Author: Faceplant

  • Richmond is a small town

    YHC rolled into Richmond’s finest Country Club (okay, it’s a private school track, but it’s our version of luxury) rocking the classic polo uniform, joined by three other well-dressed gloom warriors. It was a pleasant morning, full of sweat, banter, and lots of laps.

    The beatdown? A familiar six rounds of Tabata, each followed by a lap around the track—with a bonus two laps on the last round for those overachievers among us. The first round was a delightful stretch session, which YHC would like to formally thank for being a gentle warm-up disguised as actual effort.

    Midway through the workout, YHC and Hitchhiker’s extremely subtle conversational volume attracted the attention of runners doing speed work. Turns out, they recognized our dulcet tones (or maybe just our loud mouths) and stopped by to say hello. These friends of ours were knocking out 8×400 at a blistering pace. Impressive? Sure. But let’s not overlook the fact that we were doing calisthenics and running laps. Clearly, the harder workout.

    As always, the mumble chatter was on point. OBT regaled us with tales from his recent Italian escapades, if you need travel tips or a trip planner, see OBT’s M for a schedule. Hitchhiker, meanwhile, announced his early return to work from paternity leave, officially cementing his assimilation into American culture by deciding that less time with his newborn was the way to go. There was also a spirited preview of the Thanksgiving family dinner drama we’re all pretending not to dread but secretly can’t wait for. And as always Bodos offered sage advice to YHC for all of life’s challenges – thank you Bodos!

    YHC took us out. It was an honor to lead this esteemed crowd this morning.

  • SCCC Better Late Than Never

    Two of us showed up to a quite morning at the St. Christophers Track. The dogs with tron vests reported seeing the following…

    It was a familiar routine, six rounds of Tabata with one lap between, with the last round having two laps. The first round consisted of stretching. The next few rounds consisted of a mix of curls, abs, merkins, triceps work.

    YHC took us out.

  • SCCC for Two

    YHC rolled up to the finest country club in town for a rainy morning workout. As the clock got closer to the starting time it was looking like it would be a solo workout, but what does YHC but a familiar car pulling up and Hitchhiker rolled up.

    It was a familar routine, six rounds of tabata with one lap between, with the last round having two laps. The first round consisted of stretching which was a welcomed retreat. The next few rounds consisted of a mix of curls, abs, merkins, tricpe work, and we didnt let the rain detur us from sitting on the ground. THe rain sure did pick up when we got to our laps but all was good and spirits were high.

    Lots of mumble chatter around higher education, writing books, and our careers.

    YHC took us out.

  • St. Christopher’s Country Club (SCCC)

    5 bold brothers braved the extra hour to make bad decisions together on the track. Some came before 5:30 others came after 5:30 – but we all made it that is what matters.

    The Thang:

    We hit the track this morning in a state of confusion, thanks to that delightful daylight savings time change. Apparently, we were “well-rested,” but by the looks of us, no one had any idea what time it was, or even what day it was. It was the workout equivalent of showing up to work in pajamas.

    1. Tabata #1: SSH / LT Dans (optional weights, because that extra hour was not gonna carry itself)

    Hot Lap #1: We hit the track, thinking we had a jump-start on the day. LT Dans, as usual, humbled us by Lap 1. YHC learned why they were called LT Dans from OTB, and YHC shared how his cousin dressed up their son as LT Dan for Halloween.

    2. Tabata #2: Burpees / WW2s

    Hot Lap #2: Burpees gave us just enough oxygen to question every life choice that led us to this track. WW2s had us “resting” in prone position, where some of us considered just staying, hoping someone would “find” us at the next lap. The tough part was the getting up and getting down honestly.

    3. Tabata #3: Rows / Flutters (weights raised high if ya got em’)

    Hot Lap #3: The flutters were a teaser for the wide flutters that we had to do during Mary later on. Never done a wide flutter – don’t bother.

    4. Tabata #4: Alternating Overhead Press / Triceps Press

    Hot Lap #4: We waved our invisible barbells and tried to remember which arm was supposed to go up. The arms weren’t happy, but hey, neither were our legs. By this point, everything hurt equally, so… balance?

    5. Tabata #5: Curls / Squats with Weights

    Hot Lap #5: Nothing like daylight savings curls—these somehow made that extra hour feel more like extra weight. Squats were a bonus challenge as we collectively tried to remember how our knees used to work. Hitch asked why we say “curls for the girls” and we explained it had to do with getting ready for spring break in college.

    6. Tabata #6: 4 Minutes of Mary – YHC learned that it wasn’t 4 minutes on the stop watch but 4 more minutes of Tabata, and that would have made it so much easier on the counting.

    Hot Laps #6 and #7: Just as we thought we were almost done, we threw in the extra laps for the final burnout.

    Moleskin:

    We survived and thrived this morning, and remember PAX, the gloom doesn’t get easier—it just gets an hour earlier once a year.

    COT:

    We circled up, gave thanks for the day, YHC took us out with thoughts for others around us that are in need and being mindful of those needs. Plus giving thanks for what we have. Prayers for Upchuck for his upcoming doctors visit, and an extra prayer that he gets some good news from the test results. We all look forward to hearing what the doctors have to say.

    It was an honor to lead this morning and as YHC heard it from one PAX member – it’s like taking a test with the principle in the room, but this principal can explain the meaning behind the exicon, so that is fun.

  • Reflecting on my best friend Shawn

    Today marks 12 years since we lost my best friend, Shawn Hogan. Shawn was truly one of a kind—a rockstar in every sense. At just 28, he achieved more than many do in a lifetime. He excelled as an academic, soldier, and athlete. While I could go on about his many accomplishments, I’ll let you explore those details for yourself:

    https://www.douglasandjohnson.com/obituary/2761295

    https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=EventExt&ID=35867

    https://www.instagram.com/jimbobroski/reel/CtrZItxA6P_

    So in Shawn’s honor YHC decided to do a little memorial to him with some exercises inspired by Shawn’s athletic prowess.

    Started out with some stretching and introductary stories about Shawn for the first 5 minutes. After 5 minutes was up for strecching every minute on the minute until the end we would do 2x burpees, so that’s 40 times, which is fitting because Shawn would have been 40 this year.

    First round of exercises was a triple check after we moseyed on over to the tennis courts. There we all got into teams and did three rounds. Runner is the timer, and the two others did a mix of flutters and Freddie Mercuries. Next exercise was the big one.

    Linked above is an Instagram video that explains some of it. So Shawn being the great solider that he was after he passed away CrossFit did a Hero WOD for him. The workout that Shawn made years ago which was inspiration for this consisted of running a total of 5 miles and every 5 minutes you do 50 merkins and 50 squats, all the while the clock is still going, for the five minute increments. The goal is to finish the merkins and squats as fast as possible so you can use the balance of that 5 minutes to pack on some more miles so you can get to a total of 5 miles. YHC modifed the workout to be 5 laps around the tennis courts with each lap stopping to do 50 merkins and 50 squats. This proved to be a bit too much and YHC had to do an audible part of the way through, but spirits were high, and by the way we were still stopping to do 2x burpees every minute.

    After that it was over to the pull up bars for Shawn’s favorite exercises pullups and dips. Given his love of rock climbing Shawn could do an incredible amount of upper body exercises. Team up in threes for a triple check, timer does 5x pullups while other two do dips and side straddle hops. Finished with that mosey back to the flag for Abs Mary, which was inspired by a spring break trip to south beach Miami our senior year at VMI.

    Finished out with names, numbers and announcements.

    YHC took us out.

    Thank you all for partaking in this little memorial for my dear friend Shawn, much appreciation for the love and support this group has offered over the years.

  • Pre BRR Hill Gamble

    14 of Richmond’s finest gamblers and runners gathered at U of R for a surprise hill workout. Pucker asked if he missed the route being posted, to which YHC replied, “I’ve got the Q, and the route will be revealed.” Someone tall from the peanut gallery quipped that the route either has chalk or few turns since Faceplant is Q-ing. Both were spot on.

    Instructions: Pair up with someone of equal or similar running ability, preferably someone with a light. Grab a die from the jar, and follow YHC to the starting line. The PAX moseyed to the bottom of Ridgeway Road to find a chalk starting line. At the starting line, each pair rolls their die. The number on the die corresponds to a chalk line somewhere up the hill. Run to that number, run back down to the start, and roll again. Rinse and repeat until time is called.

    YHC apologizes to everyone who was short-changed on mileage this morning. Expecting to get your full 3, 4, 5, or 6 miles in? Well, you all did a respectable hill workout. Several apparently wanted to avoid the gamble and posted early to get some extra pre-BRR mileage in.

    YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    Welcome Pucker to Richmond!

    BRR team leaves on THURSDAY – wish them good luck!

    Lara Teague Curry Memorial 5K, Saturday September 14th- https://henricogives.org/lara, see Bodos for details.

  • We wore red because we were on fire!

    Three red warriors showed up to melt some snow. YHC put out the battle cry text the night before to the Wdoggers and the warriors emerged from the frozen tundra to take on the 15 degree temperature. Since it was cold we started with some good stretching to get the muscles ready.

    Then it was go time. Mosey to the amphitheater stage, where YHC pulled out a trusty deck of cards that had been written on the previous night. Each card had an exercise, there was everything in there from Monkey Humpers, to arm circles. The jokers were the fun ones – first joker was run to rusty cage and do 20 pullups, second joker was run to rusty cage and do 30 dips, third joker was 45 burpees on the amphitheater stage. Each Ace was a run to the top of the amphitheater and back.

    Lots of mumble chatter about life, kids, frozen fingers, and cards.

    We got through the entire deck of cards – SUCCESS!

    Mosey back to the flag where Flatline took us out!

    Frozen Triangle on Feb 10!!

    Sign up for breaking bread!

  • Tour of Africa and the Hardest Geezer

    Seven world travelers emerged from the gloom for a rare Faceplant Q at a soggy and warm 45MOM. Two walkers departed and the remaining four plus a late comer Fudd started with some stretches. It went down like this, stretching as this is always important. Then 10 SSHs since we were all warmed up. Then the travel began:

    Race to the world map painted on the black top, goal was to be the first one to get to Egypt. Once at Egypt YHC announced that Egypt was where YHC lived and grew up in his youth. The first one there gave a number between 1-10, and the last person to arrive gave another number between 1-10. Florence gave a 1 and the last person said 9 (YHC will refrain from calling them out, but the name was also forgotten). That gives us 19, so it was 19 burpees around the world map.

    Next up timed 15 minute exercise:

    • 3 minutes of high-low plank, every 15 seconds in a rotating fashion one person goes to low plank while all others are in high plank
    • 3 minutes of WW2s
    • 3 minutes total, first part was a set number of burpees and second part was air squats
    • 3 minutes of flutter kicks
    • 3 minutes of bear crawl one way across the world and crawl bear the other way

    Next up YHC dug deep into the Exicon for the Blueberry Biscuit, we moseyed over to the tennis courts. It goes like this, 4 laps around all the tennis courts, each lap stop and do 10 burpees together and wait for the 6, then sprint the straight aways and jog the short parts. Rinse and repeat 4 times.

    Next up race to South Africa, all the PAX race from the tennis courts to stand on South Africa. Before YHC moved to Richmond YHC lived in South Africa for two years. Rounding out two stints of living in Africa. There was much discussion about how big Africa is which led us to have a discussion about the Hardest Geezer, a brit who is running the length of Africa. Look him up on YouTube, he’s incredible. https://youtube.com/@hardestgeezer?si=BQf_0zp0SeIuZuxq

    From the world map we did a double triple check. Break up into pairs, first person runs across the blacktop and does two carolina dry docks, then waiting person is holding a deep squat. After that it was stretching and mosey back to the flag for names and announcements.

    YHC took us out. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this morning.

  • WDog Soggy Dog

    Three grinches showed up on a rainy yet warm morning. Bodos put out the call to rally the troops and three showed. YHC had the Q for today and here is what went down. YHC was just expecting a partner but was pleasantly surprised when a third Grinch showed up to complete the party. To get out of the rain it was off to the stage for the remainder of the workout.

    Started off with 5 minutes of light stretching

    Once we were all stretched out it went down like this – two 15 minute workouts. First workout:

    • 3 minutes of high-low plank, every 15 seconds in a rotating fashion one person goes to low plank while all others are in high plank
    • 3 minutes of WW2s
    • 3 minutes total, first 30 seconds SSH, remaining time do burpees
    • 3 minutes of high knees
    • 3 minutes of bear crawl one way and crawl bear the other way

    Next 15 minutes, 1 minute round each for 15 rounds. rotating fashion of mountain climbers, air squats, and overhead presses.

    Then finish it up with some light stretching and mosey back to the flag.

    It was good to see some company on this rainy warm morning and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. We all shared our high-low-buffalo of Christmas, and next year we three committed to embracing the Advent season more true to its form. Grinches out.

  • DogPile VQ – 5 Years in the Making

    It has been five years in the making to get to this point, and YHC was so honored to see the 14 studs turnout, even a few that read the weather report wrong. We had everything from full pants to no pants, and everything in between. The deal still stood – if you bring a FNG YHC will take you and your FNG out to breakfast at Libbie Market – no FNGs were spotted today.

    Warmup

    We started with a reminder about the mission of F3 then it was off to do some much overlooked and needed stretching. Then 25 SSHs, progressively getting faster, followed by a 10 merkin wave. Handshake said that YHC stole this idea but YHC really was just doing an homage to YHC’s pal.

    Thang

    Following the warmup, it was off for a tour of the sites. YHC reminded everyone to mentally mark the flashing crosswalk because it would come into play later. Mosey to a new triangle near the pond for a triple check. Slight modification to the triple check, every time the timer/runner comes back the three of you do 3 burpees in unison. So timer runs while the other two do merkins for the first round and airsquats, second and third round goes from merkins to WW2s.

    Finish up then its off to do an homage to EF Hutton, run down the road of pretty houses and at every SUV/Truck 5 merkins, car 5 WW2s, and convertibles 10 air-presses, but there were no convertibles. And for every Woodfin truck it was 20 burpees – no Woodfin trucks today.

    At the end of the road take a left down the tunnel street for lunges, crabwalk, and bear crawls. At the end of the tunnel look what we have here but two Frisbees!

    YHC reminded everyone to remember the flashing cross walk – the game is this, get the frisbee all the way to the flashing cross walk in under 5 minutes. If the frisbee touches the ground its 5 merkins for everyone. If we don’t get to the flashing crosswalk in 5 minutes its 20 burpees for everyone – race was on. soon everyone stopped catching and just threw the Frisbee as far as one could. We may need to do some ultimate practice. All arrived safely at the flashing cross walk.

    Mosey to the valley behind the stage. Count off by 1-2-1-2, and for Upchucks case count off 1-2-1-2-1-2. He certainly followed directions. Once we were all into two teams, we paired up with an opponent for a game of Rock Paper Scissors. You and your partner play 10 rounds in the bottom of the valley, between each round you run back up the hill and meet back down in the middle of the valley. Winner of each game goes into plank and the looser of each game does 3 burpees. Rinse and repeat 10 times. After that the ultimate winner so the person with the most games won on team 1 and team 2 meets in the middle for the ultimate showdown – rest of the PAX is in plank and the Mr. Rogers and YHC faced off in a squat for best 2 out of three rounds. YHC was victorious, and the losing team had to do 25 merkins.

    Mosey back to the flag for some stretching. This group means so much and are a great part of my day, thank you all for the opportunity to lead today.

    Announcements: Rosie’s 12 days of Christmas on Tuesday, and don’t forget your present!

    YHC took us out!