Category: Richmond, VA

  • Pre-blast: 2.0 Friendly at Gridiron this Saturday

    Bring your kids along to Gridiron this Saturday for 2.0 friendly beatdown. Milk and Cookies may be provided after.

  • Flatline Comes Alive at NoToll

    On behalf of Flatline….

    Foggy morning for the 12 men at No Toll, and Flatline has the VQ

     1 warm up lap around fields with a little stage fright to start but work out commenced:

    • SSHx 30,
    • Imperial Walkers X 25,
    • Don Quixote X 20,
    • Arm Circles-Forward X 15, Backwards X 15,
    • Merkins X 10.

     On to the Pavilion for Evolution 1:

    Partner up – Partner 1 bear crawl across the field, Partner 2 complete 20 LBC then sprint to catch Partner 1 and flapjack.  Continue across field and back

    Round 2 with your partner same drill but with 10 Burpees and Crab Walks.

     To the bleachers for Evolution 2:

    Partner up for 3 sets of run and exercise:

    • Partner 1 perform Dips AMRAP while Partner 2 runs across the field and back – flapjack.
    • Same – with Imperial Walkers as the exercise
    • Same – with Merkins as the exercise 

    Mosey to the basketball court for Evolution 3:

    Partner up-Suicides:

    • Round 1 – partner squats while partner runs traditional suicides, switch
    • Round 2 – Merkins and Side to side suicides
    • Round 3 – Backward suicides and APDs

     Ring of Fire-Diamond merkins x10 and with 2 minutes left…. X 20 LBC, X 10  Burpees.

    NMS:

    Thank you for following my Q! Awesome way to start my Tuesday mornings!!

    God Bless-Flatline

     

  • Rare is the man who beats Swirly to an AO

    6 strong gathered in the darkness at Batteau to welcome the start of another glorious day in RVA.

    COP:

    SSH x 30

    Helicopters x 10

    Don Quixote x 15

    Arm Circles x 15 forward and 15 backward

    Mericans x 15

    Touch a tree x 5

    Touch a tree x 10

    Mosey to the valley between  the hills in front of Forest Hill Ave. for 11’s to the trees.

    Round 1:  Run forward up one side of the valley to one of the trees at the top of the hill and do 1 merican and 10 Captain Thors (1 WW2 situp followed by 4 american hammers).  Run back down the hill, do a 180 at the bottom, and run backwards up the hill on the opposite side of the valley to the tree at the top of that hill……do 2 mericans and 9 Captain Thors. Repeat until last set of 10 Mericans and 1 Captain Thor.

    Round 2:  Same concept except with burpees and LBC’s.

    Mosey to the curb in front of the stone house for curb crawls ascending from 1 to 5 incline mericans and then back down to one with bear crawl forward and crawl bear back.

    Mosey to the stone landing at the bottom of the steps for 8 minutes of Mary:

    Single leg lifts (15 reps each leg)

    Rosalitas x 20

    Freddie Mercury x 30

    Ring of Fire:  PAX planks while each man takes a turn doing 10 mericans.

    Mosey back to the flag for Numberama, Namerama, and COT.

     

    Moleskin:

    YHC arrived to the stone house at Forest Hill Park to find the AO deserted.  I was elated at the prospect of finally beat Swirly to an AO, having been aspiring to this feat since Sept. of 2014.  However, after I retrieved the shovel flag from my trunk, I turned to see none other than Swirly standing in front of the stone house, breathing clouds of vapor from the exertion of the run from his house, with a look on his face that said…..”Sorry Fudd……not this time.”

    YHC was happy to see a friend from the VCU EMBA program who’s only previous F3 workout experience had been the first ever F3 workout held in Athens, Greece in April 2015 that YHC also Q’d. Welcome back Kenny G!

    Announcements:  HDHH at TYA’s this Wednesday, 10K Turkey Trot at U of R….8am start on Thanksgiving day (the start line is where we meet for Spider Run)

    Great work out there today men.  YHC is proud to be a part of this group and misses it during my weeks in Baltimore.  Hope to see you all out there again soon.

    Fudd out

  • All Fs Covered

    Four of the faithful met at #GridIron at 0645 on Saturday morning. Earthworm led a 15 minute “pregame”, discussing the shield of faith referenced in Ephesians 6:16. Johnonville then planted a VSF and took the Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    Warmup COP near VSF with ssh, don quiote, imperial walkers, hillbillies, and merkins.

    Mosey to pillars. COP with standing mountain climbers and mountain climbers.

    Mosey to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Bear crawl as far as possible.
    Mosey back to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Crawl bear as far as possible.
    Mosey back to rusty cage.

    10x pullups OYO
    20x merkins in COP
    30x squats in COP
    rinse and repeat

    Mosey to foul line by outfield wall. Crab walk as far as possible.
    Mosey to wall by school’s back courtyard.

    20x donkey kicks
    20x wall planks
    10x balls to the wall.

    Mary and ring of fire.

    COT with Earthworm taking us out.
    Announcements + coffeeteria (covering 2nd F).

    Moleskin — Th foundation of this workout was inspired by the crossfit “Murph”, but we substituted some of the grind for some different flavors of grind — namely, crawls and walls.

    As always, Earthworm did a fabulous job leading our 3rd F “pregame”. There are 3 more “pregames” coming up in that series. They are:

    Nov. 19 — Helmet of Salvation
    Nov. 26 — Sward of the Word of God
    Dec. 3 — The Power of Prayer

    I believe that Cecil will be leading the first two of those and Attila the last. All are welcome.

    Nightcrawler did not seem thrilled about all of the merkins, but he excelled at that donkey kicks, getting at least 10″ higher than everyone else.

    Great job men! Jville

  • The theme that shall not be named…

    7 well mannered gentlemen showed for Saab’s first Q at Punisher.  This is more or less what transpired:

    Warmup:  Arm circles, DQ’s, Imperial Walkers, LBC’s, Merkins

    Triple Check:  WWII, Merkins, Run to end of court, perform burpee, and return

    Pullups (5), Diamond-Merkins (10):  4 rounds

    10 burpees, run to tree, Polar-Bear to next tree and back, return.  Repeat said routine with 30 American Hammers.

    11’s (Derkins and Jump Squats)

    Curb Crawls (Bear and Crab) to 7

    Total Merkins today:  228 (Thanks again to Bleeder for taking copious notes)

    NMS:

    At the start of today’s workout YHC felt compelled to share Toga’s prior words of encouragement when he learned Saab would be taking the Q…”Try not to be a pussy” was the directive.  Little did YHC know, that would become the unofficial theme of workout…that and avoiding exercises that involved  getting too close to TYA’s tights.

    After YHC expressed his fondness for the aforementioned body part (in the parlance of our time), the PAX proceeded to point out landmarks that resembled such a part (which shall not be named in the interest of decorum).  Who knew one would find so many on an elementary school ground.

    Anyway, the workout began and ended with discussion regarding TYA’s tights, including pleads not to let him tuck in his shirt.  YHC could only suggest he invest in a MUCH longer shirt, or a loose pair of shorts to cover what was no longer a mystery.

    Announcements:

    F3 RVA gear is available on the website.

    HDHH this Wednesday (see TYA’s back blast).

    Toga is prone to providing (classy?) pre-direction on one’s Q – particularly when he has no intention of showing up himself.

    Saab abides.

     

  • Supermoon

    A brisk sunny and 70 morning on the southside of RVA brought 6 men out early to see the supermoon.  After checking out the moon and a little mumblechatter about the temperatures, YHC decided to warm us up a little bit.

    Warm up circle around the parking lot to give McRib a chance to catch up.

    Circle up for SSHx25, IWx20, ArmCircles x20 F and R, 20 x OH Press, Copperhead Squatx15

    THANG

    Mosey over to the hill next to the school for Jacobs Ladder, start at the bottom with 1 merkin, run to the top for 1 burpee repeato to 7.

    Mosey over to the bball courts for 11s Jump Squats and Freddie Mercuries – run the long side, lunge the short side.  Round 2 Monkey Humpers and Box Cutters – run the long side bear crawl the short side.

    Indigenous people run around the bus loop with optional burpee.

    The PAX seemed warmed up so we moseyed into the grass field to cool off and get some Mary in.  American Hammers, Flutter Kicks, Merkin Ring of Fire, Dollies, LBC, Crunchy Frogs, Merkin Ring of Fire.

    Mosey back to the parking lot and with 1 minute remaining – Fill that with 1 min of burpees.

    NMM

    Great work this morning men.  Tried to work in the #3S2T (check the lexicon) into this one.  Starting with Jacobs Ladder was a good way to get warmed up quick and work the stamina through the rest of the morning.

    Karaoke showed up for his 2nd post and was crushing it today.  He’s not used to running behind Gumbo and Gumbo is definitely not used to having Karaoke behind him in any kind of running routine.  I expect he’ll keep posting and will catch up soon enough.  Mr. Roper, in his inaugural RiverRun was only shown a small portion of the AO but will hopefully become a regular and get to see the rest of it.

    Announcements

    4 shirts up for sale in the F3 Gear shop.  Check them out and let your loved ones know what size you wear for Christmas.  Extra small if you want that lean Emoji look.

    HDHH at TYA’s new build at 1701 Buford Road.  Lot clearing to be handled by SAAB.  Park at the church.

    Find a race or other CSAUP and sign up.  Ask around, there are plenty.

    VQ week, encourage those that haven’t led to step up.  Get out and support those that are stepping up because that’s what leaders do.

    Pleasure to lead this morning men.

    Rosie

  • Religion, Politics, and Ultras

    3 men turned on the defrost this morning to make an early morning jaunt thru the James river trails system.  Weather was hovering at the freezing point and not a breath of wind for a seriously heavy frost, combining with the turning leaves and the steam coming off the river made a fairly tale setting for our run.  Here is what went down:

    Leave the parking lot and head down the hill.  1/3 of us run back up the hill to lock the car, then back down.  Head to Belle Isle the long way round, Return on Buttermilk.  All were up for the lariat, then back across the nickle bridge and back to the parking lot.  We headed down to see Bo-Bo to get the GPS watches to click over 7 miles.

    NMS

    There was talk of incorporating Forest Hill into the run, but comradarie won out over mileage, and the pax stuck together.  Conversation was lively and many taboo topics were hashed out over the course of the run and subsequent tea-a-teria afterwards.  YHC broke up the “tea party” at ET’s by having to be the only one to order coffee.  Leave it to Lab Rat to be odd man out.

    Gorgeous run with stellar men this morning.  A great morning to be in the River City and have killer running friends.

    Lab Rat out.

  • It’s A Straight Line People

    Let’s be honest, it isn’t always easy finding your way around the streets of the near west end when aren’t from the area.  As a Q, sometimes you spew off a few instructions which, in your mind, are simple left, right, left rights, but to those unfamiliar with the area, may as well be a form of Greek Google Maps.

    Heck, we’ve been doing Tuesday Spider Runs for six months now and I could no more Q a run there (other than 10 laps around the pond) than I could a Q in Youngstown, Ohio.

    Thus, last week, the unthinkable happened…we lost a pair of runners (almost).  Coming back from the Carrillon, Back Bay and Copernicus (who, ironically, got his name from finding us after we had started) became misplaced in Windsor Farms, a place, we’ve experienced, you don’t want to be misplaced in that early in the morning…or, really, ever.  Thanks to the homing beacon that is Lab Rat, we were able to safely return Back Bay and Copernicus to Mary Munford unharmed.

    But it was a good lesson learned.

    On Friday, we decided, just to be safe, that we were basically going to do a down and back.  The suggested route had the group hanging a left on Grove, a right on Westmoreland and then a right on one of America’s most famous running routes…Monument Avenue.  From there, the PAX was to run until 22:30 and then turn around and run back.

    Theoretically, it didn’t matter if you followed the route or not…as long as you turned around and came back at the 22:30 point, then you were ok.

    Fortunately, everyone made it back safely to Mary Munford…including Sippy Cup, who, honestly, probably ran a sub 43:00 10K.  He was going to beat his time that it took to get to the 22:30 mark, and by the looks of how quickly he finished, he did just that.

    Enjoy the weekend, group, and enjoy this nice weather and best of luck to anyone that ran in the races around the Marathon.

    And always run in pairs.

  • The old grey Saab ain’t what it use to be…

    17 gentlemen presented themselves in 36 degree temperatures prepared for morning calisthenics. This is what transpired
    COP: Helicopters, DQ’s, Imperial Walkers, Pickle Pounders, LBC’s
    Amphitheater: Bear crawl from top step to bottom. Perform 5 Derkins each step. Lindays: 30 dips, run to top, 10 Merkins
    Doras (Modified): Flutter Kicks (102), Freddy Mercurys (153), Merkins (204)
    Triangle: WWII’s (20), bear crawl, Merkins (20), Burpees (20). Two rounds
    Inverted pole smokers: Derkin position. Perform 3 derkins, and 1 derkin each time someone passes.
    COP: Flutter kicks (51), LBC (21), Merkin (17), Burpee shuffle

    NMS
    While most arrived appropriately suited-up for the chilly temperatures, Hardywood and Rosie came dressed in what one would normally wear to a trail-run in the middle of July (absent Wilson of course). As the PAX progressed through the Bear Crawls in the amphitheater it was noted that there was an unusual absence of mumble chatter. All was made right, however, as Lab Rat arrived during the Doras and shattered the sound of eerie silence.

    Residual chatter regarding Honey Do’s (passed) kidney stone remained, which prompted mention of having to file a harassment claim with F3 Corporate. (Corporate promptly responded with what they would do with such a claim.) Others were more inquisitive, however, asking such questions as “is there such as thing as a Kidney-Stone fairy and will he leave you something if you place it in the bottom of your underwear drawer?”

    YHC organized today’s workout with the intent to celebrate his birthday and mark his first full year of “respect” with his F3 brethren. As such, certain counts were placed at multiples of 51 throughout. The subtlety was lost on most with the exception of Lockjaw (“ABT”) and his command of the Gregorian calendar. We also took a brief pause to perform a set of merkins in acknowledgement of those running the half-marathon today (TYA, Circle K, Gumbo, others?). Way to go fellas!

    Second post at ET was a welcome treat for YHC who had not been able to attend (on a Saturday) due to his summer of running.

    Bleeder again kept copious tabs on the merkin count which was 406 today…more for those who added on the end. (Thanks to Lab Rat for the Boo-Ya merkin assists.)

    Announcements: VQ next week!, HDHH next week, Bear Creek 10 miler (see Lab Rat’s back door)

    Saab abides.

  • #CircusMaximus and the Kettlebell Escalator

    Three of the faithful gathered on a cool fall morning with kettlebells in hand. Johnsonville plated a VSF and took Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    warmup with ssh, merkins, don quiotes, arm circles, and imperial walkers

    Mosey to back of parking lot.

    Kettlebell Escalator set #1 (all exercises OYO):
    10x American Hammers
    20x sit & press
    30x merkins
    40x clean & jerk (20x each arm)
    50 LBCX

    Mosey to north side of bus loop (all exercises OYO).

    Kettlebell Escalator set #2:
    10x squat & press
    20x curls (10x each arm)
    30x rows (15x each arm)
    40x single arm swings (20x each arm)
    50x mountain climbers

    Mosey to around bus loop in grassy area by VSF (all exercises OYO).

    10x burpees
    20x wall thrusts
    30x merkins
    40x figure 8s (switching direction after 20x)
    50x halos (switching direction after 25x)

    Mosey under lighted bus loading area.

    Two arm swings in cadence
    6 minutes of Mary

    COT with YHC taking us out.

    Moleskin — A number of our regulars were out today, but we had a strong showing by those who attended. We have come a long with kettlebell strength of the past 6 months or so. Many of us are ready for an upgrade. Great job, men!

    Jville