Category: Richmond, VA

  • Somehow, the Rain Held Off

    The same number of pax that posted at No Toll (plus one) came out for a North Side beat down.  The rain held out and the temp stayed in the 60’s so that Emoji could join us (hand warmers stayed in the truck).  YHC planted a SF, and we got to work:

    COP

    • SSH X30
    • Don Quixote X20
    • Arm Circles as always
    • Merkin X10
    • Freddie Mercury X20
    • LBC X20
    • Lt Dan IC OYO X5

    THANG

    • Burpee Mile- Run  Cool Springs track, every lap do 12 burpees.  Restrictor Plate option:  hit pullup bars for AMRAP.  4 laps (and 48 burpees) = 1 mile.  Lt. Dans when finished.
    • Mosey, with alternating shoulder taps to gather six.
    • Suicides relay:  On Atlee soccer field, split pax in teams of two.  Start in plank, first runner on each team runs suicides to cones that AHS graciously left lying around campus.  While runner goes, on-deck runner calls cadence (X5 merkins).  Second runner goes, team flips over into reverse plank.  On-deck runner calls cadence (X5 crab cakes).  Upon completion of all suicides, teams Al Gore.  Q (odd man out) runs suicides while pax holds Al Gore.
    • Mary:  Freddie Mercurys and quick Superman

    NMS

    YHC expected to deal with adverse weather conditions this morning, but the rain held off and was only slightly damper than the normal dew.  He was also a little hesitant with the plan he had in place, as there was much running involved.  But, it WAS a plan, so may as well roll with it and see what transpired.

    The burpee mile was tough, but the pax demolished it!  The restrictor plate worked out great, as all pax members finished up within a minute of each other.  The Sugar Ray’s got in plenty of time on the pull up bars this morning, too.

    DaVille is a massive campus, and much time can be spent just on the Mosey.  YHC has been breaking it up in chunks lately, with short ground and pound segments thrown in along the way.  Me thinks the pax approves of this.  It’s either that or indian runs…

    Not much mumblechatter, except for Abacus railing on Guppy (his 2.0) regarding counting to 12.  Like father, like son.

    Good job to Emoji, who toughed out the weather outside his comfort zone.  Brrrrrrrrrr!

    Also, nice to see Roscoe make it out for his 2nd workout!  He is already planning on DogPile Saturday with a buddy.  Keep posting, brother!

    Great job to everyone this morning for powering thru a run-heavy endeavor.  It’s always a pleasure leading a group of men that attack a workout.

    Announcements

    • Monthly challenge link:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit?ts=563e70a3#gid=1017786714
    • Hump Day Happy Hour:  http://f3nation.com/2016/09/19/928-hdhh-ill-see-you-at-tha-crossroads/
    • October 8 Convergence:  http://f3nation.com/2016/09/23/preblast-convergence-oct-8-dogpile/
    • Nov. 5 Leap to Tidewater.  If you know somebody down that way that could use F3, please send me email addresses and I will get them on our list.
    • Dec. 4 Bear Creek 10 mile trail race.

    Lab Rat out.

     

     

  • Driest Wet Fields Ever

    12 strong converged to meet the wet day with a beat down that went something like this:

    COP
    SSH x 28, Merkins x 12, DQ x 10, Mtn Climbers x 20, Crab Cakes x 20, LBC x 20

    Mosey to Basketball Courts for Kig of Hearts (suicides)
    forward, backward, plank-o-rama, karayoke, al-gore-o-rama

    Bear Crawl to middle, split pax in half, Crawl Bear back.
    Crabwalk Pacman
    4 rounds: 3 pacmen vs 9 ghosts

    Mosey to Soccer fields
    Lindsay: Pole smokers + monkey humpers (run a lap if you finish early)

    Mosey to field
    Blimp across field & back
    5 burpee broad jumps, 10 imperial squat walker steps, 15 lunges, 20 bear crawl strides (come back to 6 after each round) 3 rounds.

    Mosey to bleachers
    Triple check: muscle ups, dips, run width of field

    Mosey back to SF
    Capital Letters to spell “BILLS BEAT CARDINALS”

    COT: Gumbo took us out

    NMS

    After drenching rains, the sky was dry for the entire workout. The fields at Huguenot Park continue to not disappoint. That might have been the driest YHC has been after a “wet” workout.

    YHC really enjoyed the pacman, though the ghosts won each round.

    Hardywood set an impressive pace in the Blimps…glad there was a restrictor plate to keep PAX together.

    Toga’s Spartan experience was discussed in detail. He would do it again but not at Wintergreen. Don’t ask him about it. Seriously.

    Announcements
    – Virginia Beach expansion starting the first Saturday in November. Clown car from RVA to Mt Trashmore for 6 saturdays in a row. No word yet if Wilson will be in said clown car.
    – HDHH at Crossroads Wednesday night. See Hardywood for details
    – Convergence Saturday 10/8, 6:00am @ Dogpile

  • It’s You Against You

    Six regulars convened in the swampiness that was the Spider Run this morning.  Route was similar to the following:

    Map

    The Run
    By the lake, up past the ball field, down to College, left on College, right on Lakewood, left on Westham, cross river to right on Cameron for a horseshoe loop, right on Culpeper, right on ross, down the hill and back, right on ridge then loop back by the bridge and down the access road to the start.

    Moleskin
    Summer was back this AM and it felt like it.  Marv & Sippy came barreling down the road with plenty of time to spare.  Marv disappeared then reappeared a few minutes later a new man and ready to roll.

    Great to see Bleeder back at Spider Run again.  Clearly he crushed it as he was holding up a brick wall when YHC returned.

    TYA almost got EH’d by some tomatoes while running down near the bridge.  Perhaps if you stuck with the rainbow warrior hat you may have been accepted?

    As the PAX convened for some post run commentary on last evening’s festivities our favorite “for pay” bootcamp leaders were counting off the position of workout participants as they crossed the finish line.  TYA artfully announced a core F3 mantra:  “It’s you against you”.  Well said TYA.

    Announcements
    – Virginia Beach expansion starting the first Saturday in November.  Clown car from RVA to Mt Trashmore for 6 saturdays in a row.  No word yet if Wilson will be in said clown car.
    – HDHH at Crossroads Wednesday night.  See Hardywood for details
    – Convergence Saturday 10/8, 6:00am @ Dogpile

  • A Tribute to the King

    Arnold Palmer Drinking

    Five willing participants gathered in the cooler and arguably crisp morning air at Linwood Holton for an Arnie inspired beatdown.  Tee time was 530 sharp.  Offshore stumbled out of the van at 5:29:45 and almost missed it.  Quick mosey to the front lawn for the commencement ceremonies:

    COP
    62x – SSH, one for each PGA tour win
    15x – IW
    15x – Arm Circles.  10 small, 5 large, repeato forwards and backwards
    15x – Copperhead Squats

    The Thang
    – 7 minutes of burpees, one for each of the King’s major wins
    – Mosey to the bus loop for curb crawls.  Up to 7, repeat 7, back down to 1.  Bear crawl forward, crawl bear backwards.  Al Gore it up.
    – 7 burpees
    – Quick mosey to the basketball court for traveling 4 corners.  1 person at each station with a traveler between the stations.  Traveler runs to the next station and the person at that station becomes the traveler.  Stations were Jump Squats, LBCs, Lt Dans, APDs.  Run forward on the long sides and backwards on the short side.
    – 7 burpees
    – Multiple variations of line drills on the basketball court, dividing the court up into thirds.  First iteration was straight up line drills, second iteration was run forward and backward, third iteration was karaoke.  Plank-o-rama between each when finished.
    – Mosey to the picnic tables for two iterations of 62.  First iteration was 31 derkins & 31 dips OYO totaling 62.  Second iteration was 31 step-ups and 31 dips.  7 burpees in-between iterations.
    – Mosey to the VSF for 7 more burpees

    Moleskin
    This was YHC’s first improv Q, having planned nothing the night before.  When the news hit the wire of the King’s passing it made sense to have a tribute Q.  Unfortunately for the PAX the only significant numbers YHC knew about Arnie and his accomplishments were 62 and 7, so we went with it.  62x SSH at the start was a bit of a gasser.

    YHC continues to work on his instructional ability.  It is clear that no assumptions should be made with the PAX’s understanding of core bootcamp exercises.  Offshore misunderstood the purpose of 7 minutes of burpees and did the first 3 minutes non-stop before asking — “How many are you guys doing?”  The instruction to pick a number and repeat every minute was not explicit enough.

    Honey Do still loves burpees.  Typically YHC is on the receiving end of a Honey Do burpee fest.  Not this time.

    Chum always crushes burpees but seemed a little self-conscious about his form during curb crawls.  YHC believes the reason the tomato walkers left so soon was the visual they saw while witnessing Chum’s elevated hip position, especially during crawl bear.  YHC hears that yoga helps with hip positioning.

    Bleeder likely left questioning his decision to attend a Splinter Q.  YHC appreciates the full disclosure Bleeder considered in weighing #Batteau vs a Splinter Q at #Punisher.  Clearly it was the right call.

    The traveling 4 corners is a great idea with 5 people but YHCs choice of exercises may have been a bit lame.  It was cut short as there wasn’t enough physical exertion being demonstrated.

    Announcements
    – Hardywood led HDHH this Wednesday at Crossroads.  See his pre-blast for more info
    – Convergence is not this Saturday but Saturday the 8th.

    Splinter out.

  • Flip Phone Turns 34 after Forties, Ascending Curb Crawl, Dora and More

    Five of the faithful posted to #GridIron on a comfortable fall morning to sharpen steel. Johnsonville (YHC) planted a virtual shovel flag, and moseyed the PAX over to the paved are inside the track. This is how thinks progressed from there, more or less:

    Warmup, including SSH, merkins, LBCs, arm circles, don quiotes, and box cutters.

    Forties with 2-count mountain climbers and 2-count hillbillies

    Mosey south to the south entrance road. Line up on curb for ascending curb crawls to 13.

    Mosey north across the southern parking lot onto the soccer field.

    Forties with dips and pole smokers.

    Mosey counterclockwise around school near basketball courts.

    Line up on road in 2 groups for a Dora 1-2-3 consisting of 100 merkins, 200 LBCs, and 300 air squats.

    Mosey back in front of school onto grass.

    Circle up for ring of fire (2 rounds). Do modified ring of fire with 5 burpees each while pax holds Al Gores.

    COT

    Moleskin:

    We had become somewhat accustomed to huge activity around this AO arising from football games. This weeks, the games were apparently away. So, the AO seemed a bit too quiet.

    The forties with mountain climbers and hillbillies was harder than I thought it would be and dragged on for a very long time. We pushed through…

    Ascending curb crawls up to 13 is also a challenge. Every member of the PAX completed them.

    During the Dora, Atilla spurred on a foot race between him and Flip Phone. The two of them were rolling, with Flip Phone barely edging Atilla out (at least this time).

    Flip Phone was a little out of it after the workout, announcing repeatedly, even after correction, that he was 34 years old. Apparently the foot race vs. Atilla took its toll (or took 20 years from Flip Phone’s life).

    Many enjoyed a coffeeteria after the workout, and Dreamliner paid us a visit after his Dogpile workout.

    Great job, men! JVille

    Announcements (some copied from Saab):

    > Earthworm (who is currently benched for medical reasons) is going to lead a 15 minute 3rd-F bible study before GridIron this coming Saturday on Mark 10:35-45 (servanthood). It will start at 0645.
    > After the convergence the following week, he will start a bible study series at 0645 on Saturdays (immediately prior to GridIron). The series theme(s) are currently TBD.
    > Bear Creek 10 miler (great trail run and post-run tailgate planned)
    > Those new to F3: Text F3RVA to 97000 to gain info and get setup on-line. (Doesn’t mean you can’t still see Wilson about “the App”)
    > Winstons is soliciting some volunteers to come up to Hanover on 10/15 and lead an F3 style workout for a church retreat. Please see Winstons if interested…have no doubt this will help with F3 recruitment in the area.
    > Workout and Happy Hour on Wednesday. See back blast from Hardywood (all meet at Crossroads at 6:00pm)
    > Mechanicsville has a new AO on Fridays…that makes 3 total for the week. Way to go guys. (YHC heard we were up to something like 18 AO’s in RVA…nice!)
    > Convergence on Oct 8 … please reach out to FNG’s and those who haven’t attended for some time.
    > F3Tidewater is launching on 11/5 at Mt. Trashmore in VA Beach. Johnsonville is assembling teams and team leaders to cover certain Saturdays on and after 11/5. THINK OF CONTACTS IN TIDEWATER TO HEADLOCK. More to come ….

  • The Rise and Fall of the Oyster

    Five RVA folks rose from their beds to join in on a Monday workout at Forest Hills park.

    The thang:

    Mosey to the bottom of the stairs – COT – 20 SSH, 20 dips, 10 leg dips each leg, 20 flutter kicks.

    Mosey to market area – Dora – partner up for 100 merkins, 200 pole smokers and 300 single count mountain climbers, partner runs around wooden building.

    Mosey back to bottom of the stairs – Lindsays- Irkins and WWII situps.

    Bear crawl up the hill to the tennis courts.

    Four Corners – 5 burpees, 10 slow bending squats, 20 Freddie Mercury, 40 LBC. Repeat but multuply reps by 2.

    Mosey to small field next to street. Bolt. Jog around small field, sprint to flag.

    Moleskin:

    Good to see everyone in the gloom. Way to push it on a Monday morning. YHC noted it was nice to not be drenched in humidity after a workout. The title of today’s workout came from an ill-advised attempt at bolts on the small lawn near the house. On the very first bolt, the one they call the Oyster was giving it his all, speeding out several feet in front of the Pax. Concurrently, the ever-wise Swirly was moving diligently across the field, throwing caution to us to ‘watch for holes’. This began the fall of Oyster as he found one of said holes, and took a good spill. All was well, laughs were had, and YHC abandoned the idea of bolts across a dark unknown field. Also Flipper provided some good laughs at attempting to bear crawl to the wrong entrance to the tennis courts. You are a fierce bear crawler sir.

    Wednesday happy hour is being held by Hardywood at 6:00 PM at Crossroads near Forest Hill Park. Run then coffee I assume.

    Best of luck to Saab as he takes on the cloud splitter this weekend. Just remember it’s a long mosey, that should take you through the 100 miles. Arnie Palmer golf claps for BT and Toga completing the Spartan race, heard it was really easy though.

    -WS

  • Pre-Blast: Upcoming 3rd F at #GridIron

    Earthworm (who is currently benched for medical reasons) is going to lead a 15 minute 3rd-F bible study before GridIron this coming Saturday on Mark 10:35-45 (servanthood). It will start at 0645.

    After the convergence the following week, he will start a bible study series at 0645 on Saturdays (immediately prior to GridIron). The series theme(s) are currently TBD.

    If convenient, please announce that at workouts this week so those who seek more 3rd F will know that the option exists.

    Thanks! Jville

  • Stadium stairs are tricky in the dark…

    4 strong rolled started the week off right at River Run, including one Kotters – welcome back Salad Cream.  This is what transpired (more or less):

    COP – all IC

    • SSH x25
    • Don Quixotes x10
    • Helicopter x12
    • Imperial Walkers x15
    • Merkins x10
    • LBCx x20
    • Box Cutters x15

    Mosey to the monkey bars (i.e., River Run’s rusty cage) for a quick pull-up warmup.  5 pull-ups – 5 Derkins, 5 pull-ups – 10 dips.

    Line up on sideline of field for 11s – jump squats and 4-count mountain climbers.

    Mosey to the football stadium for Doras – 100 merkins, 200 2-count flutter kicks and 300 SSHs.  Exercises completed while your partner runs the home bleachers.  As noted by Jville, coming down the stairs was tricky.  No accidents (that I know of), but let’s just say the lack of light made discerning the depth perception of the steps difficult, so an audible was called and the run was shifted to a lap around the track.

    Mosey to base of the field where poles are for a quick ladder – grab a pole and perform 5 pole smokers, then bear-crawl up the hill and do  5 werkins at the top.  Run back to pole and repeat counting down to 1.

    Mosey toward the light of the parking lot at Bettie Weaver for Mary – Dolly, Freddie Mercuriies and American Hammers – all IC x20.  Finish with 1 minute of Superman.

    COT and YHC took us out.

    NMS:

    Great second bootcamp at River Run.  Nice to have Salad Cream back out and hope to see him out again soon.  Strong work today keeping up with the PAX.  Way to push it.

    As the PAX discussed, the River Run AO has lots of possibilities, especially when we get some more light and can explore the park area behind the high school.  Even with out that, there is lots of space, some hills, various obstacles and apparatuses to work with.  YHC was there on Saturday throwing BP to my kids in the batting cage, and I noticed the football lineman sled.  I had all intentions of finishing up with some line drills and pushing the sled but, as usual,  the clock got the best of me.  Next time gentlemen – so be ready, I will want to see some solid 3-point stances.

    Have a great day and a great week men!  Thanks for letting me lead – a pleasure, as always.

    Gumbo

  • Run

    5 pax met up for the weekly running of the tomato’s, and here is what went down:

    Route

    This morning’s route was a little fluid, and we generally just went out for a morning run.  The plan was to head in to King’s Charter and run to the 5 mile turnaround, but we made a group decision to turn another way.  The change in route caused us to have to make some modifications to add length at the end, so Spike led us to the trail around the lake at Honey Meadow.  Total distance was 4.7 miles.

    NMS

    -What looked like 4 pax morphed into 5, as Kit Kat caught up to us at the entrance to Honey Meadows.

    -Sticky was having a battle of wills with his knees, so he and No Deal turned around a little early.  Smart call, the knees will always win.

    -Chatter during the run revolved around fantasy football, F3 name changes, and the ineffectiveness of lights worn around the waist.

    -YHC is really digging the runs on Monday, which have been more often than not turning in to “bro code” runs.  For the most part, we run as a pax and the conversation is high.  Emphasis has been on running as a group instead of getting in the most bang for the buck.  Lab Rat approved for sure.

    -Also, the absence of Opus this morning was noted, as Lab Rat had a song memorized for him as promised.  You snooze, you lose.

     

    Lab Rat out

  • The pax made a showing for early signs of fall on the trails

    14 pax plus an FNG (Ely) showed up for what was easily the largest trail group that YHC has been a part of.  Plan was for Lab Rat to go deep, taking the distance pax up to Forest Hill Loop, and Johnsonville taking the shallow route, with an out and back to Reedy Creek parking lot.  Individual mileages will vary wildly this morning, but YHC’s watch clicked off 7.8 miles.  Saab ran a bit extra for his preparations for Cloud Splitter 100M next weekend, and probably finished up between 11 and 12 miles.  Shorter routes should have been around the 4 mile distance.

    The pax was large this morning, and with the shorter leg option more spread out than the norm…this is awesome, but makes it a tough task to write a backblast, since YHC was only with a couple guys for the majority of the run.  So instead of making this an entertaining BB, YHC will just say this:  Johnsonville’s idea of having a shorter run option has shown to have legs, and hopefully will be well utilized in the future by pax members who don’t want to be out for an hour and a half on a Sunday morning.

    A quick word on FNG Ely:  he had a stumble and twisted his ankle on the run, so had to cut it off early.  Hopefully it was a minor thing and he will be out to join us again soon.  The decision was made to wait until he has a good outing to drop a name on him.  TSB noted however that he has a propensity to get injured often, so some thoughts on names were:  Masochist, Bubble Boy, or RG3.

    Great job to all this morning, YHC hopes that the large groups will continue.

     

    Lab Rat out.