Category: Richmond, VA

  • Happy Anniversary

    Mother Nature graced us with the perfect gloom this morning as two faithful eagerly greeted the rain drops for a beatdown that went down like this:

    Mosey to grassy area near first parking lot for COP.

    Invisible Jump Ropes x 23 (forgot to stop counting), Arm Circles Forward Little/Big x 10/5, Arm Circles Backwards Little/Big x 10/5, Don Quxoite x 20

    Start at first lamp post and alternate exercises until last lamp post behind baseball field.  Exercises were merkins x 10 and squats x 10.

    Mosey to parking lot near football field.  Touch a tree x 1,3,5 with the same number of burpees as the tree you were touching.

    Mosey to bus loop at elementary school for Dora 123.  Partners complete 100 dips, 200 two count flutterkicks, 300 LBCs alternating while other partner runs bus loop.

    Abacus Q – Side straddle run half way around bus loop, regular run half way around bus loop, other side straddle run half way around bus loop, backwards run half way around bus loop.

    Jog back to shovel flag.

    COT.  Abacus took us out with a prayer.

    YHC signed up to Q this morning for purely personal reasons.  Today is YHC and YHC Ms 19th wedding anniversary.  I figured if I signed up to Q, I would not forget the importance of the date.  Mission Accomplished.  F3 RVA is all about Fitness, Fellowship, Faith and helping the PAX members remembers dates.

    Small PAX this morning at DaVille, but YHC and Abacus attacked the gloom with all we had.  Abacus definitely pushed YHC, and for that YHC is grateful.  My original plan was to introduce Old Glory to the regulars at DaVille, but with the small PAX, YHC audibled to a workout that covered the entire back of the property.  With Flashdance VQ, LBG, it would have been perfect.  Don’t worry, Old Glory will make an appearance at DaVille.  (It is a Tuesday after all.)With the fields soggy, we stayed on the road that runs from the high school to the elementary school and returned the same way.  Who new that the entire run back was an incline that proved to be the perfect way to purge the lungs and end a great workout.

    Great way to start the day.

    Circle K

  • Little Baby Glory (LBG)

    Well on a stormy morning 13 men were out to play hard.  This is my first Q so I hope you all are a little beaten down in a good way.   Its was a honor to lead these men today. So here is what went down:

    COP

    5 minutes of chiropractic approved warn up

    Than LBG: 35 minutes: start off by running 2 labs than 20 merkins run to then next corner 10 jump squats, run to the next corner 20 LBCs run to the next corner 10 mountain climbers.

    Ring of Mary/Sally 30, 60, 90 degree holds for merkins and flutter kicks while we ran around the ring.

    Finish: ran back to the flag: huddle and pray

    Thanks men; this has been a life inspiring 6 months, I am blessed to know each and everyone of you my brothers in Life!!!

    See you in the Gloom!

     

     

  • Time to put in the work!

    Gents, BRR is now about 4 months away. If you have not started to train yet, the time is now. A good way to think about the BRR from a preparation perspective is to get your body prepared to run a half marathon (maybe a little more for the 9 person team). Last year Jville helped out and put together an individula training plan for me. If you would like help putting one together, feel free to reach out to me or Jville directly.

    One of the things we did last year was a Wednesday afternoon hill run. We are going to start that again this week. We will rotate location (and Q’s). This Wednesday will be at 5:30 at Hillcrest avenue in the city. It is 3/4 of a mile to the west of Mary Munford school. Take a left onto Hillcrest and park on either side of the road. TYA will be the Q for this run (so you can imagine how creative it will be).

    One of the other benefits of the Wednesday afternoon run is that you can simulate what it is like to run on consecutive days by adding in SOT or W-Dog on Wednesday am and Thursday AM 45 MOM. Doing those three workouts in succession is about the same amount of time your body has between BRR legs (of course, it does not simulate the complete lack of sleep).

    Everyone and every running level is welcome. See you out there tomorrow.

  • No Adrian Sighting

    A PAX of one posted at RVA’s newest AO, slightly less than 4.5 hours from #NoToll.  Quick 1.5 mile stroll to the Art Museum for a Rocky inspired beatdown.  Circle up around the Washington monument for COP.

    COP

    – Imperial Walker x20
    – Copperhead Squat x20
    – Arm Circles x15 forward and backward
    – Russian Soldiers x20

    The Thang

    11s on the steps of the Art Museum.  Merkins / WWII situps.  Run 2 steps at a time going up and 1 step at a time coming down.  Start with 10 merkins and 1 WWII then work way down to 1/10.  For the record there were 72 steps to get to the top.

    Mosey to the bronze Rocky statue for modified tabatas.  4 sets of jump knee tucks followed by 4 sets of dips on the park bench.

    Mosey back to the steps for 1 final Rocky inspired run up the steps, this time 3 steps at a time, 20 american hammers at the top, back down and 20 american hammers at the bottom.

    Stroll back to center city and the virtual shovel flag.

    Moleskin

    YHC couldn’t go a whole week without an F3 inspired workout so decided to throw one in the mix in rainy/gloomy Philadelphia.  YHC tried to EH a few tourists as they were taking selfies in front of the steps and rocky statue, no luck.  Many odd looks were received, especially during 11s.

    If you make it to Philly it’s worth a trip to the Art Museum.

    See everyone in the gloom.

    Splinter out.

  • Galactosemia Golf Tournament – May 20th- Save the date!

    Hey fellas – Many of you have requested the information for the Galctosemia Golf Tournament every year to raise fund to find a cure for this rare disease. It personally affects our home as my younger daughter deals with it daily!

    The golf tournament website is:

    www.forethecause.org

    There are only a few spots left, so sign up now. Even if your not a golfer, it is a great time!

    All the info is on the site!

    Thank you again for all the support from my F3 family! I have also included the national Galactosemia website in case you have some free time and would like to learn more.

    www.galactosemia.org

    Again 0 thanks and see you in the gloom!

  • No Place to Hide in a PAX of Three

    Three of the faithful posted for the late-Saturday morning beat-down. Johnsonville planted a SF and took Q. This is how it went down, more or less:

    Start near SF for COP:
    25x SSH
    15x Scapula Merks
    25x Don Quiotes
    25x Long Slow Squats

    Mosey to grassy knoll near old schoolhouse.
    10 minutes of burpees

    Mosey to low football field directly north of the school for COP.
    25x Imperial Walkers
    Line up on sideline and perform elevens running laterally across field with plank dips and single leg Alabama prom dates.

    Mosey behind school to pullup bars.
    1 member of PAX does 20 Merkins and planks
    2nd member of PAX does 10 pullups
    3rd member of PAX spots
    Rinse and repeat 3 times in all.

    Mosey up to bus lane behind school. Perform Blimp counter-clockwise along bus lane and west on drive, including the following exercises: lunges, bear crawl, crawl bear, crab walk, backward crab walk, plank walk left, plank walk right, single leg left bunny hop, single leg right bunny hop, two leg forward bunny hop.

    COT. Coffeeteria

    Moleskin —

    The #GridIron numbers were low, but the men were focused and strong. I am impressed by how much stronger Attila is now compared to a year ago. White deer continues to excel at upper body and core.

    F3Richmond needs more participation from the far west end. Please continue to headlock men who live out that way.

    We still need Qs this week for SOT and RAMM.

    Great job, men! Jville

  • Blue Sky

    The Thang

    Five seasoned trail runners departed and headed east on the North Bank Trail to the Texas Beach bridge. Heading west and running along the river – we passed the Nickel Bridge, the train bridge, and just after Powhite we turned and came back to the VSF.

    NMS
    Other the the overcast skies, today felt like the Allman Brothers song “Blue Sky” as we were consistently in proximity to the rambling river and streams. The birds were aplenty and we caught five deer off guard as they bolted across our path through the woods with one diving into the stream.

    As we went west of the pump house, we had to blaze our own trail for the most part. I am sure it will be overgrown and impassable in a month’s time. We kept going and made it pretty far west just beyond Willow Oaks on the other side of the river. We turned around at this point. I could see a path continue further, but we would most likely keep taking it until we hit the Huguenot Bridge. Sometimes it is best to know when to turn around versus peering around another bend.

    YHC took us out. 2nd F at ET.

  • Did he say 3?

    11 faithful made their way through the Arts in the Park traffic closures to post at Dopgile on a beautiful spring morning. 50 degrees and cloudy but hints of light as the PAX got started at 6. It went down as:

    COP – 25 SSH, 10 Merkins, 20 Freddy Ms, 15 DQs.

    Mosey to pole line for Pole Smoker Indian Run. Then line up on road for Burpee Road, this time 3 burpees per street light, for a total of 60 burpees.

    Mosey to other circle – 100 LBCs OYO. Mosey around tents (and junk food vendor signs) to Pull-Up Bars:
    5 down to 1 of : Pull Ups & Chin Ups. Finish up with 15 Dips.

    Mosey down pipeline hill to Pump house road – Bear Crawls up to 6 and back down.

    Mosey up PH road to Toll Booth for Boulder Merkin Indian Run – PAX planks on boulders lining the road, 10 merkins for end PAX and rotate along. Bonus of 10 Merkins for all PAX when a car passed by on the road.

    Mosey to grass near flag for 5 min mary – Hells 2 Heaven, APDs – horizontal version, Cross Leg Lifts, & American Hammer. Finish with Burpee Shuffle, but instead of saying Burpee each PAX calls out a number between 1-3 and then PAX does that # of burpees. Roughly 25 burpees total.

    NMS –
    So good to have Chesney back for a RVA beatdown. Good work this morning!

    YHC used a lot more of the AO this AM as the Arts in the Park tents took up most of the main area. As the PAX split the road to take on Burpee Road there was some confusion as to the # of burpees per streetlight. Wilson asked a few times if he heard “3” correctly. With the 10 min of Burpees and slaughter starter craze at other AOs YHC hoped to start off the beatdown with a heaping helping of burpees.

    The PAX knocked out the Pull Ups with determination, this is a weak point for YHC but loves to see the Dogpile regulars take the challenge on each week. The most mumblechatter of the beatdown was during the Curb crawls on Pumphouse road. THe section of road seemed to be at least 4 lanes wide as the PAX took it on in stride. There was confusion as the PAX ran past Love Hill and up the hill to the main road.

    The audible to have the PAX all do 10 merkins as a car passed was painful as there was way more traffic than usual at 6:45 on Saturday morning. Still the PAX worked their way up the hill. On the altered Burpee shuffle most went with 3 Burpees, making for a strong finish. No slacking at Dogpile. Again Coffee at ETs is a highlight of the week for YHC and glad to have the fellowship. Glad to see Garbage plate come by for ET, although for more measured breakfast than his namesake.

    Announcements – Flashdance has his VQ at NoToll on Tuesday and Chum Bucket has Q at Punisher on Monday. At ETs Wilson committed to the BRR, we have witness who can attest to the authenticity of this claim no matter what he says.

    Pleasure as always to take the lead this morning at Dogpile.

  • Patterson here we come

    9 runners and 1 strong biker posted for a Friday morning workout. Weather continues to be stellar for the morning workouts. Early morning workouts certainly take advantage of good weather conditions.

    The Thang:

    5 milers, Commonwealth to Patterson, Patterson to St. Christophers, Left onto access road in front of Three Chopt, Left on Grove, back to school and one lap around school to finish. 6 milers, right on grove to Hamilton, left on Hamilton, Left on Patterson, then follow the 5 mile route back. Bikers, head to UR and play on the hills for 45 minutes.

    Naked Moleskin.

    Always interesting to do a new route. This is one of my favorites from the past, when I used to live at the intersection of Patterson and Malvern. Good memories of the route and it did not disappoint me. With a new route, comes directions. When YHC was explaining the turn onto access road in front on 3 Chopt, I was having a hard time conveying the concept to the PAX. Splinter quickly cleared things up “look, just dont run on three chopt”. That worked and it seemed like everyone got the idea. Only problem with the route was the stated mileages. I was off by about a half a mile on the 45 and 6. The PAX were very accommodating, just adding the trek around the school to get the stated distances.

    YHC was in hot pursuit of Gumbo for the whole run today. Gumbo is much like Bleeder. You can catch up to him, but there is no way to pass him. I caught him on 3 occasions, did not change my pace, yet he pulled away again and again. Oh well, maybe next time.

    We had three takers for the six mile route today. Sippy, as usual. He was joined by Splinter and Rosie. Not sure if Splinter is a regular six miler, but this was Rosie’s first round with the longer route. Great job fellas. I only hope one day to be able to do that.

    YHC took us out.

    One slot left for the BRR sign up soon. Talk to HC

    Marv and Saab were missed along with many other regulars. See you guys back out there in the gloom again soon.

  • White Deer at the Circus

    9 faithful circus goers showed up in the rain for a little iron work and it didn’t take long for the PAX with raincoats to shed them.

    THE THANG

    COP

    15x Don Quixote, 25xSSH, 10 Kettlebells Swings followed by 10 merkins OYO 4 rounds

    Short farmers walk mosey to bus loop for 4x4x4 – Do each of the 4 exercises 4 times, through 4 rounds

    Round 1 – Goblet Squat, Electric Slide, 1-leg Deadlift, Lunge

    Round 2 – 1 arm swing, clean, press from rack, row (start with weak arm), Repeat Round 2

    Partner up – Round 1 – P1  Bridge/Press/Pullover while P2 Farmers walk to the end of the loop and back, flapjack

    Round 2 – P1  Goblet Squat/OH Press, P2 karaoke w/ Kettlebell

    Round 3 – P1  Clean/Squat/Press, P2 farmers walk

    Round 4 – P1  Merkin/Row, P2 karaoke w/ Kettlebell

    Bonus Round – Repeat Round 1

    Figure 8 x 15 IC

    Mary w/ Kettlebell American Hammers – HoneyDo Count x 10IC WW2 situps w/ Kettlebell x 10IC Superman Flutterkicksx30 IC Heels to Heaven x15 IC

    MOLESKIN

    Welcome to the #CircusMaximus White Deer.  Good to see you out.  I hope the lack of running worked out well for you.  YHC has done plenty of running recently and wanted to mix it up a little while keeping the kettlebell in our hands for most of the workout.  The covered sidewalk was useful for the exercises on the ground although the heavy rain did hold off for the whole workout.

    Minimal mumblechatter this morning, although YHC did hear a few groans about the merkin/rows, those are not easy.   YHC missed the first part of the conversation but coming into the tail end of a conversation is the best way to spread rumors.  YHC heard something about deportation, DK’s kids and dreams coming true…YHC was aiming for a higher flutterkick count but Toga pointing out YHCs shoe was untied threw off my count and saved the PAX from excessive flutter kicking.

    A few new compound movements thrown into the mix today to introduce the PAX to a few more options.  The consensus of the regulars is that this is a good curve thrown into the week of typical boot camp workouts.  Those PAX that are regulars at other AO’s are invited to join us if they are seeking a little variety in the workout routine.  DK was EHed into the Q for next week during one of the farmers walks so we’re looking forward to that.