Category: Richmond, VA

  • The Hounds of NoToll-Ville

    A tenacious 10 and 1 FNG took to the No Toll fields of Gloom this am. Here is how it went down:

    Mosey to Field 1 for COP- 30 SSH, 20 Flutterkicks l, 20 Merkins l, 15 IWs.

    Sprint half field 1, jog the remainder. Sprint 3/4 field, jog the rest.

    Line up for NAPR- Native American Plank Run. PAX lines up in row holding Elbow Plank. Last PAX hurdles over plankers to end, all they way across field.

    Mosey to covered benches. 4 corners around bench area- 10 Burpees, 20 Merkins, 30 Jump Squats, 40 Boxcutters. Bear Crawl length, bunny hop width between. Repeato x3.

    Modified Lindsay: derkins & Dips up to 30, starting at 25& 5 and down to 5& 25.

    Mosey to Poles in parking lot- 25 Pole Smokers, run across parking lot & back. Repeato  x3.

    Mosey back to Flag, Flashdance took us out.

    NMS: Great to have double digits back at NoToll. Trojan Drone and Buzzkill now qualify as NoToll regulars. Good to have Flashdance in town in between his busy vacation schedule.

    During the 4 corners in the distance was a lot of howling that sounded quite awful. It was unclear the origin, maybe Coyote or hellhound, until Rosie confirmed it was a dog tied up as 2 tomatoes were walking the perimeter.

    Mumblechatter centered on YHC’s demeanor during the Q, ala Angry Jville. YHC will take this as a compliment as Angry Jville, as he has come to be known, has put a hurtin on YHC at many a beatdown.

    Strong showing by Buzzkill  again and welcome Sin Bin. You put in a good effort on your first post. Also glad to have Shooter back in the mix.

    Announcements: HDHH tomorrow, see DK’S BB. Come for the run, stay for the beers, which is BYOB.

  • Follow Tron

    7 posted for a run and what turned out to be relatively pleasant weather. Here is what transpired…
    Route: Lakewood to Wood, Wood to Waveny, a few lefts and rights to Chandler where we then cross over into Bandy Field. Honaker-Hanover-Pepper, yada yada yada, finish with some nice hill work taking Tapoan to Ridgeway to Towana.

    NMS:
    Fairly descent whether considering what we had been experiencing. Didn’t stop members of the PAX, however, from being completely drenched afterward. YHC tried chatting-up a woman walking a golden retriever…then quickly learned it was Fudd’s step-mom (last time I try that). Otherwise, PAX stayed together and all finished strong. Of note, TYA passed on his Tron-inspired lights to Swirly. (For all you hates who don’t know what Tron is, it was a cheesy movie from the last century that had special effects before they even existed and before they were even that special. I will say it had Jeff Bridges in it – aka The Dude – so it had that going for it.) Anyway, Kudos to Swirly for leading the pack much of the time, with his light-vest guiding the way.

    Aye to Sippy and Marv who ran the 2 mile out and back to their car, and to Pucker and Fudd for running to the AO.

    Always a pleasure guys. Thanks for sharing in my selected route.

    Saab abides

  • The Polar Bear Closer

    5 brave and fearless men showed up for F3 Batteau on a beautiful Monday morning.  Much like a donkey in a dojo, this day was gonna kick some ass.

    The Thang:

    COP  – 20 X SSH, Imperial Walker, LBC, Freddy Mercury, 10 Merkin

    Valley of Doubt – Start with 5 merkins.  Perform 5 dips at the bottom.  Run up second hill and complete 10 merkins.  Back down to the bottom for 10 dips.  Alternating hills until 30 merkins and dips had been completed in a single set.

    PF Flyer – Lunge downhill.  At each lamp post (3 total) perform 20 two count American hammers.  Finish at bottom.

    Polar Bear Hunt – Perform Polar Bear Crawl (bear crawl with a merkin completed at every fifth step) for approximately 100 meters.

    Short Shorts – Backs against the wall in the squat position for two minutes.  To ensure we’ll look great if 1970s basketball shorts come back in style, perform this exercise with a chosen rock of success.

    20 For 20 – Carry rock of success uphill and complete 20 merkins and 20 dips.  Finish on the final set of stair another rock carry and 20 merkins, 20 dips.

    Mosey back to the flag and COT

    YHC was thrilled to see Oyster and Wilson rise with the sun on the southside today.  And no party like a forest hill party would be complete without Swirly and Flashdance.  Excellent work today gentlemen.  All the way around solid.  Bonus points to Flashdance for the overhead carry of the rock of up the hill of doom.

    It’s an honor and a privilege gentlemen.  Dominate your Monday.

    -Hardywood

  • Head Count for HDHH – Wed July 20

    Just trying to get a head count for HDHH on Wednesday.
    Please respond to this post if you can make it.
    Cheers!

    Pre-Blast: http://f3nation.com/2016/07/12/preblast-july-2016-hump-day-happy-hour-wed-hill-run/

  • Hill Repeats and bonus work

    3 strong and faithful arrived on this warm and humid morning to see what YHC had in store for RiverRun and BRR training.  Here’s the work that was done:

    Easy jog around the school and back to the bottom of Twin Team Lane.  Mosey to a good starting point at the base of the hill for repeats.  Round 1 – push up the hill at about 80% for 1 minute and remember where you finish.  Easy mosey back down to starting point.  Rounds 2-7 1 minute push up the hill to try to reach the same point or further up the hill each time.  1:30 – 2 min between rounds.  Mosey back to the elementary school playground.  Time for a round or so of 4 corners around the short track.  Corner exercises were 5 pullups, 20 jump squats, 20 WWII, 20 merkins.  Mosey back to flag.

    COT

    NMS:

    YHC has been wanting to do this for a few weeks, both the repeats and exploring the AO, but haven’t been around to Q.  The hill repeats were a success, all PAX pushed through and came close to or reached the target each round.  Feedback was good on the timed repeats so this will certainly come up again.  7+ weeks until BRR, anyone wanting some good hill training should show up to #RiverRun to check it out.

    HDHH Wednesday starting at 6 at DK’s ending at Salisbury Lake.  See backblast for more info.  Rumor is the HDHH route could change to get one or more of the RiverRun hills for those that have yet to experience them.  Number of miles run this morning is not as relevant as work put in and all PAX definitely put in the work this morning.  Well done today men.

    It doesn’t matter how fast you go, as long as you do not stop.  – Confucius

    Rosie

  • Third Place in the Tomato Festival

    14 Sleek showed up for BRR training this morning….or Friday runs…you can pick which sounds better.

    Route today is the instant classic Carillon route:  5-6 milers head down Grove to Boulevard, hang a right and make their way up the steps, around the back of the carillon, then head back out.  Hang a left on Douglasdale across 195, then right on Portland.  5 milers, dealer’s choice back to the shovelflag, 6 milers, head up to Patterson before making it back to Mary.  4 milers head down Grove, left on Blvd to Monument, back to the shovelflag on Commonwealth.

    NMS

    So, YHC has been wanting to do this route since Lockjaw first introduced it but was absent the two times it was done.  Not one to shy away from grabbing a Q, YHC decided to take matters into his own hands and call the route himself.  Problem was, he didnt quite prepare well enough to pass along said route to the rest of the pax.  Disgusted, TYA bolts mid direction, and the pax in a moment of pure brilliance stopped listening to babbling Lab Rat and took off after TYA.  There were enough veterans of the route to get everybody out and back again with no issues.

    No Tools and Bleeder took a route of their own devices, and looped around at about the 2/3 mark to offer morale support.  YHC was happy to see that Bleeder was able to keep the rubber side down on the route after the shaky showing pulling in to the AO.  Centrifugal force is awesome!

    YHC was happy to be able to catch up with DK, being that he was his first F3 “buddy”, but we have been posting to different AO’s lately.  Great running with you!

    YHC is also proud of TYA, as he got his plaque for coming in third in his her age group during our half marathon trail run last month.  Yes, that is correct:  Only 2 women aged 50-59 ran the half marathon faster than our very own TYA!  He was so excited he brought his plaque to show off!  Unfortunately, YHC lost the only photo evidence of the feat when his phone ended up M.I.A. that morning on the way back to Ratskeller.  Sorry about that.

    While Lab Rat is busy apologizing, let him also say sorry this BB is so late.  Between the missing phone and traveling out of town for the weekend, he just couldnt get it done.  Se la vie.

     

    Great work all, YHC hopes everyone had a steller weekend.

     

    Lab Rat out.

  • Do The Work

    15 strong and brave men posted up for Dogpile on this beautiful Saturday morning.  The conditions were ripe for success.  The theme for today was to help your brother thrive.

    The Thang:

    COP  – 20 X SSH, Imperial Walker, LBC, Freddy Mercury, 10 Merkin

    Head Rush – In teams of two.  One partner gets their head right with balls to the wall.  The other partner runs to tree and performs 10 air squats.  Once each partner has completed a set, that is one round.  Complete four rounds.

    Even Steven – In teams of two, with a different partner.  Each partner completes 10 pull ups, then run to the fire hydrant and complete 10 WWII situps.  Then complete sets of 8, 6, 4, 2.

    Southern Equator Love Hill – In teams of two, with a different partner.  Starting at the first incline of Love Hill one partner runs up to the halfway point.  The other partner completes an exercise.  Once the running partner has come back to the exercising partner, then switch.  The exercises were broad jump burpees, lunges and the mighty Polar Bear (bear crawl to 5 count then merkin).

    Northern Equator Love Hill – Let’s finish this mother out.  Switch up partners.  Same exercise, but this time to the gate at the top of Love Hill.

    Sup Bro – In teams of two, with a different partner.  Partner one holds feet pleasantly six inches off the ground.  Partner two runs up to the 10 step and performs 10 decline merkins.  Then switcheroo.  Partner one gets off their six and goes to step 9 to perform 9 decline merkins.  Then switcheroo with the next partner to the 8th step.  Etc to completion.

    Numberama, namerama, COT, Seymour lead us out.

    There are a few things that stood out for today.  Spit flipping DOMINATED Even Steven and Sup Bro.  He is a beast.  A huge fist bump goes to  Pigpen for crushing Love Hill Southern Equator.  That isn’t easy for anyone.  The crusher award goes to Singlet for hopping like a frog on PEDs on the Northern Equator of Love Hill.  Just incredible.  It is the understanding of YHC that was the first time Love Hill in it’s entirety was conquered in full.  Damn it feels good to be a gangster.

    On Friday I heard some one say “don’t confuse the menu for the food”.  It’s one thing to talk about doing the work and how good it would feel to be that disciplined and driven.  It’s quite another to wake your ass up at 4:30 in the morning and sweat your brains out on a diet of whatever your kids didn’t eat the night before (mac’n cheese & chicken tenders).  Doing the work is not ever as easy as talking about it.  It is however always better.  Always.

    It is just the greatest privilege of YHC to lead this fine group of men.  Have a great weekend gentlemen.

    -Hardywood

  • Norsemen, Romance Novel Cover Model, and Discount Shopper at the GridIron

    Strong showing at the GridIron on a comfortable morning – 12 strong men ranging from 12 yo to 57 yo, including 2 Kotters from the September 2015 Convergence, 2 aspiring Vikings from Charlotte North, 2 FNGs, and 3 father-son teams. The doubling of the anticipated 6 Faithful resulted in a toy box shortage so we adapted and improvised with something like the following (errors and omissions the responsibility of YHC):

    Welcome and disclaimer

    Thang:

    X30 SSHs IC
    X30 IWs IC
    X30 DQs
    8 Count Body Builders Pan Pax
    X20 CDs IC
    X30 Seal Jacks IC
    X30 APDs (bilateral and single leg versions) IC Superman

    Split Squad #1:

    KB American Swings, KB Squats and High Pulls, and KB Squats and Presses – rinse and repeat X5 alternating with mixture of:

    GridIron sideline to sideline Bear Crawls, Lunges, High Skips, Karaoke, Slow Sprints, X25 PLTs rinse and repeat, and Planks

    Split Squad #2:

    KB station: GridIron sideline to sideline KB carries: Right hand rack carry back and forth, Left hand rack carry back and forth, Merkins AMRAP, Bilateral rack, waiter or suitcase carries back and forth, and Planks

    Medicine Ball station: MB Chest Passes and Rock and Roll MB Squats from the 6

    Mary: Bird Dogs and Dead Bugs

    #97 Mario Addison Tribute: straight sprints and pursuit angles

    COT:

    Countarama and Namearama

    Takeout prayer by Ashe – thanksgiving for the Iron sharpening

    Eisntein’s for Coffeeteria

    Moleskin:

    Sully (FNG Kevin) set the high bar on the MB Rock and Roll Squats – 18. Strong, strong young man (also shirt averse – reportedly allergic to all conceivable fibers used in upper body coverings) who was EHd (and nearly Starsky’ed) by his “just in time” arriving pop, Cecil, who also earned double cred for strong-arming Ashe (War Daddy) for their Kotteresque posting. Both Cecil and Ashe were disappointed that “that guy with the selfie stick camera” (Abacus) was absent – apparently these two guys require video evidence that they swallowed the RedPill.

    5 and Dime (FNG Mike) was EH’d by his friend, the reserved Moses, and posted strong as a warmup for his tennis match later today. 5 and Dime lives in the same neighborhood as White Deer (and other Faithful like Johnsonville and DK) so we look forward to future postings by 5 and Dime at GridIron and F3 RVA’s other AOs – NoToll, Source of Truth, etc. Speaking of that hood, all are reminded of DK’s Q around Lake Salisbury this Wednesday for HDHH – see Pre-Blast for more info.

    The MumbleChatter did not suffer today – unlike his Biblical namesake, the F3 Isotope version of Moses was not slow of speech, and certainly did not need a brother speaking for him. The PAX are perplexed by Mose’s firm apologetics for Team Pitino and his polemics in response to the PAX’s sometimes use of an assumed name for the Alabama Prom Dates – Louisville Recruiting Thrusts. Nonetheless, the GridIroners were grateful that Moses and his youngblood, WolfGang, began their Icelandic Saga at the GridIron. The F3 RVA PAX send back from the wilderness our warm regards to Blue and the brothers in F3 Charlotte North.

    Ragweed and Yale (War Baby) was the other father and son posting. Yale scoffed at the lower weight alternatives to the KBs and cleaned clock on the Bear Crawls. Ragweed was simply grateful that no one was sneezing around him (or on him) this time.

    As is custom, FlipPhone dialed in strong – makes everything look effortless, just like his epic hiking: up, down or ridge are all the same to this one pace wonder.

    The #97 Tribute was well-received in its sophomore showing (http://thebiglead.com/2016/02/07/mario-addison-jordan-norwood-don-beebe-super-bowl/). Like the MB R&R Squats, it generates some unflattering commentary among the PAX but it’s all good. Certainly, some of the so-called straight sprints defied the PAX’s sense of linear propriety. But WolfGang’s anti-interception technique (“Bend[ing] it like Beckham”) to avoid Mose’s pursuit was both intense and amusing. Attila perfectly exploited the sudden tail wind that lasted the entirety of his 7 second jaunt; White Deer, while no Lee Majors, made proud all his fellow recipients of bionics.

    The improv on the fly was facilitated by the strong leadership of Attila and White Deer – well done and greatly appreciated. Any hiccups squarely on YHC’s shoulders. Toy box shortages are no excuse, so if anyone felt short-changed we promise we’ll make it up next time.

    [B]ut those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
    They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

    Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

  • 7 -11

    A PAX of five showed for this week’s #ThePunisheRVA.

    Mosey to the front school yard for initial COP for Seal Jacks x 20, Slow Squats x 20, Don Quixote x 20, and Arm Raises x 20

    Stroll to the soccer field for Black Jack.  Cross the soccer field and complete 20 Merkins and 1 LBC.  Cross the field again for 19 Merkins and 2 LBCs.  Repeat pattern until 1 Merkin and 20 LBCs completed.  Alternated High Knees, Butt Kickers, and Lunge Walks in crossing the field

    Return to the front school yard for Deck of Death.  Using a deck of playing cards, each suit was assigned an exercise – Squat Jumps for Clubs, Two Count Mountain Climbers for Hearts, Carolina Dry Docks for Diamonds, and Box Cutters for Spades.  Completed reps, as a group, of each exercise as per the rank of the card within the suit with aces representing 14 reps.  Jokers remained in the deck and counted for 10 Burpees when found.

    Remained in place for some brief stretching then returned to the ShovelFlag for the COT.

    Moleskin and Announcements:

    Nice work gents.  Sweat was rolling.  The start of a warm and humid week.

    Offshore mentioned a long bike ride event the same week as the Fall Spartan Race – details in the coming months.

    Twas free Slurpee day, by the way.

  • Surface of the Sun

    Five faithful gathered on the surface of the sun for a Wednesday evening Hill Run that went something like this:

    Start out at Pump House, run across Nickel Bridge up hill on sidewalk to next intersection.  Cross Westover Hills BLVD, down hill to riverside drive all the way to reedy creek parking lot for a quick drink of water.  Hardywood suggests an even steeper hill by his house for the return trip which took us back to riverside drive and back across bridge to parking lot.

    Great run by everyone this evening in the oppressive heat.  Hardywood ran to the AO from his and then completed the run.  That is impressive in the 95 degrees heat.  YHC is appreciative of the doubling back to make sure YHC, as YHC was getting a little overheated and had to cut back ont he pace to ensure a safe trip back.

    Circle K