Category: Richmond, VA

  • Early In The Morning

    6 Boot campers and two walkers merged at the West End’s earliest AO to see what this rusty Q had in the hopper. Nerves were high for YHC’ s first Q in 15+ months. As the clock hit 5am, the PAX shot (or walked) off into the Gloom.

    Mosey around the church, burpee buy ins at each of the speed bumps, through the parking lot and back to the front of the church for an open air COP. The PAX was lively, they struggled with their counting, something that definitely gave this son of accountant some unease. Quick COP of Imperial Walkers, DQs, Soldiers, arm circles and reverso then a quick mosey back to the parking lot.

    Creative 4 Corners

    A very creative version of compounding 4 corners of consisting of 10 hand release merkins, 20 jump squats, 30 reverse crunches, 40 money humpers. YHC was the six… mosey to the triangle and Henrico County’s most exclusive park on Ridge Rd.

    Triple Check

    Pace car runs to River and Ridge intersection and back

    mountain climbers and box cutters to round out the exercises

    mosey to Ridge and Ross

    Catch Me if You Can

    rounds of bear crawls and merkins

    jump squats and broad jumps

    mountain climbers and lunges

    repeato to the triangle.

    back to the flag for some mobility and 3 minutes of Mary

    Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out

    See slack for the full details

    Jan 24th – Pigskin led The Bridge

    Superbowl Saturday – The Frozen Triangle

    Two years ago, while I was shuffling between supporting my M at her weekly Prenatal Appointment and jumping to a coffee with a broker friend, for some reason I went home to re-charge and reset before my third round of caffeine that morning. Something just told me to be home.

    I needed to be home for what came through the phone lines around 9:30 that morning. I received the call you never can plan for from my little brother. He shared the shocking and heartbreaking news of Dad passing earlier that morning doing something he loved: working out. In the two years since, not a day goes by that I wonder how I’ll ever get past losing my North Star. You can read about this awesome guy here: https://f3rva.org/2024/05/01/happy-64th-dad/

    Dad shows up in ways every day. Sometimes it’s my son’s belly laugh, other times, an expected blessing. This morning he picked the first song on Shuffle as YHC drove to First Watch…. one of his faves and fitting for a pre-5am Wednesday morning

    To say the last couple of years have been a rollercoaster of highs and lows would be an understatement. Nothing can ever prepare you for heartbreak, overseeing your parent’s affairs, all while trying to grow a business and make sure you’re being the better than best dad and husband.

    Fortunately, the last couple of months I’ve started to shift over from treading water to swimming again. Searching for that North Star no longer became my journey, becoming that North Star became my purpose. I shared a couple years ago that it was my turn to own the next 64 years, taking the torch from my North Star. 2 years later, I’m encouraged I’m getting closer that promise.

    Thanks for letting me lead and share today. Enjoyed it! SYITG

  • The Three Stooges

    Guess I’ll write this backblast, hopefully Draper doesn’t as well.

    A non-Salisbury route was selected to change things up, Bullseye recommended the mines and YHC offered up an old Off the Books route down Coalfield, Draper helped on the finer details. Down Coalfield, dropped into The Grove over to the cut through to Midlothian Mines, around the lake and up Mount Midlo home. Total a little over 4 miles.

    Good conversation was had. Three Stooges title, which I’m sure has been used before, came as car stopped to enter a parking lot, waiting for us to cross, and we couldn’t have handled much worse trying to avoid a collision with the car and ourselves. It was comical.

    -Singer

  • RuckTrey Wednesday

    The normal crowd of two showed up today for our normal Wednesday ruck in the neighborhood. Today’s conversation started with Matlock’s unruly dishwasher, followed by appliance woes in general, how working for Amazon is a get rich quick scheme but how it’s also just a terrible company to work for.

    Did our normal ruck, about 3 miles in 50 minutes.

  • Pain with Purple Rain

    YHC had no real plan for the morning because I thought I would be solo but then a different car appears from out of the Gloom and Purple Rain emerges.

    Mosey to door 1 for COP, while trying to remember the name of an exercise (Imperial Walkers) YHC decided the doors was always a crowd pleaser

    Starting at door 1 we alternated LBC’s and American Hammers by door 33 we had abs of steel so it was decided that what goes up must come down so reverso 33 to 1 with Squats and single count lunges. At door 20 on the way up we did 40 because of the A and B doors (IYKYK) and on the way down we did 20 Merkins and 20 LBCs.

    We made it back to door 8 but ran out of time and had to head BTTF

    Numbers / Names Purple Rain took us out

    NMS: That was harder than it looked, my abs are screaming. Thanks Purple Rain for joining YHC this morning, that probably wouldn’t have gotten done if you were not there.

  • Where is Upchuck?

    I am outside a hotel in Florida and he is not here. I run up and down Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd and can’t find him. I also have some older lady stop me and ask “you look like someone who reads books about WWII history”.

    Is that an insult or a pickup line? And just like Las Vegas in the good old days, she hands me a card. But this time it hypes up her book “The Navigators Letter” and not a strip club. Preorders available now as jancressdondi.com. I am able to navigate back to the hotel and will head back to RVA tonight.

  • Creek Hopping & Hill Crawling

    11 gloom studs tackled an off-trail adventure this morning that was perfectly suited for our favorite boy scout Doner Kebab, but perhaps the joke about ruck pull-ups thwarted his attendance. The all new 2.7 mile route (see pic on Slack) redefined the “outer loop” of Larus Park and started with a tiny jaunt trespassing around the Sabot School grounds, then back onto the North end of the park trail system, and then followed along Chippenham with quite a few steep decents, creek crossings, and incline bear crawls up steep leafy slopes. Akin to a gaggle of boy scouts on their first woods adventure, the PAX were in high spirits to conquer these little challenges, and in honor of our Credo dutifully completed squats (or other reps) for the SIX on many an occasion. TClaps to Sable and Doublemint bringing in the SIX. Been a LONG time since we enjoyed Doublemint’s fine company, and was also great to have his 2.0 Spinal Tap with us before he heads back to Colorado State this weekend. The PAX completed the Larus loop via off-trail woods between a couple houses and a small development, regrouped at Sneeds Nursery, then a final jaunt on trail back through to Trader Joes. COT included prayer for LWoods paralegal who lost her father yesterday, and for YHC’s church friend battling depression/suicide. Dealer and YHC decided ruck-wearing pull-ups would be a solid CSAUP challenge, and Snip, Sable, Bromance and L Woods joined the pull-up fun. YHC proudly completed two chin-ups carrying 40 pounds, but foresees great gains with a full year of pull-up strength training. The mobile pull-up station attached to YHC’s truck now proudly sports the numbers 1-26 on one 2×4 and 27-52 on the other, with those PAX completing the 2026 pull-up challenge able to sign the boards next to each week/number they complete. You versus you. GET SOME, AYE!!! Yours, DTH

    Announcements (SEE SLACK!)

    • Dry January Ongoing
    • Weekly Forge Coffee + QSource
    • 2/7 Frozen Triangle
    • Monthly: Breaking Bread, Bridge (1/24)

  • Solo run group ruck

    Bam took off to get his 4 mile run in as he had to get to a meeting early in the morning. Remaining group rucked 3.1 miles going to the bottom of Giles and returning to flag.

    Great conversation and workout as we walked a fast pace.

    Numberama, namerama, No Idea took us out in prayer.

    Great workout this morning gents, see you in the gloom…Cheers…CB!

  • Broken Rope Not Spirit

    YHC showed up for Monday’s workout and Yardsale was making his way in for the workout…just to this am so here is what went down.

    COP

    Mosey to East Entrance to AHS and 20 SSH, 10 4ct helicopters, 10 Imperial walkers, 20 American Hammers, 20 LBC’s, 10 Alabama prom dates, Figure 4 left leg 20 reps, right leg 20 reps. 10 Reverse scorpion.

    THANG

    YHC had 2 jump ropes(JR). Bro Code today. 50 reps JR – Lunge to lot and lunge back. repeato 2 times. TC #1, Next 50 reps JR, bernie saunders to curb and slow mosey back. Repeato 2 more times for TC #2. Next 50 reps JR, then wall sit for 30 seconds, repeato 2 more times for TC #3. Broken rope…so we mosey to curb. for 11’s – 10 calf raises, bear crawl to opposite curb 1 – merkin, walk back 9 calf raises, bear crawl to opposite curb 2 merkins…repeato until 1 calf raise, bear crawl to 10 merkins.

    COT

    Mosey back to flag, stretch for 2 minutes. numberama and namerama. Yardsale took us out in prayer.

    Great workout…soo you in the gloom soon…Cheers…CB!

  • The Great Outdoors

    2 Mammoth Brutes emerged from the gloom for a mammoth beatdown sure to wreck the shoulder and upper body regions! Here’s how she went!

    Warmarama – do some light stretching and take a harsh combination of marches up and down the FB field.

    CoP1 – Gorilla Complex – 8 Reps/Exer – 8 Sets – switch KB’s on even sets. Run 50 yards and Bernie back between every set.

    • 2 Arm Curls
    • Squat Thrusters
    • Tricep Extension
    • Single Arm OH Press

    CoP2. – MoT I’m the 3rd to 50 yrd / perform 10 Merkin PT’s / Rifle Carry to 100 yrd line to perform 10 Merkins / Rifle Carry back to 50 yrd line to perform 10 more Merkin PT’s and finish with I’m the 3rd to 0. Swap KB’s and repeat.

    CoP Finisher – Mosey to the 50 and perform 10 Knee Ups / Mosey to the 100 perform Pain Crunchers / Mosey back to 50 for 10 Knee UPS and back to 0

    CoT – Commando took us out in prayer!

    Moleskin: don’t forget to slow down and enjoy Gods creations, the people in our lives and the outdoors is proof that there is a greater power!

  • Joey’s Hot Dogs

    8 of met for lunch at Joey’s Hot Dogs in Innsbrook. Discussions on various assorted topics including ‘why is it that if I run a route one way, the elevation change is different when I run the same route in reverse?’