Category: Richmond, VA

  • 7, 10, 17. Your Choice

    5 Faithful posted on a Sunday morning to take on the trails or Richmond.

    The Thang: Several routes were run this morning. TYA, TSB and Offshore opted for a 7+ mile route that started at the pumphouse, traversed to the other side of the river, took the buttermilk to forrest hill park, back on the butter milk and back to the shovel flag. Lab Rat wanted a little more mileage so he opted to return via belle isle and the northbank trail for a total of 10+. Saab headed out early, did the extended loop including forest hill and then repeated the buttermilk northbank loop for 17+ miles.

    Moleskin

    Saab took off early. No idea what time, as he was on the move by the time I showed up at 655. He ran into Lab Rat on the final part of Lab Rat’s route, but never made contact with the rest of us. I cannot wait to hear what race/event Saab is training for. Is he a candidate for Barkley’s? Another run at the JFK 50? Or maybe, just maybe he will run the entire BRR by himself. Whatever he decides to do, I know he will slay it. That man has an engine that wont stop.

    For a few minutes, I thought it was going to be just TSB and myself on the run this morning. It was good to see Lab rat pull and followed by Offshore (who was in just under the starting gun). Today we kept pretty close to each other the whole way. Offshore not having Saab to chase after slowed his pace a bit. Good to run with everyone today.

    Weather is improving, so there are a lot more people on the trails. For the first time in a long time, we saw mountain bikers on the trail. Since it is the beginning of the year, everyone was super patient and respectful of each other. Let keep that vibe going as long as we can. BRR is less than 175 days away now. Looking forward to seeing more of the PAX out there on Sundays to start hitting the hills.

  • AntiVenom

    Four Pax embraced the Glorious morning in the Gloom at the GridIron, two of whom were desperate for an Rx for sustained posterior discomfort courtesy of Honey Do’s Q at Circus Maximus last Thursday. Here it is (apologies in advance for the brevity as YHC is leaving in moments for a forced march north to Exit 7 of the Jersey Tpk):

    Thang:

    Two x10 8 Count BBs (modified Slaughter Starter in Pan Pax Cadence) with the normal and customary inclusion of SSHs, Seal Jacks, IWs, DQs, and APDs IC.

    Mosey to WildCat stands for x25 legs lifts with HTH OYO and APDs IC.

    Mosey to SPMS grand entrance for Peoples Chair and x10 8 Count BB PPC.

    Mosey to back of SPMS to the Pillars for the AntiVenom: 10/20s and 20/10s — 16 alternating sets of air squats and merkins intermixed with 5 sets of x25 Pole Smokers/HTH OYO, 2 sets of APDs IC, and 2 sets of x10 8 Count BBs PPC.

    Completing above while moving to the end of the Pillars, the Pax then went to their sixes for 2 more sets of x25 Pole Smokers/HTH OYO and APDs IC. After x10 8 Count BBs PPC, the Pax then moseyed back to the PT parking lot.

    COT:

    Johnsonville picked up trash, Count-a-rama, and Name-a-rama. Prayer of thanksgiving by YHC.

    Moleskin:

    Lively group this morning – lots MumbleChatter in the form of faux compliance. No yawns – Attila MIA.

    The workout was in White Deer’s wheelhouse; Johnsonville sweat (alot), and invoked MAD doctrine by threatening a RunFest; Cheetah’s ready for a Q – excellent participation in PPC for 8 Count BBs (would this be youngest Q ever?).

    AntiVenom Totals: 200 Pole Smokers/Leg Lifts HTH, 240 air squats, 240 merkins, 100 APDs, and 60 elegant burpees in form of 8 Count BBs — recipe for recovery from Honey Do’s medieval torture of 100 yard KB lunge, 100 yard KB lunge and rotation, KBAPDs, and WWII situps and press ladder.

    Coffeeteria at Chic-fil-a.

  • Keep’em Guessing

    14 loyal and strong men gathered this morning @ dogpile and this is how we rolled….

    Warmup : SSH, Helicopter, Windmill, EW, AC

    Love Hill : Partner up – partner 1 runs to the top of the hill and back partner 2 does exercise up the hill- switch when partner 1 gets back. Exercises are lunges, burpee broad jump, Russian Solder – keep repeating until your team makes it to the top of the hill.

    Pull up Station : 5 overhand, 5 chin ups, 10 second hold run to tree and back repeat 3 times.

    Curb Crawls – Merkin Ladder; Bear crawl to the curb incline merkin crawl bear back to curb – decline merkin – up to 5 and back down to 1.

    Amp Theatre : 5 dips on each step to the bottom – 2 incline merkins on each step back up to the top.

    Burpee Shuffle : Run in place until burpee is called out by the pax counter clock wise then do one burpee and back up to the shuffle.

    Ring of Fire : 10 merkins/hold plank counter clock wise. 10 workins/hold plank reverse..

    Native American  Run : back to flag

    Mary : 20  APD’s. 30 6 inches, cross leg lifts 10 each leg, 15 Rosalita’s, 20 Flutter Kicks 50 LBC’s – Superman – 20 count hold.

    The flag was a bit soggy in the headlights this morning but the pax was up and ready to roll.. YHC thought warming up in a new spot would be a good idea – did’t turn out too great as most of the pax were on a small hill – my bad guys – luckily there were no turned ankles during warm ups.. We hit love hill first and that got the heart rates up right away. YHC is not sure whether he likes love hill in the dark, in the light, or neither – but going first felt good! There was a little twist to the pull up station with the addition of running to the tree in between sets. This seemed to make some of the pax happy and others groan.. The mumble chatter this morning was rather light except for the occasionally “damn Swirly does not take time for even a 10 count” nope no breaks fella’s – aye… The curb crawls as always sucked as did the burpee shuffle – way to push through it guys.. The (Native American Run) always makes the pax happy and it did not fail to do that today. Gumbo had an intense cramp but pulled through and Aisle 5 tried to give up less than 100 yards from the flag but Sippy would not let him ( he yelled at him shook him smacked him across the face and said for God sakes get a hold of yourself you can do this Aisle 5 !!! And Aisle 5 did it – well done buddy.. Love the pep talk Sippy – although it may not have happened exactly like that 🙂

    It’s always a pleasure to lead this group of fine men. I am truly blessed to be a part of this pax and I look forward to it every morning – literally 🙂

    Thanks to SAAB for being the official time keeper this morning.

    Wilson’s Golf event – May 20 – let’s get some teams signed up – this is a great cause and a super event – I’m looking forward to it!

    HoneyDo has found another awesome challenge for us – it’s next spring he will be talking it up – something about a 50k – bring it !!!

    BRR : Guys it’s 139 days away – if you have not yet signed up see TYA.

    Have a great weekend – Swirly/Corporate – out………

  • KBAPDs are not that bad

    9 Redwoods gathered around the shovelflag for F3 RVAs most popular kettlebell workout. A beautiful full moon shone above as the beatdown went down like this:

    Farmers Carry around the loop

    COP – 25 SSH, 10 Merkins, 20 LBCs, 15 DQs, 25 KB Swings. Halos x20, each side

    Lunge length of parking lot with KB. Lunge back while doing side crunch.

    Farmer Mosey to grass for WWII situp escalator – do KB press at top, starting at 1 and increase press up to 10 reps.

    Triple Check, add KB arm extension on People’s chair.

    Farmer mosey to parking lot for Musical bells- bear crawl around circle, stop at weight you are in front of for exercise. There was an open space for 10 burpees

    20 Halos each way, 25 tri curls, 25 Bi curls. Farmers Mosey to grass for Suns Out, Guns Out- Bi and Tri curls AmRap.

    20 KBAPD (Kettlebell Alabama Prom Dates), Finish with 10 KB American Hammers IC.

    COT – Attila took is out.

    NM – Good turnout for week 3 of CM. YHC has been nervous about a KBQ, especially since Johnsonvile and Earthworm set the bar high. Regrets to Earthworm for all the ambulatory activity with and without weights.

    The lunges with the KB were tough for that length. In retrospect that was a long distance to lunge.

    Fudd requests music for the AO as the PAX does not move much. That is not a bad idea as long as the music is Iggy Pop, not Azalea.

    The KBAPDs were well received, YHC had demo’ed this at home but was unsure of the mumblechatter that would arise. It really depends on how you place the weight on your midsection,for instructions ask DK. American Hammers with the KB were awful, YHC could barely muster up a 3 count for the IC.

    In honor of Earth Day 6 of the PAX paired up to carpool in, somewhere Wedding Singer is smiling.

    Announcements – F3 Roanoke is launching this weekend. EH guys you know in the star city. Good times at HDHH last night, thanks Flashdance!

  • Daydreaming

    17 gathered at MM under a perfectly Gloomy predawn moon for a solid beatdown and superb counting.  Here’s how it went down…

    Mosey to area adjacent to basketball blacktop for COP:

    20 x Copperhead squats, 12 x Merkins, 25 x SSH, 10x forward arm circles (sm/lg), 10x backward arm circles (sm/lg)

    Mosey to Soccer Fields.

    THE THANG:

    Blackjack:  line up on one sideline of soccer field, run to far sideline to perform 1 merkin, run back to original sideline to perform 20 LBC’s (21 total reps).  Continue with merkins escalating to 20 and LBC’s de-escalating to 1.  Plank until entire PAX is finished.

    6 MOM to include Bay City Scissors x 10, Captain Thor x .875, LBC’s x 25, Freddy Mercury x 15

    Mosey back to the VSF at fellowship pace for COT.  Swirly took us out.

    MOLESKIN:

    Welcome, Bilko!  Great to have you out and looking forward to seeing you again often at future workouts.  YHC wasn’t really sure what he would ultimately do today, but it appears that he has a tendency to fall back on exercises that involve escalations, pyramids and running.  The morning started off without a hitch, and much laughter was had for Bleeder bullying TYA about his techinique. But it was clear that spending 2F time with both Saab and Lockjaw (both with MBA’s in cadence) and some hops-infused imbibements at HDHH (thanks again, Flashdance!) the night before definitely culminated in some difficulty with counting and attention span for YHC in the COP.  Then again, maybe the daydreaming spell was caused by the fact that YHC had just realized that he had started the workout without a SF, or wondered whether or not 45 minutes was enough time to accomplish everything he had planned (it wasn’t even close), or found himself lamenting that we probably wouldn’t get to see TYA in tights for another 6 or 7 months?  Who knows, but one thing for certain is that the laughter and general jovial attitude came to an abrupt halt with Blackjack.

    Sorry, fellas.  There was a whole lotta suck factor in that thing:  210 merkins, 210 LBC’s and 3.2 miles.  It seemed like it would never end.  I almost wrote “Blackjack” as the only word for “The Thang.”  As Marv noted, a 5k with a bunch of merks and LBC’s mixed in.  Or a merkin ladder with a bunch of LBCs.  Either way, much pain. Spotter and Protest looked like they were fresh off the set of Chariots of Fire, finishing well in front of the PAX and even knocking out some WW2 situps while waiting for everyone to finish.  Swirly and Saab finished strong as well.  Well done!  YHC missed the mumblechatter from the other side of the PAX but is confident that Lab Rat was keeping everyone in check.  On the way back to the VSF, Oyster employed a Billy Run and pushed past most of the PAX.  Atta boy, Oyster!  Way to finish strong!  At the COT, most of the PAX commented that it was difficult to keep up with number of reps.  Duly noted and will make an adjustment next time.  T-claps to Swirly for delivering a powerful prayer to send us out.  Afterall, he never has been one to mince words.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS:

    Thanks again to Flashdance for the 2F last night.  A great time was had by all.

    BRR- see TYA for signup.

    Lab Rat needs volunteers to assist with the Mary Munford Kids’ Running Club this Monday since TYA bailed on him.  Shoot him a text if you can help.  See Marv about how to go about getting background checks.

    Earth Day is tomorrow.  See Wedding Singer about getting a T-shirt.

    Today was fun and terrible!  See you in the Gloom!  Aye!

  • Still no Curb Crawls

    Nine posted for a 530am beatdown celebrating YHCs F3 birthday.   Two quick motivational songs on the loudspeaker as Fudd came in hot and the beatdown commenced.  Mosey to the far circle for COP:

    COP

    – SSH x20
    – Arm Circles x15 forward/backward
    – Mountain Climbers x20
    – Don Quixotes x20

    The Thang

    1K/5K.  Partner up for 1K exercises and (optimistically) 5K of running.  100 prisoner curb hops, 200 derkins, 300 flutters, 400 LBCs.  One partner exercises while the other runs from the base of the carillon to the far end of the field, touching the sidewalk and returning.  Those that finished early worked back down the ladder with flutter kicks until the PAX finished.

    Mosey to right side of field for tree line burpee run.  1 burpee at every tree along the sidewalk (whether established or newly planted) until the end of the sidewalk was reached.

    Mosey back to SF for 2 rounds of ring of fire (werkins & clerkins) and multiple minutes of mary (left/right single-leg APD, american hammer, 20 count of 6 inches (courtesy BT), freddy mercuries.

    Moleskin

    YHC has a habit of looking into the future for key events and signing up to Q on those special days.  4/20 stuck out for me as it was exactly 1 year ago that Fudd finally EH’d me (after multiple failed attempts by him, Lockjaw, and Toga).  DK may have had a failure in there also.  As a tribute to 4/20 I dug through the archive to resurrect the same workout Chum lead on 4/20/15.  It was surprising to see how much quicker we made it through the 1K/5K today vs 1 year ago.

    I believe Lab Rat acknowledges 4/20 for another reason.

    Glad Fudd is recovering from his Pure Luck incident.  Hopefully DK is recovering from his Kramer-esque issue with compaction.

    For the record it was a little over 2 miles, not quite the 5K that we seeked.  Each lap on the lawn was 1/4 mile.

    Kudos to everyone who pushed YHC today and/or has pushed YHC over the past year.  There is a lot of creativity in this group and glad to see that it is flourishing.

    See everyone in the gloom.

    Announcements

    • HDHH TONIGHT 5-7 at ET.
    • Kettle bell led by Honey Do manana

    Splinter out.

  • Ladder Day at #SOT

    Three Redwoods posted at #SOT on this lovely April morning. Johnsonville planted a SF, which stood up in a brisk morning breeze. He then took Q and led a workout along these lines:

    Mosey a short distance to the grass within the bus loop for a COP:
    35x SSH
    25x Don Quiote
    10x Merkins
    10x plank dips

    Mosey clockwise around bus loop closer to the school (but not adjacent) for a COP:
    15x imperial walkers
    15x hillbillies
    25x mountain climbers (starting with very slow cadence and increasing to brisk cadence)
    20x slow squats

    Ladder #1:
    curb crawl then 1 merkin
    curb crawl back then 2 merkins
    curb crawl then 3 merkins
    curb crawl back then 4 merkins
    curb crawl then 5 merkins
    curb crawl back then 4 merkins
    curb crawl then 3 merkins
    curb crawl back then 2 merkins
    curb crawl then 1 merkin
    curb crawl back to start

    Ladder #2:
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 1 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 2 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 3 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 4 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 5 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 4 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 3 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 2 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back, then 1 Lt. Dan
    run up steep incline around tree and back to start

    Mosey to Basketball Court.

    Ladder #3:
    crabwalk to half-court then 3 thrusts
    feet-first crabwalk back then 6 thrusts
    crabwalk to half-court then 9 thrusts
    feet-first crabwalk back then 12 thrusts
    crabwalk to half-court then 15 thrusts
    feet-first crabwalk back to start

    Ladder #4:
    lunge walk to half-court then 1 burpee
    lunge walk back then 2 burpees
    lunge walk to half-court then 3 burpees
    lunge walk back then 4 burpees
    lunge walk to half-court then 5 burpees
    lunge walk back then 4 burpees
    lunge walk to half-court then 3 burpees
    lunge walk back then 2 burpees
    lunge walk to half-court then 1 burpee
    lunge walk back to start

    Ladder #5:
    plank walk along lane to free throw line then 5 LBCs
    plank walk (opposite direction) along lane back to end line then 10 LBCs
    plank walk along lane to free throw line then 15 LBCs
    plank walk (opposite direction) along lane back to end line then 20 LBCs
    plank walk along lane to free throw line then 25 LBCs
    plank walk (opposite direction) along lane back to end line then 20 LBCs
    plank walk along lane to free throw line then 15 LBCs
    plank walk (opposite direction) along lane back to end line then 10 LBCs
    plank walk along lane to free throw line then 5 LBCs
    plank walk (opposite direction) along lane back to end line.

    COP on basketball court:
    10x single leg Alabama prom dates (right)
    10x single leg Alabama prom dates (left)
    10x LBCs
    20x regular Alabama prom dates

    COT

    Moleskin:

    There was very little running at #SOT this morning. YHC usually does not roll that way, but I think it turned out well.

    The numbers were low at SOT this morning, but this PAX attacked this ladders sequence in way that would have chased away all but the hardiest.

    For the most part, Rosie finished each ladder first, but we were breathing down Rosie’s neck to make sure he got his money’s worth.

    Great job, Rosie and Wilson!

    Announcements: 2nd F at Ellwood Thompon’s tonight. Tomorrow, BT has Q at #45MOM, and HoneyDo has Q at #CircusMaximus. I am not sure who is Qing Friday, but you can count on normal run and cycle workouts. Saturday, Earthworm has Q at #GridIron, and #Swirly has Q at #Dogpile.

    — Jville

  • Labrador Retriever and 72 Tennis Balls

    Something happened, we don’t know what.

  • Kingpin

    10 dedicated runners set out to complete Richmond F3’s newest Tuesday AO: Spider Run.

    The Thang:

    Head out down the abandoned road next to CCV and come out at the shopping center. Cross the Huguenot Bridge and take the Riverside Drive exit. Head west upstream to Cherokee Rd and come about to return to the VSF.

    Total Miles: 5.3*

    *Additional mileage for Lockjaw, Saab, Fudd who ran to and from the AO, Swirly and Saab for their search and rescue mission.

    NMS:
    Wow, where do we start with today’s backblast.

    Fudd shows up with a swollen hand from a wasp sting reminiscent of the Woody Harrelson’s prosthetic in the Farrelly brother’s classic “Kingpin”. Wasp sting or bowling accident; one cannot determine.

    YHC had two routes in mind and left it up to Pax to determine their fate. The first route was very detailed on three posted notes worth of direction with a copy to be left with the lead pack. With Saab wondering how to read on the run and Fudd approaching a stroke from that many directions, we went with the other route. We will visit the primary route with advance marking at a future date.

    The run was awesome today. When crossing the bridge, we could see the lights of No Toll off in the distance as we pondered what our F3 brothers were up to in the gloom. The path along the river was serene and peaceful with the sounds of the river and birds welcoming the new day. Sunrise accompanied us on our return crossing of the bridge.

    The Pax all made it back to the AO, except for TYA. His whereabouts unknown, Saab and Swirly doubled back with certainty that ill fortune awaited since TYA never gets lost. TYA later emerges from the second story of the commons building and rejoins the Pax. How he not only got misdirected on an out and back course but also entered a building and came out of the second story is still unknown.

    YHC took us out.

  • Lindsay and Nicole have beef

    9 strong posted to RVAs most established Tuesday AO on a beautiful spring morning. The fields of NoToll were dry for a change and the beatodwn commenced thusly:

    Mosey to left soccer field COP- 25 SSH, 10 Merkins, 20 Ass Clappers, 20 IW

    THE THANG
    Mosey to pole smoker posts for Pole Smoker Indian Run (PSIR) – start at first post 10 flutterkicks while rest of PAX holds feet 6 inches. Repeato til end of posts/field.

    Sprint half of soccer field, jog rest of the field. Repeato x2. Mosey to benches for Lindsays

    1st set – Dips & Jumpsquats
    Sprint field & back
    2nd Set Lindsay – Derkins & Freddy Mercurys

    Triple check

    Mosey to field 1 bleachers for 3rd Lindsay set – Derkins CDDs & in/outs(?)

    Mosey back to flag , COT. Flashdance took us out.

    NM – YHC remembers his introduction to Lindsays at NoToll last summer and after Rosie brought Nicole to NoToll recently YHC thought a Lindsay heavy beatdown was called for. Speaking of Rosie, when YHC pulled in to the park he saw Rosie running into the AO. Apparently whatever has gotten into Saab has also infected Rosie as both are amping up their mileage substantially.

    The PSIR for the duration of the field was a great painful start to the real beatdown.

    The Lindsays were tough as always, but especially the Derkins. There was no mumblechatter, only grunting, except for Wedding Singer who proceeded to knock out the derkins with ease. The last Lindsay set was painful as CDDs on the gravel near the bleachers tested the glove quality of the PAX.

    Great words and closing prayer Flashdance.

    Announcements- Splinter has WDog tomorrow for his 1 year Ann. Do not miss it.

    Also RSVP to Flashdance BB if you are doing ET tomorrow night.