Tag: Batteau

Forest Hill Park

  • The Night We Saw Them All

    A PAX eclipsing 40 ditched all common sense for about 18 hours to receive a plentiful helping of each of the three Fs.  This was the F3RVA Century Classic.

    YHC has conversed with a number of individual PAX members about their experience, taking notes during the event and thinking about how to transcribe all of these memories into a backblast.  There is no way YHC could do the stories justice by attempting to capture them for the collective PAX.  Then, after chatting with Lockjaw and the (sober) Ronnie, it became clear.  Treat the backblast as a living backblast.  YHC will make no attempt to capture the essence of this workout, only setting the stage for each and every PAX member to capture it for himself.

    My memories are collected below.  I encourage everyone to add to this list by commenting with your favorite memory.

    Leg 1:  Trying to contain my energy for the CSAUP while stuck in traffic for opening night of the squirrels game
    Leg 2:  Praying for Saab on Meadowbridge and Atlee Rd.  Kudos to all that ran that leg, a true game of frogger
    Leg 3:  All the Mechanicsville PAX member who were not running, companion running with the actual runners.  Kudos!
    Leg 4:  The Creek parking lot is great for fellowship.  This truly felt like a tailgate parking lot.  The energy, games and conversation were all electric.
    Leg 5:  The headlamp on my run reflecting all the pollen flying through the air with me initially thinking it was raining.  30 minutes later realizing all that pollen was being sucked into my lungs at an incredible rate.
    Leg 6:  Hearing of TYA and Swirly questioning if YHC actually marked his legs of the course and me telling them where they can shove it.
    Leg 7:  Realizing how peaceful and quiet the city can be when when you are in it and surrounded by trees.  The new moon highlighted the stars and all their brilliance.
    Leg 8:  Showing up to Hoedown and having Ronnie greet us after his enjoyable evening.
    Leg 9:  Marv almost taking out another animal with his running shoes.
    Leg 10:  Thinking about how comfortable it is to try to sleep on the top of a picnic table.
    Leg 11:  Watching the back and forth between Saab complaining about not being able to sleep and Upchuck for waking him up.
    Leg 12:  Waving to the UR security guard while sitting in a white van with 4 men laying on the ground.  He waved and continued by.
    Leg 13:  Marv learning that Fudd was going to show up only for leg 18 and would still get a tshirt.
    Leg 14:  Seeing Lockjaw drive 20 in a 45 on Charter Colony so he could stay between the lines.
    Leg 15:  Reminding Marv that Fudd was still sleeping.
    Leg 16:  Hearing of a certain individual’s multiple escapades to the bathroom at a singular Wawa.
    Leg 17:  Making the van take a 3 mile detour to Wawa so YHC could get a breakfast hoagie, thus missing the final hand-off.
    Leg 18:  Pulling into Dogpile, realizing it was almost over and thinking the whole experience was too fast.

    This humble correspondent would like to thank everyone involved with making this event successful, especially those listed in the QIC list.  Without it, this would have been a completely stupid and utterly failure of an event.

    Splinter out.

  • Pre-Dawn Picnic

    Six helmets met at Forest Hill Park for a pre-dawn picnic hot potato style, that went something like this:

    Swirly served appetizers: SSH’s / Helicopters / DQs / Merkins / Flutter Kicks x 10 each. Time for the main course. 20 of our favorite dips, followed by 15 incline Merkins and 10 decline Merkins. 3 portions per serving, each.

    Pass to Sippy Cup to start off the partner up pot luck. Partner 1 planks with a rock on his back while partner 2 runs up the steps to secure (and touch) a picnic table. Back down to the picnic blanket and switch. Round 2: Partner 1 sits crab (dip) style (rock in lap) while Partner 2 runs back up the picnic table to make sure the flies aren’t bad. Back down to the picnic blanket and switch.

    Pass to YHC for a mosey to the tennis court to get away from the bees, where 11s crab walk (dip) style was served. PAX lined up on the sideline and crabwalked to the mid-court line and back. WWIIs and LBCs were on the menu. Al Gores and a 15 count to make sure the food wasn’t to hot. Burpee Progression Suicides were next. An aquired taste. The PAX was full, and burpeed from side line to side line, 1 burpee at line one, 2 burpees at line 2, etc. 5-1 working back to the picnic area for 15 modified Cherry Pickers IC.

    Pass to Bootleg. Flies were bad. Time to mosey to the plaground. On the way, Hardywood and YHC may have sung song and verse, Playground by Another Bad Creation, IC.

    Pullups (7), Dips (14) LBCs (21) OYO x 3. The PAX was filling up quickly.

    Pass to Hardywood. Heard some comotion going on with a nearby family reunion, so we moseyed down to the lower tennis courts to see what was happening. Nothing to see here. Back to the flag – but first, we stopped to smell the roses: 9 trees. 1 hand release Merkin, 1 two-count American Hammer, increase by one at each tree.

    At the flag, a few minutes to spare before we had to pack up our picnic baskets and leave the park. Hardywood felt like a pie eating contest was in order. Circle up. Each PAX member ate 5 1-arm Merkins left arm, and 5 1 arm-Merkins right arm, while the remaining PAX tucked in their bibs in plank position.

    Numberama / Namorama / Announcements

    CSAUP is this weekend. Do it for the t-shirt.

    Sippy Cup took us out.

    Glad to be joined today by Forceps out of Raleigh / Wake-South. He and a bunch of his Raleigh Meats are doing the Blue Ridge Relay. Their original team name was so good, the host committee sent them a nice letter thanking them and asking them to change it. Catch up with Forceps at the BRR for the real story. NSFW

    It was a great day for a picnic. Many wonderful dishes were served. We ate like Kings, created only memories, took only photos and left only footprints.

  • Introduction to John Merkinroe

    Four Batteau regulars, plus one from far away places gathered for a quasi-hot potato workout.  Weather was a touch windy, but otherwise pleasant.  Lab Rat offered to take the Q, but Vinnie had a plan to try out so we stuck with the hot potato…Sippy jumped in at the end to make it official.

    COP- SSH, IW, Helicopters, DQ, arm circles, hand release merkins, LBC.

    THANG-

    John Merkinroe- 4 corners on the tennis courts,  5 hand wipe merkins?, 15 werkins, 30 merkins, 40 hand release merkins (ouch).  Then partner up, 1 partner does tennis court tracers while partner 2 does excercises:  WW2 situps, and hello dollies.

    Love Hill of Ill Repute:  Partner up and run the hill/do exercises while making your way up:  Lt Dans, Broad Jump Burpees, and walk out merkins.

    Rock planks:  Grab a rock and partner up.  Partner holds plank with rock on back, other partner does 20 WW2 situps.  Switcheroonies.

    Pass the baby:  everybody on their sixes side by side.  Pass the rock from one person to the next and back.  Repeato slowly.

    NMS-

    Lab Rat is off work this week for kids’ spring break so decided to travel this morning.  Batteau is a really cool AO that normally is just too dang far to make, but it was an easy decision this morning with no rush to be anywhere until later.

    Vinnie has been perusing the exicon, presumably getting ready for a VQ.  He wanted a taste this morning, and thoroughly thumped YHC’s arms with a buttload of merkins.  The snot wipers…..or whatever they call them….where tough.  Also, 40 hand releases brought out the groan machine!

    Great way to start the day.  Breathe deep and be thankful.

    Apology of the week goes to the Forest Hill neighborhood residents.  Sorry that I rode around looking like a prowler this morning looking for the AO instead of using a smart phone and actual directions.  No harm, no foul though.

    Lab Rat apologizes…

  • Spring will spring eventually

    Four men converged on the Stone House at Forest Hill Park to top off their tanks with motivation and camaraderie sufficient to begin another week.

    Per the official record this is how this Hot Potato QIC came together

    Swirly lead the COP in the gully courtyard: all in cadence – SSH x 20, Merkin x 20, DQ x 10, Whirlybirds x 10, LBC x 20

    Swirly commanded the PAX choose a token of his esteem and proceed to the path:

    • Set: Exercise with token, overhead carry to top of hill, 5 left hand on token merkins, 5 right hand on token merkins, carry back to start
    • Exercises: (May need clarification from Swirly) 10 x Overhead raises, 10 x arm curls

    Baton passed to Sippy Cup

    Sippy directed the PAX return to courtyard with tokens in hand and arrange in a four sided circle

    • Set 1: Right hand token merkin, Left hand token merkin, plank walk sideways to next token and repeat – total of 3 times to arrive at new token (not all tokens indicate the same level of esteem so it must be shared), 10 step ups on wall with newly assigned token, back to four sided circle
    • Set 2: Repeat Set 1
    • Set 3: Repeat Set 1 but move to left
    • Set 4: Repeat Set 3

    My Cousin Vinny sensed his biological clock ticking as he took the reins

    • Indigenous Peoples Run – 6 does 5 merkins, up the hill and around to flag and back to courtyard
    • Crab walk around the courtyard
    • Bear crawl around the courtyard
    • 10 jump squats in cadence

    PAX was crabby after this one

    YHC finished us off

    • Return the tokens of esteem to their resting place to be replenished with esteem until next time
    • Mosey to playground
    • Set 1 – repeat three times: 5 pull ups, 10 dips, 10 incline merkins
    • Set 2 – repeat three times: 5 pull ups, 20 LBC
    • Plank variations for a few minutes

    Back to the flag, numbers and names, Vinny took us out

    NMS:

    YHC was glad to be back at Batteau after a couple weeks off tending to responsibilities and nursing injuries. I wasn’t sure how my ribs would do after the Saturday beat down but was pleasantly surprised. The healing progresses. Thankfully I have been able to keep running throughout and the silver lining is my legs, lungs, and heart had a chance to get in better running shape. Bring on the Stupidity!

    Vinny, thanks for taking us out. Glad you’re all in and becoming an F3 regular. Keep it up. Swirly and Sippy, stalwarts as always. Good start to the week.

     

  • Live Like No One Else, So You Can Live Like No One Else

    “If you will live like no one else, later you can live and give like no one else.” – Dave Ramsey

    Five warriors rose to greet the dawn of a new day.  The conditions were ripe for success.  The fee of admission today was to show up and being on the right side of the dirt.  According to legend, this rock filled hot potato Q went a little something like this.

    Swirly Q:

    COP: IC X 10, SSH, Don Quiote, Helicopter, Cherry Pickers

    Grab a rock and mosey up the hill.

    Cinco de Awesome:

    Round 1 – With rock 10 X curls, overhead press.  Run to tree and back.

    Round 2 – With rock 10 X curls, overhead press, squats.  Run to tree and back

    Round 3 -With rock 10 X curls, overhead press, squats, WWII situps.  Run to tree and back

    Round 4 -With rock 10 X curls, overhead press, squats, WWII situps, bench press.  Run to tree and back

    Pass the Q to Wheelbarrow:

    Mosey over to the playground.

    Trifecta – 3 Rounds of 5 pull-ups, 10 dips and a run to some random ass tree as long as it is green and has leaves, you know because we are in FOREST Hill Park in total darkness and vagaries here should do just fine.

    NA Run around the playground with a rock overhead or close to chest.

    Pass the Q to Hardywood:

    Super Four Corners – Snuggle up to the rock of success for a circumnavigation around the outside of all three tennis courts.  At each corner alternate 10 Hand Release Merkins or 10 WWII Strict Situps.

    Pass the Q to Goldberg:

    4 Rounds of bear crawl curb to curb in the cul-de-sac followed by an exercise.

    Round 1 &Round 2: YHC was in complete oxygen deprivation and forgot these.  So sue me.

    Round 3: 20 WWII situps

    Round 4: 10 burpees

    Down the hill to put up rocks and back to the flag.

    Numberama, namerama, YHC took us out.

    This was an absolute smokefest.  Way to crush it fellas.  Great to have Goldberg and Wheelbarrow in tow.

    The title comes from the great Dave Ramsey.  If there’s anything that that guy is, it is consistent.  The line “If you will live like no one else, later you can live and give like no one else.” is a testament to doing the hard work now, to make sacrifices today for the life you want to live.  As we’ve had a bunch of new guys over the last few weeks, this thought has kept coming up for YHC. How much would you intentionally sacrifice to have the life you want?  Would you be willing to “live like no one else” (get up early, go to be early, push yourself to the brink of vomit, not be good at something in front of your peers, get some random nickname, drink less, eat better, etc.) so that you can “live like no one else” (have a daily source of pride, clarity, focus and health in an environment whose only barrier to entry is that you show up, lose weight, have actual friends, etc.).

    It does not get easier, but it does get better.

    Be super,

    Hardywood

     

     

     

  • Back to the gloom

    Two heroes gathered in the extra-gloomy gloom for a HPQ workout.  It went something like this:

    Swirly lead. COP.  20x SSH, 10X Don Quixote,  20x LBC, 20x Flutter kicks.

    Mosey to tennis courts.  Lunge across 10x Merkins at start and end.  Lunge back.  Same with Russian Soldiers.  Same with Reverse lunge except substitute WWIIs.

    Mosey to Bowl.  3 sets of 20x dips, 10x incline merkins and 10x WWIIs.

    Sippy lead.  Get rocks and do 3 sets of 20 second air chair with rock, 10x seated twists with rock, and 8x crossover merkins.  Return rocks.

    Mosey to Playground area for some hangs all with chin up grip:  10 count in cadence chin above bar.  10 count dead hang.  10 count with 90 degree elbow, 10 count with back of neck on bar.  Then 5 regular pullups.

    Mosey to tennis courts for tracers, but at each time you reach the net do: round 1: 3x Burpees.  round 2: 10x WW2s.

    Swirly lead.  Mosey to picnic tables for 3 sets of 10x dips, 10x step-ups, and 10x Decline merkins.  Then Flutter kicks (20x), Freddie Mercuries (20x) and alternating 6 inches and 90 degrees for ~2 min.

    Jog together back to Swirly’s house, and Sippy took us out.

    Moleskin.  Not much mumblechatter today–we were ready to work, and had fun pushing each other.  It was also nice to jog back to Swirly’s house together at the end–he’s lived there 22 years!

  • Rapids, Rocks and Running….Oh My!!

    3 fleet footed warriors rose to greet the dawn of a new day.  As expected it was 70 and sunny.  We were on the move intent on seizing the day. According to legend it went a little something like this.

    Long mosey through the Forest Hill neighborhood and down the 42nd street stairs.  A little COP action.

    IC: SSH X 20, DQ X 10, Mark Spitz X 20, HRM X 10

    3 Rounds: 10 HRM, 20 Deep Squat, 30 2 ct Mark Spitz

    Native American Burpee Run to Reedy Creek

    Triple Check: Decline Merkins on a boulder, Strick WWII SU, run through parking lot up hill to Riverside and back.

    Mosey to The Real Hillcrest.  Lamp post 1 bear crawl, lamp post 2 lunge, lamp post 3 crawl bear.  Run the rest of the way up this never ending hill.

    Mosey back to flag and finish with 10 burpees OYO.

    Numberama, namerama, YHC remotely took us out.

    Moleskin:  Richmond’s finest took quite an interest in our tribe this morning. There were more passes than Brett Favre at cheerleading tryouts.  With this smaller crew and in an effort to keep it fresh, we got moving! YHC loves the James River and on the driver’s license field for blood type, YHC enters “river water”.  The crawl bear up The Real Hillcrest was no joke!  As has become standard practice, Sippy completed every last step!  YHC took a liberal intepretation as to exactly where the physical boundary of each light post was and generously gauged proximity. In the midst of the post workout mumble chatter and small group, YHC completely forgot to take us out.  YHC owns this and provides the deepest apologies.

    Major props to the great Vinny for posting 5 out of 10 days! Absolutely awesome.

    Congrats to TYA for his complete and total domination of his recent 100 mile quest.  We may have to do a special coffeteria for an in person back blast. Kind of like a poetry reading but not terrible.

    Keep on being super!

    Hardywood

  • Boulder time

    5 strong  posted for a Monday morning beatdown and here is how it went down.

    Warm up: SSH’s, Helicopters , Windmills, IW’s Fluttler kicks, LBC’s

    Boulder Circle : Grab a boulder – 3 sets -of 10 – curls, sit ups, over head press

    Boulder Hill : Walk up hill with boulder over your head – at the top ten merkins – walk back down hill with the boulder at your chest – at the bottom 10 curls. Repeat 3 times

    Boulder wall : Sit on wall – press boulder over your head 10 times – pass the bread side to side 5 times each side. Repeat 3 times.

    Mossy –

    Curb crawls : 1-5 and back down. Bear crawl – incline merkin – crawl bear back decline merkin.

    Loop: each of the pax run a loop while others do the exercise – exercises = Elbow plank – V up’s , Squats, LBC’s Merkins.

    Tennis Court :  Suicide – 10 donkey kicks – lunges 10 donkey kicks – Russian Solder 10 donkey kicks

    Playground: 5 pull ups – 10 dips – repeat 3 times

    Ring of Fire : 10 hand release merkins – 50 count 6 inches.

    The Scoop: The pax was in short sleeves and loving it this morning. Hard to complain with the weather like that in Feb! Yea they say it’s gonna get cold again but YHC is ready for spring – bring it ! The boulders are getting lot’s of love lately much to the pax’s enjoyment … Great way to start the week guys – way to push early on a Monday morning..

    Announcements :  Great F3  representation @ Flatline’s fathers memorial service – thanks to all who could make it out yesterday  and support our brother Flatline.

    CSAUP – is around the corner – sign up and train!

    TYA – big run coming up this weekend – please keep him in your thoughts and send him some positive vibes – YOU GOT THIS BROTHER – WE ARE PROUD OF YOU !

    Wheelbarrow took us out.

    See y’all in the gloom

  • Monday Funday

    6 warriors rose to greet the dawn of a new day.  The lens of success made it a nearly perfect 70 and sunny for a Hot Potato Q.  According to legend it went a little something like this.

    Hardywood COP: Mosey to duck pond, grab a rock and mosey to the base of the Hill of Ill Repute.

    10 Hand Release Merkins (arms out to the side) regular, 10 HRM right leg up, 10 HRM left leg up

    20 Mark Spitz (modified flutter kicks with arms extended straight over head)

    20 Squats with rock

    10 SSH Regular, 10 SSH Right Leg, 10 SSH Left Leg

    Pass to Bootleg: Dora

    Partner up.  One partner run up to the light and back.  Other partner is doing exercises.  Switch until completion.

    Exercises – 100 Dips, 100 LBC, 100 Lt. Dan

    Pass to Flatline:  Carry The Baby

    One partner runs with the rock.  Once that partner gets to a lamp post they call out in vain to the other partner and start doing squats.  Now, stay with me here.  The other partner that was called, starts running.  When they get to the partner who was squatting, they grab the rock and run to the next light pole.  While that partner is running with the rock, the partner who was squatting and waiting now starts doing mountain climbers until the partner with the rock gets to the next light pole.  Do this all the way around the pond.  Some how there were actually minimal verbal directions given here and we managed to pull it off.

    Pass to Wheelbarrow: Lindsey

    Decline Merkins/Box Jumps, 30/10, 25/15, 20/20, 15/25, 10/30

    Pass to Swirly: Check Your Head

    Start walking up hill with the rock over your head.  At the first light pole, bring it close to chest.  Alternate this until the flat area. Put rocks up and mosey back to the start. Unlike most of the NFL we completed this task without a concussion or getting anyone pregnant.

    Numberama, namerama, YHC took us out.

    Moleskin: Despite some clouds and a little rain, this group of men chose to laugh, support and challenge one another.  Even on the hardest days, there can be a little sunshine.  Just because your eyes can’t see it doesn’t mean your heart can’t feel it.

    Register for CSAUP if you haven’t already.

    Flatline has a hard job this week that he is more than capable of doing.

     

  • 70 and Rainy

    4 strong posted @ Batteau this morning and here is how it went down.

    COP: SSH’s, Windmills, IW’s, RS’s

    4 Loops: run loop while others do exercises which included – WW11’s, regular planks, and elbow planks, Flutter kicks, squats, LT. Dans.

    Arms:  5 pull ups, 10 incline merkins 15 dips – 4 sets.

    Indian Run around the front side of the park back to the circle.

    Curb Crawl : 1-5 ladder and back down. bear crawl to the curb incline merkin – crawl bear back decline merkin .

    Partner Leg toss : 3 sets of 20

    Tennis Court:  10 hand release merkins – lunge across to the fence – 10 donkey kicks run back – plank.  10 wide spread merkins high knees across to fence 10 donkey kicks run back – plank. 10 close grip merkins karaoke across to fence 10 donkey kicks run back 10 regular merkins .

    Mary : cross leg lifts – APD’s LBC’s.

    The mumble chatter this morning revolved around how nice and warm it was this morning – think we are all ready for spring/summer….  Been awhile since we sweated like that … Great work guys..

    Lot’s of folks within our F3 family continue to be  in our thoughts and prayers.

    Hardywood took us out>

    See y’all in the gloom…