Turnpike had inquired a few weeks back about an MQ switcheroo where he would lead at Mighty Jungle while YHC would preside over the pax at The Estate. Knowing my regulars would be in good hands, I was happy to oblige. As I headed to the AO in the chilly rain, I was convinced I’d be solo, and so I was pleasantly surprised to find six other men — including 2 hard-chargers who were double-downing after Excelsior — ready to follow in the gloom.
With Christmas looming, I went with the ever-popular pyramid theme a la the Christmas Tree. Unlike Arnie’s offering coming in a couple days, no bricks would be harmed in the making of this tree. The plan was for 12 rounds to mimic the 12 days of Christmas, but due to some unexpected audibles (and the incessant chatter of my peers), we were limited to 10 sets. But that worked out fine since it aligns with the fact that there are only 10 days remaining until Santa visits the (good) pax on his list.
IN THE NEW OLD-FASHIONED WAY
The weinke called for running along the track between picnic shelter and maintenance shed between each round — two buildings with a covered area. But the shelter had limited space for 6 pax and despite the roof, the area by the shed was soaking wet. YHC was forced to audible and continue on to the covered entry of Francis Bradley MS. The extra time required to accomodate keeping the pax relatively dry impacted the ability to complete the entire pyramid.
Additionally, the MQ had warned me that the pax west of Beatties Ford had a tendency to inform guest Qs that The Estate only ran 45 minutes. Turns out Turnpike was wrong. A select few claimed just 30 minutes was required to qualify as a workout. When YHC suggested that a paid breakfast might entice him to give in to the naughty demands of the pax, they stepped up their game. Little did they know that YHC has OCD and could not simply cut the workout short, leaving the tree hobbled and uneven. In fact, in order to trim the tree properly, we had to go over by 7 minutes breaking the Q-school rule regarding punctuality. I would say that it was necessary for proper symmetry, but the truth is that the last set was completed haphazardly as we worked our way back to the parking lot. We even broke from the normal exercises at each stop which left us with a Charlie Brown tree, all mangled and malnourished.
But like the Charlie Brown special, the pax provided the decor and doctored our tree right up, resulting in a fine tannenbaum…
HOW LOVELY ARE THY BRANCHES
- 5 Burpees
- 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 30 Squats, 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 35 Air Press (w/ PC), 30 Squats, 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 40 Mason Twist, 35 Air Press (w/ PC), 30 Squats, 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 45, WWII, 40 Mason Twist, 35 Air Press (w/ PC), 30 Squats, 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 5 Burpees
- 50 SSH, 45 Mtn Climbers, 40 Monkey Humpers, 35 Air Press (w/ PC), 30 Squats, 25 Jane Fondas, 20 CDD, 15 Lunges, 10 Merkins, 60-second Plank
Each exercise was single count. In between each set, we ran a loop of about 150 yards.
WHO’S NAUGHTY AND NICE
- All told, we ran just over a mile with most of that coming and going to dry ground. You’re welcome.
- I may have blamed Turnpike for the wet covered areas, but we all know it’s the public school system at fault here. Hail to the homeschoolers!
- Rumor has it that 98 Degrees loves burpees. He was sad to learn we would only complete 50 today, well shy of his self-themed workout from a few weeks ago.
- Although Freedom joined in on the attempted coup during the workout, he completed every set dutifully and without complaint.
- Vandelay and Hasselhoff are all business. Special thanks to Hasselhoff on my left who helped me keep count throughout.
- If Hasselhoff was my angel on the left, Tantrum was the little red guy with the pitchfork on my right. Constant suggestions to abandon the 1stF in favor of the 2nd was on point. So much so that more than once I almost agreed. Too bad this wasn’t horseshoes or hand grenades.
- At 0804, I complimented the pax for continuing to follow the Q. Had I not been Qing, I would have quit this silly workout promptly at 0800!
- I thought Mighty Jungle could bring the mumblechatter, but Estate pax are the true masters!
- If Goat ever gets kicked out of JROTC, he’ll make a fine crossing guard. You can’t miss the guy in his Myrtle Beach 80’s attire.
- Pre-workout we discussed when it was acceptable to skip a workout in favor of coffeeteria. The norm is when only 2 men post, but The Estate may hold the unoffical record with 4!
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Once again, F3 dispels the belief that it can be too cold or too wet to hold a workout outdoors. Holding our peers accountable is what we do best. I appreciate each of the 6 men who opted to defy the fartsack this morning and get after it with YHC. I even offered to buy their coffee afterwards. They more than earned it for embracing the suck dished out by a salty pirate for a full 67 minutes. Aye!