Author: Upchuck

One weary traveler shook off the cobwebs of a hockey-filled evening to report for the latest edition of The Clinic. Conditions again held constant at 70 and sunny. According to the person obviously committing insurance fraud by claiming their Jeep Liberty engine hood was “stolen” from the hotel parking lot, the following might have happened.

COP of stretching and SSHs interrupted by Omar reporting that the police were investigating a crime in the parking lot. Someone stole the hood from a car. Uh huh. Same guy had asked when he checked in whether the parking lot was monitored by cameras. You know, because a Jeep Liberty needs some serious security. No chance there was an actual theft in this parking lot, but so be it, YHC was off for a run.

5-ish miles. No pit stops. Out to Broward and back.

Number, name, and YHC took himself out.

NMS: Good opportunity to meet the police on friendly terms today. YHC mentioned his workplace and the fact that he runs through the La Quinta parking lot. The officer was well familiar with the La Quinta. When you find yourself at the LQ, something is not right in your life. Amen.

Announcements: A bunch of New Yorkers from Brooklyn choked last night. No amount of medical help could save them. 5-3 loss, with three goals given up in the final 3:20 of the third period. Epic collapse.

Motto for the day: Get Right!

One adult male assured success today in the latest edition of The Clinic. Whitesnake appeared in spirit. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the rabbits on Watership Down, the following might have happened:

Slow mosey from the hotel to the golf course. Route today was cart path south through neighborhood, then into Monarch Beach Golf Links, circling towards CA-1 (PCH). Next take the tunnel under PCH, do the cart path loop on the beach side (sort of twice, but it’s hard to explain), then the public path parallel to the beach. At the dirt trail, drop down onto the beach, heading south at the water’s edge to the rock formation, then reverso and retrace steps northbound (note: air temp was 49, water temp 58). Find, then take, the stairs back up the cliff to the concrete trail, then up the Hill of Doom, pass through the tunnel (with a quick nod to YHC’s childhood vehicle, the VW Van immortalized on the Jungle Bus Mural), and back into Sea Terrace Park. Proceed left / north to pick up the public trail, then right / east and it metaphorically felt like YHC was turning for home. Quick jig left / north and back to the virtual hot tub at the hotel.

YHC has been hitting bootcamps. Time to start up the running again. But, this one is in the books.

Number, name, and YHC said a quick word of thanks to be able to have mornings like this one.

Announcements:

Some of us are not able to make the Grow Ruck (YHC has travel Sunday a.m. and high school soccer at 7:45 on Saturday a.m.). If anyone is looking for an early Saturday workout, send YHC a note. A handful of us are likely to have a Dogpile workout at 6. We may have 2 guys, we may have 20. All are welcome. Feel free to double-dip.

NMS:

Hard to beat conditions like this morning. No moon. Just a thousand stars. And, almost no light (in places). Ideal conditions for a cart path run. Lots of darting rabbits out for a little pre dawn meal coupled with the occasional surprise of a cart path ending at a secluded tee box. In the darkness, other minor impediments appear. These included a cast iron gate blocking access to one neighborhood and a set of orange traffic cones acting as a warning for a soon-to-appear 1-foot high iron chain across the path. Life has minor hurdles, in this case literally. The Clinic is not in Kansas anymore.

YHC ran early today. In the 4’s. It’s easy to become philosophical under the stars on the beach at that hour. YHC kept coming back to a simple question: “What is good leadership?” And, a corollary, “Who is a good leader today?”

It seems today that our society has landed in a place where the answers to those questions often make reference to the failures of someone else. Example: “Well, Trump has massive flaws, but so does Biden.” How many of us have said or heard something like that? YHC kept wondering whether we should measure the faults of one person by reference to those of another. That feels like a relativist cop-out in avoidance of high standards. And, too often, if we have low standards for others, we have low standards for ourselves. Simple faults or lies become prevalent and repetitive. If we say it enough, some people believe it will be true. That is false. We are each called to have high integrity, high standards. Each man – each of us as men – has to stand on his own. Each of us is responsible for our actions – independent of the actions of others. Push yourself, don’t hurt yourself, is not just about physical fitness.

If you are still reading, then as YHC said, it’s easy to become philosophical while running alone on a deserted beach. YHC was reminded mid-run of a conversation with a local pastor. The question posed was to finish this sentence. “And they’ll know we are Christians by our…”

FWIW, the jokes that morning included…sexual affairs with porn stars, general hypocrisy, petty lies to make ourselves sound better, accounting frauds, disparagement of Gold Star mothers, touching women in their junk, and, for that matter (and in the spirit of bi-partisanship), unsolicited back rubs of young ladies (and older ladies, for that matter).

Be accountable. Raise your standards. Help your pals do the same.

Prayer Request: YHC’s nephew left the Marine Corps about 2 weeks ago. He’s struggling. While it’s nice to have freedom to wake on his own schedule, a 21-year old with no job, a wife (who he does not live with), a more-than-slight penchant for alcohol, and the limited / socially impractical skills of firing a machine gun and a Mark 40, all make for a tough transition. If any of YHC’s brothers are still reading and have advice, YHC would love to hear it.

One mouse-ears wearing fan club member strolled forth for the latest non-fun-run, Mouseketeer lovin’ version of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the multiple levels of security around Coronado Springs, the following might have happened:

Short walk to the lake, the mosey clockwise around Lago Dorado. After about 1/2 mile, stop for the COP.

SSHs x30 (all exercises 4 count, unless it’s stupid to do a four count, and all were OYO)
Don Quixotes x10
Imperial Sky Walkers x 10
Dead Mouse Hang
WWIIs x20
Frederick Mercurys x20
Snow Princesses x10
HRMs x20

Mosey 20 yards to the bench. Dips x20

Mosey around the property, generally trying to avoid the lake / route used by the Fun Run for the conference YHC is attending. Mix in exercises in a traveling COP fashion. Exercises were a motley, including decline merkins, WWIIs, LBCs, dips, HRMs, Rosalitas, monkey humpers (especially for the security cameras), squats, and merkins. One set of Balls-to-the-Wall with shoulder taps. Let’s call it 20 stops and 30 sets of reps overall. Probably 1.5 miles.

Arrive at the large parking lot, similar in size to the Godwin lot (football parking). Set up in a circle-ish fashion with a central road through the lot, this area contends annually for the Guinness Book of World Records for most Stop Signs per Square Foot in the world. YHC counted 28 stop signs. Disney is terrified of plaintiff’s lawyers (note: with the recent changes in Florida law, plaintiff’s lawyers are finally being held in check in Florida – finally). Perform 10 or 20 reps of an exercise at each stop sign. Rotating exercises. Mostly merkins, squats, LBCs, monkey humpers with others thrown in for good measure.

Finish with 5 burpees at the bus stop.

Number, name, and YHC took himself out with a bit of thanks for a very pleasant vacation last week, and a lot of thanks for YHC finds himself this year.

Prayers for YHC’s pal Lockjaw and his family. Hope Dad is doing better. Prayers for Faceplant and his daughter’s purple cast.

NMS: Disney only does things pro-style. Somehow, each thing is better than YHC expects. Hats off to Mickey and his crew for putting on a good event. Hats off also to the un-named Dad who was watching cartoons with his 2-ish year old daughter in the lobby when YHC went to work out. He looked like he was at the end of his patience and super tired, yet he stuck it out for another 45 minutes. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

One conquistador moseyed forth on the high plains of Santa Fe in the latest edition of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the Hardywood’s, I.e., the family sleeping in their off-roading vancruiser across the street, the following might have happened.

Exit front door of AirBandB, light stretching mixed with contemplation of the overnight snowfall (about an inch) at The Clinic. Mosey up the hill for about 2/5ths of a mile. 56 SSHs (to celebrate YHC’s big brother turning 56 today), 20 merkins, 20 LBCs, 20 flutter kicks, and 20 WWIIs.

Mosey to the end of the street, call it another 1/5th of a mile. More SSHs, more stretching, 10 burpees, 20 Rosalitas, and some Frederick Mercuries.

Reverse the route, stopping every few adobe walls for a traveling COP. WWIIs, flutter kicks, Freddie’s, LBCs. Find a wall and do some inverted merkins (Balls to the Wall, but add merkins). 5 per round.

Continue moseying down the hill to Santa Fe’s smallest park, home to 7 benches and a few picnic tables (and a bunch of snow). YHC only brought one pair of walking/running/hiking shoes, so keeping dry was at a premium today with temps in the low 30s, so merkins, WWIIs, dips (on the curb), and more BTTW with merkins (when does this just become a derkin?) were in order.

Mosey down the street to Fort Marcy Park, home of a fort built by the American Army shortly after taking over Santa Fe during the Mexican-American War. These are the local heights, about a 150 foot climb bottom to top. Santa Fe is at about 7,100 feet of altitude, so percentage-wise, this is not a big addition. Come out here and run it, and YHC believes you will find a good challenge for us sea-level dwellers. You will also find a 15 foot cross at the top and a vista worth writing home about. Something for everyone.

Mosey back down, back to the VSF, and pick up the iPhone (and the M). Mosey back to the top (huffing, puffing), and take some photos.

Number, name, and YHC took himself and the M out.

Announcements:

Blue Ridge Relay in September. Drop TYA a line if you are interested. 210 miles of nice hills / mountains over about 30-34 hours, and a ton of fun with 10-12 friends (maybe 24, if we have 2 teams). F3RVA has been doing this for roughly 10 years. You will have fun, you will push your limits, and you will make new friends.

NMS:

Altitude is no joke. 7,100 is not terrible, but it’s a tax on YHC’s fitness. It’s also a nice added challenge. Lastly, today was the first snowfall at The Clinic, a traveling AO that more frequently visits warm climates in places like Florida, California, southern Europe, and small islands. Not the coldest Clinic yet, but certainly the first one with snow.

One 2-legged traveler strapped on the blue (not the purple) New Balances for another rendition of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the Brother adding Skateboarding to the F3 repertoire, the following might have happened.

Hotel, cross Broward, Fudd (office continues to pay off), north to Broward, reverso, and BTTVSF.

Number, name, and YHC took both he and Omar out (can you just show up for the COT? YHC says no).

NMS: it’s hard to define the AO for a run, but at The Clinic we take all comers. Homeless men, workmen, HoneyDo, and, now, skateboarders. On the reverse run, there he was flying through the AO, a Garbage Plate-esque man (6’1’-6’3, but that includes the four wheels and the wooden board), moving at high speed. Probably a battery assist. He did a few laps of the parking lot (AO), and then off to the next parking lot before YHC lost sight of him. Does that count as posting? Do we have dueling Clinics? Unfortunately, YHC has a few weeks of alternative travel, so we’ll see if this is a one-off or a trend.

Note: he did have a backpack, so Ruck-boarding might be a thing.

1 early riser launched hard and fast. Temperatures were actually 70 and sunny. According to the Tesla YHC had rented, the following bodies of mass circled the car.

Route – wanderlust. 45 minutes. Roam the hotel campus and surrounding neighborhood.

BTTVSF. Number, name, and YHC took himself out.

NMS: YHC learned three things:

1. Renting a Tesla should require a 5 minute lesson on how to operate the car.
2. Yes, you can lock yourself out of a Tesla.
3. It takes about 20 seconds to break into a Tesla without damaging it. YHC estimates $8 as the cost of the tools. DM me if you want a lesson.