Author: Lab Rat

  • Steeplechase

    Three of North Side’s finest posted to the gloom of Atlee HS this morning to continue our mission of planting shovel flags in Mechanicsville.  It was a small crowd, but we didnt let that stop us:

    Warmup run over to bus lot at CMS

    COP

    SSH

    IW

    Copperhead Squats

    Merkin

    LBC

    Thang:

    11’s Derkins + Incline Prom Dates

    Pullups X5 Chinups X5 Wide Pullups X5

    Stations:

    -Heels to Heaven

    -Jump around the World

    -Dips

    Human Steeplechase:

    Round 1:  Two men plank 10 feet apart,  the last man hurdles two plankers, then planks.  Leap frog the length of soccer field.

    Round 2:  Two men plank 10 feet apart, last man goes under two plankers, then planks.  Leap frog the width of soccer field.

    Round 3:   Same as above, but over/under, width of soccer field.

    Mosey to shovel flag, two Minutes of Mary:  Flutter Kicks, Dying Cockroaches

    BOM

    NMS

    Small group this morning, YHC is really surprised at how hard it is to get folks out at 5:30 in the morning.  No matter, the guys that show up are quality individuals and their continued posting is testament that things will pick up in the near future.

    Abacus is non-stop, YHC tries to keep up with him, but he has got an engine.  He flew through 11’s and then some.  He also has several men in a serious EH as we speak, making YHC feel better about the future of DaVille.

    *****Comment deleted to protect the guilty********

    Baggage Claim and Abacus made Q look like a chump during the pullups.  Abacus threw YHC a bone when he complained about the wide hands pullups.  YHC was the only one needing assistance to complete said task.

    Baggage Claim’s birth name is Joe, making it very difficult to call him by his F3 name.  YHC is going to start referring to him as “Bags”.

    Thanks for the inspiration this morning, gentlemen!

    Lab Rat

     

     

  • Seeing Double

    13 Faithful and 2 FNG’s gathered in the gloom to put an exclamation point on the morning. YHC cleared the road block on I-195 just in time to plant a shovel flag have a minute to gather his thoughts. Here is what transpired:

    Morning jog around the campus, gather Sippy Cup on the way out of the lot

    COP (on the newly open fields)
    All COP excersizes IC
    -X20 SSH
    -X20 Split Jumps
    -X20 Copperhead Squat
    X10 little arm circles, X5 big arm circles. Reverso
    X10 merkins
    X30 LBC

    Mosey to Grove side of school for curb crawls AS A GROUP
    -bear crawl forward, X10 merkins
    -bear crawl right ten shuffles, X10 merkins
    -crawl bear back to curb, X10 merkins
    -bear crawl left ten shuffles X10 merkins

    Mosey to pavillion
    -Pole smokers X50 OYO

    Mosey to track
    “It’s a friggin triangle, People”, aka 5 corners
    -X10 pullup/chinup
    -X20 dips
    -X20 incline prom dates
    -X20 ,merkin potpourri, switching styles every X10
    -X20 leg lifts
    rinse and repeat until YHC says stop

    5 minutes of mary:
    -flutter kicks, american hammer, LBC, WWII situps, dying cockroaches (maybe another?)

    BOM, YHC took us out.

    NMS
    TBH, this morning was a bit of a blur, and YHC has an exam to study for, so hopefully the Pax can fill in some good nuggets in the comments. A couple things though:
    -Most of the mumblechatter this morning was during pole smokers, which YHC, a noted expert on mumblechatter, cannot fathom. YHC was too busy gasping for breath to hear what the topic was.
    -Spotter has a twin! Welcome Sniper!
    -Tramp Stamp has a friend! Welcome Dutch!

    Announcements
    -Happy hour on 4/20 at Ellwood Thompsons. Flashdance is Q
    -BRR has a couple spots open. See TYA

    Always an honor to lead you men, thank you for the opportunity.

    Lab Rat

  • 5 Men, 2 Tires, 1 Lap

    The kite weather brought out 2 shovel flags and 5 strong men of a certain age to DaVille.  While YHC is sure that it rained at No Toll this morning, the showers held off on the North Side.  Abacus brought it in on 2 wheels at 5:30 (and change), barely got the car shut off and hit the ground running (literally), so the rest of the pax fell in line:

    Morning jog over to middle school

    COP

    X20 IC SSH

    X20 IC  Skip jacks (?)

    X20 IC DQ

    X10 IC little arm circles, X5 IC big arm circles.  Reverso

    X30 IC LBC (feet uphill)

    X20 IC Carolina Dry Docks (hands downhill)

    THANG:

    -mosey to SW corner of elementary school track for 1 round of Jacob’s ladder

    -Mosey to NW corner of said track to collect tractor tires.  2 tires, 2 pairs of men.  Flip said tires just once around the track.  Odd man out runs a lap then tags in.  Repeat until tires are both back to starting positions.

    -Indian run with optional burpee back to flag(s).

    -1 minute of Mary, Heels to Heaven IC X20

    BOM

    NMS

    Chumbucket happily surprised everyone by pulling up this morning.  While not really a Kotter, it is great to see him back in the rotation.

    Abacus lived up to his reputation by completely dicking up the counting during SSH’s this morning, then made it all better by really leaning into the bit.  Love it.

    You know how awesome your Q is when he selflessly comes out the evening before to knock all the wasp nests out of the tires for the Pax.  Your welcome.

    Thanks to Circle K for the mumblechatter regarding the tractor tires.  YHC thought it was your specialty?  You do OWN a tractor tire BTW!

    YHC was pleased to see the teamwork that the pax showed as a whole this morning to get both tires all the way around in the time alloted.  A tire aint going to just flip itself, you know.  Great showing by all this morning!

    Special shout out to Baggage Claim for putting the work in this morning!  Well done!

    Someone fart-sacked this morning.  YHC is not naming names, but let’s just say they should have been comfortable being on the North side of town.

    All pax this morning in their 40’s…no loves, no hates.  That’s notable, right?

    As always, It is a privilege to lead this group of men.

    Catch you on the flippity flop,

    Lab Rat

     

    Announcement:  The FCA is holding a fund-raiser dinner on 4/21, Abacus has a table he would like to fill.  The dinner will be on the Griffindorf U of R side of town.  If anyone has interest, please see Abacus, he is the guy in the excessively tight shorts and tap shoes at bike/run at MM.

     

     

     

  • Full Monty

    Four trail run regulars showed up on what turned out to be a stunning morning for a long run:

    Out North Bank, cross over Belle Isle around the downstream side, over to Buttermilk then up Forest Hill (clockwise, of course).  Home on Nickle Bridge by way of second half of Buttermilk.  Offshore and Saab got in some extra mileage on the lake loop.  GPS clicked 10.0 miles upon passing the flags at the toll booth.

    Quick prayer and off to church/rehydrate.

    NMS:

    Not much to report, but a solid run was logged.  TYA and YHC are doing the half marathon trail run on 5/22, so we decided to up the mileage a bit.  Shorter routes were at the ready, but no takers this morning.

    Saab sent us off with homework:  Watch “The Barkley Marathons” on Netflix, come ready to discuss.  Lab Rat and M completed task.  Good call…Lab Rat loved it, M called it “a train wreck she couldnt stop watching”.

    Catch you on the flippity flop,

    Lab Rat

     

  • Double triple check…and a Kotter

    Never mind the road block, 9 strong made it to the shovel flag this morning to start this week off with a bang.  Here is what transpired:

    COP (all excersizes IC)

    Split jumps X20
    Copperhead squats X20
    Arm circles X10 little X5 big. Reverso
    Dive bomber X10
    LBC X30

    THANG:

    Burpee suicides X3

    Triple check version 1 (4 rounds)
    -Step ups
    -Release merkins X20
    -Incline prom dates (audibled to cross leg lifts after 2 rounds)

    Triple check version 2 (3 rounds)

    -Wall squats

    -various abs (recommended: flutter kicks, rosalitas, american hammer)

    -run the loop

    Fire Drill

    5 minutes of Mary:

    -dying cockroach X20 IC

    -LBC X30 IC (led my Mr. Rogers)

    -Carolina Dry Docks X20 OYO

    NMS

    Welcome back to Conspiracy, who LIFO’d in during COP.  YHC had never met Conspiracy, so was a little nervous about him being an FNG.  Seeing as how YHC just stumbled thru disclaimer for practice, that kind of monkey wrench could send this train whirling off the tracks.  Anywho, glad to have you back, and really glad to meet you.

    Thanks to Toga for the mumblechatter at YHC’s expense.  It’s good to feel the love, brother.  There might have been a shot or two from Splinter as well, but YHC was trying to figure out next excersize too much to remember.

    YHC was going to do a round of burpee shuffle, but after reading Dogpile BB he decided to go with fire drill instead to avert yet another Siwrly sponsored mutiny.  Sometimes it’s easier to go with the flow, although combining the smoker that is “fire drill” with easy just dont fly.  That excersize is rough.

    YHC just finished reading “Freed to Lead” over vacation, and was trying to incorporate some of the tactics outlined there into his Q.  A standout quote was “if you cant do it, dont Q it” which ruined a couple planned items this morning after he was smoked after the first triple check (YHC’s arms were not going to make it thru curb crawls).  YHC still feels that he is “leading” from the back of the pack, so thanks for putting up with him this morning.

    Announcements

    Lots of new AO’s out there, so more Q’s are needed.  YHC is proof that anyone can do it.  It’s all about cracking out of that comfort zone.

    There is a half marathon trail run at Riverrock on May 22.  Although not an official #CSAP (yet), there are at least a couple of the pax that are planning on competing (Lab Rat is signed up).  Also, on May 20th evening there is a 5k mud run, May 21 morning a 10k trail run.  Riverrock is the RVA’s premier outdoors event.

    See TYA or Wedding Singer regarding Earth Day 5k, competitive mosey wave.

    AYE!

    Lab Rat

  • Bracket Busted (DaVille)

    5 Pax and 1 FNG met in the gloom on the North Side for 45 minutes of what turned out to be a 2+ hour plan.  Lab Rat planted a shovel flag about the time Circle K pedaled into the parking lot.  After he shed some winter wear for more suitable workout attire, the rest of the pax convened and we got to work:

    COP

    X20 IC SSH

    X20 IC Split Jumps

    X20 IC Don Quixotes

    X10 IC little arm circles, X5 IC Big arm circles, Reverso

    THANG:

    X15 Merkins, run half the track X15 Derkins.  Repeato

    X20 Squat jumps run half the track X20 Low Lateral Skaters.  Repeato

    X20 4-count LBC run half the track X20 Heels to Heaven. Repeato

    X10 2-count Imperial walkers, run half the track, X10 burpees.  Repeato

    Rapid fire:  X20 dips, X20 Monkey Humpers, X20 American Hammer, X10 Dreya Rolls

    Indian Run back to shovel flag with optional burpee before sprint.

    BOM

    YHC took us out with a word of thanks to God.

    NMS:

    YHC planned a big sweet 16 bracket on a white board with regions and everything.  Plan was to do each “game” pick a winner and move on to next match up.  Truth be told, we ran around the track instead of across the closed field and we didnt get near as far as YHC predicted.  Still the beat down must have been solid because there were only a couple of takers on the optional burpees during Indian Run back to the flag

    Since half the Pax were at least a little new, we did a quick F3 101 session to explain some of the abnormal traditions of the cult group.  Hopefully, nobody got too nervous.

    Props to Circle K (mostly) and Baggage Claim for bringing a little mumble chatter that would have normally been supplied by YHC, and keeping the group lively.

    Props to Baggage Claim and The Carpenter for continuing to post up!  Keep coming out!

    Glad to see Abacus becoming a regular at DaVille, and leading the charge during the workout.  Also props for bringing out FNG’s for two consecutive weeks!  Keep on EH’ing!

    Last but not least, welcome to Quarter!  He is a liaison in many of the local schools for FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), which I am sure many members of the Pax are familiar with, and was also a member of the VCU track team not too many moons ago.  Glad to have you, Quarter!

    I am honored to have the opportunity to lead such a fine group of men, if only but for a morning.

     

    Aye!

    Lab Rat

  • No Frills Trails

    With it being Easter, get in and get out was word of the day so that family commitments could be honored.  Aisle 5 had 4 miles in mind, and Saab called out doing the loop counter clockwise for the rest of us.  Lab Rat and Aisle 5 stuck together out to the two mile point, where we parted ways.  Offshore and Saab took off down the trail to get in a quick loop.  YHC never caught sight of them after a quick exchange on the switchback at Buttermilk.

    GPS logged 7.0 miles this morning, putting YHC over the 100 mile mark for the month.  WOOT!

    Noteworthy mention goes to Aisle 5 for pushing thru an ongoing issue to log some miles this morning.  Great to run with you this morning, brother!  Hope you feel better quick.

    Happy Easter, all.  The Tomb is Empty!

    Lab Rat

  • The Gym Rat Experiment

    Seven hearty souls took a break from March Madness to come start their morning off right at #Punisher.  Lab Rat forgot to recover his new shovel flag from Saab since he forgot it last time he planted it, so it was a VSF kind of morning.

    THANG:

    COP

    X30 IC SSH

    X25 IC IW

    X16 IC DQ (sweet 16 for the UVA alum)

    Arm circles little/big forward/backward

    X15 IC merkins

    X25 IC LBC

    Mosey to corner for couples therapy 4 corners around the campus:

    X25 Derkins (partner holds legs)

    X25 leg tosses

    X25 shoulder presses (using partner’s legs)

    X25 leg tosses

    Fireman carry back to corner

    Suicide squats- To make up for lack of fireman carry, Pax performed 1 suicide on the blacktop, doing X5 deep squats each time back to starting line.

    Curb Crawl Lab Rat style:  Together as a group, bear crawl to curb, X10 merkins, side crawl to right 10 steps, X10 merkins, crawl bear back, X10 merkins, side crawl to left, X10 merkins

    Gym Rat

    Line up on school wall and going to first tree:

    -roll V-ups:  roll over, every time you face the sky, do a V-up.  Half way down (or when dizzy) roll the other way.

    -inch worm:  YHC was informed these are called walk in walk out merkins.  Back up to the wall.

    -Long jump burpees

    plank walk back to wall

    Ring of Fire (Rosey style)

    -ring of Al Gore, first pax drops for X10 merkins, then holds plank.  Around the horn until back to first guy, X10 merkins back to Al Gore.

    6 minutes of Mary (round robin style):

    -Swirly called out cross leg lifts, X10 IC each side

    -Bleeder called out Alabama Prom Dates, X20 IC

    -Rosey finished us up with American  Hammer X20 IC

    COT

    BOM

    YHC took us out.

    NMS:

    Bleeder and YHC were discussing degrees of tiredness and unmotivation while pax filed in.  Neither seemed ready to move, but one had signed up as Q.  There was some ribbing about YHC’s comment when Grizzly pulled in, making it a prime number, thus not compatible to either partners or triple checks.  In the end, once the blood got flowing, everybody got busy and put in what YHC thought of as a butt-kicker of a workout (at least YHC got in a good one).

    Instructions on the couples therapy were to finish the last leg as a fireman’s carry switchorama, but that got missed, so we made up for the loss of legs work by 1 round of suicide squats.

    Curb Crawl was an audible because:  YHC hates them, therefore they must be good.  Also the last time we did them with Doner Kebab at the helm, YHC thought the pax should do them synchronized.

    Gym Rat was something YHC came up with watching the girls at gymnastics work out.  2 things:  9 year old girls that do gymnastics are much more graceful than old men.  Also, dizzyness was not accounted for when creating this maneuver.  Idiot Q forgot the last excersize, which should have been plank walk back to wall.

    Great to see Horse and Buggy back for more!  Me thinks a good shortened name for him would be “Buggy”.

     

    Thanks for posting, gentlemen.

     

    Lab Rat

  • Trail Run

    The usual suspects came out to what looked to be a very gloomy day.  The weather might have sucked for a picnic, but it was perfect for a run…so we did…

    THANG

    North Bank to Belle Isle. Around the outside of the Isle then up to the top.  Return home to the VSF via Buttermilk for 8.00 miles.  Great run with great dudes.  If you fart sacked, you missed out.

    NMS

    Just another great morning outside with great company.  I love Sundays.

    Lab Rat

  • RAMM Nation

    GO RAMS!

    A pax of 18 strong descended upon Grove for a crisp morning run/bike.  YHC planted his brand new shovel flag, TYA laid out the route, and Bleeder took the lead for #RAMM GEARS for a group effort Q.

    THANG:

    TYA kicked it old school this morning with an all Grove Avenue run.  4 milers run to Lafayette, 5 milers to Roseneath, and 6 milers leg it out to Boulevard.  Everybody 180s it back down to 3 chopt for yet another 180, then back to shovel flag.

    NMS:

    Great to run with Honey Do again.  Conversations drifted from weight loss to the 25 year anniversary of grunge, to his upcoming half marathon on Sunday.  Burn it down, HONEY DO!

    Saab and Rosie had the restrictor plates engaged until either a given point or until they tired of YHC’s chatter, then let the ponies run.

    Swirly was spotted off in the distance, but had his sights on faster splits.

    Mr. Rogers and Sippy paired up for a run of unknown distances…but safe to say further than 5 miles yet maybe not quite 6.

    YHC forgot his newly planted shovel flag in the madness of the rather large ball of man. He’s a big dumb animal, folks.  Thanks to Circle K for going back to pick it up, and Saab for stepping up as well.

    YHC will “leave it to Bleeder” post the deets on the cycling side.  (you see what I did there?)

    Announcements:

    http://f3nation.com/2016/03/08/w-dog/

    http://f3nation.com/2016/03/02/pre-blast-afsp-golf-tournament-april-25/

    http://www.dominionriverrock.com/  Half marathon #CSAUP

    This Tuesday is first DaVille workout, Circle K has the Q.  Chickahominy Middle School, 9450 Atlee Station Rd, Mechanicsville, VA 23116

    Swirly has the helm for DogPile in the morning.  TYA said it should be easy.  Swirly responded “the wall just got 10 feet taller.”

    Teneis buenas fin de semana,

    Lab Rat