Tag: First Watch

7 FW regulars and 1 lost soul in jorts rose from the late night storms before many others to assess the effects to fine the ideal sunny and 70 conditions along River Road. No timepiece or Handshake coming in hot to provide launchtime so under 1-800’s guidance, we go.

Mosey across the street to the front of the church for introductions, disclaimers and a short warm up that included SSH’s, DQ’s, Dead Man Hang and Helis. Lets get going.

Long Mosey down River to Westham stopping a Club Vista. Travelling COP down Club Vista included Ukrainian Soldiers, Lunges, Karoke right and left, High Knees. Mosey down College Drive to Keller to begin a travelling Lindsay. 30 Curbside Merkins/10 2 ct Mountain Climbers. Continue mosey to the Greek Theater stopping along with way for 2 more Lindsay reps and to pay homage to speed bump burpees.

Arrive at the Greek Theater. 5 dips at each step on the way to stage where Senor Frog was preparing a 1 man show. Partner Up for 2 person Triple Check. Partner 1 runs to the top of the theater and back, Partner 2 box jumps the stage steps. 3 rounds. 5 merkins at each step on the way back out of the Theater.

After a short Wosey, Mosey back towards College Drive paying homage to the speed bumps and completed the Lindsay. Mosey back up College to River, stopping at the newly illuminated UofR sign for 30 monkey humpers for the passerbys. Stop at SAABs driveway for 30 APD’s. BTTVF for quick AB Ring of Fire.

Numbers/Names/Announcements/No Prayers. YHC took us out.

Announcements: Ruck Training for some upcoming event in May. Frozen Triangle coming in February. See Slack to participate or help out with both great events.

NMS: Smaller FW group with many FW regulars out for variety of ailments. Hopeful of a swift recovery for everyone as mumblechatter was less mumble with these absences. Be mindful when Bodos enters parking lots as his brakes work well. Thank you gents for the opportunity to lead this morning. Always great to get out and travel around the campus.

10 studs set forth earlier than you to scout the contours of sleepy Westham. Conditions remained sunny and 70. According to the Ring doorbell footage from Lockjaw’s house, the following might have happened:

Mosey east on River, then north on Ridge, then into the parking lot, then out of the parking lot, and then back into the parking lot before circling up in the rear parking lot.

COP:

Scorpion kicks
Reverse snow angels
Hand release merkins
WWIIs
Flutter kicks
SSHs
Some other stuff

Mosey to Pinetree for Touch-a-(Not Tree)

Round 1: Eastbound, Touch a Car
1st partner touches one car. Second partner, burpees. Flapjack.
1st partner touches two cars. Second partner, merkins. Flapjack.
1st partner touches three cars. Second partner, Virginia dry docks. Flapjack.

Mosey to the other end of Pinetree.

Round 2: Westbound, Touch a Recycling Can

1st partner touches one can. Second partner, WWIIs. Flapjack.
1st partner touches two cans. Second partner, snow angels. Flapjack.
1st partner touches three cans. Second partner, hello dollies. Flapjack.

Traveling COP, Past the Sell-By-Date. Westham, Lakewood, Hillsdale, Westham, and River.

Houses with a coach light on: 3 merkins
Houses with Christmas lights (still) on: 3 burpees
Houses with sleeping PAX members: 10-15 SSHs, in cadence. Good morning to the Puckers and the Lockjaws

Circle up, quick round of flutter kicks.

Numbers, Names, and Kubota took us out.

Announcements:

Ruck-tastic training has started. Add to your holiday 15 with a backpack 30. Walk-a-thon with your mates. Sign up information all over Slack.

BRR…never too early to create a personal a challenge for 2024.

HoneyDo Challenge underway. Current stats posted on Big Data. HoneyDo in first; lots of guys tied for second. Handshake in last.

Six of the area’s finest departed their vehicles as late as possible for the final week of First Watch in 2023. According to the the man with the broken down Subaru, this may or may not have happened. Quick mosey around the triangle park then back in front of the church for COP.

COP

• 20x SSHs
• 10x HCs
• 10x DQs
• 10x IWs
• 10x HRMs
• 20x LBCs
• 15x MCs

The Thang

Short mosey to the back porch to pick up the first round of gifts. Turn on the lights then listen to instructions. 4 stations. 20 SSH, 10 WWIIs, 20 Jump Squats, 10 burpees. Between each station run back to the porch for 10 merkins. We did this for ~23 minutes.

Oh yeah, since we started the year with Leeroy Jenkins we ended with it as well. Everyone except Kubota and Handshake (again) participated.

Grab the box of Macho Man glasses then head back around the church. Curb crawls to 3 and back. Upchuck offered glasses to the man on the bike but was politely declined.

Mosey back to they parking lot for 2 rounds of triple check. LBCs, flutter kicks, and run to the light and back. One more opportunity for Leeroy but no one took the bait.

Numbers (1.5 times through), names, YHC took us out.

Distribute gifts, there were plenty for each to grab two, then off to coffeeteria.

Moleskin

At some point between laps 2 and 3 of the circuit YHC retorted an inappropriate response to Upchuck. Sincerest of apologies.

YHC caught a little bit of grief for regifting Ukrop’s butterstar cookies. Given it’s after christmas, regifting seemed appropriate.

Thanks for a great year at First Watch everyone!

Splinter out.

A Festive and Fearless Fourteen faithful posted to First Watch to find out what YHC had planned. No plan but a request for a “light on running” beatdown meant Coupons and Murder Bunnies were called for. We did:

COP: SSH, Don Qs, Ukrainian Soldiers, Merkins, Flutterkicks, Scorpion kicks. Back to get Coupons, partner up: 1 PAX lunges with block while other does 10 HRMs and the flapjack. Keep going to the mini-park. Switch partners for a Dora 123: 100 Block Thrusters, 200 Block Swings, 300 Block Bench press.

Switch partners then time for 3 rounds of Block the Plank. Keep that partner then Murder Bunny length of park then back while partner does 10 Merkins. Back to flag for 2 min of Mary and Broga. YHC took us out

Annoucements: GrowRuck coming to RVA in May. Sign up and get Rucking.

NMS: YHC was glad to serve up some Coupon time for Kubota so blame him for the Dora. The theme of the morning was ample partner switching to keep things fresh, Hornydo approves. With all the partner rotations the Recovery pack after seemed the appropriate gift for the PAX. YHC would love to hear stories from Ms as PAX arrived home with their presents this morning.

Good times as always at Coffeteria after as we got to watch Upchuck in his element- Assessing a car accident.

15 men gathered for this weeks First Watch Episode and this is what transpired:

Mosey and the parking lot 1 lap and circle up for a COP

Mosey to where Overlook splits from S. Ridge Road and partner up. P1 Runs to the Cul-de-sac and does 10 Burpees, P2 does WWII’s until P1 returns. (1/3rd of mile for out and back)

Mosey to the bottom of the S Ridge and partner up. P1 does Squats and P2 runs to Old Bridge Road and back. P1 switches to Flutter Kicks halfway through. (.45 miles for out and back)

Get 2 Partners for a Triple Check. P1 runs to a loosely defined spot up the hill and back. P2 does moving SSH’s, P3 does Lunge Walk or Squat Walk. (directions could have been better, but it was a work in progress)

Switch to Indigenous Peoples Run to the tip of the Triangle Park at the top of S Ridge. (Lockjaw couldn’t hear the directions to “hold up” and and started the mosey prematurely)

Burpee-jerk. YHC asked Ronnie for a exercise and he said Merkins. YHC quickly described The Handshake Burpee Jerk and it was completed while every was supposed to be doing Merkins if they weren’t doing Burpess. (the exercises were reluctantly completed).

Mosey back to the flag for COT/Gift Giving.

Announcements – Faceplants Dogpile VQ this Saturday. SOJ Twinkle Light this Sunday night at some location.

Prayer Request – none

NMS – It was a great day to Q. It was YHC’s first time Qing for Season of Giving. It was fun to plan something that overlapped between YHC’s favorite things and the FW AO personality. We tried some newer variations YHC has been working on, its not hard to feel like a comedian working out a new act before the official tour starts. Thank you all for the opportunity and the motivation.

The Season of Giving at First Watch generates much excitement, kinda like a snow day.  But then you tune in to the local news only to find out all but your county’s schools are closed.  That’s the sentiment regarding the Green Pill.

Here’s what transpired:

Mosey to the Church patio. 

COP

• Don Quixotes
• Helicopters
• Copperhead Squats
• Ukranian Soldiers
• Jazzercises
• Hand Release Merkins
• Plankorama
• Freddie Mercurys
• Hello Dollys
• SSHs

Mosey back to rear corner of parking lot to the “Green Shrine.”

Endless Escalator – Exercise 1, Run a Lap, Exercise 1 + 2, Run a Lap, Exercise 1+2+3, Run…..Exercise 1-10 and Run a Lap (20 reps of each exercise)

1. Merkins (200 total)
2. Imperial Squat Walkers single count (180)
3. WWIIs (160)
4. Carolina Dry Docks (140)
5. Dips (120)
6. Crunchy Frogs (100)
7. Block Curls (80)
8. Block Thrusters (60)
9. Heels to Heaven (40)
10. Burpees (20)
11. Reverso from 10 to 1, if necessary

Numberama, Nameorama, COT

MOLESKIN

As the instructions were finished, YHC looked at the Weathered dry erase board then back at the PAX and asked Are You Ready?  Fudd said to himself, I’m sick of living in My Own Prison and finished what he fell 6 seconds shy of completing last year.  YHC is Torn whether to give Bodos credit, since he admittedly switched an exercise.  But With Arms Wide Open YHC grants Bodos the finisher medal.  Because What If he has only One Last Breath?  I mean What’s This Life For if it’s not reaching that pinnacle?  Next year is YHC’s turn.  I pray to the F3 gods for One special moment, please take meeeee Higher!  Fresh baked Ooey Gooey Butter Bars and Peppermint Bark are My Sacrifice.

Special thanks to Kubota for bringing the blocks.  The First Watch Season of Giving continues. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Shoe Drive through December

HDHH Final Gravity today 12/6

Rosie’s 12 Days of Christmas 12/19 at NoToll

F3 RVA Secret Santa – sign up

Actually, YHC does donate to charities, but the words didn’t come out the way YHC wanted.

Nine warm and toasty PAX gathered in the moonlit freezer that is the large First Watch Area of Operations ready to try to stay warm, snug and cozy. Lets begin with:

COP in front of the church:

Helicopters, DQ’s, Russian – no, Ukrainian – no, Israeli Soldiers (many a laugh after a Hornydo comment to begin these), Imperial Walkers

Enough, let’s mosey to River Road Hills.

Lindsay down Gaymont (Carolina Drydocks and LBC’s)

Extend the Lindsay over on Kingston to Ralston

Gather up at Yield sign and form three teams of three.

Grab a BIG BLOCK for each team. Two teammates carry the block up the hill to the colorful lighted tree on the left, which would be in the Broockers yard. Other teammate performs Squats. Flip flop several times. The worst part of this was when you had to double back up the hill. Squats were where the Mumblechatter happened (ie. stories about Honeydo’s date last night).

After this, mosey with blocks up to YHC’s driveway and toss them in the ditch. Admire the leafless front yard and the all-white Christmas lights. Several comments mumbled about YHC needing more color in his life (eyeroll)

Perform 30 Monkey Humpers and 20 Pickle Pounders (a Hornydo favorite)

Mosey up Ralston to River and down River performing a travelling 7’s – Merkins and WW2’s

Partner up at Gaymont and River for 2×20 PLT’s each partner

Back at VSF, circle up for Merkin Ring-of Fire, including an appearance of Mike Tyson Merkins (EF Hutton) and Chuck Norris Merkins (Swirly) and Angry Porpoise Merkins (Handshake)

3 MOM: Swirly-led crossed-leg lifts (15 each)

To finish, we did 2 minutes of Shavasana in order to meditate and think about our brother Honeymoon, who lost his Dad a year ago today.

Numbers, Names, Announcements and YHC took us out with some of the best thought out and genuine comments that probably can never be topped.

Grow Ruck coming Spring 2024

HDHH next Wednesday at 6pm at the aromatic Final Gravity where Fighting Gravity may or may not be playing.

EF Hutton FW Q next Wednesday!

NMS:

Short and Sweet, YHC is very thankful for this PAX and hopes that everyone who posted today enjoys their gift and enjoys the holidays with their families, friends and maybe their co-workers.

Don’t let the stress of this season overtake you. Enjoy your time with your kids. They grow up too fast!

Have a great day PAX!

Kubota

14 stallions, including a gaggle of SOJ guests, formed up before the crack of dawn in the latest edition of First Watch. Temperatures remained 70 and conditions sunny. According to the teenagers shaking off their slumber party, the following might have happened:

COP

Circle the campus, stopping per local custom for a burpee at each speed bump, to arrive in front of the main chapel. Senor Frog wins his first “find the puddle” competition.

Dead Man Hang for the six.

Brief intro. Welcome. Recap of our purpose. Like the rest of life, F3 is a “you vs. you” workout. The object is to push yourself, not hurt yourself, and push your individual boundaries in the process.

Hillbillies
Imperial Walkers
SSHs, 4-count, x100

Shake off the SSHs with a run to the light post across the street. YHC believes Senor Frog won his second “find the puddle” competition.

Return to the front of the Church. Overhead stretch. Bring it down to the ankles. Down to Fudd’s Wife. Down to Wilson’s wife. Plank, and then into pigeon right, then pigeon left. Hand release merkins.

Flip it over to reverse crunches, then flutter kicks, snow angels, inverted scorpion kicks, and what have you.

Triple Check

Dips or incline merkins (you vs. you), monkey humpers, run to the aforementioned light pole and back.

Assorted abdominal exercises for the six.

Mosey to the parking lot.

Four Corners, Team Style. SOJ visitors lead a group of 3-5 guys. 10 merkins, 20 squats, 30 WWIIs, 40 SSHs. Small groups stay together.

21s

Group does 21 SSHs, 4-count. First 6 rounds are in cadence. Remaining 15 rounds are OYO. The catch is that if the group does not finish in unison, PAX does 5 burpees.

Mosey to the Overflow Parking Lot

Start at the first parking space. 5 HRMs, 5 squats, 5 v-ups. Run to the road and back, returning to the second parking space. Repeat the exercises. To keep the pace at each man’s tolerance (you vs. you workout), the PAX split between fast guys and ties (you vs. you selecting which applies). SOJ made a strong showing. Well done.

Finish strong…AYG on the last half lap, then wrap with a last round of exercises.

Names, numbers, Lockjaw took the cold call in stride and took us out with a message about patience.

Announcements:

Thanksgiving Convergence 06:00 at Munford Elementary. Mudslide will DJ.

Breaking Bread full for the year. Nice work, fellas.

Nominate a great dad facing a tough time by Friday.

Prayers for some folks having challenges.

NMS:

Nice to see a bunch of SOJ visitors this morning. Thank you for making the long trip from RounTree (or RoundTree?) to First Watch. Way to set the pace, fellas. Nice work.

Good to catch up at Coffeeteria. Thank you to those who shared your seats.

A magnificent nine early risers – including an out of towner descended on the region’s earlier AO.

Over to Kubota’s truck to pick up coupons and mosey to the small triangle park after exchanging the usual insults.

A COP including a special First Watch disclaimer.

Off to Westham Parkway where we stopped in the median and circled up. But what is that in the shadows? An 80# sandbag!

One member of the Pax picks up the sandbag and runs the median island. The others did flutter kicks and bench with their blocks. The bag was passed around as we took turns.

Off to the next median island. Same concept with the sandbag, but this time with curls and squats with the blocks. Off to the next intersection for some ab workout as our intermission.

Back to the islands to make our way home. Block merkins and overhead squat press.

Over to the final island for block swings and triceps.

Back to the AO and a little more Mary.

Kubota took us out today.

It turns out that our out of town guest was in town for work and in fact works with Kubota’s brother. This was not discovered until the end. Coffee was fine as always! “Low T”

17 eager beavers appeared in the gloom for a Fudd FW beatdown.

The Thang:

COP in the parking lot – arm circles, merkins, yoga, SSH’s, flutter kicks, rosalitas, DQ’s, and maybe something else

Mosey to corner of Westham & River – 2 burpees OYO

Mosey to Saab’s house – 5 burpees OYO

Mosey around the front hedge to the meat of Saab’s front yard, line up in a row, face the street and do Monkey Humpers in cadence until Saab appeared, quite unexpectedly, on his front porch and sat down to put his running shoes on.

Mosey to College and down to the corner of Glen Pkwy to retrieve 6 blocks. Mosey to the disc golf course for some fun with discs and blocks. It Pays to be a Winner! Form teams of 3, one frisbee and one block per team. Take turns throwing disc towards basket/hole. Rotate exercises with blocks (murder bunnies, overhead carry, walking curls, & lunges), 2 other PAX bear crawl or lunge, progressing to where the disc landed. Lowest score per hole = fewest # of burpees. Burpees OYO completed after each hole (only had time for 3 holes).

Mosey back to the corner of Glen to stash blocks, run to top of hill at Westham for 5 burpees OYO. Mosey back to the flag for some mary.

Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out.

Announcements: Tuck-a-Ruck for canned food taking place at 7pm on 11/17. Meet at Hoedown at 6:45. Contact Lockjaw if you plan to donate canned food either at the start or to be picked up on the ruck. Estimated time to finish 3 hours followed by a fire and beer at some as yet undisclosed location (Splinter’s house?)

Naked Mole Skin:

Welcome to Jockey from downrange in NC….the name of his hometown escapes me. Great having him at FW! Also great to have Swirly and NTB in attendance, as they are not FW regulars. The highlight of YHC’s morning was definitely Saab’s sudden appearance on his porch as we were completing the monkey humpers. YHC’s first thought was, how did he get dressed that fast? Maybe he sleeps in his running shorts. YHC’s second thought was one of alarm as he was carrying something in his hand….YHC had a slight moment of panic thinking it might be a weapon and he was there to confront the trespassers in his yard. Thankfully, it was his running shoes and he casually sat down and started to tie them on. YHC wasn’t sure, but thought he could see a wide Cheshire grin on the face of our esteemed colleague. I hope we made your morning sir because you certainly made ours!

Blocks and discs were a welcome change to the usual drudgery of the parking lot behind the church. YHC would have like to have played more holes but 45 minutes doesn’t give us much time.

Coffeeteria at Starbucks was great as always. Thanks for letting me lead today fellas. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the gloom.

Never stop chasing the wabbit. 🙂

Fudd