Tag: 45 Minutes of Mary

Nine strong came out to enjoy the balmy conditions (relative to yesterday) and start their day off right. 7 boot campers and 2 walkers enjoyed the 70 and sunny weather. Here’s how it went down…

COP: Jog out a block and back to warm up, then circle up by school. Dead Man’s Hang, SSHs, Don Quixotes, Arm Circles, Helicopters and finally side elbow planks.

Mosey to the blacktop for a Triple Check of People’s Chair, Plank with Spider man stretches and run out to the fence and Bernie Sanders back. This warmed the group up so much we decided to do 5 rounds instead of the customary 3.

Mosey to the tennis courts. Here began the exercises that took inspiration from what is called “Dryland Training” in the Ice Hockey community. Otherwise known as boot camp training to most. The Russian National Ice Hockey team’s coach Anatoly Tarasov employed these training tactics in the 50s and 60s for a team that dominated international ice hockey at the time.

First exercise: Bridge Rolls. Start in a plank position, raise up hand and leg on one side, rotate over to crab cake position, rotate over again back to plank and continue for 5 rotations, then rotate back to start point. We did 3 rounds of this.

Second exercise: Partner Stand ups. Partners sitting toe to toe lock arms and stand up, and then down together in unison, slowly and in balance. Repeat 10 times. Then sit back to back, lock arms and standup in unison, slowly and in balance. Repeat 10 times.

Third Exercise: Compass Point Jumps. Starting from a center point, Jump with both feet together forward then back to center, then backward and back to center, to the right then back to center, then left and back to center. Do this 5 times. Then do 20 LBCs and wait for the six. Repeat 3 times as a group.

Fourth Exercise: Sprint Box. On one half of a tennis court, starting in one corner sprint from baseline to the net, do crossovers to far side of net, Bernie Sanders back to baseline, do crossovers the other way back to starting point. Repeat 3 times. Crossovers are basically high knee steps, crossing your one foot over the other in one direction. Common ice hockey drill.

Mosey to the street and line up for an Indigenous People’s run – up to Cary then back to Pavilion with anchor man sprinting to the front of the line.

At the Pavilion, partner up for Hop and Catch. Partners hop from one foot to other, tossing a ball (lacrosse ball in this case) to each other throwing/catching with one hand. If the ball falls to the ground, partners do 10 dips each. The final “dryland” training exercise was Zig Zag Skaters – hopping from one foot to the other, going as wide as you can and landing/balancing on that one foot only alternating feet. Group did this together for 20 reps.

Mosey back to parking lot to finish with a ring of fire of Merkins.

Numberama, Namerama. YHC was stuck on Wednesday and announced a HHDH that had already occurred. Bodos pointed out we’d need a time machine to attend which always brings in interesting time travel dilemmas. YHC took us out

Thanks for letting me lead. Hope everyone had a little fun as well.

6 bootcampers + 2 Walkers = a great 8 for 45 minutes of Mary. Here’s what went down:

COP on the blacktop: Stretching, SSHs, DQs, Imperial Walkers, Copperhead Squats, Ukrainian Soldiers, LBCs, Hand release Merkins.

Long Mosey to Reveille UMC back lot pavilion.

Picnic Table Extravaganza:

• Exercise 1: Ninnie Knockers. Sitting on a picnic table, leaning back on elbows, toes pointed to the floor so that entire body is a straight line. The “1” count is bring knees as close to your chest as you can, “2” is to extend with your toes pointing straight to the floor, “3 and 4” is repeat. In 4-count cadence. 20 IC.
• Exerise 2: Wingnuts: Sitting on picnic table, feet under bench, leaned back to approx. 15 degrees with back and neck straight, fists touching in front of chest so that elbows point parallel with shoulders, rotate waist so that each elbow touches the table top. Complete in 4-count cadence. 20 IC.
• Exercise 3: Marios: Double Box jumps on picnic tables … Jump to seat, jump to tabletop, walk down the other side. Turn around and do it back up the other side. 5 times total.
• Exercise 4: Hail Marys: Partner up.. First man elbow planking on ground, second man with his legs on first back doing dips with his hands on picnic table. Each man performs 3 sets of 20.
• Exercise 5: Coyote Uglys: Starting in a wheel barrow position with partner, start on the ground and step up to picnic table seat with your hands , complete 1 Merkin, step up to top of the table, 1 Merkin, step back down to the seat, 1 Merkin, step down to the ground, 1 Merkin. That completes 1 rep. Goal is 5 reps for each guy. No one could really do this. Hutton got the record with 4 total.
• Exercise 6: Back to Wingnuts. x20 IC.

DORA: new partner. 100 Merkins // 200 LBCs // 300 Squats. Partner runs to the end of the lot, Bernie Sanders back.

Mosey back to the flag, stop halfway for 5 burpees

COP at the flag: American Hammers, Freddie Mercuries.

Namerama, Numberama, YHC took us out.

Great work guys! SYITG.

9 Friends of the Gloom converged at Mary for the 11th day of Christmas. No pipers piping were in sight. Instead, here’s what happened:

COP on the blacktop. Stretching stuff

Ye Old 100: perform a set of exercises, then run the 1/4 track.

• 100 SSHs, run a lap
• 90 2x Flutter Kicks, run a lap
• 80 Squats, run a lap
• 70 LBS. Run a lap
• 60 2x Mtn Climbers, run a lap.
• 50 WW2s, run a lap.
• 40 Merkins, run a lap.
• 30 2x American Hammers, run a lap.
• 20 Jump Squats, NOJ style. run a lap.
• 10 Burpees. run a lap.

Upchuck was penalized 3 additional burpees for starting before the Q said go.

Back to the flag: 3 additional burpees. Namerama, Numberama, YHC took us out.

NMS: Great to welcome Silver Centrum from Roanoke today. Hope to see you more often now that you are up here for work. Great mumblechatter despite the running, including the usage of the phrase “scrotum juice.” Ask Upchuck for context.

Lots of people make resolutions, but they really translate into change. Real personal change comes through tiny habits, the daily committment to life-giving routines that end up in change for the long haul. As Neitzsche wrote, it’s “The Long Obedience in the Same Direction” that counts. This is what F3 is about.

SYITG.

Seven world travelers emerged from the gloom for a rare Faceplant Q at a soggy and warm 45MOM. Two walkers departed and the remaining four plus a late comer Fudd started with some stretches. It went down like this, stretching as this is always important. Then 10 SSHs since we were all warmed up. Then the travel began:

Race to the world map painted on the black top, goal was to be the first one to get to Egypt. Once at Egypt YHC announced that Egypt was where YHC lived and grew up in his youth. The first one there gave a number between 1-10, and the last person to arrive gave another number between 1-10. Florence gave a 1 and the last person said 9 (YHC will refrain from calling them out, but the name was also forgotten). That gives us 19, so it was 19 burpees around the world map.

Next up timed 15 minute exercise:

• 3 minutes of high-low plank, every 15 seconds in a rotating fashion one person goes to low plank while all others are in high plank
• 3 minutes of WW2s
• 3 minutes total, first part was a set number of burpees and second part was air squats
• 3 minutes of flutter kicks
• 3 minutes of bear crawl one way across the world and crawl bear the other way

Next up YHC dug deep into the Exicon for the Blueberry Biscuit, we moseyed over to the tennis courts. It goes like this, 4 laps around all the tennis courts, each lap stop and do 10 burpees together and wait for the 6, then sprint the straight aways and jog the short parts. Rinse and repeat 4 times.

Next up race to South Africa, all the PAX race from the tennis courts to stand on South Africa. Before YHC moved to Richmond YHC lived in South Africa for two years. Rounding out two stints of living in Africa. There was much discussion about how big Africa is which led us to have a discussion about the Hardest Geezer, a brit who is running the length of Africa. Look him up on YouTube, he’s incredible. https://youtube.com/@hardestgeezer?si=BQf_0zp0SeIuZuxq

From the world map we did a double triple check. Break up into pairs, first person runs across the blacktop and does two carolina dry docks, then waiting person is holding a deep squat. After that it was stretching and mosey back to the flag for names and announcements.

YHC took us out. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this morning.

Since the neolithic dawn of humanity, men have seen the Winter Solstice as a moment of numinous significance in our collective journeys around the sun. Four men and two other men gathered in the deep dark of the day of the longest night to celebrate the diminution of the light and summon the sun to another year of radiance. This is how we celebrated the solstice together after some warming COP:

The Death and Rebirth of the Sun. Elbow plank around a flickering candle, representing the deep fires of history that have warmed our souls through the dark winters of time. Upon the call of the Q, the Pax lept to their feet and ran 10 paces, performed 10 burpees, and ran back to the radiant center to elbow plank again. Next round: 20 paces / 20 jump squats. Third round: 30 paces/ 30 merkin. Fourth round: 40 paces, 40 monkey humpers. Fifth round: 50 paces, 50 LBCs. End this ritual with picklepounding round the candle, which made Swirly uncomfortable.

The Extension and Diminution of Time. We performed with our bodies a physical representation of the the singular point which is December 21, at which time has collapsed into its thinnest span, and also upon which it begins its extenuation outward towards its fullest length. We began with 7 squats at each corner. Next round: 14 Merkins at each corner. Next round: 21 LBCs at each corner. Next round: 14 Carolina Dry Docks each corner. Final round: 7 Burpees each corner

The Magical Properties of the Yule Log for Summoning the Coming Warmth: In our final excercise we summoned the magic of the yule log as told by the ancient Germanic tradition. In triple check fashion, P1 performed Lutenitent Dans, P2 performed American Hammers, while P3 carried the yule log to the pavillion and back.

Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out with one final Sostice tradition. While gathered around the candle of hope, we cast any unwanted woes and vices from the year past into the flame, and invited renewal. Saab threw his knee pain into the fire, YHC threw in his negative attitude toward his teenagers, and Swirly resolved to not be so passive and to get in more fights.

8 Hardy Souls arrived to find perfect conditions of 70 degrees and sunny for a solid start to their day. Here’s what transpired…

COP – 56 SSHs, Dead Man’s Hang, 14 Imperial Walkers, 14 Arm Circles, 14 Don Quixotes and 14 Ukrainian Soldiers.

Mosey to the blacktop for four corners – only thing missing was Fudd and his dislike of this particular exercise plan. In his honor we did 4 rounds of the following – 14 LBCs, 14 Merkins, 14 Flutter Kicks and 14 Crab Cakes. One member of the pax mumbled about repetitive exercises but to no avail.

Mosey to the field for a version of 11s (or 10s) depending on how many trees you think are on the Cary Street side. Whatever the number, we performed 5 exercises at each tree. Three rounds of this – one doing jump squats, one doing hand release Merkins and one doing mountain climbers. That got the PAX breathing hard.

Mosey to the pavilion and partner up. Partner 1 performs 14 pole smokers while partner 2 does Lt Dans. Four rounds of this were executed. One member of the pax initiated his approach to the pole perhaps a bit too quickly but luckily was wearing his foreskin head cover that averted any serious injury. No need for concussion protocol.

Numberama, Namerama and Prayer. Hitch’s M is due with their third child in June. He is prepping for that and for his mother and his mother-in-law coming to town. Prayers for him.

A solid 16 showed for Mary, which included descendants of Pucker and YHC. What an opportunity to showcase elder-exercise routines and turn of the century humor. Copious amounts of mosey and merkins where supplied. Suggestions for alternative exercises were ignored (Handshake), although a brief visit to observe the tomatoes was gladly accommodated.

Saab abides

This morning brought 8 bootcampers and 2 walkers, one of whom recently returned from a muddy adventure down under. After some jolly greetings and mockery, the pack of 8 moseyed up to Commonwealth and Hanover.

COP: Given that we were conducting the COP in the middle of a sleeping neighborhood, we were mindful of our volume. Have you ever led a COP in which everyone whispers? This is what we did, and it made Swirly very uncomfortable.

Burpee Alley: Run the length of Hanover from Westmoreland to Shadwell and perform 3 burpees at every lamppost. Mosey across Grove to parking lot of Jenny Maragy realty.

Wall to Wall: Partner up at Jenny Maragy’s lot. Round 1: P1 runs to wall and performs 10 2x Chicken Peckers, P2 Wall Sit with overhead press. 3x. // Round 2: P1 runs to wall and performs 10 Donkey Kicks, P2 wall sit with milking the cow (or yak). 3x. // Round 3: P1 runs to wall and performs 10 2-count dirty hookups, P2 Wall sit with toes/knees/hands in the air. 3x. Mosey east down Grove to Lock Lane. 

Lock Lane: Occasional stoppages to pick up the six and conduct ab excercises. Stop at the First Pres Parking Lot.

Merkin Plank Jax Routine: 1 Merkin, 4 Plank Jax. 2 Merkins, 8 plank Jax. All the way up to 5, back down again. Everyone was groaning like a wounded ox.

Mosey back to the flag, stopping at various points for COP.

Namerama, Numberama, YHC took us out after some wise words from TYA and some good advice about why never to poop in a box.

SYITG