Category: Richmond, VA

  • Tres Amigos Climb the Stairway to Twin-Team Heaven

    Two towering Redwoods and YHC gathered at Bettie Weaver ES in the comfortable early darkness. Johnsonville planted a SF and took the Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    THANG:

    Mosey out to James River Road and take a left toward JR HS. Turn left in front of JR HS and head back toward the football and baseball fields. Mosey around that loop counterclockwise to the intersection with Robious Road. Wave to Gumbo, who was almost certainly snug in his cozy FS.

    Head east along Robious Road, crossing over to the cul-de-sac at the terminus of Twin Team Lane. Triangle up for a brief warmup, including ssh, don quiote, reverse pole smokers.

    Stairway to Twin-Team Heaven — 1 F3 count jump squat, ascend to the top of Twin Team Road (looks ~1/2 mile on paper), do 1 burpee, return, plank sequence. Rinse and repeat 4x in all increasing the counts for jump squats and burpess.

    Triangle up for merkins and LBCs. Mosey back to SF.

    COT with Rosie taking us out.

    MOLESKIN:

    Rosie was consistently and comfortably the hill-run leader. McRib and I went along at similar speeds to one another, with McRib ascending first on legs 1 & 4.

    The hill is so steep and painful that the burpees feel like a comfortable rest. Next time I run a Stairway to Twin-Team Heaven, I will probably cut the hill down to its steepest segment and increase the jump squats and burpees.

    I gave Gumbo a poke above in jest. He has been under the weather, and we look forward to his return.

    As we concluded with a COT, the skies opened. It was nice to get it done early today.

    I will close by paraphrasing what David Dwight, my pastor (http://hopecentral.com/), pointed out in his sermon yesterday (who, I believe, was himself paraphrasing C.S. Lewis):

    Humble men do not think less of themselves; they think of themselves less.

    Great job men!

  • Tomato Run is under new management

    This morning, Lab Rat set out to find out if there was still a pulse in the Tomato Run since the AO was switched over to the Rutland clubhouse.  He got there, looked around and saw no signs of life, so decided to climb back in the ratmobile to wait a couple minutes for stragglers then head back to more familiar territory and a solo run.  Alas, here comes Spike to scare the hell out of Lab Rat and let him know that the run was a GO.

    This is a long standing neighborhood run, so YHC will cease to do F3 backblasts regarding this event.  However, F3 members have been invited to join in for a friendly bro-code run on Monday mornings, conveniently starting at the traditional time of 5:30 (a.m. of course).  All “pax” stayed together this mornig, and the mumblechatter was flowing.  YHC guesses the pace at around 9:00 minute miles, but didnt bother to look at GPS.  3-5 mile loops are options on this run.

    YHC had a very pleasant run this morning, and he hopes to see a few more of the local pax venture out to meet up with this fine group of men.  Take note however that the meeting place is a short walk from the clubhouse, at the corner of Combs and Oakham Drives.

     

    Thanks to Spike for banging on the glass and saving me from a lonely run this morning.  I enjoyed the company!

     

    Lab Rat out.

  • Flood Wall here we come

    Six gentlemen rose from the fartsack to 30 degree weather and attacked the day Trail Run style.  The route planned for this morning is as follows:

    YHC wanted to change it up a little and add a couple of miles so the planned route involved Buttermilk to the Highrise.  Instead of the normal route to Belle Isle continue on Buttermilk East to the Floodwall.  Follow the Floodwall to 14th street.  Cross the river and work your way up the Canal Walk to Browns Island to Northbank Trail back to Pump House.

    TYA and YHC covered the aforementioned route for a total of 9 miles.  Saab and LOLA wanted exceed expectations and circled Forest Hill for 12 miles.  Offshore has morning commitments and He and Aisle 5 covered the normal route to include Bell Isle for 7 miles.

    Great 2nd F at ETs followed with conversations ranging from the perfect woman, Aisle 5 chasing a runner of the opposite sex during the BRR, Saab following YHCs direction regarding the change in the normal route, and TYA’s clearance rack shorts which he wore over the tights (Thank Goodness).

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning and indulging YHC with a different route.

    Circle K

  • If Peeing In Your Pants Is Cool, Consider Me Miles Davis

    “We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.” John C. Maxwell

    This my friends is the year of the RAT. On this day in the tenth day of December, there was much to celebrate.  One of our own was accomplishing a major life goal in the midst of balancing career, family and unbelievable amount of mumble chatter. 20 warriors braved the arctic tundra to dance with the polar bear.

    The Thang:

    COP SSH, Imperial Walker, LBC, FM, Split Jacks X 20, Merkin X 10

    Gimme Some Credit – Did you know it takes 120 credits to graduate with a bachelors degree?  Compete 6 rounds of the following:  10 polar bears, run to bottom of the hill, 10 broad jump burpees, run back to the top and start over.

    Billy Madison  – Billy went back to school, even when it was tough to complete 12 grades. Complete 4 rounds with a partner of the following. One partner balls to the wall, other partner runs to top of the Carillon and completes 12 two-count American Hammers. Once complete, switch it up for four rounds.

    Old Man Kenney – Partner up.  One partner crab walks, other partner runs towards them.  Once caught switch places.  Continue crab walk while other partner runs back to start, then back to partner and switch until crab walk length of the field.

    Lindsey – Dips & LBC

    Commencement Walk – Partner up and wheel barrow across the stage.

    Mosey back to the flag, namerama, numberama, Flashdance lead us out.

    Moleskin:  Today was all about celebrating Lab Rat. This exceptional man went back to school after a 13 year hiatus to complete is Bachelors degree in Economics from VCU. YHC barely made it through with no kids, mortgage, wife or job.  To complete school with a full plate of life deserves a major T-Claps.

    This morning leaned towards the cooler side of the thermostat, which makes it even more impressive that 20 of the finest men in Richmond fought off the fartsack. Welcome back Wilson.

    News: Swirly is planning an epic CSAUP on Jany 21st.  Stay tuned for a pre-blast and start training now.

    Everyone is pretty good at life when it’s easy, YHC is far more interested in the resilience of your character when it’s not.

    Be super.

    Hardywood

  • Sunrise at Stinkhill

    A cold, breezy morning greeted 11 faithful and 1 FNG at StinkHill for the last of the concentric launch for F3 Hampton Roads.   Discussions on temperature, quantity of clothing and YHC’s clown car occupied the PAX until 0700 and the fun began.

    Mosey across the street to the playground parking lot.  Begin with a disclaimer and right into the workout.

    • 20xSSH then 5 burpees
    • 10 Don Quixotes then 4 burpees
    • 15 Hillbillies then 3 burpees
    • 15 Imperial walkers then  2 burpees

    20 LBC the YHC asked Dreamliner to complete the pattern, Dreamliner is confused and calls for Merkins –  ask DK if he sniffed it out so DK calls one burpee but fortunately for the PAX, this is where the pattern ends, 10 burpees OYO

    Mosey down the path a bit and stop for Partner Chase – Partner 1 bear crawl,  Partner 2 – 10 merkins run to catch up, 3 times through.   Mosey around the trail stop for Partner Chase round 2, new partner – P1 lunge, P2 10 WWII sit ups run to catch up.

    Mosey to bars for a shortened versino of Cindy 5 pull ups (modified) 10 Merkins, 15 Squats – repeat for 6 minutes.

    Indian Run around the rest of the the lake trail, stop for Mary – Dollies, American hammers, something else?

    Mosey to a good spot on the hill so we don’t run into any other wayward workout groups.  Go halfway up the hill Bernie Sanders Style (backward) stop for clock merkins- 5 each at 12, 3, 6, 9, 7 and 12

    Mosey to the field at the bottom of the hill for Lindsay with Imperial Squat Walkers and World War II sit ups (30/10, 25/15, 20/20…)

    Mosey to the flags for a little more Mary, including Rosalitas, Crunchy Frogs, Superman and close out with a ring of fire, 10 merkins each

    COT

    Numberama, Namearama, Johnsonville took us out

    Announcements:

    • Weekday workout started in Hampton Roads – See Dreamliner
    • CSAUP event in Richmond, 1/21/17, details to follow, possible clown car from Hampton Roads

    NMM

    Great day to get on the road early and see these men of F3 Hampton Roads, the cold weather makes it tough to escape the fartsack and get FNGs out. We got to see a wonderful sunrise over the lake but I’m not sure if any of the PAX noticed since they were trying to crack the burpee code YHC was laying out.  Welcome The Custodian, briefly Arnie, until the 2nd F and we learned of his occupation while at Liberty U.  This was the 2nd trip for YHC and Jville to StinkHill and it was great to see some familiar faces and new ones as well with 21 FNGs over the past few weeks.

    Rosie’s slight upgrade from the family truckster had the PAX from F3 Richmond riding to the AO in style and comfort.  No need to be crammed into an actual clown car when the Vanna is available for use.

    YHC wanted to do 10 minutes of Cindy but with so much to do at the AO and without proper pull up bars we cut it short to get some other things in.  A couple other minor curveballs in what YHC wanted to do but we were able to pack a few other things in to fill the gaps.

    Excellent 2nd F where we learned:

    • Why The Custodian had to get a new name (originally Arnie in the COT)
    • We need to leave room for Jesus when hugging, The Custodian knows how much space that is
    • We realized Dreamliner sprints everywhere, including back to get coffee refills
    • Mater has some ideas for a Q if he can get his hands on a telephone pole and boat, I want to be there for that one just out of curiosity
    • DON’T PANIC if you have a fire in your trash can
    • Offshore can optimize anything with programming, including the number of cuts to make on the trim of a bathroom remodel.  I want to see his next Q fully optimized for a maximum beatdown, or he could just pass it off to Swirly and say do what he says.
    • Finally, F3 Hampton Roads is in good hands for growth with the men they have EHed so far. Good luck to you in the coming weeks, hope to see you soon.

    A pleasure to take the reigns this morning men.  Well done.

    Everything is coming up Rosie.

  • Stretching the AO

    Two became three Pax when NightCrawler used his best recon skills and joined Attila and YHC to push the AO boundaries on a run well outside the GridIron turf. It was a beautiful and crisp morning but the coldness quickly disappeared during the course of the following:

    X25 SSHs, X25 IWs, and X10 Merkins all in 4-ct cadence.

    Thang:

    Admittedly, what YHC calls a run the Pax would call a mosey. In any event, the run/mosey took the Pax from the Pouncy Tract parking lot to the front of the school, to the back of the school and down past the newly-surfaced Battery, onto the heretofore undiscovered foot/bike path and through the tunnel under Twin Hickory Lake Drive. The Pax turned around and headed back with stops that included a couple hundred Merkins IC, a hundred APDs IC, fifty reverse partnerless leg tosses IC, a hundred Dips OYO, twenty-five fence press ups, a smattering of wall seats for time, fifty step ups OYO, fifty shoulder-elevated single leg/hip thrusts OYO, and fifty shoulder-grounded single leg/hip thrusts OYO. Back at the parking lot we concluded with three minutes of Mary of Hello Dollies, Rosalitas, and Dead Bugs. We covered a couple miles of ground all told.

    COT:

    Counterama and Namerama – nice 30/40/50 mix

    Announcements

    – 3rd F push in Hanover reported by YHC. Thursday at the Rise & Shine at 0630: super solid group of HIMs ready to tackle all subjects in quest for spiritual growth and discernment; and

    – J’ville away this morning at his second posting of six week launch of F3 Hampton Roads; T-Claps for his terrific leadership in organizing the support for DreamLiner and the F3 HR Pax. T-Claps also to all the F3 RVA Pax who Qed and/or posted at Mt. Trashmore these last six weeks. Nicely done.

    Closing communal prayer – thanksgiving, gratitude, and supplication.

    Moleskin:

    After a brief warmup Attila observed “it looks like we’re it” so we set out to bust the AO limits. A determined NightCrawler eyeballed us from afar just as we were about to hit the woods and we were grateful to have him join us. Attila seemed to enjoy the run/mosey, kindly retreating a couple times to keep the Pax together on the return trip.

    Very little MumbleChatter this morning, largely attributable to the unanticipated absence of the garrulous WhiteDeer.

    As usual, a very fine conversation and 2nd F at Coffeeteria.

    The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

    Isaiah 9:2 (NKJV)

  • Not-So-Secret Santa!

    17 PAX, including 2 FNGs, showed up to fight (you vs. you) this morning and didn’t use the cold weather as an excuse to embrace their pillows in the fart sack. YHC planted the shovel flag that Spit brought to the festivities and the PAX launched out into the mission of discipline and pain.

    THANG

    Mosey around the field to the far corner and then back to the parking lot.

    50 SSHs

    20 LBCs

    20 Don Quixotes

    10 Arm circles, 5 large – reverso

    50 SSHs + 5 more SSHs

    20 Helicopters

    20 Imperial Walkers

    Secret Santa

    Partner up and prepare. YHC said, “Repeat after me…”

    – “Merry Christmas”

    – “I am your not-so-secret Santa”

    – “I have a gift for you”

    – “It is a BEATDOWN!”  

    1 partner ran around the building while the other exercises and rotate until done. Help with the others until everyone has finished the work.

    – 50 Burpees

    – 100 Merkins

    – 200 two count American Hammers

    – 200 two count Mountain Climbers

    – 100 Merkins

    – 50 Burpees

    Mosey back to the shovel flag and circle up

    – 20 Copperhead Squats

    – 20 Freddy Mercuries

    – 20 American Hammers

    – 15 Flutter Kicks

    – 50 SSHs

     

    Announcements:

    – Hampton Roads – Rosie is leading a trip down tomorrow. Check out the preblast for information

    – 3rd F experiment at Rise & Shine Diner fired up yesterday morning and will meet again this coming Thursday.

     

    NNM

    Strong work this morning by the PAX. The 27 degree weather increased the intensity and sense of shared challenge. We were missing some normal guys due to travel and fart sacking but a strong team stormed the parking lot and got to work. The mumble chatter was minimal due to heavy breathing that could be seen due to the frigid air. There was notable encouragement during each transition from the exercise to the run during the Secret Santa gift “exchange.”

    The loudest laughter came when YHC asked the PAX to repeat after him and they said to their partners, “I have a gift for you… It is a BEATDOWN!” The gift was given and given with intensity.

    Spit burned through the runs around the building in between exercises and continues to excel. Nobody gave up and everyone pushed through challenge together. Opus continues to take no prisoners with his commitment and improvement. He leads music at an elementary school by day but he is a becoming a beast in the mornings!

    Two FNGs came to play and they brought their A-game for sure. Small Mouth (FNG) had heard about F3 but had hurt his back right before it launched. He drove 30 minutes to engage in the workout. That is dedication to discipline! Spare (FNG) was EH’d by Mudface at the Beer & Hymns gathering last night at Center of the Universe brewery where Chow-DAH led the music with his notable guitar and singing skills.

    There are all kinds of connections and opportunities right in front of us if we keep our eyes open. The SadClown Syndrome better be scared because we are taking it to it hard. This race is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need one another to keep pushing forward one day at a time. Our wives, children, friends, co-workers, neighbors, communities of faith and strangers in need can be impacted eternally as we continue to engage and reject passivity as men.

    Let’s keep pressing on!

    The Carpenter

     

     

  • Redemption run with nobody to redeem

    10 strong young souls posted this morning for a Friday morning shakedown run.  Here’s what’s up:

    -Carillon Route:

    • 6 Milers:  Grove to Boulevard to….run whatever you want, you know what’s up.
    • 5 Milers:  Grove to Boulevard up the steps of the Carillon and return via Douglasdale over 195, then skirt Windsor Farms on Portland, finally making your way back to Grove and home to MMES.  GPS should have you at 5.25 miles, give or take.
    • 4 Milers follow same out route to the tennis courts, make a loop around courts and bring Shepard back to Cary, then choose your own route back to Grove and MMES.  4.25 miles CONFIRMED.

    NMS

    YHC was hoping that his two lost souls from last attempt (Copernicus and Back Bay) would be in the mix this morning so that YHC could guide them thru what has become Lab Rat’s favorite Friday morning route, but alas, the siren that is the fartsack sings a sweet song…especially when the temperature starts to dip.  Lab Rat was still determined to be the last man in on the 5 mile option today, picking up any wayward sheep along the way.  But what good is a shepard  when the flock is a bunch of Sheepdogs?  All present were a bunch of grizzled veterans that know the city and route better than the Q, so YHC ran with Upchuck and we battled to get in the highest word count.  In the end, Upchuck once again out-paced the Rat in the motor mouth category, an impressive feat to say the least.

    Word has it that the 4 milers had a great run, and the 6 milers did their own thing….which is perfectly cool with the Q, as long as all pax arrive back at the VSF in time for circles, which they did.  Well done!

    Announcements:

    • January 21st is the F3RVA CSAUP event, mark your calenders….preblast to come.
    • Long distance mountain run in early planning stages by Lab Rat and TYA for the week between Christmas and New Year.  If you are interested, please speak up to one of the above and we will try our best to accomodate travel and work plans.  This will be weather dependent on when we go.
    • Note to self:  Announements should be kept shorter to prevent pax from “drifting”.

    A great energy by the pax this morning, and great to see Aisle 5 and Lug Nut punching out some miles!  Also, thanks to Saab for the shock this morning!  I will remember that quote for a long time.

     

    Miley Lab Rat out.

     

  • 3rd F Experiment – Rise Up!

    24 men stormed out of their beds to participate in a 3rd F experiment at the Rise & Shine Diner at 6:30 am. Most of the crowd were guys from the DaVille area. Some of them have engaged in 1st F workouts while others are actively considering joining us in the gloom.

    Here is what went down this morning:

    YHC (Wild Thing) opened up with a call to arms and challenged the men to embrace a vision of teaming up as men to fight the battles of their lives. He shared from Luke 2 in the Bible and described how the shepherds didn’t keep the good news of God to themselves but they went and shared it. YHC challenged the men to go out and share the good news of how they are being impacted by meetings like this one. He invited The Carpenter to share.

    The Carpenter followed up by sharing about the men’s group called MANera that recently moved to this new location. This men’s group had grown to a weekly gathering of 40-50 men years ago but never planted a new one. The men had engaged in topics that helped them in their marriages, parenting, leadership and faith that led to concrete action steps. He shared how the 3rd F could be the way to resurrect and expand these kinds of discussions and action steps. He also shared about the SadClown Syndrome and how F3 is like targeted chemotherapy to kill it off. As SadClowns, we are all smiling on the outside while sad (or dying) on the inside. We need to rise up!

    YHC then opened up the floor for input on how this 3rd F gathering can be impactful. 

    • Abacus fired up the discussion with a hard-hitting challenge to the men in the room. He shared how the meetings need to focus on topics that truly challenge men. He described how the physical workouts push our physical bodies but we also need to push our hearts & minds.
    • Another man shared about how he needed a place to know that he was not alone with his struggles.
    • Another man shared the idea of bringing in experts to talk on topics and then have the men engage in discussions around those topics.
    • The men then entered into a spirited debate about how to go about doing this. Some wanted lighter topics that allowed for more men to check out the group. Others wanted hard-hitting topics that would go right to the gut of the problem. The attack plan will be determined as we experiment.
    • Earthworm shared about what he has implemented with GridIron. He shared about the 15 pre-game devotion that he led and how it began with his leadership but is not mostly led by other men. He also shared about Ben Franklin’s idea for engaging business leaders and how we can follow a similar pattern for bringing in experts to push us in our thinking and action.

    Abacus followed up with the idea of having different men “Q” this spiritual 3rd F “AO” and to let them decide on the format and content. This would be like the physical workouts but these would be spiritual workouts. Abacus volunteered to Q next Thursday’s spiritual workout. At least two other men expressed an interest in stepping up to Q in the coming weeks. One man shared that he would like to start a new 3rd F AO in the near future.

    The group agreed that we need both physical and spiritual workouts to grow as men in our leadership and faith. The current F3 guys saw the value of adding in spiritual workouts (3rd F). The other guys heard about the value for adding in physical workouts (1st F). Over all of this, the men saw the potential for 2nd F opportunities to bring the groups together to build up the camaraderie toward both.

    Stay tuned for what can come from all of this…

    Something is happening here that can add gasoline to the F3 fire through 3rd F discussions that lead to concrete action.

    We all want to kill the SadClown Syndrome in our lives.

    We need more than the workouts. We need God’s help and each other. If a man leaves “the herd” then he will become dead meat.

    We are in this together!

     

  • Change in Scenery (with a Church theme)

    15 strong gathered (most on time) on a cool, relatively dry morning to get the lead out.  Here is what transpired…

    COP:  20xSSH, 20xHillbillies, 10xMerkins, 20xFlutterKicks

    Mosey to Reveille Church back parking lot – the PAX paired up with one person running a loop around the parking lot while the other alternated between 5 box jumps and 10 dips, switching at each lap and doing 6 total rounds.

    Mosey to the front of Reveille Church for Triple Check – deep squats, leg lifts (6 inches off ground) while third person runs backward to sidewalk and then forward back to group, rotate. Standard three rounds.

    Mosey across Cary to to entrance of Windsor Farms at Windsor Way, formed two lines of 7 each for an Indian run with burpees added in stopping at the lawn in front of Grace Baptist Church.

    On the lawn of Grace Baptist Church the OYO PAX did 6 rounds with increasing count (1 to 6)  of Burpees at midfield and LBCs at the ends.

    Rally back to the flag with some chatter about a lot of running (those that ran Hillcrest the previous night were feeling it) and finish up with a Ring of Fire with the PAX all in plank position and two people doing 10 Merkins (also commonly known outside F3 circle as pushups, thank you Wedding Singer) and rotating around the ring twice.  Finished with a few minutes of Mary with LBCs and Freddie Mercuries.

    NMS::

    Flashdance was a late arrival to the AO which meant he was OYO for the workout as he wasn’t able to find us despite his best efforts and keen mind. The PAX didn’t realize this until we rolled up on him as we returned to the flag. Flashdance shared that he found some new workout friends with the tomatoes. During the chatter with the tomatoes he was able to learn some of  the nicknames the tomatoes had given each other – Pinky, Hot Pants, Love Handles, Hest, Bovary and Mulva. Flashdance may make a permanent change in workout groups. If interested, please contact him.

    Pucker out