Category: Richmond, VA

  • A Menagerie of Runners

    Eight runners.  Is that a new Roller Coaster record?  And eight runners in a Pax never before to have converged in one workout at that.  Well done!

    The Route – Starting from River Road Shopping Center we did a modified Devil’s Pitchfork route with some nice hills.  Kubota brought his 2.0 who seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit and got named after a smaller riding lawn mower to accompany his father, the tractor.  Da Vinci paced us with his mountain bike ensuring now one fell behind.

    The weather was awesome today, we talked of CSAUP almost upon us.  It was great to see all of the Pax, but especially Johnsonville since we never cross paths these days.

    YHC took us out.

    Time to Taper,

    Lockjaw

  • Less Talk, More Work

    A PAX of three made it out to the 70 and sunny  spring morning to test themselves against the MANNdate Murph for April

    The Murph

    Run a mile

    100 Sit and Press

    200 Lawnmowers

    300 Goblet squats

    Run a mile

    Mosey to the Flag

    Merkin Ring of Fire

    PAX hold plank

    while one member does 10 merkins

    go around the circle until all have done merkins

    Numberama

    Namarama

    Chewy took us out

    NMS

    The PAX attacked the workout this morning and strong work was put in by all.  Mumblechatter was at a minimum, most of it coming from YHC and Spit. Chewy was working too hard to get brought into boring adult conversations.

    There are PAX out there that have not been to the gloom in some time and some men that are not aware that they should be in the PAX. We need to EH and re-EH. Lets get those numbers up

    As always it was an honor to lead.

     

  • Pre-Blast: 2.0 Friendly Workout … Testing the Waters

    With the very brief return of Spring, my 2.0 has increased the frequency of her “Daddy, when is the next 2.0 Friendly Workout?”  In chatting with the PAX, a number of you have given soft commits.

    YHC is requesting anyone with interest to drop a quick reply to this post.  Last year, 7:00 a.m. after Dogpile (PuppyPile!) seemed to get a good response…who’s interested?  Who’s ready to HC for April 21 or April 28?

  • Backs, Ankles, and Tires

    Five strong-willed men wondered out of darkness into the gloom in search of truth.

    THANG

    Mosey up to football field and take a lap

    COP

    • SSHs
    • Helicopters
    • LBCs
    • Merkins
    • Russian Soldiers

    Mosey to visitor’s benches for 11s (Run across field between exercises)

    • Step Ups
    • Hand Release Merkins

    Mosey to bleachers for Muscle Ups/ Dips roughly 30 seconds each AMRAP x 3 sets

    Toss to Rosie

    Mosey to hill next to tennis courts

    Triple Nickel (5x5x5) Bernie up, forward down

    • Moses Malones (Dwight Howards for Wheelbarrow)
    • Crunchy Frogs

    Grab a tire

    Triple Nickel 2 (Run from sidewalk to goalpost between exercises)

    • 5 Tire Flips
    • 5 Merkins

    Mosey back to VSF for 5MOM (Freddie Mercurys, Cross Leg Lifts, Dollys, APDs, American Hammers)

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    With most of the SOT regulars on spring break or fartsacking a Hot Potato Q was in order, or at least a split Q on the fly.  YHC kicked it off and tossed to Rosie half way through.  Not surprisingly the 2nd half of the workout seemed significantly more difficult to YHC.  The PAX was a bit confused by the warm weather this AM, but whatever, 70 and sunny as always.  A PAX that started out 100% injury free finished the workout at 60% with Roscoe tweaking his back and Wheelbarrow rolling an ankle.  Hope all is well gents.  Tire tossing was the topic of the morning post workout.  Perhaps a new event for the F3 Olympics.  Wilson’s little tire should do just fine.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    CSAUP countdown is on, but no SOJ secrets were revealed to YHC.  Team Tuckahoe better memorize the map south of the river though, and not rely on Rosie’s painted arrows, just sayin.

  • Rubbin’ is Racin’

    12 stalwarts saddled up for today’s edition of W-Dog.  The horse-mounted police in Byrd Park tell the story this way.

    COP:
    Mosey to the first traffic circle.  Russian soldiers, SSHs, DQs, Johnsonville Hillbillies (flair required), LBCs, flutter kicks, and t-release mercans.  Quick stretch of the belly…mosey to the Great Lawn.

    Elevens:
    Snow angels and squats

    Short mosey to the Pull Off at the end of the Great Lawn

    Curb Crawls…1 mercan at the first curb…up to 5 mercans

    Mosey to the Triangular or Quadrangular Shaped Roads (recently the site of The Cooper) for Wild Pony Races:
    First rider jumps on back of partner, who runs the clockwise through the warm up circle loop and back to the end of the access road.  (This is easier to understand in person than on paper).  Partners switch at their leisure.   Each does 5 boo-yah mercans at each switch.  Repeato 3 times, changing directions every now and again.

    Mosey to the side of the Bell Tower for Touch-a-Tree
    10-8-6-4-2…partner one touches trees while partner two exercises…first two rounds…LBCs…3rd and 4th rounds…flutter kicks…5th round…burpees.

    Mosey back to the flag.  Number-am-a, Name-a-ram-a, Vinny took us out.

    Announcements:
    YHC’s friend and neighbor 2-Can has crushed his personal goals for fitness and dietary improvement.  This is a BIG personal accomplishment – nothing easy about this.  Every one of the PAX should pat our brother on the back when you next see him.  Well done, my friend!

    Last week of The Healing Place…YHC would like to see a few new guys out there on Saturday.  What’s easier after a Hardywood Q at Dogpile than running a few miles to support some guys working to address their personal demons?  YHC is looking for a few good men to make it out one more week…if you have not been, plan for it, run it, and join us at ET’s afterward.

    CSAUP…if you are not running, please volunteer to staff a Party Stop along the route, drive a van, etc.  You don’t want to be “that guy” who misses this event and does not understand the inside jokes for the next several months…no, you do not want to be that guy.  Come join the PAX, even for a short while.  If you can’t make it, Mr. Holland is hosting an event at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, April 14, for those with a guilty conscience…it’s called Dogpile.  Come out and help him through his first Dogpile Q!!

    NMS
    YHC arrived early to find Old Reliable / Big Blue in place.  This gave YHC a chance to catch up with Swirly on baseball, hockey, and other matters.  YHC and Swirly also discussed the re-emergence of Seal Team at Spider Run.  A new boot camp has started for them.  On the one hand, YHC continues to marvel at the financial success that comes from indoctrinating new fitness enthusiasts.  On the other hand, YHC continues to marvel at the financial success that comes from indoctrinating new fitness enthusiasts.  There is a dark part of YHC’s personality that wants to post large “Why are you paying for something that we do for free?” signs at each Seal Team workout.  Perhaps that is why YHC has not been invited to Seal Team.  C’est la vie…before we knew it, the parking lot starting filling and it was time for a free workout.

    Always good to start the Q with a special request…Ronnie has been easing back into F3, and he asked that the Q go easy on him.  Ever eager to please, YHC offered to let Swirly Q in order to accommodate this request.  Ronnie opted to keep YHC as the Q.

    Nice work on the Wild Pony Races this morning.  YHC can’t quite determine whether the PAX love this, hate this, or generally have a love-hate relationship with this.  Offshore was heard to say “rubbin’ is racing’” while carrying (Kubota????)…that’s the spirit.  And, glad to find YHC didn’t destroy Oyster’s back on this one.  Way to dig deep…210 pounds of Chatterbox on your back is no joke.

    Nice to have Paddy Mayo visiting again…good to partner with you on the Touch-a-Tree, and YHC will welcome you back anytime…YHC has also contracted to publish a horticultural study of the park for any future guests from NC.  Dang, brother, where DID YOU RUN TO in order to find 8 and 6 trees?  Brother did some CSAUP training in there somewhere.  Nice work!

    Lastly, great effort this morning, fellas. Always a pleasure to lead this group.

     

  • “I Shall Return”

    Those iconic words of Douglas MacArthur as he famously left The Philippines were ringing heavily in the ears of seven brave men as they entered the gloom this morning. Of course, this day in 1942 marked one of the darkest points in the Pacific Theatre of WWII, culminating in the devastating retreat known as the Bataan Death March.

    After a brief COP (SSH, DQ, WWIIs, Dive Bombers), PAX did their own Bataan Death March around the HBR campus: Indian Run, with the 6 completing five burpees before coming up front. Multiple stops along the way included dips on the bleachers, balls to the wall, copperhead squats, and a sidebar into pole smokers along the bus loop.

    Upon completion, YHC felt that we hadn’t each done nearly enough burpees, and set out to right that wrong. Mosey over to Heartbreak Ridge proper. One partner runs backwards up HBR 2X while the other does burpees, switch until the pair reaches 100. With a trio we hit 150, and quickly called an audible to be able to choose the direction one faced as they ran the ridge.

    After PAX questioning whether it was leg day, we finished at the Rusty Cage. 11s with jerkins & WWIIs. So there.

     

    MOLESKIN:

    YHC hasn’t Q’d in a while, and in the midst of a really busy work season, has been happy to let others do his work for him. Upon realizing that the Q was unspoken for as of 10pm last night, the realization that this is important to many of us and the need to step up inspired this morning’s beatdown.

    Grateful for a PAX who gets me out of the fartsack day after day, and love how a good beatdown sets my day up for success. Onward and upward.

  • Stay Gold, Mr. Roper, Stay Gold

    Roper’s impromptu VQ?
    Shakedown’s FNG brother?
    Hot poultry taeks from Döner Kebab?
    EF HUTTON batting for the old school corporate cycle?

    What else could you want out of a 530AM workout?!? I LOVE THIS GAME.

    THE THANG

    Mosey to the parking lot for Circle of Pain

    CIRCLE OF PAIN
    20 SSH
    10 merkins
    15 DQ
    15 WW2 sit ups
    15 Copperhead Squats
    20 JVille Hip-Hop Hillbillies

    Mosey to the near field

    REGAL BEAGLE

    Four corners with the following at each corner.

    Merkins x10
    Flutter kicks x20
    Monkey humpers x30
    LBCs x40

    THE RENT’S LATE!
    Ultra polar Bear – line up on baseline. split the field into segments of 25 meters. Near crawl the length and every 25 meters on do 15 merkins, then 20 merkins, then 25 merkins

    Ultra King Crab – do the same back to the other side (Roper shortened the field somewhat for this one)

    Mosey to the shed

    STANLEY AND HELEN

    Pair up just like Stanley Roper and his oversexed wife Helen! One runs the field (Stanley) while the other (Helen) gets hot and bothered with 100 dips, 100 flutter kicks, 100 some other exercise I can’t remember.

    Mosey to the parking lot

    FOUR’S COMPANY TOO
    Two teams of four race each other around the perimeter of the parking lot while the remaining team does a variety of ab exercises (flutters, APDs, WW2s) while they wait.

    Indigenous People’s Run back to (virtual) flag

    2 Minutes of Mary

    CIRCLE OF TRUST
    Number-rama, name-a-rama, Roscoe took us out.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    CSAUP is less than two weeks away! Get with Rosie to help out the Dogtown Degenerates.

    The Healing Place is hitting the home stretch. Get with Shakedown for more info if you want to help or cheer them on for the Monument 10K.

    NAKED MOLESKINE

    Eight mighty oaks posted in the chilly spring air for a very special and extra gloomy Spring Break version of NoToll.

    Your Humble Correspondent has been keeping a low profile around NoToll ever since he rolled up in his Subaru muscle car and pulled a switchblade on a Tuckahoe Soc a few months back. That’s how we Greasers roll! Sodapop Rosie and the rest of the Greasers say the coast is clear for YHC, so it was time to get back into the flow at NoToll.

    Upon getting out of YHC’s car, the parking lot was emptier than normal. Noticeably absent were New Market Git-R-Duns who chose not to participate in this morning’s rumble. Sigh. Nothing Gold Can Stay.

    When it was clear that no one had signed up to Q today -after some prodding – Mr. Roper jumped in and picked up his VQ! Way to go, Roper!

    Even though there was but eight NoTollers today, the mumblechatter was strong, specifically during the COP when Roper had the oh-so-typical counting woes that plague so many of the PAX in their first forays into Q-land, YHC included. That said, for a VQ, Roper did a solid job of keeping the PAX moving and sucking wind.

    Welcome FNG Ponyboy! Ponyboy is the brother of Shakedown and as he said in the parking lot prior to the workout. “I decided to come check out this thing to get my brother to shut up about F3!” Solid EHing, Shakedown, solid EHing.

    Please use the comments to remind YHC how Ponyboy got the name. Because he’s Shakedown’s brother? YHC has never seen The Outsiders, although he’s seen all the Brat Pack films which spawned from this classic. YHC was pulling for “DaVinci” because it sounds like he’s had 20 careers in as many years.

    After the workout five of the PAX retired for a Coffeeteria at Starbucks. Stay tuned because Shakedown will probably post 200 selfies today on Facebook of him building his chicken coop since he took off work. Of interest to YHC was some hot New York Jets NFL Draft talk. Also, YHC learning that he talked with Ponyboy two years ago via phone and email when he inquired about the UofR Brewer’s Certificate Program in the school of continuing ed.  Someday YHC will become a master brewer!

    Stay gold, PAX, stay gold.

  • Always Carry A Spare

    3 Davillians Under 40 who didn’t get Spring Break off decided to come out for another edition of a Tuesday morning workout. The VSF was used since YHC’s SF is still in the possession of the Carpenter.

    This is how it went down:

    Mosey to the gravel track

    COP (ALL IC)

    SSH, DQ, Helicopters, Merkins, LBC’s, Crab Cakes, Arm Circles

    THANG

    11’s

    Complete 1 Dip at on one set of bleachers then run across the field and complete 10 Derkins on the other set. Rinse and Repeat till at 10/1

    Tire Flip

    Using two large tires one requiring two men, PAX flipped tires up the track 50 yds then back

    DaVille Rusty Cage

    Complete sets of 5, 10, and 15 pull ups

    Mosey back to the Atlee parking lot

    Numerama, Namerama, Announcements, YHC took us out

    MOLESKIN

    YHC was once again spared from the lone wolf PAX during a Q at DaVille. It was great to spend time with Spike and Pick 2 this morning. PAX stand together thought out the workout.

    YHC had ambitions on the distance flipping the tire. After about halfway through, he looked at the other two PAX members and knew audible would need to be called.

    The Rusty Cage brought about a new challenge after flipping a tire as Pick 2 had noted

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    CSAUP starts next Friday. Even if you are not participating, look to come up and support the runners while they are in your nano-region.

    SPIT ON THAT!! 

  • April Monthly Challenge

    YHC is not certain of the guidelines for who is allowed to post a monthly challenge, but since we haven’t had one since January it was time for someone to jump in.

    April challenge is 200 minutes of plank – an average of about 7 minutes a day. YHC thinks that planks should be elbow plank but will allow for regular since it was allowed last year.

    Splinter, feel free to slap my wrist if needed but I already copied the 2017 sheet over to the latest monthly challenge sheet. For those who don’t already have access, you can find it at the below link:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit?ts=563e70a3#gid=111497825

    – Wheelbarrow

  • Countryside Lollipop

    Eleven intrepid runners tried something new today, heading west into uncharted territory.  Pretty straightforward instructions today:

    The Route
    Head west around the lake, through the trail and up University.  Cross Forest, quick jog to the right on Ralston and continue on University.  When University takes a hard right don’t turn, instead go straight into someone’s driveway, continuing along the path and through the park to get dumped out on Roslyn Hills.  Right on Roslyn Hills.  4 milers go to the top of the hill and return the way you came.  5 milers take a left on September, which turns into Countryside, left on Ruggles, Left on Roslyn Hills then right into the park and back home.  6 milers did some mother goosing to make sure instructions were clear.

    Circle up to listen to the geese, ducks and seals where YHC took us out.

    Moleskin
    The PAX was excited to try something new today, and YHC was happy to oblige.  There were many raised eyebrows and questions when the instructions came to “continue down someone’s driveway”.  For those in the know, it’s a common cut through to the park.

    There were also many suppositions regarding the street name Ruggles.  After some Internet research, YHC determined the joke was really around The Rutles, which was a Beatles parody band.  Still never heard of them.

    Always fun catching up with Saab on a run.  Great work everyone, will bring this one back out when our natural light illuminates the path a little more.  Lab Rat managed to not get lost, which makes for a successful rote.

    Post COT chatter centered around appropriate and questionable usage of activated charcoal, frequency of Chipotle visits, and Lab Rat congratulating EF Hutton (virtually) on his championship in the F3 bracket.

    Enjoy the day.  Splinter out.