Category: Richmond, VA

  • 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

  • The Team of TWO for 22

    At 0 dark thirty and three hours after YHC awoke for his VQ 18 strong and committed men took to the field like rabid dogs ready to eat. Swirly planted the shovel flag and Flipper had the Q.  The number of the day was 22 in honor of YHC’s 22nd wedding anniversary and a Team of Two beatdown was executed.

    Thang:

    Mosey to the center of the front field for the COP:

    • SSH x 22
    • Arm Circles x 11 forward X 11 reverso = 22
    • IW/Hillbillies X11 X11= 22
    • FM/LBC X 11 x 11 = 22

    The Race of Your Life

    Pair up with someone you can carry and race from one line marked with glow sticks to distant line marked with glow sticks approximate distance 60-70 yards.  Race went like this:

    • Bear Crawl to endline Crawl Bear back meanwhile partner does 11/11 FM/LBC
    • Partner Does the BearCrawl/Crawl Bear and you do 11/11 FM/LBC
    • Partner Carry to endline Switch on the way back
    • Wheelbarrow to endline Switch on the way back
    • Sprint to endline and sprint back meanwhile partner does 11/11 FM/LBC
    • Partner does sprint and you do 11/11 FM/LBC

    Team of Two on the Move / No man left Behind

    Paired with your teammate Indigenous People Run around the outside of the field on the sidewalk, snake back thru the field, around opposite side of the school from the parking lot ending at the shovel flag.  Each two man team, runs from the back to the front and then entire Pax does 11 Merkins.  We completed 1 revolution plus 2/3.

    Mary Did you Know

    • Ring of Fire: Pax holds six inches each while each man completes 22 two count flutter kicks.
    • APD x 22 IC
    • Superman/Scuba/ swimmer who knows x 22 IC
    • LBC X 22 IC
    • American Hammers X 22 IC
    • Carolina Dry Docks x 22 IC

    Numberama and Namerama YHC took us out! Cherry Busted!

    Moleskin- YHC saw something today he had never seen.  An AO before Swirly’s arrival.  Its scary folks don’t ever do it. Thank you all for allowing me to lead today it was an honor and humbling to have a group of such strong, and powerful men, all leaders, load up and get behind you. I believe I heard Bears growling in the Darkness as that was an ambitious distance to BC/CB. But like strong men do with no quit in them we pushed thru.

    The indigenous paired run was met with approval.  YHC still has nightmares of his first post to F3 at No Toll.  I couldn’t keep up and got left in the misty darkness of a January beatdown, splinter recovered me in a mercyful search party. So in homage as two man teams we ran and left no man behind.  Note: Singlet pushed the run hard, did not quit, and was an inspiration to his team and the Pax, I see you brother.  The Ring of Fire caused much groaning and had the desired effect I have appointments set for all of you this afternoon.

    My Dad died when I was 12. I have since spent my life seeking and surrounding myself with a group of guys, High School wrestling,  a College Fraternity, and after college a void.  Now God lead me to a group that I truly needed. Hopefully I have inspired some of you because God knows I am Inspired by you guys.

    • Swirly:  No body works harder!
    • Bleeder leaves his heart on the field running with his Robo knee(he has no business running on that thing.
    • Ricky Bobby at over 50 made me keep running because he was not gonna stop.
    • How Hardywood turned his life around after being fired from Curves
    • The way Singlet pushed it Today
    • The way Lab Rat continues to talk even when no one is listening

    These are the things that inspire me everyday, and I love you for it.  A special thanks goes out to M. Flipper for kicking my ass for 22 years, It ain’t always easy but its always worth it!!!

    Flipdog Out

    I

  • Shuffle up and deal

    At SOT recently the gloom is real.  We believe that due to construction work on the school the parking lot lights have been out all summer and was only noticed the last few weeks as it has gotten darker.  Hopefully they will be back on for the bus drivers when they start up next week.  4 SOT regulars found each other in the dark of the parking lot for a simple yet effective card playing beatdown.

    THANG:

    Mosey into the light behind the school for COP.  SSH, Copperhead Squats, Arm Circles

    Mosey to the basketball court for Blackjack.  Start at one side of the court, 20 merkins + 1LBC, run to the other for 19 merkins + 2 LBC…continue until 1 merkin + 20 LBC always with a sum of 21.

    Move to the center of the basketball courts for a Deck of Death.  Number on the card and designated exercise for each suit.  Jack=11 to Ace=14

    • Hearts – Alabama Prom Dates
    • Diamonds – Crunchy Frogs
    • Spades – Mountain Climbers
    • Clubs – Monkey Humpers
    • Jokers – 15 burpees

    Back to the shovel flag for Numberama and Namearama.  Gumbo took us out.

    NM

    Great work today guys.  As Lugnut said, a lot accomplished by not moving very much and with the monkey humpers added it there was a nice effect of jello legs as we moved back to the flag.  Bobber continues to crush the workouts at SOT and is working his way toward signing up to Q soon, as encouraged by Lugnut.  YHC has been wanting to bring back Blackjack since Lugnut brought it out at SOT months back and when a deck of cards in a nice plastic case was found recently, it was only a matter of time to put those together.  The deck will stay in the car so it can be brought out at any time if needed.  The dreaded Jokers will stay in the deck as well.

    It looks like after further study the RiverRun AO will stay in rotation.  Lugnut did some daylight recon and determined that there is plenty to do with tracks, playground equipment, hills and more that have not been tapped into with the run only AO.  Time to EH those southsiders.

    Run and Barkley Marathons tonight at Hillcrest and TYA’s.  Come get your BRR swag.

    A pleasure to lead.

    Rosie

  • Send Chesney our Regards

    15 RVA F3’ers and 1 Nashville rep. made their way to WDog for a Hump Day leg stretcher.  Lab Rat planted the shovelflag and took the Q.  Lots of stuff to get in and only 45 minutes to do it, so let’s get to work:

    COP

    • SSH IC X30
    • Ball Dippers IC X20
    • Don Quixote IC X15
    • Arm Circles IC X10 little X5 big, Reverso
    • Sit Outs Break Dancers IC X15
    • Crab Cakes IC X20
    • per request of EF Hutton, Richard Kimbles OYO X10

    THANG

    • Love Hill- partner up, one man runs to the gate, the other excersizes downhill until runner tags in (you all know the drill by now).  Excersizes performed:  Lunges (deep, ladies), broad jump burpees, inchworms.  When both members of team converge at gate, plank up and wait for six.
    • Rusty Cage- 2 minutes at the pull up bars, get in AMRAP in time alloted.  No guidance from Q, do them with or without partners, just bang ’em out.
    • 11’s- In amphitheater, run up to top for Freddie Mercuries, to the bottom for American Hammers.  Go until time runs out.
    • Mary

    BOM/COT

    NMS

    • Wow, so much to cover this morning!  First off, great job to entire pax this morning for pushing thru an action packed workout!  The Sugar Rays will always be the lead guys, but the six is much closer to them than it used to be.  This is truly what pushing each other is all about.
    • Also, Old Toga is in full swing.  Thank the gods.  YHC worries about lack of mumble chatter when he has the Q.  Thankfully, Old Toga and TYA are there to fill the void.
    • Speaking of mumblechatter, you would have thought there was a mime on stage at the Apollo with all the groans that were heard when Q changed the cadence.  The pax were not fans….plan on seeing that again in the near future.  Hint:  Slow SSH’s suck.
    • Love Hill was friggin’ dark.  Anybody else run smack into that big-ass branch at the bottom?
    • Probably the easiest EH in history this morning by Saab, BT, and Lab Rat.  When the excited guy comes up and asks, “what group is this?!”  BAM, see you Saturday.
    • YHC is always giddy with excitement when visitors come out to WDog/Dogpile.  We get to show off our crown jewel AO!  So glad to have you this morning, Mighty Stork!  You repped your pax well this morning.  Seriously, tell Chesney he is missed and we hope he is doing well back home.  You are welcome back any time, sorry we didnt get to pull you in to some 2nd F this evening.
    • Everyone please thank Hardywood for choosing the winding-death-path of rock-steps on the way to rusty cage this morning.  You know it’s dark, right?
    • Also, speaking of “rusty cage”  HoneyDo called pull up bars this during Grunge workout Saturday.  Lab Rat thinks it should stick.
    • What else?

    Announcements

    • BRR trunk slamming in 8 days.
    • ReeseStrong immediately following the weekend of BRR.  F3 Richmond team is tied for first….are you kidding me?  Sign up!  5K “the hard way” is an option.  Winner gets prize.  https://runsignup.com/RaceGroups/4045/Groups/284254
    • Hills Run followed by dinner and a movie, casa de TYA.  Run stats at 5:30 pm?  Or do like Lab Rat and show up after the run for beers and BBQ.
    • Thoughts and prayers for long time client of Hardywood who sadly lost his fight with PTSD and took his life this week.  Another needless loss of a true American Warrior.

    Lab Rat out.

     

  • Sweaty toll paid at No Toll

    17 brave men left the cozy comforts of their fartsack and took the toll at no toll on a pleasant and clear August morning.  Here is how it went down.

    CoP

    20 X SSH
    20 X Imperial Walkers
    10 X Daniel Son
    20 X Flutter Kicks
    20 X LBCs
    10 2ct Merkins

    20 Burpees OYO 

    Mosey to Front Soccer Field

    Catch me if you Can X 3 (In the dark)

    1 Partner runs backwards while other partner performs exercise…upon completion exercising partner sprints to catch the other partner.

    Round 1 – Carolina Dry Docks x 10
    Round 2 – Bear Crawl 15 yds
    Round 3 – Merkins x 10

    Mosey to Pavilion

    Escalator at Pavilion

    10 – Jump Ups
    20 – Derkins
    30 – Dips
    40 – Squats

    Rinse…Repeat

    Mosey to front field

    Triple Check

    1 = Pole Smokers
    2 = Mountain Climbers
    3 = Run

    Quarter Pounder

    25 Yds = 25 Merkins
    50 yds = 50 squats
    75 yds = 75 Mountain Climbers
    100 yds = 100 LBCs

    Mary

    Wave Merkin X 10 finishing with 10 in Unison
    Freddie Mercuries x 20
    American Jammers x 15

    Mosey back to flag

    Numberama, Name o Rama,

    Announcements

    BRR Practice at Hillcrest on Wednesday; TYAs after with showing of ‘Barkley Marathons’
    Reece Strong 5k 9/17
    Spartan 9/24
    Rugged Maniac 10/1

    YHC took us out

    NMS

    It was a pleasure leading the PAX this morning through a series of fairly active and varied exercises.  There was not a lot of chatter amongst the PAX as we kept a pretty healthy pace throughout.  A couple of funnier moments came at my own expense as YHC fumbled through the Daniel Son exercise in the COP.  Given the namesake of the exercise applies to an 80s movie that I loved, I thought it would be a fun addition to the routine.  Unfortunately, I got a little footloose and did not execute that one well.  Hopefully, it made for a good laugh for the PAX :).

    We did a lot of running this AM, and a couple of the highlights included Oyster and Hardywood crushing the sprints on the Triple Check.  I also partnered with To Can throughout the morning and enjoyed the camaraderie and solid effort displayed. All in all, the PAX got their work on this morning and pushed through each of the exercise with determination.  The wave of merkins at the end was also a sight to see.

    Thanks again for letting me lead…see you all in the gloom.

    KB…out!

  • What’s life without choices…

    9 showed for today’s workout at U of R. Running Options: Relatively flat River Run (TYA bat cave to bridge to Riverside, etc.) or hillier option through Bandy Field, St Chris, etc. (lots of ins and outs and what have yous…) Biking route: See Bleeder… I can say, however, a portion of it involved pedaling from Windsor Farms to the UR campus.

    We welcomed our visitor Prohibition from Charlotte today. It was also great to see DK for what is assumed his first(?) visit to the Spider Run (thanks for making the trip dude…hope you weren’t too late getting home). As far as the routes chosen, all opted for the River Run with exception of Sippy and YHC (who was eager to get back to some hills after spending time running at the beach). While I can’t speak to all that went on, there was post discussion regarding preparation for the BRR and when one should begin tapering. (Turns out it can range from 2 weeks or 2 months…depending upon whom you ask…)

    Announcements:
    Training Run at 5:30pm Hillcrest on Wed. followed by hangout at TYA’s for BBQ and showing of Barclay’s Marathon (the documentary that got YHC going on his most recent ultra-run endeavor). YHC would like to extend many thanks to TYA for his hospitality and overall coordination of the BRR. The guy is a pillar of F3 and one of the many reasons YHC gets the energy to show up in the morning.

    BRR: Sometime soon. See TYA for details.

    Saab abides

  • Recess at DaVille

    Fifteen souls were on board for a DaVille beatdown on a gorgeous clear-skied morning.

     

    The Thang:

     

    COP

    • SSH IC X 30
    • Front arm circles IC, 10 little, 5 big, reverso
    • Ball dippers IC  X 20
    • ATMs – In plank, alternating shoulder taps IC X 15; tempo Merkins IC X 10; 10 fast Merkins OYO
    • Imperial walkers IC X 15

     

    Pull-up/Plank Walk Circuit

    Partner up to complete four circuits of pull-ups, broad jump to bleachers, shuffle across bleachers in plank with feet on first bench, lunge walk back to pull-up bars. Repeat for 8, 6, 4, then 2 pull-ups.

     

    Playground Triple Check

    One Pax does Derkins with feet in swing seat. Second Pax hangs on monkey bars for knee raises. Third Pax runs around bus loop. (1 1/3 circuits). Various People Chair exercises until everyone finishes.

     

    Mosey back to flag for COT and BOM

    Circle K took us out.

     

    NMS

    DaVille had a great showing of brothers this morning, all ready to take on a steady stream of endurance challenges. It was great to see folks back from vacation and several posting after the Patrick Henry half marathon this past weekend. YHC is amazed at the tenacity and athleticism of this group. Welcome to FNG Stinger who showed heart and grit through the morning.

     

    YHC’s goals for today were to cover a full-body work out and to take advantage of the various obstacles DaVille presents, such as playground equipment. YHC learned that lunges and broad jumps take their toll, and the bus loop is not exactly right next to the playground; alas, we did not get to all that YHC envisioned for this morning. Time on the playground always seems to go faster than you think. More for next time.

     

    Announcements

    The Tomato Run has officially started. This AO meets on Mondays at 5:30 AM in the same place as DaVille and offers a full range of running lengths for all levels.

     

    Reese Strong 5K is coming up, Saturday, September 17th. You and your beloved are all encouraged to sign up for the F3 team. The website is http://www.reesestrong.org/reesestrong-5k/.

     

    Gratefully,

     

    BB

     

  • Labor Day Workout @ Dogpile

    Pax : We will have 1 workout on Monday September 5th (Labor Day) it will be @ Dogpile and will be from 6-7 AM … This will be a Hot Potato Q so be prepared should your name be called ! Look forward to seeing everyone there.  ET’s for coffee/fellowship post workout…

    Swirly/Corporate

  • Death By Donkey Kicks

    4 brave and fearless men accepted the challenge at Batteau to break free from the sultry hold of the fartsack.  We took full advantage of this moment.

    The thang:

    COP (Hardywood) – 20 X SSH, Imperial Walker, LBC, Freddy Mercury, +10 Merkin.

    Indigenous Persons Run Pole Smokers (Swirly) – Line up with post and have your feet six inches off the ground.  The first man performs 5 pole smokers while the other men are holding their feet off the ground.  Once the pole smoker is done, that man runs to the end and the next one goes.

    10 X 2 X 3 (Swirly) – Perform 10 dips and 10 incline merkins. Complete three rounds.

    King Bear (Bleeder) – Spaced out among 5 trees each man performs a wall squat.  The first man bear crawls to the next tree and tags that man holding the squat.  That man then bear crawls to the next tree, etc.  Perform continuous sets for 5 min.

    Curb Crawl (Swirly) – Bear crawl to on curb and complete 1 incline merkin.  Crawl bear back to the starting curb and complete 2 incline merkins.  Bear crawl to complete 3 incline merkin, etc.  Work our way up to 5 merkins and then back down.

    Death By Donkey Kicks (Hardywood) – Start with 5 donkey kicks and start a 30 second timer.  Once the timer goes off complete 6 donkey kicks.  When the timer goes off again complete 7 donkey kicks, etc to 15 donkey kicks in a round.

    Indigenous Persons Run Up The Hill Of Ill Regret (Slurpee)

    Tenzing Sherpa (Hardywood) – 30 two count mountain climbers, 10 jump squats.  20 MC/20 JS, 10 MC/30 JS

    Mosey back to flag, numberama, namerama, Swirly lead us out

    Moleskin – At about 2 minutes before we started the collective Pax recognized there was no defined Q.  As good men do, we all stepped up to take the lead.  Today, as are most of the best days was a team effort.

    Of particular note was the work we did on the Hill Of Ill Regret.  It is one of the hardest hills in all of Richmond.  Our man Bleeder not only ran up the hill, but he completed every cycle of the Indigenous Persons Run.  I am 90% sure he has a bionic leg that is held together with duct tape, a baboon tendon and pieces from an Erector Set.  It’s hard to have any justifiable excuses when that kind of effort is shown.

    Also of note was the run up the hill by Slurpee. Just one week earlier, on the same hill, doing the same exercise he fell off the back and walked the hill.  This week, he came back with a purpose in his belly. Not only did he suggest it, but he dominated it.  This was a beautiful thing to see and a very sold effort.

    You guys are the best.  Big cheers to the brave men of Batteau.

    -Hardywood