Tag: DownRange

While spending the weekend with my parents at my home growing up in Roanoke, I decided to hit up F3. I got there about 45 minutes early and got about a 3 mile run in. When I got back at 625 am, I found several cars with F3 stickers, and a flag planted in the ground. But no PAX! Had I gotten the wrong time from the website? I thought maybe they were just doing a prerun like we do at Rock and Roll, but it was about 2 minutes from start time and no one was in sight. I decided to hit the playground in the distance. Got a set of Australian rows, and chair dips in and started another set and saw a few runner’s head lamps in the parking lot so I booked it back over. I closed in on them not wanting to sneak up on them in the dark and said “F3?” They all looked up at me and one of them I immediately recognized one of the PAX as someone I used to work with. Enough with the long intro. Here’s what happened.

Warmup was your standard. They did have some different names. Side strattle hops were side straddle shuffles, and Don quyotes were windmills.

Next we moseyed over to the basketball court where they pulled out their deck of F3 cards.

1 of the PAX pulls a card, and the rest of the PAX does the exercise while the one who pulled the card does a travel exercise as the timer. Each PAX would do suicides across the basketball court, and walking lunges.

Next we brought out 2 basketballs and played a game of knockout. PAX line up at the free throw line. If the next person in line gets the ball in the hoop before you do, then you are out. First person out gets to choose what exercise to do until the game is over. Champion gets to choose an exercise for everyone to do after the game.

Mosey to the softball field for some broga, and then back to the flag for more brog.

One PAX scraped out of The Fart Sack and launched in F3RVA’s earliest, least Richmond-based, Downrange run. Conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to the man walking – and appearing quite sober and well dressed – with a bottle in a brown bag, the following quite possibly happened:

Broward route. Out 2.5. Back 2.5. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Number, name, YHC took himself out.

NMS: really, at 5:20? Wow. Would love to know the circumstances. Dude was dressed nicely, in an apartment and condo saturated area with no retail…and carrying a brown bag with a bottle at 5:20. Must have been a really good night or an exceptionally terrible night. Let’s hope it ended safely.

Annoucements: UpChuck is Qing Mary tomorrow on the CSAUP.

One PAX tossed aside the Charybdis that is the Fart Sack and launched another edition of The Clinic. Conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to the gentleman cleaning the beachside sidewalk, the following may possibly have happened:

Solo-ga: it’s Wednesday, so we stretch. Neck, shoulders, torso, hips, thighs, shins, ankles.

Next up, beach run. Sandy. But, not cold. And, not wet. And, not easy on the legs.

Call it 3 miles. Maybe more. Dunno. And, pretty sure YHC just thankful for the opportunity.

Name, number, and shared a brief appreciation for good health and a great day with the guy cleaning the walkway.

NMS:

First half of the run was solo. Second half was a lesson in progressive lighting options. Person 1: headlamp
Person 2: flashlight (more powerful than headlamp)
Person 3: full flash torch.

One young man sallied girth forth into The Gloom to celebrate Magnum PI in true Hawaiian style: Big Island, Big Weather, Big Rig time. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the delivery truck driver coming in hot, the following quite possibly happened.

Opening Run…hotel entrance to Queen Ka’ahumanu Hwy (about a mile).

Reverso about .6 mile.

COP

50 four-count SSHs

25 LBCs

10 HRMs

10 Don Quixotes

50 flutter kicks

Light Cycle…using the 20 or so lights on the sidewalk path, do exercises at each light.

Merkins

Monkey Humpers

LBCs

Hand release merkins

squats

WWIIs

Flutters

Heels to Heaven

Burpees

Rotate according to the Qs discretion or ability to remember the order.

Reverso on the run BTTVSF.

Number, name, YHC took himself out.

Announcements:

HoneyDo turns 45 tomorrow. Show up at Heartbreak and take the pain. Never easy. Push your comfort zone.

The Bridge on Saturday. You don’t have plans on Christmas Eve morning. No one thinks you have plans. You don’t even think you have plans. So, do a great thing for others, and visit the imprisoned. Push your comfort zone.

NMS:

YHC turned 50 yesterday with all of the accompanying consumption one might enjoy (YHC didn’t notice the slow service , squabbling teenagers, or the heavy rain). Just enjoyed the evening. But, no rest for the weary, and no time like the present. So, up at 4:00 local time and this horse entered the paddock by 4:25 to start getting back on the horse.
YHCs M was already up and scouting the weather kind enough to insist on offer a headlamp. YHC got just outside the hotel, realized he was well away from any light pollution, and declared “amateur hour” on the headlamp quality. This place is so dark it makes BRR look like Manhattan. (YHC has now decided to buy the M a headlamp for Christmas.)

Based on the incredible storms last night and this morning, YHC assumed Mr. Rogers had the Q, then found himself alone at game time. C’est la guerre. Luckily, a brief weather interlude arrived. Thankfully, the wind stayed, leaving YHC comfortably cooled by the breeze and free to expel last night’s toxins while enjoying the dawning of a new half century.

Mission accomplished.

UpChuck spits the bit.

4 bloated turkeys waddled over to the swampy pit. Here’s what the crawdads witnessed :

Warmarama : 25 SSH IC, stretch to the right, stretch to the left, 16 Oyster pickers IC (Charleston version of Cherry Pickers)

THE THANG :

Mosey on a half mile run to nearby school where there’s a hill going to baseball fields

11’s at the top of the hill : start with 10 Derkins , plank walk 10 yard down hill, 1 Plank JAX IC (end with 1 Derkin and 10 Plank Jax IC)

25 Box Jumps on wall at top of the hill

Mosey down to bottom of the hill then back up to the top

50 squat jumps

Mosey down to bottom of the hill then back up to the top

100 Mike Tyson’s single count (Charleston version of Ball Dippers)

Mosey down to bottom of the hill then back up to the top

150 mix of Smurf JAX and Star JAX

Mosey BTTF with 3 stops along the way for 3 Burpees at each stop

One more round of 3 Burpees at the flag

4 MOM : 20 Flutters IC, 20 Heels to Heaven IC, 20 American Hammers IC

DONE

Numbers, Names, Wahoo took us out in prayer

Prayers for healing for multiple friends and family members

NMMS : This AO name is aptly named. It’s located at a swamp at the edge of a neighborhood on “Pitt Street”. Hard to find in the dark though. Thought I might be lost. Tough Q in high humidity. 

One hit the roads for the sloppiest, wettest run in some time. That said, conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to the fish swimming in the street, the following might have happened:

Today was a day for turkey trotting. YHC woke up early and by accident. Launch time moved to 4:00 a.m. Normal route to Broward on the way out. Run included substantially flooded roads, especially the mall parking lot (3-4 inches!). YHC detoured on the way back to add a loop around the office park and another loop around the lake. Somewhere north of 6, or enough for this turkey to declare a trot was had.

Number, name, and YHC said thanks.

NMS: One benefit to running in Florida is warmth. 75-80 and rainy, or in other words, magnificent conditions. Not too hot, not too cold. When returning to the hotel, the desk clerk asked,”Is it raining?”

“Uh, yeah.” (Shoes squeaking, shoes squeaking…and water dripping from clothes).

One pax joined on the shores of the Pacific Ocean for his favorite version of The Clinic each year. Temperatures in the air were 70 and sunny. Ocean water slightly warmer at 63 (actual air temp 48). According to the county workers emptying trash cans on the beach, the following may have happened:

Slightly earlier start than usual. 4:45 a.m. due to Pacific time and restlessness. Run from hotel down walkways to drop off circle.

COP:

SSHs, dead man hang, yoga stretching, Imperial walkers, 20 merkins, and a handful of LBCs.

Mosey to the rock pile / jetty. 20 decline merkins, 20 dips.

40 yard cycle. Run about 40 yards on the beach. Stop. Perform about 20 of an exercise.

Merkins, flutter kicks, LBCs, hello dolly, squats. Do this for about 1.0 mile.

Attempt to jump over very small creek that empties into Pacific Ocean.

Continue with above cycle for .5 miles.

Turn around at the rocks. 1.5 miles back, finishing at the original rock pile / jetty.

Run back to the cliff base, then up the path (aka Charmian) to the top. VSF at the outdoor fire pit.

Number, Name, and a quick one-man COT.

NMS: YHC has been traveling a ton and had hoped to exercise last week in the mountains of Colorado. A late night altitude headache scotched that plan, so it was refreshing to be back at sea level for a couple of days. Few places more beautiful than the Pacific Ocean shore in The Gloom. Looking forward to returning in the spring.

One PAX hit the mean streets of Broward for a slightly elongated edition of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and conditions sunny. According to the police officer on stakeout in the hotel parking lot, the following might have happened….zzzzz.

Route: Circle to Peters to office parking lot to office building to drop off the kids to La Quinta to mall parking lot (hi to the people paying $100 / month to do…well…to do what we do for free), out to Broward Blvd. and reverso back home).

5.5 or so. Name, number, YHC said a few words of thanks, and good luck to my friend Omar traveling to Jamaica this week.

NMS:

When exiting one’s own office building at 05:07 a.m., it’s comforting to see the security person in the parking lot (actually, it’s a little weird). But, it’s more comforting to see someone stretching in the parking lot. AWESOME. We might have our first FNG. With Pavoratti on a business trip, YHC thought The Clinic might have a visitor. But, late night activities no doubt intervened. Here was a genuine runner getting ready to exercise…and as YHC ran around that side of the lot, he saw the telltale signs of a man not preparing to run. First, the little orange glow. Then, the waft and the sweet smell. Then, the Mr. Pibb bottle. The dude was stretching, but alas, for this individual, an early morning fat one and some soda were the choices of the morning.

Onward…

One PAX launched early for the latest edition of The Clinic. Conditions were 70 and sunny. According to Helen, the following may quite possibly have happened:

Mosey from the hotel to the man-made lake for the COP

SSHs, IWs, DQs, Dead Man Hang, stretch to the sky, LBCs, WWIIs.

Circuits around the lake. YHC estimates the small circuit around the lake is about the same as a track (1/4 mile). As YHC will tell anyone, YHC hates track work. YHC wonders why anyone would use a track, ever, for anything. Just a horrific invention. So, YHC did essentially track work with 6 stations. 20 reps of each, except as noted.

Station 1: merkins
Station 2: LBCs
Station 3: Rosalitas
Station 4: Decline merkins (10 reps)
Station 5: WWIIs
Station 6: SSHs

Three loops.

Mosey the long way home. YHC estimates a mile.

Name, number, YHC said a quick prayer for some folks who are struggling.

Announcements:

Breaking Bread: thank you to the men who carried food this weekend to the Southside Medical Respite, and to the men and women who did the cooking. The bar for a good meal was set really, really high by your brothers and their families. YHC definitely is looking to get invited to both Oyster’s and Gomer’s next family dinner. Wow. Sign up for November and December is open. We need YOU to help with dinner for 8-12 people. With 24 nights each year, this is a great way to make a contribution to F3’s leadership in the community. YHC thanks you in advance. And, if you can, bring a bag or two of fruit. These folks do not get much produce, and they really appreciate it.

Beer Mile. Saturday at 7 (that’s p.m., for those who were asking at First Watch). Suggested weekend itinerary:
1) Watch “All Quiet on the Western Front” Friday evening. Develop a solid disdain for war.
2) Attend a minimum of three workouts Saturday morning (example: Breakfast Club, then Dogpile, then The Crucible), then,
3) Kids’ events Saturday morning into early afternoon, late afternoon nap (well deserved), and
4) Top the evening off with 4 beers and 4 laps and puking and then,
5) A well deserved slumber “in bed” by 8:30 p.m., assuming your definition of “in bed” is “asleep on Faceplant’s front lawn.” Temps should be in the 50s at bedtime, dropping to the high/mid 40’s by the time you wake up wondering where you are and why your M hasn’t taken you home, then,

5.5) Find said way home, and,
6) (Promise yourself and your M that you will) Grow from this experience (note F3 Nation recommends that you use Caps when “Growing”),
7) Build communication with your M,
8) Learn to say the words “Do as Daddy says, not as Daddy does” to your 2.0s,
9) Remind yourself that, after an evening of sleeping outside, attempting to whisper the phrase “Please, Bodo’s, can you turn down the microphone?” during church on Sunday, will not go over well with the M. It will not be a whisper, and only you will think you are funny.
10) Remind self that YHC has warned you.

NMS: YHC’s pal Omar is a stoic fellow, never complaining, though YHC suspects he’s hurting. Keep him in your prayers as he travels home for a funeral. He lost a 20-some year old cousin to an industrial accident. The cousin was crushed by some concrete blocks, apparently unsecured, perhaps by the cousin himself, that fell off the side of a truck. Apparently, this happened on Day 2 of a new job working for the cousin’s father, who owns the construction company. Yikes.

Great to see Helen, who must be at least 75 and is still working at the hotel, back at work. Say what you will, but being at work at 5 a.m. is not something YHC aspires for at that age. Has to be a challenge.

UpChuck spits the bit.