Category: Richmond, VA

  • Fudd saw a beaver

    3 semi-regulars gathered for a Sunday morning run along the banks of the James River. 1 regular was already underway.

    THANG:
    NorthBank to Belle Isle, cross the river and return on ButterMilk

    NM:
    BlueBalls set a good pace, followed closely by Fudd with YHC pulling up the rear.
    Fudd saw a beaver in the canal just across from Maymont.
    Saab showed up just before crossing the suspension bridge. He ran the same course in the reverse direction.
    YHC appreciated BB & Fudd circling back a few times.

    Great run, ready for BRR!

  • F3 First Day of School

    8 NoToll regulars escaped the fartsack on this beautiful Fall morning to start their day right.  YHC took the Q and we celebrated an F3-style first day of school.  It went something like this:

    COP (all IC):

    • Arm circles 10 small; 5 big – forward then reverse
    • Slow Don Quixotes x10
    • Copperhead Squats x10
    • Imperial Walkers x10
    • Cotton/Cherry Pickers x10
    • LBCx x10
    • Flutter Kicks x10

    Mosey to the Pavillion for school activities:

    Make a Friend — Partner Leg Toss x60 (2 rounds of 30 switching partners in between)

    Addition/Subtraction – Modified Lindsays with combinations of 60 — Box Jumps on the benches and Dips; starting with 50 Box Jumps and 10 Dips and counting by tens until we get to 10 Box Jumps and 50 Dips.

    Multiplication – 4 Corners together as a PAX – 10 Merkins IC; 20 Donkey Kicks OYO; 30 Mountain Climbers IC; 40 LBCs OYO

    Newton’s Law of Gravity Ladder – Line up on the sideline near the Pavillion and perform 1 Burpee, run across the filed and perform 2 Burpees — work up to 5, repeat 5 and then, what goes up must back come down to 1.

    Mosey to basketball court for a few minutes of Biology with the Honeymoon suite — APDs, Dollies, Rosalitas.

    Short Mosey to the flag for Name-a-rama, number-rama and COT.  YHC took us out.

    NMS:

    With today being the official first day of school for the public schools, YHC wanted to build off that theme for today’s workout.  Turns out F3 school is heavy on math, loose on science and completely ambivalent to the liberal arts.

    Not a lot of mumble-chatter today.  I think the 50 box jumps knocked that out from the start.  Although YHC declared NoToll a SSH holiday after Wilson’s SSH-fest at Dogpile, YHC may have preferred some SSHs instead of all the box jumps.   The Pax pushed through the modified Lindsays and finished the school day hard with the burpee ladder.

    The reason for the use of the number 60 for the PLTs and the Lindsays was because today was roughly YHC’s 6-month F3 anniversary.  It has been a great six months.  I have been pushed, beat down, built up and strengthened beyond anything I could have expected, and most of all I have rediscovered the energy and excitement of being part of a brotherhood that I have been missing since leaving VMI and playing my last baseball game.  Thank you all for playing your part in this group and for leading, following, inspiring and strengthening me.

    To all the BRR participants – stay strong, stay healthy and make us proud.  We know you will!

    Now go out there and kick this short-week in the pants.

    Gumbo

  • Crowded morning run

    7 Stalwarts posted for a morning run starting at UR. Weather was absolutely glorious. 63 degrees, downright cool for a morning jaunt.

    The Thang:

    Grandmother run….over the river and through he woods. Take the road down to the path next to the golf course, follow the path to the end and run along huguenot road and over the bridge, go West on Riverside drive until it hits Cherokee. Turn around and follow the same path back to the start.

    NMM

    Toga and Swirly were leading the pack today. They had a good pace going and had a strong run. Next was YHC, Upchuck and Zima. We had Toga and Swirly in our sights the whole way, but they we extending there lead steadily. Coming up the rear were Marv and Sippy. They seemed to be moving at a good pace, but pulled in last. Oh…did I mention they started about 5 or so minutes after us.

    Since we ran up to the corner of Cherokee, Upchuck blessed Zima and I with his Cherokee road story. I will skip lots of details, but here is what I got out of the story. Neighbors son knocks on Upchucks door on Dec 26th, 130 am. 19 year old, Alabama student (Toga tie in here), drunk, can’t remember where his parents moved to. Asks for a ride to his parents house, but can’t remember where it is, so instead asks for a ride to party where his friend, Will, is. Since Will is a Duke attendee, he is described as a douche and a fag (over and over again). While Upchuck drives neighbor to party, the neighbor asks Upchuck “is your wife hot?, because i forgot to look”. He drives neighbor to a party on Cherokee where there is a rage going on. Neighbor asks Upchuck to wait while he sees if Will is there. Upchuck cruises, never to hear from the neighbor or his parents ever again.

    Seal team was out in force today. It made for a very crowded run on the way back. The group was running down the path to across the bridge to the bottom of the hill and back. As a result, on our jaunt back, there was very little room on the sidewalk or break down lane, making the road a little tight for all of us. Swirly will love this part…Upchuck pointed out to YHC that several of the Seal runners cut 20-40 yards off the route turning back before the bottom of the hill…”why would you run all that way and cheat on the last 20-40 yards” is what Upchuck said.

    Lots of BRR talk post run. Less than 70 hours till game time for one of our teams. We are ready to go.

  • You Want Some Of This

    20 brave and fearless men arrived ready for success at this Labor Day 2016 convergence.  On this very special day F3 Richmond completed the Hot Potato Q.

    COP (Swirly) – SSH, Arm Circles,Don Quixote Homage to Abe Vigoda,  Alabama Prom Dates, Flutter Kicks

    Polar Bear Hurt Locker (Swirly) – Starting at the end of the paved section of the Carillon, begin a Polar Bear all the way to and up the stairs.  Complete a Russian solider across the top and Imperial Walker back down the steps.  Polar Bear Back to start.

    Valley Of Doubt (Saab) – Perform a modified Jacobs Ladder with the following.  Start in the center of the Valley, at which point you hit an incline bear crawl to top and perform 1 merkin.  Bear Crawl back down and perfrom 1 burpee.  Run to next hill, bear crawl at the incline and perform 2 merkins at the top.  Bear Crawl back to center and perform 2 burpees, etc to 5 burpees.

    Does My Butt Look Big In These Jeans (TYA) – Start at the bottom of the amphitheater and perform 1 incline merkin at the first step.  Complete 2 at the next step, etc. to the top of the 18th step.  Once at the top perform 18 squats on the top step, 17 on the next step, etc. to completion.

    You Do Not Have Michelle Obama Arms (Blue Balls) – Divide into 3 groups and make a vertical line with all men in the plank formation.  Last man bear crawls to the front, with the next last man following him.  Perform this modified Indigenous Persons Run to some tree that was way the hell far away.  Once at that tree, turn around and head back to the starting pole this time with a Crab Walk Indigenous Persons Run.

    Fourtastic (Rosie) – In the Carillon Field perform 10 burpees at the first corner, run like hell to the next corner and perfrom 20 merkins, keep going to the next corner for a fun round of 30 squat jumps and wrap up this success square by running to the final corner and completing 40 flutter kicks.

    Indigenous Persons Run (Gumbo) – Divide into two teams and perform this exercise back to the flag.  Bonus points for burpee before it was your turn to run.

    Merkin Mary – Circle up for a little Mary Merkin action.  Each man holds a plank with one lucky fella completing 10 burpees.  Perform this insanity until all 20 men have completed their merkins.

    COT – Numberama, namerama, Viral lead us out.

    Moleskin:

    Fact – Labor Day is not a holiday for women who have given birth.  So if you think that telling your M that Labor Day is just another reason to celebrate her, you will not get any extra points.

    Great job today fellas!  Excellent to see the great team work and the absolute domination of Merkins at the end.

    It’s an honor and a privilege to be associated with this fine group of men.  It is your job and only your job to make your week great.

    Aye!

    Hardywood

     

     

  • 58 Degree Mosey

    A cool and dark morning greeted YHC with less the a week until the BRR it was time to hit the road for one final run.

    Bettie Weaver to Tarrington make the full loop and return. The locals know the route even the YHC doesn’t know the road names. 3.5 miles, short solo prayer thankful for so many gifts and people in my life, and out.

    Peace
    Lug

  • Crawling Around GridIron (and Laying Plans for a Tidewater Launch)

    Six of the faithful posted at Gridiron on a relatively cool, late-summer morning. Johnsonville planted a VSF and took the Q. This is how it went down, more or less.

    Warmup with 50x SSH, merkins, don quiotes, mountain climbers, etc.

    Mosey to far side of parking area and get right down to business with curb crawls up to 5 merks and back down. Dreamliner rocked these…

    Mosey around football fields (as they filled up with kids, parents, cheer leaders, etc.) to grassy area near school.
    COP crab cakes
    COP box cutters.

    Mosey onto soccer field in front of school.
    ciabatta crab walk alternating between feet first and back first.

    COP single leg Alabama prom dates
    COP LBCs
    Mosey around soccer field OYO

    Mosey behind school.
    ciabatta plank walks along bus road curb (alternating direction).

    Mosey to pullup bars.
    2-3 rounds of 10x pullups OYO

    Mosey in front of school
    merkin countdown (9 wide grip, 8 regular, 7 diamond, 6 wide, 5 regular, 4 diamond, 3 wide, 2 regular, 1 diamond)

    Triple Play (classic)

    Mary

    Mosey back to VSF, stopping to honor the flag as the football PA played “The Star Spangled Banner.”

    COT with Atilla taking us out.

    Moleskin —

    This is the best time of year at GridIron because the football games generate much fanfare and activity. “The Star Spangled Banner” was timed perfectly at the end of our workout, and the version played was beautiful. It gave us a chance to stop moving, to reflect, and to honor our flag.

    Earthworm remains out and is missed. White deer pulled something in his back trying to catch YHC in the plank walk. I am grateful for a bit of competition, but we need to keep the war daddies healthy….

    Atilla continues to get faster and stronger. He has come a long way over the last year.

    Night crawler posted to his third workout at F3Richmond. He made it through 1/3 of the first one and 2/3 of the second. Night crawler started and finished this one with us and joined us for coffeeteria.

    We were very happy to have PaperBoy join us for the first time. He is a west ender, and we hope PaperBoy becomes are regular a GridIron and/or other F3Richmond workouts.

    We were also happy to have Dremliner back. Dreamliner hails from Suffolk, and has driven 2 weeks in a row to join us at GridIron. That is a great and amazing thing, especially since I have trouble getting guys from my neighborhood out. AND… Dreamliner volunteered to Q at GridIron next Saturday.

    Admittedly, Dreamliner has an ulterior motive. He wants to launch an F3 group in Hampton this fall. We have tentatively set an October 15 start date for F3Tidwater (or F3EasternVirginia, or whatever it will become). This will require F3Richmond support for 4 or more weeks, and I will be talking this up as soon as BRR is over. Please step up help with these efforts. I would like to get at least 1 carload down for 4-5 weeks.

    Have a great Labor Day!

    Jville

  • Kettlebell Ciabattas and More at Circus Maximus

    Three of the faithful posted on a wet Thursday morning with kettlebells in hand. YHC (Jville) planted a VSF and took the Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    Warmup with SSH, scap merkins, imperial walkers, don quiotes, etc.

    Mosey around back of school for COP.
    ciabatta single arm KB swingers (alternating arms)
    ciabatta WWII situp with KB press at top

    Mosey to parking area near bus loop for elevens consisting of:
    Run loop around parking area. At far side, do 10 merkins. At near side, do 1 goblet squat.
    Run second loop around parking area. At far side do 9 merkins. At near side, do 2 goblet squats.
    Rinse and repeat until reaching 1 merkin and 10 goblet squats.
    White deer substituted bear crawls out and lunges back on a shorter loop.

    Mosey to bus loading area.
    ciabatta single arm KB clean and press (alternating arms)
    ciabatta halos (alternating direction)

    Mary

    Atilla took us out.

    Moleskin — We are sorry that Earthworm, a pillar of CM, has been fighting some health issues, and we look forward to his return. We are also very excited about the possibility of getting Loose Goose back out to F3 when his foot heals.

    The weekly kettlebell workout has made a big difference in my arm and core strength. Great job, men!

    Jville

  • If you wanted easy….well you can pay for those workouts!

    It’s been a while since YHC has experienced such a wet & muddy AO. 20 brave & strong men left the comfort of the fart sack looking for a solid beat down.

    The THANG:

    Mosey to the amphitheater stage for a dry comfy Earth Worm ground & pound style workout to music! Perform the called out exercise for the entire song!

    Disclaimer – not the normal one, but one from Wilson’s wife. “Don’t get injured or let anyone else get injured a week before BRR!” She got a bit worked up over it…more on that later!

    SSH – Yankee Rose

    Merkin – Jump

    American Hammers – Eye of the Tiger

    Tricep Push Ups – Panama

    Superman – Believe it or Not

    SSH Front Clap – Whatever

    Under Fence Merkins – Get Low

    LBC’s – Boom

    Upward Plank Leg Lift/Dip – De do do do (Sting)

    Squat/Rear Lunge – OPP

    Mountain Climbers – Hot for Teacher

    Arm Circles – Save a Horse

    Alabama Prom Dates – Me So Horny

    SSH – Jane Says

    Pickle Pounders – Final Countdown

    Burpees – Don’t Stop Believing

    Circle up on stage for a quick conversation with the superior being!

    MOLESKIN:

    So YHC had been thinking about this type of workout for some time #runningsucks! When an open spot opened for dogpile Q the Saturday before BRR – well I had to jump on it. Many thanks to Honey Do for the rental of his speaker! There were a few LIFO’s led by FUDD!

    YHC REALLY likes Van Halen – ALL era’s. Even the Gary Shirone years (my first concert was Extreme). With the rain I made the choice to perform exercises on the stage of the amphitheater (to keep the audio equipment safe – don’t want Honey Do’s M upset!)

    My 2.0 helped pick the exercises, but then tried to put her own audible in when I explained the plan. Wilson’s wife was all worked up about injuries. I am happy to report no injuries that I know of.

    Winston’s said it best, I like the songs, but they could have cut them down by a minute or two!

    We seem to have some hidden talents – Lab Rat CAN talk through an entire workout, Swirly can hit the high notes and enjoys karaoke on occasion. Most of the PAX was singing during the country song…hmmmm! Sippy Cup has superior form no matter the exercise!

    This was truly a you vs. you workout. The mumble chatter was high at times. Thank you for allowing me to lead this group of outstanding men! #runnigsucks #FEBA

    Have a great day!

  • Sharks and Minnows

    YHC thought the proper way to say goodbye to summer was with a festive game of sharks and minnows.

    4 Rules to the Game:
    -Partner up – run with your partner
    -Movement can only be forward, no U-turns.
    -Turns at intersections.
    -Stay between Malvern and Westmoreland, and Grove and Patterson.

    Rosie and Sippy were volunteered as the sharks giving the Pax a head start as the sharks circle the school block.

    The shark attack commenced with speed and agility with all Pax converted to sharks by the end.

    YHC enjoyed conversation with BT while covering the game area.

    BRR – less than a week away!

  • Showing of Barclays

    10 runners – 13 total guys came out for the Wed afternoon hill run and here is how it went down..

    Hillcrest Loop  – run 4-6 laps…….. Boom!

    On the schedule this was the final afternoon hill run in preparation for the BRR…. However  YHC would like to continue this event throughout the year – stay tuned..   The pax put in a good solid effort in hopes for some cold ones at the finish line…Thankfully cold ones and burgers along with great fellowship and a showing of The Barclays Marathons followed our run… Thanks to TYA for hosting and organizing the Wed hill run/ fellowship/ BRR – well done brother… The pax received packets of info regarding the BRR along with their drinks / food / movie…  In the packets there was a special gift designed by Honeydo that was very well received by the pax – can;t wait to wear mine – Corporate baby! Special props to Junkyard who locked his keys in his car before running – dude did not freak out – he simply called for help and began what he came there to do – well done dude..

    YHC would like to congratulate the pax for all of the hard work they have put in training over the last year. It’s hard to believe the BRR is only 6 days away from today – in fact YHC would be close to finishing up my first leg right about this time….. Not that YHC thinks about this much…

    Huge props to TYA and Bleeder for their leadership – these guys have put together a great event and we are sure to enjoy this coming weekend – thanks guys we could never pull this off with out y’all ! Every route is hard – just remember 1 foot in front of the other give this race your best effort – you can make it – your fellow pax and BRR team are with you every step of the way..YHC would also recommend remembering each time you run that cold beers, hot tubs, college football and some of the best stories ever told lie just ahead at the finish line..   It’s almost game time fella’s and YHC is  ready to take the field – are you with me??

    Swirly/Corporate