Author: Lab Rat

  • Easy to get there, tough to get back

    14 men showed up for an early run this morning.  Here is what shook out:

    Route:  Carillon route for 5 and 6 milers.  For the 4 milers, same out, but come back on Sheppard to Cary after passing the tennis courts at Byrd Park.

    NMS:  YHC was thinking Carillon route, everybody knows that route, right?  Well, turns out Back Bay and Copernicus (who is usually running with the 6 mile guys) did not know the exact route to get back across the Powhite and got a little turned around over in Windsor Farms.  YHC was running with Saab this morning, and was glancing back to see if they were behind (because I wanted to take a more scenic route thru the neighborhood).  Luckily, they were found on Cary after a couple minutes of driving around, and were pretty close to getting back on their own.

    Straight up, my apologies.  I should have run with them and got them back.  I was talking beer with Saab and was off the Q during the run, when I should have been making sure everybody got the route correct.  This is a great route, but it is tricky to get from the carillon across to Windsor Farms.  This should have been my goal this morning.  Sorry specifically to Back Bay and Copernicus for not watching the six.

    Aisle 5 and Taxi Cab had a little mixup this morning as well, although YHC saw Sheppard when he went by, so he doesnt feel guilty on that one!  Great to have you back, Aisle 5…..KOTTERS!

    Lab Rat out.

  • It has been 0 days since our last run related injury

    2 guys named Paul met YHC at the trailhead this morning for a beautiful, albeit dark start to the day.  Here is what transpired:

    –Short Run:  No takers

    -Medium run:  1 loop around the main trails, starting on Northbank, downriver side of Belle, back on Buttermilk including the lariat trail for right at 7 miles.

    -Long run:  2 loops of above, second one in reverse.  14 miles total.

    NMS

    YHC was the third pax in the lot this morning, expecting to see more headlights any second, but they never showed.  Oh well, let’s roll….first couple of miles this morning artificial light was required.  TYA and YHC had planned putting some distance on our feet this morning as an early jump start to the 50K training regimen.  YHC is sure that Offshore would have hung with us, but he is battling with some foot issue and 1 lump was enough this morning.

    Somehow, Offshore rolled into the parking lot with dripping blood all down his hand.  YHC was never given a straight answer as to what happened, but YHC knows that he definitely broke our safety streak.

    Some good conversation was had on both loops today.  Good to run with Offshore for a bit, it feels like it has been a while.

    Always awesome to run with TYA, thanks for going long with me today.  Little did TYA know, but that was the longest run ever for YHC.  The company made it a breeze!

    Lab Rat out.

     

  • November Merkin challenge

    2016 Merkin Challenge

    Standard goal is 5000 for the month, feel free to modify as you see fit.  5 days to rest up, gentlemen!

    Also, this challenge (as all of our monthly challenges are) is open to family members.  Feel free to share the link with your M and shorties.

    Any questions or lack of motivation, see Swirly.

  • Atlee complex laps

    4 runners were found loitering on school grounds this morning.  Punishment was to run laps around complex:

    • start with short stroll around parking lot to catch any stragglers (none showed), then head down road until Honey Meadow Rd.  Left until bus parking lot, another left into lot, then across front of schools to starting point.  Each lap is 1.5 miles, pick your distance.

    NMS

    Teams of two formed, Anchovy and Spike leading us out, with Lab Rat and Spit close behind.  Spit was pulling hard out of the gates this morning, and Lab Rat was struggling.  After 2 miles, Lab Rat dropped the virtual tether on Spit and let him fly.  Lab Rat pulled it in early, covering 4 miles….dragging ass after a long trail run yesterday.  Anchovy and Spike came in hot, then went back out in reverse to track down Spit, who busted out 5 miles at a blistering pace.  The front runners covered about 5.5 miles.

    Announcements were:  See ya’ll in the morning.  HoneyDo Q at DaVille…..YEEEHAW!

     

    Lab Rat out

     

     

  • The Year of the Rat

    8 Strong men + 1 FNG showed up to celebrate a beautiful Saturday morning and Lab Rat’s 1 year anniversary the only way either should be celebrated….with a beat down.  It went down a little something like this:

    COP

    • SSH
    • Seal Jacks
    • Merkins
    • Arm Circles
    • LBC’s

    THANG

    • 4 corners:  partner up in back corner of endzone, X25 Partner Leg Tosses each, then lunge down sideline to far corner of opposite endzone.  X25 PLT’s each, karaoke across back of endzone.  Rinse and repeat back to starting point, plank up for the six.
    • X10 squat jump burpees OYO, X20 dying cockroaches IC
    • Lindsays 1:  Starting at corner of endzone, perform 30 merkins &10 LBC’s, sprint to next corner.  25 merkins, 15 LBC’s.  Progress back to starting point adding and taking away 5 exercises until reaching starting point and 10 merkins/30 LBC’s.  Al Gore for the six.
    • Mosey to pillars-
      • people’s chair, switching between high version and low version….low version shoot for thighs parallel to ground.
      • slalom pillars to back of school.
    • Rusty Cage:  Pullups starting at 5 and decending to 1, partner up for assistance.
    • Lindsays 2:  Between the foul poles on the baseball field, carolina dry docks and Imperial walkers (2-count).
    • Mary:  American Hammers, Freddie Mercuries

    NMS

    First off, my apologies to those that showed up for this workout and did not have this BB  posted on a timely fashion….no excuses there.

    Now for the rest of it….so the soon to be Lab Rat posted on a crisp October day last year upon hearing this group that Circle K (friend from before F3) had been working out with.  YHC could not contain himself, as he had been struggling with motivation lately, and could not get anybody to get up and do P90X with him in the gym.  Although YHC was what I thought of as running shape at the time, Earthworm did his magic, and the hour took a big toll.  I remember turning to Doner Kebab (my partner for the morning) and saying “really, more partner leg throws?  Is this how it always is?”  DK responded with:  “yeah, that’s kind of our thing”.

    Well, fast forward 1 year to Saturday.  This workout was an homage to that PLT-o-rama, but with a little Lab Rat flare, half the number of PLT’s, and a little more variety.  As YHC told Earthworm, he had to resist the urge to show up and say “we are running a 10K this morning” (as Earthworm notoriously hates running).  All in good fun of course.

    YHC partnered up with White Deer for the PLT’s this morning, and that man is a machine!  Well, he has machine knees, but the heart of a champ.  Good to getting to know you a bit, White Deer!

    Atilla attacked the pullups with fervor, getting a little help when needed but made a point to do those last couple solo giving it all he had.  FEBA!

    Poor Chum showed up just in time to go from a Swirly beatdown straight into pullup station.  Not one to complain, he banged them out like a pro.

    Johnsonville, Nightcrawler and Emu quietly went about the business of getting things done.  Well done, gentlemen!

    HoneyDo always has great banter, and does an excellent job keeping an eye out for the six, and any potential issues that the Q might miss.  Thanks for your presence, brother.

    Earthworm is mostly sidelined with an injury ATM, but that doesnt stop him from showing up and doing what he can.  Most people would just stay in the fartsack, but he isnt most people.

    Not to get too sappy, but I would be remiss not to take a moment to thank everyone that makes F3 a thing, posts to my Q’s, makes fun of me, runs with me even when I dont wear a shirt, and generally listens to my nonsense.  I would especially like to express my gratefulness to anybody that has Q’d a workout in which I have posted, as you are the people that kicked my ass all the way to here.  Thanks a bunch, men.

     

    Lab Rat out.

  • Charles Bronson in a Clown Suit

    15 F3RVA regulars, 1 FNG, and 1 brother from another suburb showed up to have a birthday party with Lab Rat.  Here is how the festivities went:

    COP (with full disclaimer)

    • 10 Helicopters
    • 20 Copperhead Squats
    • 19 Don Quixotes
    • 70 SSH

    THANG

    • Charles Bronson:  Line up at first cone, perform 50 46 of each exercise, sprinting to second cone, then army crawling to third cone after completion of each exercise.  Exercises were:  SSH, Merkin, Burpee, LBC, Jump Squat.
    • Tunnel of Love:  Plank up shoulder to shoulder (TYA does whatever the hell he wants).  First man army crawls thru tunnel avoiding stalactites along the way.  Plank next to last man upon completion.  And so on until last man completes.
    • Triple Check:  Freddie Mercuries, People’s Chair, and run to last cone and back.  Reapeato X2
    • Soccer Field Tracers:  Follow the leader around soccer field alternating between forward run, karaoke, backward run, karaoke.  X2
    • Mary:  American Hammers, Freddie Mercuries, Superman (2 verses)

    NMS

    Ok, so today is Lab Rat’s birthday, so he was trying to do something momentus instead of normal fly by the seat of pants workout as is a normal Lab Rat Q.  COP numbers added up to date of birth:  10/20/1970.  Somehow YHC struggled more with this than normal, as there was a set order things had to go.  It doesnt help when pax jumps on any pause YHC makes as a sign of weakness.  Thanks, guys!  Lab Rat somehow held it together with no weinke and pulled a rabbit rat out of his….er hat.

    YHC also wanted a guest appearance for his birthday, but all the clowns are in the woods nowadays and we are full up on asses donkeys.  Next best thing:  guest appearance by Mr. Bronson himself!  YHC thinks that the dry erase board stole a little thunder as those that were there last time Charles made an appearance recognized the crutch.  46 was the number instead of the usual 50 to commemorate 4 more years of 0 respect for Lab Rat.  Everything else as it were was just icing on the cake….pun totally intended.

    Post workout, many happy birthday handshakes, fist bumps, and 1 “Happy Birthday, Jackass” (love you too, Toga) made this a great day to be above dirt.  Thanks for all of it!

    It is always a pleasure to have MiniMe in the RVA!  Glad you found the AO this morning!

    Big welcome to FNG “Swiper”!  Great job out there today.  Swiper has a degree in Archeology —–> Dora was always going to archeological digs ——> Boots and Swiper were major characters on Dora, and Swiper was the crowd favorite.

    Announcements

    Tidewater expansion:  Pick your Saturday and see Johnsonville!  Help is needed to get them going.  Also, any contacts in the Tidewater area should be passed along as well.  See preblasts.

    -Bear Creek 10 miler

    -Belmonte 50K

    Lab Rat is another year older and deeper in debt

     

  • October HDHH This Wednesday, the 19th!

     

    Hardywood Park Brewery

     

    ALL PAX TAKE NOTE:

    • Come one come all to see what your fellow PAX members look like in the light of day!  No pre-workout, so no change of clothes or old stinky towel required.  Just good old fashioned 2nd F.
    • Everyone is invited, even your dogs and 2.0’s!  (kids must be leashed at all times).
    • Long term weather forecast is fantastic for hanging outside around the picnic tables, maybe throw some cornhole.
    • Divide Ride taco truck will be on hand…..making tacos I guess.  Saab also volunteered to make an extra peanut butter sandwich to share.
    • Zima sez:  tell the server you are with F3 when you order!  He did not specify whether this will get you a discount or extra saliva in your beer.  Take your chances and see!

    WHO:  All pax and accompanied guests

    WHAT:  Beers and lies.  You may even get to hear what somebody else’s voice sounds like besides Lab Rat’s.

    WHEN:  Wednesday, October 19th, starting at 5:00.

    WHERE:  Hardywood Park Brewery 2408 – 2410 Ownby Lane Richmond, Virginia 23220

    WHY:  Third Wednesday of the month

    No RSVP required, as this is a large facility.  But, feel free to sound off in the comments.  This is the RVA after all.

     

    Lab Rat out

     

     

  • I just wanted to tell you that you taught my wife…

    6 Mechanicsvillagers showed up for this week’s episode of Tomato run.  The weather was such that the pax had a choice in dress this morning, and you had to deal with the consequences.  Route:

    -6 milers:  Out and back to the King’s Charter clubhouse.

    4.4 milers: Out to the 4 mile turnaround, get lost on the way back, go into several cul-de-sacs looking for the trail back, then run out Honey Meadows to the front of the schools and cut across the parking lot.

    So, the pax organically split in to 2 evenly manned groups, with the Sugar Ray’s no doubtedly feeling the calling of speed with the brisk temperatures.  YHC gave them the go-ahead to let the horses run, while Opus, Lab Rat, and Spit opted for a more mosey-esque pace good for guys either trying to get their running legs or trying to recover from 2 hour workouts and long Sunday runs.  At about the half way point, Spit dropped the bomb on Opus (an elementary school teacher) that he had in fact taught his wife in his early days as a teacher.  So much for feeling young again!

    The 6 milers came in hot a few minutes late, after clocking some impressive paces for the last mile when they figured out they were out of time.  With all the bro-code runs of late, it was actually pleasant to see these gifted runners sucking a little wind!  Way to put in the effort, gents!

    YHC had chosen to tough out the weather in traditional light short sleeve shirt thinking he would warm up in a few minutes.  However, with the wind still whipping, Lab Rat never got warm.  While it felt good to be chilly for the first time in months, the hot shower after felt even better.

    Announcements:

    Bear Creek 10 miler Dec 4:  http://www.rrrc.org/events/2016-bear-creek-10-mile-trail-run

    Bel Monte 25 50K Mar 11:  http://belmonteraces.com/

     

    Lab Rat out

  • A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

    Would you be my, wont you be my, wont you be my pax….3 regulars and a Kotters to Mr. Rogers for Tomato Run this morning:

    The pax once again decided to stick together this morning, although the speedsters (Helix and Anchovy) were given the go-ahead if they felt the need for speed.  We wandered around King’s Charter whimsically, coming back to the VSF at exactly 4.5 miles.  Discussion varied, covering topics such as Shane’s Shuffle (which would be a great F3 event, had it not fallen on convergence day), Mr. Roger’s petri dish son and various colds, and how to run fast.  Anchovy let YHC know that if you want to run 8 minute miles, you should run 7 minute miles….which would make running 8 minute miles easier.  Thanks, bro.

    Running with 4-6 guys has been great.  While YHC would love to see the pax grow, he has really been digging these last few weeks of smaller numbers and keeping the “bro code” that the Rutland group has brought over.  Also, great to catch up with you again, Mr. Rogers!  Thanks for the company this morning, gentlemen.

     

    Lab Rat out

  • Good Morning, Mr. Ashe

    12 RUNNERS showed up for RAMM, and all the bikes were left in the stables this morning no doubt dreaming of drier days.  Here is where we went:

    ROUTE:

    • everybody out on Grove
    • 4milers turn left on Boulevard
    • 5milers turn left on Meadow
    • 6milers turn left on Harrison
    • everybody turn left on Monument (or Monument eventual for the 6 milers)
    • Everybody come home on Commonwealth

    NMS

    • So can we all agree that Grove and Monument, although they do not cross, are not really parallel?  They are line segments, not lines that continue for eternity.  If they were lines, they would eventually intersect.  As Bleeder put it, that’s why it’s called “The Fan”.  Geometry, beotch!
    • TYA tried to avoid it, but he had to listen to the radio this morning, and the knob was stuck on WRAT (mostly talk, sometimes singing, rarely dead air).  To his fortune, he eventually found the off button and got to run the last mile or so in sweet sweet silence.
    • Marv correctly identified Monument as changing in to Franklin before the turnaround point for the 6 mile route.  Good catch, YHC forgot to point that out as he doesnt get to run that far out in a mere 45 minutes.  Also, thanks to Marv and Sippy Cup for taking a break along the route and not shaming the guys running shorter distances in same time frame.
    • The absence of Saab was noted.  Go get ’em, Tiger!
    • Great to see Bleeder back out and running!  May the good vibes continue!
    • TCLAPS of the DAY goes to No Tools for his longest run ever!  Swirly noted that you have been putting in the work to get to this point during your lunch breaks.  Well done, Brother!  YHC especially appreciates you finishing in style…..shirtless.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    • Tomorrow is the start of “Run A Mile” challenge.  Sign up here:    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit?ts=563e70a3#gid=1017786714
    • October 8 is F3 Convergence:  0600 at Dogpile.  This will be a 2 hour celebration workout.  There will be a gathering back at the Shovelflag to pick up the “boozers and snoozers” at 0700, so if you are wanting to invite an FNG, they can come for 2nd half.  I am sure details will follow.
    • F3 Leap to Tidewater starting Nov 5th. We will be helping out for 6 weeks.  If you can plan a weekend to go down, and/or you have contacts down that way, please reach out to Johnsonville.
    • CSAUP:  December 4th Bear Creek 10 miler.  If you wait to sign up until after Richmond Marathon, you will probably miss the boat.  http://www.rrrc.org/events/2016-bear-creek-10-mile-trail-run

    Lab Rat out