Author: Gumbo

  • Simple but effective

    14 eager SOJ men posted to NoToll this morning for a heaping helping of Gumbo.  It was served as follows:

    Mosey to the backlot for COP, including:

    • DQs
    • Helicopters
    • SSHs
    • Imperial Walkers
    • HRMs
    • LBCs
    • Freddie Mercuries at varying speeds

    THANG:

    Modified 4 Corners

    • Round 1: Do 10 merkins in corner 1 and run to corner 2 and do 20 WWII sit ups, then run back to corner 1 and plank for Six.  After everyone is back, 10 Alternating Shoulder Taps IC.
    • Round 2: 10 merkins in corner 1, 20 WWII in corner 2, run to corner 3 and do 30 single-count mountain climbers, run back to corner 1 and plank for six.  10 ASTs IC as a group.
    • Round 3: 10 merkins in corner 1, 20 WWII in corner 2, 30 mountain climbers in corner 3, run to corner 4 and do  40 SSHs, run back (the long way) around to corner 1 and plank for the six, 10 ASTs IC as a group.
    • Round 4: 10 merkins in corner 1, 20 WWII in corner 2, 30 mountain climbers in corner 4, 40 SSHs in corner 4 – spring AYG short length to corner 1 to complete the BOX and do 5 Burpees.

    Pavilion Dora

    Partner up and complete, as a group, 100 box-jumps/step-ups, 200 incline merkins and 300 single-count flutter kicks while alternating sprints across the field and back.

    ROF

    Circle up in the grass for 2 rounds of ROF.  Starting on your six and holding six inches, 10 box cutters and pass it around – plank after  you complete the box cutters, then half-way through the second round started and 10 merkins started chasing the box cutters.  Pop up to Al Gore when you finish your merkins.

    Times up – AYG back to the SF for COT, COR, NOR and YHC took us out

    Announcements:

    NMS:

    Great crew this morning for another great morning on the NoToll fields.  We logged some miles and got some pain in as well.  Rosie has a springboard on his back and can crank out WWII sit ups like nobody’s business.  He smoked the 4-corners.  Flange was right on his heels.

    Great to have Dr. Tryhard and Draper back out.  Hope you guys are settling in to being regulars like Doozy appears to be doing.  Great job.

    Have a great day men.  Remember – exercise some patience with someone today!

    No More Gumbo For You!

     

  • Some miles between the rumblings

    4 River Run regulars (now that Sugar Sock is a Monday regular!) posted to BWES to log some miles.  A simple 4-mile out and back route was called by YHC with the 5s and 6s adding mileage at the JRHS track as desired or as time would allow.

    Great morning for a run.  Unfortunately, YHC caught a case of the J-villes and had to veer off course and make a pit stop….Fortunately, the mid-way point of the course was .2 miles from YHC abode, so comfort was not far away.

    YHC has heard the saying that the aftershocks are worse when describing the damage from an earthquake…well, first-hand experience confirms that saying this morning.  Rough one all around, but we still managed to log some miles.

    Great work guys…YHC will keep a closer eye on his diet next weekend.  A 7th birthday weekend, wreaked havoc on me this morning.

    Announcements:

    • Bring jackets, coats, sweaters, etc. to Marmaduke on Saturdays
    • CSAUP 10/20
    • Healing Place training – see Swiper
    • October challenges — 1 mile per day and maybe a Garmin group steps challenge?

    No More Gumbo For You…until Tomorrow!

  • Ryder Cup Route

    24 men eager to get stronger and log some miles on foot or on wheels posted in the glorious Fall gloom of Mary Munford Elementary School.  A flag was planted.  Instructions were given, including printed turn by turn details for some.  And, boom its 0530, time to get going…

    https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/copy/2258923801/

    The route was as set forth in yesterday’s Pre-Blast — a beautiful persimmon driver or fairway wood in honor of today’s start of the Ryder Cup.

    The five milers set a strong pace, led by Swirly, BT, Flatline and Spit.  They kept the sixers in view for quite a while, but ultimately the sixers pulled away in Windsor Farms led all the way by Saab and his hound-like sense of direction this morning.  Thanks to Swiper for speeding up and catching the aforementioned 5-mile crew that was ahead of us as they made an errant turn — not sure if they were just eager to get to the Inner Circle first or just looking for some extra credit.

    Kubota did his own thing and pounded out 5 milers.

    4 men (I think?) chose gears — TYA, Profit, Circle K and Pullout (Add in the comments if I missed anyone).   From the sounds of it, the route was enjoyed by all.

    COT, number-rama, name-a-rama and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    • Puppy Pile tomorrow after Dogpile
    • Hot Potato Q at Dogpile – Kubota has the reigns to begin.
    • Bring coats, jackets, sweaters, etc. (kids, mens, womans) to Dogpile or Gridiron and Marmaduke will pick them up and get them to shelters.
    • Healing Place 8K Training — see Swiper or his pre-blast for info.
    • CSAUP coming up 10/20 – see TYA for details
    • The funeral for LabRat’s father is today – keep him and his family in his thoughts and prayers.  Let’s show our F3 support by filling up the coffers of RAISE with donations in his memory – https://www.raisewithus.org/jeff-kenney-memorial-page.html

    Have a great day.  Tell your family you Love them.  And, of course, GO USA!

    No More Gumbo For You!

  • PRE BLAST – RAMM — Ryder Cup Route

    All – here is the planned route for tomorrow’s RAMM run.  (scroll down for those who like turn by turn directions)

    https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/copy/2258923801/

    It is a driver (sort of) in honor of the start of the Ryder Cup  that starts at 2:00 a.m. Eastern Friday morning.  Swirly should be up in time for the first tee shot.  Maybe he will broadcast coverage from Big Blue pre-run.

    Extra points for anyone in USA Colors and/or Golf Attire for the run.  See you in the morning!

    The attached route is for the 6-milers.

    5-milers (actually 5.37 so gotta bust it) – same route just without the  last lap around the Mary Munford city block.

    4-milers – same as 5-milers (no ending lap around the block) but at the beginning you will turn around at Patterson (not Broad) and head back and into Windsor Farms.

    Turn by turn:

    • Head northeast on Commonwealth Ave to Broad (or Patterson for 4-milers)
    • Turnaround and head southwest on Commonwealth back toward MM but continue across Cary Street into Windsor Farms – street name becomes Berkshire Road
    • Continue around on Berkshire Road (past Coventry Rd and past Dover Rd) until it turns into Sulgrave Road.
    • Continue on Sulgrave Road until it splits – stay left onto Canterbury Road
    • Left onto Cambridge Rd back to Berkshire Road
    • Left onto Berkshire Rd
    • Left onto Coventry Rd
    • Right onto Oxford Rd
    • Right onto Oxford Cir – continue around until Coventry Rd
    • Left onto Coventry Rd
    • Right onto Berkshire Rd and back to the Flag for the 4 and 5 milers
    • 6 milers do a last lap around Grove, Westmoreland, Cary, Commonwealth.

  • Back to the Future with McFly for River Run

    4 SOJ vets and a Kotters by McFly gave us a 5-pack PAX for this morning’s River Run.  Cool temps, low humidity and a light drizzle made for great conditions…just try to avoid the many puddles along the route.

    4-milers – head straight up Twin Team (YAY!) and into Powderham via Cawood.  Right on Drakewood, Left on Glendower.  Continue on Glendower until it turns into Bosham and then into Drakewood.  Right on Ellesmere out to Robious.  Cross Robious into Tarrington and head downhill on Ashwell past the poolhouse.  Left on Sherfield.  Left on Welby.  Right on Riverton Ridge. Left on James River and back to the Flag.

    5-milers – turn left out of parking lot and first loop around by the high school, then pick up the 4-mile route.

    COT, number-rama, name-a-rama and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    • Puppy Pile Saturday at 0705.
    • Ollivander VQ at NoToll tomorrow
    • CSAUP coming up – 10/20
    • Marmaduke is collecting coats, jackets, etc.  Let fill his truck up.
    • Swiper is leading an 8K training team for the Healing Place – let him know when you can help.  After Dogpile on Saturdays.
    • Thoughts and prayers continue to go to the Lab Rat family

    NMS – “poor guy hung on for a mile or two”…what a great line, right?  Well, YHC was that “poor guy” and I was strapped to the bumper of Rosie and McFly for about a mile and then it was over…they were gone!  Way to push it fellas and welcome back McFly.  Hope to see you back out soon.

    LugNut and Sugar Sock skipped the foreplay and hit Twin Team hard from the beginning.  Nice work men!

    Have a great Monday fellas.  SYITG.

    No More Gumbo For You!

  • “Grab My Ankles”

    13 Gloom Warriors posted at W-Dog eager to find out if Burpee Lake would present itself and eager to find out what Gumbo had in store.  YHC’s watch is buzzing, it’s 0530, time Mosey — watch out for the water…

    Mosey to the bricks in front of the Carillon and circle up for a short COP, including:

    • DQs
    • Helicopters
    • SSHs
    • Imperial Walkers

    THE THANG:

    Golden Triangle

    Mosey over to the edge of the far circle for instruction.  The GT went as follows:

    • bear craw out to Rugby Road, do 25 merkins.
    • run down Rugby Road to the tip of the triangle, do 25 jump squats
    • backwards run back up to the circle, do 25 box cutters
    • plank for the Six

    Noah’s Arc

    Partner up (don’t worry Phonics, I’ll catch you on the back-end) and form two lines facing your partner, plank position facing your partner.  First two (YHC and Handshake) peform 10 Boo-yah merkins then run around the circle to the back of the line and perform 25 PLTs each then on your six and hold six inches.  Second pair starts boo-yah merkins when we start running…and so on down the line.  All Aboard?  Ok, let’s mosey to the amphitheater…

    Amphitheater Circuit

    • Round 1 – 1 Box-Jump Burpee on each step going up, at the top run around the outside and down the steps back to the base pit and plank for the six.  Together as a PAX perform 25 Freddie Mercuries (various speeds) in cadence.
    • Round 2 – 2 dips on each step going up, at the top run around the outside and down the steps back to the base pit and Al Gore for the six.  Together as a PAX perform 25 Flutter Kicks and 25 Freddie Mercuries (various speeds) in cadence.
    • Round 3 – 3 incline merkins on each step going up, at the top run around the outside and down the steps back to the base pit and plank for the six.  Together as a PAX perform 25 Alabama prom dates, 25 Flutter Kicks and 25 Freddie Mercuries (various speeds) in cadence.
    • Round 4 – 3 monkey humpers (feeling those right now!) on each step going up, at the top run around the outside and down the steps back to the base pit and Al Gore for the six.  Together as a PAX perform 25 alternating shoulder taps, 20 APDs, 20 Flutter Kicks and 20 Freddie Mercuries (various speeds) in cadence.

    JITFO back to the Flag – COT, Number-rama, Name-a-rama and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    • F3RVA 4-year convergence celebration this Saturday at Dogpile — 0600 bootcamp, 0700 FNG bootcamp OR VITA-course race, 0800 Fellowship.  See Phonics if you can lend a hand timing/scoring the race or with preparing for coffeeteria and fellowship afterwards.
      • GHOST FLAG WILL BE UP FOR GRABS SATURDAY — the Region with the most “double-dippers” will take the Ghost Flag home.  Don’t let your region down, escape the FS for the 0600 bootcamp and double-dip!
    • Breaking Bread this Sunday – Slurpee has the Q.  Let him know if you can lend a hand.
    • Puppy Pile  9/29 right after Dogpile – calling all 2.0s
    • CSAUP 10/20 – get your miles in.

    NMS:

    I always love changing it up and coming out to Q a W-Dog and seeing different folks.  The PAX came ready to work this morning and put in a strong effort for 45 minutes.  Some highlights:

    • running backwards up Rugby Road seems like it takes forever.
    • the BB title comes from some mumblechatter – as Phonics and YHC were completing the lap and returning the end of the Noah’s Arc line I hear “there’s your BB title” to which, of course, I ask what I missed and it turns out that in being the consummate partner for PLTs one of our PAX members told his partner – “Grab My Ankles”.  Not exactly what you want to hear your partner say but I guess its better than “Grab YOUR Ankles”….
    • the Amphitheater is a jungle.  Seriously, that grass is so crazy we could lose a PAX member.
    • various tempo Freddie Mercuries were a hit…I think

    Have a great day guys.  Great effort this morning.

    No More Gumbo For You!

  • PRE-BLAST: Ghost Flag up for Grabs at the 4-year convergence!

    PRE-BLAST: Ghost Flag up for Grabs at the 4-year convergence!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZPQdZLyHYE

    The region with the most PAX members who DOUBLE-DIP at this Saturday’s 4-year convergence will take home the Ghost Flag.

    To DOUBLE-DIP, you MUST post for the 0600 bootcamp and then either (a) participate as a runner in the Vita course race or (b) post for the FNG bootcamp that J-ville is leading.

    Break out of the FS early on Saturday, represent your region and DOUBLE DIP baby!

    SYITG

    Gumbo

  • Cutting through the Humidity…wait, is that Iron Man?

    4 PAX posted to River Run this morning to see what Gumbo had in store and it was an extra thick roux we had to run through this morning as the humidity was a million %.  Add in some headwinds and a little steady drizzle and it was a little soupy this morning, but that could not stop this foursome from logging some miles.

    Traditional Tarrington route was called.  Rosie lit up his new shoe-lights and led the way.  We mostly stuck together for the first couple miles, then Rosie pulled away from me and Shakedown up the long Ashwell hill.  Then, in a move that only Rosie would do, he turned and went back down the big hill to scoop up Sugar Sock and pull him up the hill…well done, Rosie.  As he turned to come back toward Shakedown and me, Rosie looked like Iron Man with his headlamp and two shoe lights…looked 7 feet tall…BEAST!

    Shakedown and I said “go get ’em Rosie” and continued on across Robious and through the “bush” to Twin Team, though our first attempt to enter the bush found thorns and prickers…ACCESS DENIED.

    On the way down Twin Team, Shakedown’s internal system called an audible and he made a b-line back to to BWES to visit Gumbo’s Blue Box (it’s actually green).  YHC charged a small usage fee but continued on around the high school for 5 miles.  All convened back at BWES for COT, COR, NOR and Announcements.

    No new announcements – just bring a friend to Dogpile this weekend for 4-year convergence.  See everyone there.

    YHC took us out with prayers for our brethren to the South in the Carolinas.

    No More Gumbo For You!

  • The Big Dipper At River Run

    3 determined PAX posted at River Run this morning to log some miles and see what YHC had planned.  As Rosie accurately guessed yesterday, YHC signed up for the Richmond half-marathon recently and so YHC locked down the River Run Q between now and November 10 (Race Day).  Today’s plan was to generally avoid Twin Team and Ashwell hills and just log some easy miles.  So it was a 2.2-mile loop down to the river and around the high school that resembles big dipper a bit.  Do it twice and, if time allows, add some extra to get to  5 miles.

    https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2238444394

    It was great to have LugNut and Sugar Sock out logging some miles.  I ran with Sugar Sock for the first loop and then we split up on the second loop.  SS is back out after an extended bout with a virus.  Great to have you back out and hope you have kicked that virus for good.

    Lug Nut is putting in the work.  Always great to have him out.  He gave us a quick rundown from BRR, but I can’t wait to hear stories throughout the week.  Great job guys!

     

  • No Visitors for the Ghost Flag…No Problem, we’ll just do an Old Glory

    14 SOJ redwoods rose for the occasion and to defend the Ghost Flag against any and all comers.  There were none, but we were ready nonetheless.  So, while YHC had a variation of an Old Glory in mind for the Ghost Flag competition, given that home turf didn’t need defending, I decided we would just do the good old fashioned Old Glory itself….always a crowd pleaser and it has been a while.

    Getting right down to business, YHC grabbed Old Glory and took off for the fields in the back of NoToll.  This was the first Old Glory for a handful of guys – Doozy (of course), Slim Shady and maybe Cerano and Beaker.  Maybe for others also  as I didn’t see Posh, Olivander or Flatline listed on the spreadsheet — although that could just be that history has not been recorded.

    Gents, this is truly a You vs. You workout.  What is also great about Old Glory is that you can see results.  I forgot to everyone’s laps, so click on the Google Sheet below and add your own or leave it in the comments and I will update the spreadsheet.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Dx2qsu9vXun_NFgeD0GDKwQ6G2f5a-AKQq4IYk2eAJY/edit?ts=570f9ddd#gid=1836884263

    We finished with Indian Run style for our last mile and then a few minutes of Mary and some variety tempo Freddie Mercuries to close it out.

    COT, COR, NOR and YHC took us out.

    Announcements:

    • BRR is this weekend.  The F3RVA team is strong is going to kill it…as long as they don’t let Saab behind the wheel!
    • F3RVA 4-year anniversary coming up, Saturday, September 22 at Dogpile – workout at 0600.  Run/Race (maybe teams?) at 0700 and Fellowship/cookout at 0800 — In the FALL (if that is what we are in) it is never too early on a Saturday morning to crack open a beer and fire up the grill!
    • CSAUP 10/20 — running and more running…Wilson’s dream day.
    • The Ghost Flag will be up for grabs again soon…stay tuned.

    NMS:

    First and foremost, it was hot, it was muggy and the fields of NoToll were wet…so, in other words, all was right in the world.  The sprinklers provided optional relief from the heat if you so chose and left some serious muddy spots to watch out for.  Olivander found the drainage area earlier on.  After that who cares right?

    It was great to get a few miles in and work the body out along the way.  I hoped the few BRR guys would pace themselves and leave some in the tank for Thursday and then Rosie and Honeymoon left the group in the dust.  Well done fellas.

    FNG-Eric (Doozy) came in on foot.  Impressive for an FNG.  Running is definitely not a weakness for Doozy.  He is from Charlotte originally but he’s been in RVA for 5 years.  He recently started training for a Spartan and when he looked up “how to train” the interwebs pointed him to us. Welcome Doozy – way to push through the Old Glory.  We look forward to see you back out soon and to helping you do more than just train for a Spartan.

    Great job this morning men.  Thanks for posting.

    No More Gumbo For You!