SEEDLING
YHC suggested the chance of a 45-minute Airborne Mindbender in the PB. I’m not sure if that was the reason 13 men emerged from the darkness for a Mighty Oak workout. It could also have been Eeyore’s threat of a Sharknado at Hollywood, or the desire to get a limited edition WOTP patch, or just to see if the MQ would skip his own AO for a #smartsack. No matter the reason, 14 men motivated their peers today and got better as a result.
SAPLING
At 0530, as Sweet C was pulling into the parking lot, I had the guys split into two groups. The first order of the day was to complete Tracing Spaces, where you would face Stumptown the entire time and trace the parking lot up and back via shuffles, mosey and quadraphelia. But first a penalty to those (myself included) who did not run a standard (or run from home): 5 Burpees for you lazers.
With that done, we moved into the standard warmup which consisted of
- SSH x48 IC
- Cotton Picker x12 IC
- Captain Thor 1:4 to 7:28
- Mountain Climber x15 IC
- Windmill x10 IC
With warmed bodies, I asked the pax to run along Stumptown to the entrance to the bus lot. First finishers were instructed to return for the six. I noticed that only Uncle Rico followed instructions so at the crosswalk, the other 4 of the top 5 finishers received a 5-Burpee penalty.
MATURE OAK
Next guys lined up on end of sidewalk and proceeded to plank walk the crosswalk, stopping to do a merkin at each painted, white stripe. Many commented on taking for granted the number of stripes at the crossing, never really stopping to admire just how many were needed to fill in the space. #yourewelcome
From there, we moseyed down to the traffic circle where we again split into two groups. Each group was instructed to plank with some space between each man. With one group going clockwise and the other going counter, the man on end would jump over legs of each man (Cack-a-lackey Choo Choo style) but stop to do The Burpee between each planker. Continue in this fashion around the circle until you meet up with the other group.
On the far side of the circle we took a moment to stretch our shoulders. Then we returned to the plank, this time head to foot. The rear man would bear crawl to the front of the plank line (each group returning the way they came). As each man passed you while planking, you do a merkin. Like many things in F3, it seemed easy at first, but quickly became painful as we worked back to the near side of the circle.
With circle work complete, we ran Indian style back to the crosswalk. Severl guys assumed more merkins were coming, but instead we lunge walked about 25 yards, then moseyed to the bus parking. Group 1 was instructed to use only the odd spaces while Group 2 used evens. Each group would duck walk up the first space and then crabwalk the next. With 16 spaces total, each group completed 4 sets of each animal walk.
With time running out, YHC opted to skip the block work I was planning and instead run the Bobby Hurley circuit through the 4 adjacent basketball hoops. Each man would complete a Hurley at the 0, 45, 90, 135 and 180 position around the 3-point arc, then move to the next court and repeato. That’s 20 reps of smacking the ground and taking a jump shot for you math-challenged types.
I was hoping to wrap up with some Jane Fondas, but Ramrod checked my watch for me to see that it was 0617. With #grumblechatter going up a notch as men realized they were being swindled into a 47-minute workout, we instead moseyed back to the cars for CoT.
The reminder today was that we should only seek our daily bread and not worry about what the next day’s needs would be. We joined in praying the Lord’s Prayer in affirmation of that idea.
FIREWOOD
- I think Twister is the only guy attempting to earn a WOTP patch by completing 5 workouts. He is also driving all the way from Riverbend (Shuffletown) to do it. T-Claps for that level of commitment.
- I commented during the animal walks that men have a naturual instinct to compete. The negative side effect of this is that we tend to focus on quantity over quality (finish first, knockout the reps, etc). Kudos to Uncle Rico for putting quality first in his workouts and focusing on form first.
- At the traffic circle, YHC tried to teach the pax a little math by pointing out how the circle would be smaller if we planked closer to grass and burpees would be less if we spread out a little more. LKN men apparently aren’t STEM-smart as they moved closer to the street and each other instead.
- After a burpee penalty for being lazy and another for not returning for the six, the men were on task at the circle when I threatened a third penalty if groups A and B were not equal in size at the traffic circle. Who says negative reinforcement doesn’t work?
- Men are always saying they have no time for coffeeteria but then spend 15 minutes chatting beside their cars. As much as Amen talks, I could have gotten two refills this morning. Still its the #2ndF, no matter where it happens, that keeps me coming back.
- Roadie, Sweet C and Turncoat are rallying the troops to help with a clean-up day at Grand (Mighty) Oak on Saturday beginning at 0730. Come when you can to help get the school ready for a new year of classes. Wear F3 gear as an opportunity to EH other dad’s in attendance!
- Pirate Week continues with Wilderness, Cauldron and Mighty Jungle. With about 1/3 of the patches handed out, I’m planning a fire sale at Birkdale Starbucks tomorrow. You can do Wilderness, Java, Recover (LOL), cycling or any other activity (including a fartsack). If you’re at #coffeeteria with $5 or more, you can support Operation Sweet Tooth and get a participation trophy for your troubles.