The elite of the elite gathered in the church parking lot at 0430 for pre-game exercises. One chose one path, the other chose another. Those same two gathered again at 0500 for today’s First Watch edition.
Traveling COP
Mosey to the bottom of south ridge, stopping at various points for
SSH
DQ
IW
Copperhead Squats
Helicopters
The Thang
Partner up for Dora 1,2,3,4. 100 burpees, 200 squats, 300 mountain climbers, 400 LBCs. Travel back up south ridge after each increment of 100 by playing catch me if you can with 5 HRMs and bernie sanders.
We made it most of the way through before shuttling back for 3 minutes of mary.
Numbers, names, Handshake took us out.
Announcements
Don’t miss 10 year this weekend. The only one that matters is 7am at Dogpile.
Prayers for those around us for various reasons.
Moleskin
A workout of two offers an opportunity to slightly modify planned approach while engaging in coffeeteria throughout the entire workout. Great to catch up with Handshake as we navigated down and back up south Ridge.
YHC will assume the weather scared people away and it wasn’t that my workouts are too soft.
Eight bros went hard in the taint. WTH isn’t the only workout with mileage.
Here’s what transpired:
Long slowsey to the dead end of Ross Rd.
COP
Dead Man Hang
Reach to the Sky
Don Quixotes
Imperial Walkers
Helicopters
Hairy Rockettes
Plankorama
Mike Tyson Merkins
APDs
LBCs
Invisible Jump Ropes
Double Trouble
P1 – Run to turnaround point and back (3 houses up on the right)
P2 – Lt. Dans
10 Booyah Merkins and Flip
All Skate – Mosey to first turnaround point
P1 – Run to next turnaround point and back (3 more houses on the right)
P2 – Heels to Heaven
10 Booyah Merkins and Flip
All Together Now – Mosey to second turnaround point
Repeato 2 more rounds
Mosey up Culpepper with a Lindsay along the way – Plank Jacks/ 2ct Shoulder Taps
Mosey to the parking lot
Mary
Cross Leg Lifts
American Hammers
Inverted Pencil Roll x 1
Numberama, Nameorama, COT
MOLESKIN
Feels like there’s a lot of chatter about visiting a particular place when YHC has the Q. Sometimes you gotta give the people what they want, and it’s always better to go there with friends. There may not be a darker place on earth than the 30 yards or so before reaching the clearing at the Devil’s Perineum, bka Satan’s Taint. Apologies to the dog and its walker startled by 8 men doing booyahs at the end of her driveway. Splinter enjoys a good All-Skate.
5 of F3RVA’s finest looking chaps and 2 not so much (you know where you stand) enjoyed the welcome abodes and comradery that the brisk fall Tuckahoe weather to see what was in store. A few early risers took part in running or stretching prior but this how the meat and potatoes of the beatdown went down.
Mosey to the church patio for introductions and disclaimers. Warm ups included Invisible Jump Rope, Jazzercise (with flair for some), Arm Circles, Reverso, Quick Tempo Merkins, Suzanne Summers left, LBC’s, Suzanne Summers right, Dying Bedbugs/Cockroaches, followed by a bit of stretching. All seem loose and ready to get cooking.
Mosey down River to Country Squire. Brocode Mailboxes for all. Perform 10 hand release merkins at each mailbox on the left, 10 WWII’s at each mailbox on the left. 5 burpees performed at the For Sale sign. Continue down Ridge to Overlook. Partner up for Love Hill. Timer runs to top of the hill and returns. Exercises were walking lunges, Broad Jump Herpes, Bear Crawl. Skip/Glide back down to Ridge. (Try to stay on the road if you can).
Keep your partners or find new ones for more Love Hill action back up Ridge. Timer runs to closest intersection while exercises include Lt. Dans, Bernie Sanders and Lunges.
At the base of the triangle partner up for a triple check. Timer skips to the light and jogs back. LBC’s and Carolina Dry Docks. 2 rounds completed before time to get BTTVF.
Dead Man Hang Ring of Fire for 1 minute. Numbers, Names, Prayers, Announcements (see Slack). YHC took us out.
NMS: The bat signal went out yesterday for a worthy Q. No one answered so you got stuck with YHC. There was talk of hitting the taint but YHC thought the better to ease the running and enjoy ample mumble chatter. Highly recommend skipping be a part of future workouts to release the flamboyant nature of each individual to the PAX. Great work today fellas. Thank you for the opportunity to lead on a perfect morning.
Three star gazers arrived for pre-launch activities but none were shared. One ran, one walked, one broga’d. All came back together to wait for the cavalry to arrive. Once the clock struck five, away we went for an audible Q. Mosey to the back parking lot for:
COP
10x Helicopters
10x DQs (Last Call approved)
10x IWs
15x Arm Circles
10x Copperheads
10x walk backwards over the fence each leg
The Thang
Three is a perfect number so triple-check was the theme of the day. A few strides over to the corner of the parking lot. Burpees, mountain climbers, run a loop.
Slowsey to the eastern corner of the triangle for merkins, squats, skip to the mailbox and run back.
Attempted flying headlock. We will see this guy soon.
Zig-zag back to the launch parking lot for WWIIs, lunges, karaoke to Kubota’s truck and back.
BTTF for something, something else, and 5 burpees for the pace car.
A few minutes of mary with APDs, Freddie Mercuries, American Hammers.
Numbers, names, YHC took us out.
Announcements
Labor Day convergence at the Knuckle
Moleskin
Small numbers makes for great mumblechatter. Triple check is a tried & true F3 exercise. It wasn’t what YHC had planned for today but it seemed appropriate given the numbers. You know you are a true F3er when you can carry on two different conversations depending on who you are mixed with while the pace car does his thing. Today was perfect evidence of this.
Thanks y’all. Will save the actual workout for another day.
16 exceptional men joined YHC in celebration for the latest edition of First Watch. Conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to my father watching over us, the following might have happened:
Mosey to the UofR athletic fields with a short pause for the six at Casa de Saab.
Circle up at the field goal uprights for the COP.
100 SSHs (4 count) Dead Man Hang (OYO) Fudd’s Wife
Roaring 20s – one set of 20 exercises for each year he lived in the 20s Carolina Drydocks Imperial walkers Hillbillies LBCs Gas pumps Lieutenant Dans (to remember the accident)
1940s – Dad served from 1943-1946, USAAC/AAF. ETO.
Triple Check. WWIIs, Flutter Kicks, Army Crawl 30 yards.
50s…we tried, and time took this from us. But, 5 burpees, then traverse ~50 yards (in the dark, maybe this was 30).
Variety of options for traversing…wheelbarrows, partner carry (some PAX knew better), Bernie, AYG Sprint, bear crawl, army crawl.
Time was growing short, so Mosey BTTSF, stopping off at Saab’s driveway for the obligatory 20, 4-count Monkey Humpers. If anyone was peering out the window, the got a dog’s eye view of Honeydo’s keister (and everyone else’s).
Numbers, names, and we ate cupcakes and pecan sandies and swigged Gatorade for the COT. YHC gave a note of thanks to this group for their friendship.
Announcements:
Tuesday, Heartbreak Ridge, “Jason,” aka Senor Frog running his 50th birthday Q. Be there.
Wednesday, Moseley Elementary (don’t go to “Mosley” Elementary) in Chesterfield. New AO.
August 31 – Launch day of The Bridge. State Farm has the Q. Workout is at 7:30 a.m.
Labor Day Convergence. Short Pump. New AO. Nuckols Farm Elementary. AO needs a name…bring your best play on words.
September 14 – The Bridge, again. Heist is leading.
Team Brightside…let’s keep building this charity to help research ways to address Children’s Cancer. Unbelievable impact from these guys. $50,000+ raised already. YHC is super proud of those running this. Way to go. Let’s see how much we can raise to help. If you have not given, let’s do this!
NMS:
OSOTW goes to HoneyDo, running away.
Happy birthday in Heaven to Papa Goldman (Gumbo), would have been 87 years young yesterday. And, congratulations to the proud parents of a West Point Cadet. Grandpa would be proud of his son and his grandson.
Happy birthday to my dad, 100 years young today. As the lady said when they gave my mom his flag at Arlington National Cemetery, “On behalf of a grateful nation…” Thank you, Dad, for being a wonderful parent and a patriot for this country.
With the departure of EF Hutton making a multi-stop summer tour, this group of six completed this week’s installment of First Watch.
Over to the church for COP. The pace and types of exercises were well received by the Pax, including a new unnamed exercise that was named by the Pax and serves as this back blast title.
Off to the back parking lot for 4-Corners, Tabata style. 30 seconds of one exercise, 30 seconds of another and mosey to another corner for four corners total for that set. Despite technical difficulties, we conquered the following:
Set 1 – Mountain Climbers and Merkins
Set 2 – Squats and APDs
Set 3 – Carolina Dry Docks and Box Cutters
Back to the flag for some Mary.
YHC took us out.
Announcements:
Pickleball tournament this weekend. There is still time to sign up.
Señor Frog earns respect in a couple of weeks. Heartbreak will be the time and place.
Convergence Labor Day at the far west end AO. I think it is called Pussy Willow or something to that effect. See Whitesnake for details.
10-year F3RVA convergence on September 21. Lot’s of fun and activities on the horizon.
Coffee was great as always with Blue Moon and Fireman Ed.
A handsome septet of FW regulars welcomed this SOJ tourist into their lively gloom chatter, everyone anticipating something challenging and fresh, which is of course the Tryhard motto. Here’s how they (miraculously) earned ZERO burpees:
The THANG:
WARMERAMA:
Mosey loop around the lot and circle up
Welcome & Disclaimer
The usual DTH top to bottom IC Reps
THE WESTHAM EXICON ABC’s:
YHC mosey’d the PAX over to the entrance of Westham Parkway and explained this morning’s novel shenanigans would be to complete x20 reps for each letter of the alphabet as the PAX runs to the end of the parkway and back, periodically stopping for each letter/reps (while expertly avoiding getting run over). Having not pre-planned the exercises, the PAX was advised their help may be needed, as there would be a x10 Burpee penalty for any letter we could not match up with an exercise.
All letters successfully paired with exercises, maybe a little over half called in candence, so NO burpees!
Mosey BTTVSF for COT:
Counterama # 8 (plus Upchuck who had completed some Clinic work)
Namerama
Announcerama (see Below)
YHC took the PAX out in Prayer
NMS: Not dissimilar to the sweatfest of the F3 Beatdown Deck, this high rep and movement combo turned out to be a solid beatdown. As a relatively simple challenge that keeps the PAX together well, YHC imagines this could be easily completed at any AO in a pinch. Twill be added to YHC’s personal battery of beatdown options! Also amazing resilience of the FW gang assisting YHC with a few exercise options to avoid ANY burpees! Also excellent mumble chatter as always with the FW gang. It was suggested since we traveled in the opposite direction of the “Devil’s Taint” perhaps this route could be the “Angel’s Eyebrow” (or some other body part …YHC can’t actually recall, but it came from the murky depths of Handshake’s mind, so who knows). Great Coffeerama with Upchuck and some others at Starbucks. As always, appreciate ya’ll permitting YHC the honor to lead. Yours AYE! ~DTH
Three First Watch regulars watched as our visitor, Boberry, took a new route to the parking lot (hopefully the Church doesn’t have a Ring doorbell). Once the group was assembled, this is what went down.
COP – SSH, Ukrainian soldiers, hillbillies, merkins, reverse crunchies, and arm circles.
Next, mosey around the church and then a Dora – merkins, LBCs, and flutter kicks.
Over to the church steps for 3 rounds of dips, chair sits, and balls to the wall.
Then it was off to the parking lot.
Run the length of the lot with a merkin count down from 10 to 1
Several rounds of karaokes
Several rounds of skipping, Bernie Sanders, lunging
Some runs with American hammers at the end
Burpees on every other parking space.
Back to the flag for a merkin ring of fire.
Numberama, nameorama, and Last Call took us out.
Announcements:
Homegrown Half this Saturday at Robious Landing Park. See Slack for details.
Sign up for pickle ball tournament.
Always fun to lead this crew. With many of the FW regulars out leading other AOs, the mumblechatter was kept to a minimum.
6 men decided not to fart sack with the excitement of a coupon (no disc golf) workout.
COP: Mosey to typical COP spot next to church. DQs, helicopters, HRMs, FMs and arm circles.
Mosey with coupon to back parking lot.
4 Corners: 10 Sit and Press, 20 rows, 30 2 count Mountain climbers, 40 Side straddle hops Mosey to covered area so we can enjoy some smooth concrete.
Dora with 100 derkins, 150 coupon squats and 200 2 count flutter kicks (coupon up for first 100 although Senor Frog did not want to let that coupon go). Mosey across front lawn, avoid the sprinklers and go to end of Henrico’s smallest park.
Triple check with run to River, bench press and bicep curls. For some reason curling the block was a challenge for some of us, myself included. Perhaps I have soccer arms. Mosey to home base.
End with American hammers and some stretching.
For those in West hoe, there are a few spots left for Tuckahoe takeover next week. It was an unusually quiet group even with Handshake. Perhaps the heat is getting to all of us.
Eight social media stalkers gathered in the adequately paved church parking lot for this week’s iteration of First Watch. After offering appreciation to each for the birthday wishes, we took a left out of the parking lot and commenced our journey. When we passed the back church driveway and kept heading west on River, there was a collective sigh from the PAX.
The Thang
Traveling COP today. Right turn on Gaymont with the first stop at the bottom. Circle up for Helicopters, DQs, IWs.
Mosey up to Kingston for some more COP, then halfway down Kingston for more. Pencil roll by request in the sprinklers to cool off. Work our way to Kingston and Ralston for the first main thang.
Partner up for Dora. 100 merkins, 200 monkey humpers, 300 american hammers. Pace car ran up Ralston to the well lit American flag.
Short set of balance exercises where most of the PAX failed.
Head back up Ralston, stopping near the top for more balance exercises. We will call this warrior 1.5. Once again most of the PAX failed and the man walking nearby likely chuckled.
Right on University to the bottom. Partner up for 11s. Exercises were booya merkins and PLTs. After careful consideration, YHC decided to make this a traveling set of 11s, stopping at various places on the way back to the church to do our sets. Finish up in the parking lot with our last set then 2 minutes of Mary before Handshake called time.
Oh yeah, we saw a Prius so of course we had to do 5 burpees.
Numbers, names, YHC took us out.
Moleskin
Wojo announcing his age made YHC reflect on the fact that it’s been over 9 years with this group and 10 birthday celebrations along the way. The majority of them have started with the camaraderie and fellowship of this random assortment of middle aged men. Today was no different. A Jets fan, someone who shuts down the bar, a radio announcer, a salesman, a financier who barely talks, a carolina fan, someone who always does what his partner says (never more true than today), and a hobbyist woodworker; all convening for no other reason than to make himself a better man. Happy to have the opportunity to lead today and for many years into the future.
As TYA has once said. I bet you’ll quit before I quit.
