Author: Mr Rogers

  • There’s no stopping us right now

    Claude designed workout managed to minimize Fudd and White Deer banter making Claude a likely candidate for Nobel peace prize in 2026. 

    Tecno tunes from Blue Moon’s 90s playlist- Icona Pop, Eric Pride, Riahanna, MIA

    Workout: 

    Warm up: SSH, DMHang, DQX, Helicopters, Merkins, APD, LBC

    Circuit 1: 

    4 sets: 40 work/20 rest Goblet squat, Bench Press, Lawnmower, KB Deadlift. 90s break between sets

    Circuit 2: 

    3 sets: 35s work 20 s rest  KB swing, R and L clean and press, Renegade row R and L 90s break between sets

    Circuit 3 

    2 sets 30s work/15 rest

    KB Thrusters, Alternating Swing, Goblet swuat jump, Rifle Holds

    Circle of trust 

  • We Fall Down, But We Get Up – Together

    8 got after it this week at WTH. With a bootcamp heavy workout, we only made 2.58 miles in laps around the lake at W. Broad Village, not our usual 3 miles, but we got in plenty of movement nonetheless. As we ran, we stopped twice per lap of the lake to do 10 Burpees, 10 Merkins, 10 Jump Squats and 10 WWIIs. Then 9, then 8, 7, and so on down to 1. Lots of good mumble chatter along the way. Lastly, we headed BTTF for a 60-second leg hold. Aaaaaaand time!

    Names. Numbers.

    Announcements: Blue Grass festival coming up, I think on 5/2. Whitesnake could use some help. Or just come out to enjoy some tunes.

    Pigskin and Roger Roger both had knees acting up on them today. I hope these aches and pains subside gents.

    Prayer Requests: Nothing today.

    YHC took us out.

    Moleskin: A Japanese proverb states, “Fall 7 times, stand up 8.” Others have said it differently:

    “Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.” — Chinese proverb

    “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
    — Albert Einstein

    “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
    — Winston Churchill

    The Burpee is an excellent symbol for not giving up in the face of initial failure, for falling down and then getting back up again. Today, we did that a lot, 55 times actually, and we did it together. I’m grateful for the encouragement and friendship that I’ve found in F3, pushing me to continue to move forward despite what life throws my way. Keep pushing gents!

  • The Wimps Went to Tunnel Vision

    After I posted that we were gonna run hills for 45 minutes, I thought numbers would be lower, but 11 showed up to suffer for a while, leaving only the wimps of Westhoe to go to Tunnel Vision.

    The Main Event: We ran up Glen Eagle, going up and down any dead end with some incline in it. Once we hit 22.5 minutes, we retraced our steps. Lots of hills today. Well done men!

    Names. Numbers.

    Announcements: Upchuck is still hoping a HIM will reach out to him about taking on RVA’s Site Q responsibilities for The Bridge.

    Prayers: Prayers for those still in need of healing and comfort.

    YHC took us out in a thick fog of gas, which no one owned. I’m not sure anyone heard the prayer, as we were being choked out.

    Moleskin: Discipline makes us stronger. When you get more comfortable in the fire, you are able to handle more. Today was all hills and horrible gas. And somehow we are all a little better for it. I hope everyone has an excellent Friday. It could only get better after this start to the day.

  • Attitude of Gratitude

    11 of Westhoe’s finest, and 1 four-legged creature, explored West Broad Village during this weeks installment of WTH.

    COP: SSHs, DQs, Helicopters, followed by a series of 3 exercises used throughout the village as we ran: 15 Jump Squats, 20 Merkins and 25 Flutters, all OYO. Before breaking the COP, we hung out in DMH for a min. While hanging, the Pax was reminded that we all have Negative Bias, the tendency to focus on the problems in our lives, which can lead to chronic negativity and what I like to call, Stinkin’ Thinkin’. The Pax was invited to combat this with attempting to cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude. Anytime we stopped at during our run to engage in the exercises above, all we invited to contemplate one thing for which they are grateful.

    Lots of good mumble chatter today and I believe there was 100% participation in returning to pick up the 6. Nice work men!

    BTTF for names and numbers.

    Announcements:

    Pigskin is back safe and sound from Norway. Truly something to be grateful for. Welcome back sir!

    2nd Tuesday, 2nd F lunch this month will be on 4/14 at Firehouse Subs at 12pm.

    Prayers:

    Continued prayers for Charlotte as she spends precious time with her family.

    Continued prayers for Roger Roger’s family as they navigate his FIL”s health concerns.

    And continued prayers for my M’s aunt, who had a stroke on Easter and is currently non-verbal.

    Moleskin: Regarding our tendency to focus on the negative, Jordan Peterson once said, “You can only be so happy, but you can be very dead.” Our brains are problem-finding machines for a reason. They are designed to keep us safe. But this mechanism, if left unchecked, can make us miserable, and thereby, make all of those around us miserable. To counter this tendency, you can stop and make a quick 10 point gratitude list. While there will always be a handful of problems in our lives at any given moment, the amount of things to be grateful for, everyday, is startlingly huge. Our life becomes that which we focus on. Remember what is going right. Value your health. Don’t dismiss your children. Care for your M like she’s the one that God selected for you. Be a friend to those you encounter. Make this day count. No one is promised tomorrow.

  • The Buffapple Route

    With a slight nip in the air, 7 slayers of the fart sack embraced the streets of Westhoe and embarked on The Buffapple Route. I’ve found it a little cumbersome to have multiple street names thrown out there before running a route. People can’t remember the way; folks get lost. Posting the route the night before helps immensely, but it takes a little effort. I thought that having a few routes with names would be cool. So, I’ve gotten the pax to run the following route, which really shines when you are 1/2 way up the beast of a road that Buffapple is, about 4 times now. After trying to imprint it on our collective memory bank, I now declare this The Buffapple Route.

    I suppose we have a couple other routes with names: Gypsy’s figure 8, the classic bro code run, the out and back (down and back Ridgefield) – but to me, the more named routes the better.

    The Buffapple Route: Launch from Godwin HS, L on Pump, L on Falcon Bridge, L on Raintree, R on Ridgefield, L on Cox, L on Brookmont, L on Singing Wood, R on Buffapple, R on Pump, L on Burnside, R on Summer Wood, L on Glen Eagles, L on Old Prescott and back to Godwin HS.

    BTTVF. Names. Numbers. Announcements: Please consider taking UpChuck’s service commitment (Site Q for The Bridge) from him. He’s put in some years and it’s time to pass the torch. Mr. Water Bottle has some potential upcoming cross country, as well as international, trips on the horizon. That guy really gets around. Speaking of guys that get around, with Pigskin gone to Norway this week, we’ve had some new War Daddies. Strangely, no one seems psyched when the are bestowed with this honorary title. Prayer Request: Handshake’s family, UpChuck’s friend and Pinto’s niece.

    Perfect attendance today at Dunkin for 2nd F. We took a deep dive on what a beast Homer is and how many Asian cultures are superior to ours. And I learned that Pinto likes Skid Row (the band, not homeless encampments – rock on brother!) and that Gypsy’s son is fluent in Japanese (wow!).

    Moleskin: The Stoics practiced Memento Mori, or “remember you must die”. Sounds morbid, but to recall this reality, serves to help us live more intentionally, virtuously and without wasting time on trivial matters, in this day, as tomorrow is not promised for any of us. Go get this one fellas!

  • Why Bother?

    After we got the disclaimer, welcoming and a generic COP out of the way, we began running the cul-de-sacs of Whitesnake’s hood, sans Whitesnake. We pondered why people go on shows like Naked and Afraid or climb Mt. Everest. Because it’s there? To push oneself to new limits? Because they are attention-hungry narcissists? Who really knows. Even just going out for a hike, you can get your arm stuck between a wall and a sizeable rock and have to cut your hand off to get outta there. Sometimes, you don’t make it back and you become a trail marker. Or you might have to eat your dead friends for energy to hike out of the Andes. Most of us gave permission to be eaten by the Pax. Banjo remained silent. We all began to see the wisdom in flipping Nike’s catch phrase from “Just Do It” to “Why Bother?” Might be a better idea to pack on the pounds and just stay home. But this lame philosophy was not for us, not today at least. We hit each cul-de-sac doing 5 merkins, 10 heels to heaven and 15 jump squats. We all made it back. Cannibalism was not required for this AO, not this week.

    BTTF. Names. Numbers. No announcements. Well, actually, Pinto taught us how to do a “Triple Pump” I believe it was called: a new exercise brought from St. Louis by Uncle Eddie. Prayers: None declared, but the usual crew was on our minds. YHC took us out.

    Moleskin: Comparison is the thief of joy. I find it’s easy to get bummed out when I compare myself to others, especially the talented, accomplished, well-read, disciplined men of F3. We should compare ourselves only to ourself yesterday. Just try to be a little better today than that guy was yesterday. Or as Salt Lick quipped, just try to suck a little less today. SYITG fellas!

  • Absolutely Abalicious

    4 Gloom Warriors met in the dark parking lot of The Deep, awaiting whatever it was that was about to confront them. Attila and YHC warmed up with some running, while Gomer and Roger Roger came in on 2 wheels each. Welcome and disclaimer. COP: SSHs, arm circles, DMH, DQs, WWIIs, Mt. Climbers & Merkins. Recover.

    Mosey to The Hill for 11s. Jump Squats and Heels to Heaven.

    Mosey to the bus loop. Bear Crawl to the next lamp post. Pax picks an ab exercise. 20 were done. Lunge to the next lamp post. More abs. Bear crawl. Abs. Lunges. Abs (we did all sorts: side crunches, crunchy frogs, FMs, flutters, crotch grabbers, LBCs, V-Ups, etc.). We modified when the rain started, but continued the same concept under the bus loop awning.

    Gomer regaled us with a tale. The point: You can do a helluva a lot more than you think you can. Get your mind right.

    Next up: A Lindsay – SSHs & Reverse Crunches.

    Next: Shoulder Taps – until the Q says stop.

    60 seconds left: 60 second leg hold…hold it….hoooollld it…aaaaaand time.

    Well done men!

    BTTF for names and numbers.

    Announcements: None ATM.

    Prayer Requests: Prayers for Roger Roger’s family, his father in law, and his buddy’s and their families from United, some of which are overseas and some of which recently lost their lives.

    I’m grateful for these men for showing up today, even with Wind-Mageddon looming. SYITG fellas!

  • Happy Friday (the 13th)

    Ran the same ol’ route today for the 3rd time. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 9 men and 2 four-legged creatures of the suburbs ran some or all of the following:

    Godwin launch, L on Pump, L on Falcon Bridge, L on Raintree, R on Ridgefield, L on Cox, L on Brookmont, L on Singing Wood, R on Buffapple, R on Pump, L on Burnside, R on Summer Wood, L on Glen Eagle, L on Old Prescott and back to Godwin HS.

    BTTF for COT. Names. Numbers. Announcements: Bogey is a beast. He’s knocked out 4 F3 workouts in 4 days. Heck of a start. The Bridge needs a new lead. The only requirement is being good at nagging. Gypsy reminded us to pick up the phone and reach out to someone. You never know the positive impact it might have. Prayer requests: Charlotte, her family, Wojo’s family and Roger Roger’s family.

    YHC took us out.

    Happy Friday (the 13th) yall! Go make someone’s day better. SYITG!

  • Am I at the right AO?

    With no Gypsy and no Lighthouse, I had to question if I was even at the right AO. Then I remembered that one of them is sick and one of them doesn’t like the cold.

    Today at Currahee, we had Rabbits, Clydesdales and even a few Turtles (ruckers).

    The main route was pump to falcon bridge, up ridgefield, cox to brookmont, around crown crest, pump towards GHS, ridgefield to old prescott and back to GES for 5.3 mi.

    The Clydesdales shaved a little off of that route and did a nice and easy 4.2 mi.

    As always, I have no clue what those nutty ruckers were up to.

    BTTF for Names. Numbers.

    Announcements: Lots of Westhoeians going with Pigskin to the bridge tmrw. We’ll launch from the Food Lion on Patterson at 5:40am. We’re gonna beat the weather, do some good and have lots of fun. If your on the fence, get off of that sucker and come join us!

    Salt Lick is still burpeeing like a mad man as he’s almost done with MABA. He knocked out 30 burpees today somehow during this run/ruck.

    Dry January is still going, although I haven’t heard much about it. Stay strong fellas!

    10th Annual Frozen Triangle CSAUP will be held on 2/7. Launch from Dog Pile at 6am. About 11 mi total and 3 workouts. You can run, ruck, ride a bike, even drive some of it. No judgement. U v U. But if you’ve never done this one, it’s time to give it a go. Come on out!

    Thx for letting me lead. Everyone stay safe as the snow storm to end all snow storms rolls through this wkend. And remember to enjoy your non-tooth ache today. SYITG!

  • 3 Points

    Introduction and disclaimer.  Had some digs lined up for Whitesnake’s team, but disappointingly, he was home licking his wounds. COP: SSHs, arms circles, hip rotations (need a better name for these), DQs, DMH, 3 Burpees for the 3 points the Bills beat the Jags by, Mt Climbers, WWIIs, Merkins and 3 Burpees for the 3 points that the Bolts scores against a stout Pats D. Recover.  Let’s mosey. 

    To the Deep’s Hill Majora for 11’s: Mile Tyson’s and Heels to Heaven. 

    Mosey to the loading dock for a Lindsay: Dry Docks and Jump Squats.

    Ark Loader on the Deep’s Hill Minora under the black top: bear crawl up the hill, then bunny hop, duck walk, polar bear, with 3 burpees at the top following each animal ambulation. 

    Triple check: P1 runs the track, P2 does Crab Cakes, and P3 does WWIIs.

    Numbers. Names.

    Announcements: F2 at Joey’s Hotdog’s tmrw (1/13) at 12pm. Gomer to Honduras w/ Friends of Barnabas Sat (1/17). Pigskin to the Bridge Sat (1/24).

    Prayers: Prayers for Flo’s father-in-law who recently broke his hip. Prayers for Attila who is tasked with the awful job of laying people off today and general prayers of healing for all of those in the clutches of illness. YHC took us out.

    Thx for letting me lead fellas! Let’s do it again soon. Now get out there and do something good for someone else today. SYITG!