Author: Whitesnake

  • Support for the Left

    After too many Bernie Sanders on Monday, it was only fitting that LeftSnake control the route this morning. Left on Pump, Left on Falconbridge, Left on Raintree, Left on Ridgefield, Left on Pump–Repeato. Total is about 4.5 miles. Ten runners and 3 dogs navigated the tough directions. I ran with Saltlick and we talked jobs, AI, zombies and outer space. Looking forward to all four interacting one day.

    A famous set of twins once said “things will never change until you want them to”. They also grew up with Bob Dylan sleeping on their couch and Uncle George (Harrison) hanging out at their house. So what do they know??

  • People start pollution. People can stop it.

    Eleven of the finest men on this side of the Mississippi got an extra hour of sleep, joined Gridiron and did their part to save the world.

    5 burpee start in honor of Gomer’s 1000th post. Then after the four ruckers and a late Chum joined, we did it again. A traveling COT eventually made its way to the far end of the track. Back in 1989, when Gomer and I were doing shots of Vodka before going out to fraternity row, we dreamed about doing the biggest four corners known to Gridiron. While his days of running are over, I think the goal was met today.

    The running group started at the far end of the track with 50 WW2, then ran to the basketball courts in the back of the school for 50 Merkins, then we ran to the blue playground for 50 Squats and then joined back with the walkers in the newest pickleball lot for 50 SSH. The walkers did the same exercises but their 2nd stop was the front of the school and their 3rd stop was at the football field.

    It was at the parking lot that we saw that thanks to the “cool” high school kids who hung out at the courts last night, the parking lot was full of trash. I think I saw a crying Indian somewhere too. Instead of “touch a tree” we did “touch some trash” and did 3 rounds of running to grab trash & throwing it out. Chumbucket found a lovely smelling rice bowl while most of the trash was alcohol related. Rumor is finger prints could reveal Mariner or Joey Chesnutt were there (because they seem cool). We will never know. Either way, good work by the pax to clean up the parking lot.

    We then went to the sunny gridiron for a Quarter Pounder. 25 HRM, 50 single count flutters, 75 jump squats, 100 SSH. At some point, Pigskin had to leave to cheer on some family at the 10K.

    Shade was needed by YHC so we moved to the front of the school for a triple check with balls to the wall and heals to heaven as the fun parts.

    We slow moseyed to the lower football field, did 25 WW2, then 3 rounds of Pigskin-ups with ten merkins at the top of the hill. Running out of time, we went back to the flag for numberama.

    Ended up with almost 2.5 miles of distance today! Well done Pax!!

    While 4 of us gathered before launch, Tater asked me to predict numbers. I said 11. Him and Pinto took the under. 11 was the final number. As a result of my Nostradamus-like genius, here are some other predictions:

    1. Commanders trade up and get the RB. Trade next years #1 which they think will be #30 but it will be top 10 (again).
    2. CM Punk retains the title at Wreslemania. Turns heal in the process.
    3. The Dow will hit over 50,000 on Monday, drop under by the end of the week and not hit it again until 2027.
    4. The founders of F3 will rename it to F3-AI and the stock will triple.
    5. Tater will Q Gridiron soon and do lots of abs.

    Thanks for letting me lead

  • Quadruple Notch

    Eight was enough for a great morning at WTH. We started off moseying to the track and doing 2 laps. After that half mile, we circled up for some warmups. Pinto then led us to Three Notch Place and the first cul-de-sac.

    Time to partner up! One partner went right (the longer way) and up the hill to the end and back while the other partner went left to the cul-de-sac and did five burpees and then met their partner on the road to switch. We did it a second time with 3 burpees and then headed back to the original cul-de-sac. Here we circled up for some partner exercises, rotating partners each time: partner merkins with clap, bro-burpees, PLTs & Thor’s (ask Pinto). We then headed back to the start.

    Ran 3.2 miles total and still had time for some Mary. Did LBCs, APDs, Heals to Heaven, Rosalitas and maybe something else.

    And while most of us did 3.2 miles, Mr. Rogers did 5.2 as Wally made him run from home (!) and Lighthouse was nice to give him a ride back.

    Thank you for letting me lead.

  • The right wing lap dance

    Ten pax and 3 pups came to run or walk. About half did the prescribed lap twice while others had so much fun they did their own version.

    Main course was all rights: right on pump, right on raintree, right at the new roundabout onto falcon bridge, right on pump, repeat. And try to go faster on the second lap dance. 4.5 miles total. I think everyone who did 2 laps improved their time the second lap. Yipeee! We are all winners!!

  • 16 and Spring Break

    Great numbers this morning with Henrico Spring Break finally being over. Stories of cruises, beaches, lost kids, fjords and diarrhea all morning long!

    We started with some warmups in the front lot and then moseyed to the hill on the East side of the middle school. I’m still not sure what I will do for my annual Die Hard workout so we tested out this hill. We ran to the top as a group to make sure the construction did not create too many traps. We then did a triple check that I’m not sure we’ve ever done on this hill by the Pax reaction. Timer went down and up while the partners did HRM and Squats.

    After that was over, we went to wall, told it F’ off, and then moseyed to the back of the elementary school to the “softball” field. It looked more like a backstop surrounding grass and random dirt patches but we used it anyway to kickoff softball season. We split up the group by bases, home plate was the timer with 10 burpees, they then relieved the first base group who was doing jump squats, who relieved the WW2 second base group, who relieved the 3rd base merkins team and so on. We went around twice for fun.

    We then went to the bus pickup off Pemberton, found a pole, and did 20 pole smokers OTO, moseyed to the front lot of the elementary school and did a half lot bear crawl, then moseyed all the way back to the front lot of the middle school. We did some ab work for a few minutes then moseyed back to the flag for some LBCs, leg raise for a 30 Pigskin count and then ended with burpees.

    Good group for coffeeteria afterwards.

    Prayers for Charlotte and her family.

    Thanks for letting me lead.

  • 6 laoch ag an doimhneacht

    




    A mostly Irish themed morning after my trip to Ireland and Scotland.  After some warmups, we (pub) crawled to the curb and did some slow Guinness squats,  We then (pub) crawled our way to the sidewalk and repeated.  Then we moseyed to the bus loop for a quick bus tour.   
    




    We hit four lights and at the first two did 20 Irish Hammers and 20 Merkins.  And the 3rd and 4th did 15 of each.
    




    This was followed with a walking lunge tour of the fairy trees of the Deep (On the South side of the school towards the load in dock). If you move or destroy a fairy fort, you’ll be in trouble and you’re creating trouble. Never shift a fairy bush. It belongs where it is and nowhere else.  I told the story of the Latoon fairy tree that moved a highway.
    




    We then moseyed to the playground and the Cliffs of Moher/The Deep.  These we can go down.  I don’t recommend doing the same in Ireland.  We went down and did ten HRM and bernied up.  We repeated this a few times.  No one saw a puffin.
    




    We then honored the 1916 Easter Rising with 4 corners of 19 and 16 count.  The 19 count were on the ground and then we rose for the 16.  For the down exercises, I errored and started with WW2, then followed with reverse crunches, Chuck Norris’s  (who is actually part Irish) and ended with WW1.  The exercises when we rose were Jump Squats (2 times), Copperhead Squats and something I don’t remember (too many pub crawls).  Thankfully, while I started all of this, I was not executed.  The same is not true for those who organized the 1916 Rising.
    




    We went down the cliffs one last time and ended with an Gaelic (indigenous) crawl on the sidewalk to the North side of the school.  The crawls at the end of the day are the toughest.
    




    This took us on a holiday detour of the Scottish Highlands.  They looked beautiful this morning.  So beautiful that we ran to the top (all the way to the sidewalk) and then back down.  We got in a plank, I yelled “Hold” a couple times and then we repeated the run up and back.  One more extended plank and then we ran to the top and moseyed down the sidewalk back to the start.
    




    We had about a minute left and finished with more Irish Hammers.
    




    Prayers to Mr. Rogers family as they say goodbye to Wally’s brother. 
    




    Go n-éirí an bóthar leat. Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl .
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    You’re going the wrong way!
    
			
    

    Pigskin is a menace.  He thinks he is slow so wants to leave early.  I tell him left on Pump.  When the group leaves, Gaudi and I see what looks to be him going left on John Rolfe.  Not totally sure, I sprint to catch up.  Thankfully it is him and now I am exhausted.  The group thankfully follows and we go right onto Pump and get to my intended destination, the North Gayton Baptist Church, the long way.
    




    Somehow, Pigskin is behind us again so we do WW2 until he arrives.  “I thought it was on the left?” he jokes.  We then do Heals to heaven and reverse crunches before some arm circles and helicopters.  Then we do a triple check where the timing runs the horseshoe parking lot and the partners to HRM and Jump Squats.  When done, we head back home with a detour through Short Pump Park with instructions to do 5 burpees before the path to the woods.  
    




    While half way through the woods, I circle back for Pigskin.  I have no idea where he is.  Thinking he went home a shorter way, I head back to the flag.  Then here comes Lighthouse, Banjo and Mr. Rogers headed back for the six.  “Have you seen Pigskin?” I ask and they say “No” and they head further back for him.  Eventually they give up and meet the rest of the group at the flag.  Where is Pigskin?  He is running the bus loop with Gypsy, who headed back with Pigskin via Three Chopt.
    




    Did Pigskin do his 5 burpees? Of course not, so we all did 5 burpees (including him) as penalty.  He’s a menace to society.  But thankfully he is an F3 menace. 3.1 miles total and we did not lose Pigskin.  Another successful Wednesday!
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Smooth skin for life, guaranteed
    
			
    

    Five went Deep this morning and had some difficulty coming up with exercises by letter.  Before we got there, we did some warmups in the school parking lot, moseyed into Green Gate with ten merkins at each of the first five lights and then went to another parking lot for 11’s of WW2s and Dips.  Then we moseyed closer to Broad Street to stop at Seymore’s favorite store, Milan Laser Hair Removal.  
    




    Each Pax was challenged to pick an exercise that spelled Milan.  We started with Merkins, Imperial Walkers, Lunges, APDs and then we got stuck on “N” and did a 5 burpee penalty.  Seymore started to show signs of either creativity, laziness or needing hair removal with attempting to create Nevada Prom Dates.  It was rejected.
    




    We then went next door to Attila’s favorite, Blue Cow Ice Cream.  The challenge this time was Blue Cow.  We started with Burpees, LBCs, Ukrainian Soldiers and then Seymore said Energetic Deadman’s Hang, which I vetoed, and we did Elevated Merkins instead.  Followed that with Copperhead squats and then did Outlaws and Wide Grip Merkins.  We moseyed to the main drag and on the way back took the Wong’s Tacos challenge.  The main challenge is me remembering what we did.
    




    The pax came up with Wide grip merkins (repeats allowed), an “O” I can’t remember, Nine merkins,  some sort of G exercise, SSH  or Squats, we got stuck at “T” and had penalty burpees, Alphabet Flutters (spell the alphabet with your feet), Crunchy Frogs, Overhead Press & Side Lunges.  I wish I could remember more but at least Seymore has “Smooth skin for life, guaranteed”
    




    We then went back to the flag did a little Mary and ended on time.
    




    Reminder: Lunch Tuesday at Joeys.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    After school games
    
			
    

    Is it possible to have fun while doing a Kettlebell workout?  What happens when 15 adults who usually act like children are now told to play games they may have played as children?  What’s Frogger? (Question asked by Lighthouse).  Answers to follow.
    




    After some warmups, we started with a game of Red Light/Green Light.  Whoever was “It” got to pick the exercise everyone had to do while walking to reach “It”.  Get caught moving when “Red Light” and you back to beginning and do some burpees and start over.  After ~8 rounds of this with different exercises (curls, overhead presses, squat walkers, waiter carry, etc), we moved on.  It was a 6 out of 10 on the Fun-O-Meter.
    




    We circled up and did some abs (sit n press and hammers) then got up and walked past the coffee station for another game.  We played Kick the Can.  Regular tag with all the bells in the “jail”.  Get tagged, go to jail and do some exercises.  “Free” player kicks the can and everyone escapes.  Byproduct falls 30 seconds in trying to tag people and it went down from here.  It was a 9 out of 10 on the “What was he thinking?” meter.
    




    Everyone lines up at the curb while I grab the speaker.  Count off in 3’s, each group gets a different exercise and does it from curb to curb: lunges, rifle carry or death crawl.  I play the theme song while we play Frogger.   Everyone gets to go and people doing exercises rotate through the 3 exercises after each attempt.  Lighthouse goes first and has no idea what Frogger is.  He learned quickly.  10 out of 10 in the “Video game re-enactment at Circus Maximus” scale.
    




    Circle up for more abs, go back to the flag.  Have a minute left and in honor of Handshake’s F3 anniversary, finish with 8 burpees.
    




    Announcements: Lunch next Tuesday at Joeys, Volunteer opportunity this Saturday 9-1:let L Woods know if you can make it.
    




    All I proved is that 45 minutes can go fast when everyone is confused. 
    




    As the weather gets better, please remember: 
    




    In the heat of the day, I hang my head down low, and hide my face from the sun, through the light of the day, until the evening time, I’m waiting for the night to c.c.c.c.come!
    




    




    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Loreine is a new bro
    
			
    

    It was Brocode Friday and nine of us did the Lake Loreine route brocode style.  You can brocode anything and not just repeat the same boring route every month.
    




    Copperas can suck it!
    




    Upchuck’s car was also there but we never saw him and Handshake also did something until his bowels told him to leave.