last PAX moved to the front of the line.  Full 100 yards.

MARY: PAX-led flutter kicks, Noodle baby crunches, ring of fire (with Jenner jump push-ups for some), toy soldiers, and LBCs

COT:  Today, we focused on teamwork.  It will be critical to our success at GrowRuck in March.  No individual can carry the weight.  But the team can.  Consider how to be a teammate today and through the weekend.  Our co-workers, spouses, kids, and community need good teammates.

AO:  The Patriot

QIC: Jenner

PAX: Major Payne and Lucius

Today is Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. so the start time is the delayed Federal Holiday time of 7:00am. Usually, this extra time allows more PAX to post…unless the temperature outside is half way between when fresh water and salt water freeze.

WARM UP: SSH; Imperial Walkers; Windmills.

THA-THANG:

Knights of Columbus: The PAX moseyed over past the front of the school, took a right on Yorktown as Lucious told us about his latest Ruck event that was successful! We turned into the Knights of Columbus and explored its snow covered grounds. We ran past the volleyball court, which looked like a permafrost you could ice skate on. We trotted through the snow to the playground and found horizontal bars that were perfect for pull ups if you were a fully grown elf and did pull ups til failure. We then found a suitable dry area for 15 merkins. Then we found a non-pristine part of the white brick wall and did 15 four count wall mountain climbers. We then did 20 box jumps on a low wall of stone pavers. After that, we picked up blocks of chopped wood and ran the length of the parking lot, approximately 100m but actually felt like 150m with the wind, and then back while commenting how this would have been great with a larger PAX when we could have partnered off and done different distances and things with it. We couldn’t think too hard about the past and the days when we had strength in numbers. We needed to focus on battling the harsh weather and completing our journey.

Discovery: The PAX mustered their strength and moseyed over to Discovery, taking a shortcut through a neighborhood where we gathered wind-swept trash and threw it back between trash containers. At Discovery, we climbed over two hexagonal metal pods that had rock handholds so it made it OK. Major Payne nearly slipped and broke a leg. But still, we pressed on. Our journey was not over. We monkey barred, hopped over fake fallen trees, and spider climbed. We then found shelter from the freezing winds behind a wall and did 15 Dwight Howards. A challenge was given to run up a slide. It was taken. Slipped like there was a banana on the slide. Recovered. Then we all helped Major Payne relive the memory of bear crawling through the bike racks. Ah, what good memories from that PAX we once had.

Lewes the Log: The weather hardened PAX then headed back, running side by side, back to Patriot Field. We stopped by to lift Lewes up to free it from the frost bitten weeds promising that we’d see him / her / it soon. We made it.

MARY: PAX choice of Flutter Kicks, Box Cutters, and Hollow Tuck

COT: I had the cold last week and so I stayed out of the cold. I am getting over the cold so I came out in the cold. Thanks for baring it with me. We are F3 hoorah! (I made this last part up).

AO: The Patriot

QIC: Maj Payne

The PAX: Dr. Dandelion, Subprime, Prenup, Lazlo, Bandit, Lucius, Poe, Hightower, Buffet, 90210, FNG Moonwalk, Jenner, Bone, and Noodle

15 PAX posted in the freezing gloom this Friday, which marked the longest government shutdown in history. It’s been a tough go for many in the F3Capital region, with many either furloughed or indirectly impacted otherwise. YHC decided that it was clearly time to build a wall, somehow, someway, since that’s what this whole thing seems to be about, so that’s what we did!  The following is a mostly a true story…

WU: SSH, Imperial Walker, Jumping Little Baby Arm Circles forward and rear.  Time to scoot.

The Thang: The wall obviously had to be big and strong, mostly because it was being built by F3 men, and well… as Noodle might say, nuff said! So first, the materials had to be gathered.

The PAX moseyed to the corner of Yorktown and 28th, where conveniently, someone had left a cinder block. While not steel, we all figured it would work just fine for our wall, and so after 5 x burpees to celebrate its discovery, we secured it and moved along to…

Base of the 30th street hill.  Miraculously, another cinder block was discovered, and we were next to a hill. What are hills good for?  Nothing but running up and down them, so half the PAX started running up while the other half did burpees! Flapjack and then we moved on for more building materials to…

The Rock Spring Park Pavilion. Lo and behold there was another cinder block waiting for the PAX!  All were elated and the PAX burst into spontaneous dips and derkins — 15 each. It was truly beautiful, especially watching Buffet and Jenner perform narrow grip dips on the cinder blocks themselves. If you haven’t ever done narrow grip dips… it’s actually probably a good thing for your shoulders. Hey, we said up front we aren’t professionals!! After the excitement subsided, we moseyed onward with three blocks for our wall to…

A quick rest break atop one of the many hills on Williamsburg Blvd and conveniently next to Poe’s van. I’m sure Poe (and a few others) considered jumping in to complete the journey, but alas, all chose to complete it on foot. While the PAX consolidated, all completed body weight squats, passing the (3 so far) blocks to the right, or left, or whatever works so that each PAX got 3 x squats with the block each.

Moving along, we stopped at Discovery Elementary School where yet another wall part awaited our arrival. Again, it was a cinder-friend, and again the PAX rejoiced. This time with a quick step up and derkin combo – 10 each.  Time to mosey to…

The indistinct corner of Little Falls and Harrison. Another cinder block and another opportunity to excel! 20 x flutter kicks for all! Continue the mosey to…

Chestnut Hills Park where the PAX accepted what would be the last block on our journey. More dips and derkins — 20 each and off we went again to a consolidation point and just a bit more fun. All blocks overhead and squat. Pass the block to the right after each squat.

Mosey to the end point, where we would build our wall! Only six cinder blocks, but the point was made! It takes more than a wall to stop the men of F3, and Jenner proved it by super jumping over it in a single bound.

After a quick Mary — 25 x LBC, 25 x flutter kick and 15 x WWIIs it was time to finish.

Announcements: Welcome FNG Moonwalk!!

Also, Grow Ruck 14 is coming up fast! Mar 22-24 in Richmond. It’s going to be a really amazing event. There will be a call Thursday at 8:30pm for those that aren’t sure about this whole Go Ruck thing.

COT: Thanks to all who came out to share in the frigid gloom. There are real people who are stressed about this shutdown and there are leaders across government and industry that are struggling. It is the job of the leader to keep his team together through thick and thin. Sometimes that means bringing some levity to the situation, sometimes it means bringing strength. Positive attitude is critical no matter what, and that’s what each of us need to do this day — bring some positive attitude! Go out and make the world a little bit better in your corner. Be a better employee, boss, father, son, friend or colleague. We are all leaders and we all make a difference.

Aye!!

 

AO:  The Patriot

QIC: Jenner

PAX: Deflator, Laslo, Wham-O, Poe, Dr. D, Lucius, Bone, Major Payne, Noodle, and FNGs Good Year and Villa

WARM UP: SSH; Imperial Walkers; High Knees Tap; Windmills. Run the stairs and half of the stadium stopping behind the field house for Arm Circles; Air Pushes. Finish running the stadium.

SECONDARY GOAL: Similar to Deflator’s Kiss My Grits audible, at any time, yell a name for that man to lead the PAX in 10x LMAs (LBCs, Merkins, Air Squats). Goal is to reach the monthly challenge’s daily 100x LMA.

THA-THANG:

Hurdle Mobility Progression: Each PAX grabs a hurdle and carries it above the shoulders to the corner of the track by the stairs. Place 5 hurdles in lane #6 and 5 hurdles in lane #3. Each hurdle is placed behind the next one 5 feet apart at the base.

1. Run Stairs then 5x Right leg swing skip then 5x Left leg swing skip
2. Repeat above steps then 5x Right leg skip over then 5x Left leg skip over
3. Repeat above steps then 5x Alternating leg skip over and then Alternating leg skip over pausing with high knee (at 90 degrees) in the middle for a 3 count
4. Repeat above steps then 10x hop overs. Mention that a modifer is to hop over the along side the hurdle. Look back and see if anyone who doesn’t modify eat plastic hurdle as the quads start to give out.

Circus Progression: Mosey over to the end zone and line up behind the green cone.

1. Gorilla Crawl to 10yd line
2. Repeat above steps and then Frog Jump over the cones to 20 yd line
3. Repeat above steps and then Butt Scoot back to 10 yd line in-between cones (if there are any bocci balls at the start, carry one with you)
4. Repeat above steps and then Bear Crawl pushing bocci ball along the rope to the 20
5. Repeat above steps and then Spider Crawl to the 30 (time permitting)
6. Repeat above steps and then Inch Worm to the 40 (time has got to be expiring)

MARY: PAX choice of Corkscrew, Flutter Kicks, American Twists, and Bonnie’s Torture

COT:   As I was thinking about how I would be leading the PAX today through life’s hurdles and on to some fun animal-like activities as if it were the circus, I realized some PAX may have to modify and stray from the path so to speak. Then I remember my father telling me an ancestor’s gravestone said “As I am now so you shall be, so be prepared to follow me.” Then a gravestone that was put next to it said, “I will not be bent, until I know which way you went.” Basically, I take this as follow great leaders that have the same core values as you. Don’t blindly follow leaders that veer from the path and steer you away from your core values. So whether you are the leader or have influence over leaders around you, ensure that the vision is communicated and try to have everyone align to the same core values and no matter what, remain true, strong, and steadfast in your own beliefs.