What’s up F3 South Wake! So a few months back I had the honor of being nominated within the leadership team to fill Deadbolt’s shoes as our next Nantan. (For those unaware, the lexicon defines Nantan as “A cultural/spiritual Leader within a Starfish-modelled Organization who Influences through VAPE.” VAPE is defined as “Acronym for the four F3 Leadership Skills: Vision, Articulation, Persuasion, and Exhortation.” Honestly I had zero expectations of being selected to be our Nantan but I am honored for the opportunity and can’t wait to see what 2020 holds in store. That all being said – these are my ramblings about how I envision us moving forward into the 2020 year as a region. As always, we are at our core Freed to Lead. There is no requirement that anyone, even an FNG, listen to what I (or the rest of your leadership team) have to say here or anywhere else, but after a lot of reflection and consultation with numerous pax at our core I believe it is a good objective list for the 2020 year and beyond!
Speaking of leadership team, I’d like to highlight who we have stepping down, stepping up, and staying the same for now. It may look like slightly organized chaos (and well you wouldn’t be wrong) but we discussed after having the entire team start anew at the same time in 2019 that we would like to have some continuity when team changes happen, so we’re staggering our swaps moving forward.
Nantan (see above) – Deadbolt is stepping down 2.5 years of official leadership (and many more before he got titled) after helping our region get established as its own thing. If you like this F3 South Wake thing then give DB some love next time you see him. Respect
1st F Q (fitness – all that fitness stuff that we like so much) – YHC (Your Humble Coordinator, that’s me) is stepping out of this role. Banana Seat, the original form king, will be stepping in. BS has already lead Q school, yelled at people about form, encouraged usage of the Q sheet, reminded site Q’s of what they’re supposed to do, and yelled at more people about form. Don’t Q 10,000 merkins or expect to hear from him.
2nd F Q (fellowship – delicious delicious coffee, donuts, movies, games, and all the other ways you spend time with your F3 brothers when you aren’t sweating) – Emeril is stepping down (and in high style after a fantastic Christmas party!) and Dawgpound is taking the reins. There’s already some great conversations happening around even more ways you can hang out outside of the gloom – keep your eyes, ears, and taste buds ready.
3rd F Q (faith – that dynamite!) – Slide Rule is kinda in between. Something about a baby. Don’t worry though, I hear swype text input is a thing for Slack between burps and diaper changes. This guy was the defacto 3rd F Q for a long time before putting the title next to his name and he definitely has kept us accelerating. Our own wonderfully named U.T.I. is taking up the mantle moving forward and already has big things planned. He even brought a powerpoint to our first meeting – the apple clearly hasn’t fallen far from the tree ;P
Weasel Shaker (the guy who keeps us doing what we say we do and not what we say we’re not) – Skidmark is staying in this role for another 6 months. If you haven’t been yelled at for not doing a back blast, running without lights on, or any other myriad of things then you must be steering clear of our Weasel Shaker. Skidmark also does a ton of behind the scenes work in keeping an eye on workout numbers and culture across the board so that we grow smart and controlled.
Coms – Gump is stepping down after doing an absolutely amazing job of building a coms team for everything from website design to Q sheet input all while keeping our Slack and Facebook habits communications flowing smoothly. 16-bit will be stepping in and already has some ideas about how we can get even more phone notifications communicate even better with our F3 brothers.
Give these guys some love when you see them in the gloom – they’ve all sacrificed some evenings (and lots of text messages) to keep F3 South Wake churning along. They’re also fantastic resources within our pax and I would highly encourage you talk to any/all of us about anything you believe we should do more/less/better/different.
That all being said – here are my musings about what the future holds in store for us. All for your reading pleasure!
~ Pikachu
Wow. What a year 2019 was. We became a region thanks to Deadbolt’s continued leadership. We established our first leadership team. Slack is Back. Lots of new AOs. Numerous first time half and full marathons. Q-Source and 3rd F for really the first time in our region’s history. More coffee (and poops thanks to Lipstick) then we can count. Q Swap with our Carpex brothers. Another Long Ass Run. Wrightsville. BRR. Holly Springs Half and flag runs up the ramp. 3rd annual Frosty CSAUP, annual Christmas party, Oakwood24, Throwback AO Week, and it looks like 11 pax that will complete the accomplishment of setting a goal and tracking their workouts throughout the year. Way to be men!
Plant
For the first time in the past two years we have grown enough in number of AOs that we are not averaging 20+ at any given AO (not to be confused with Any Given Sunday). This has been great organic growth from pax members stepping up to plant new AOs (too many to list) with new and unique offerings all over the place (Kettlebells have become all the rage, Sheepdog offers something you can’t get anywhere else, running continues to be popular) and some rivalries developing (looking at you R4TJ and TBD). We should continue to closely monitor workout numbers to keep our numbers closer to the F3 target of 8 – 15 to allow proper community building and accountability.
We have also (deservingly so) gained a reputation as a running region. While this is great for pax like YHC who love to run and are always seeking more miles, we have at times treaded on the line of Open to All Men. We must strive to plant workouts that are intentionally (and consistently) low/no running. 5-Onnit has filled this to a degree, but I envision multiple, permanent options that establishes this side of our community and allows pax that are committed to the no/low running life (or are starting their Fitness journey and need to start there) somewhere to accelerate as well. T-Claps to Forceps for the excellent work on this front with Groundpounder.
Grow
We should strive to continue to grow within our community. Our 1st F will continue to draw new men in, but we should continue to find new ways to get our name out there and make all of South Wake (not just Holly Springs!) aware of F3. FiA did a great job of outreach at Holly Springs Half Marathon – we should find some active outreach activities of our own to do. We have done events with Hope Community church in the past – I’m sure we can find at least 4 events throughout the year to staff to spread the word about F3. If F3 means as much to all of us as we frequently say it does then we should have no qualms getting 4-5 guys together to spread the word at a few events!
We must also continue to have our pax grow accelerate in all aspects of their lives. We do a great job of pushing each other to accelerate in their Fitness (lots of great half and full marathon testimonies out there) but do we meet our full potential outside of fitness? Are we creating community(ies) outside of workouts? Shield locks? Serving together? Slide Rule continues to accelerate us here, and the January Shield Lock challenge is a fantastic start. We’ve seen many of these groups be organically created over the past years – let’s be just a bit more intentional with them moving forward. It doesn’t have to be awkward or forced, just purposeful and value added.
Serve
2019 will go down in the history books as the year that we gained a 3rd F for the first time. We might not be where Slide Rule wants us to be (guy has high standards!), but we should recognize that we have improved a ton and have grown so much as a region. T-Claps! 2020 should be the year that we continue to serve and be active within our community – we are, and always will be, Freed to Lead, but I envision us selecting the key (and popular) partnerships from our 2019 Breathtaker campaign (Healing Transitions, Meg’s Smile, Food Pantry, A Cure In Sight, etc) and doubling down our efforts (and thus impact) on these organizations.
I would also like to see us serve the pax of our region further through internal 3rd F opportunities. Q-Source was again a huge step up for us as a region, but the nationwide effort ends with the 2019 calendar year and we need to move on to something else. The Garner area pax have a great study that meets weekly on Thursdays at 0545 at the Banks Road Sheetz. I would like to see an option or two pop up around our Holly Springs/Fuquay pax – remember it doesn’t have to be Christian focused (and ideally all of our options shouldn’t be). There are some rumblings of new opportunities – I look forward to what our region plants in the 2020 year!
So there you have it. Let’s go enjoy our holidays and if you’re in town get after it with those throwback AO mini-convergences.
See You in the Gloom!
~ Pikachu
https://f3southwake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/f3_logo_wh_on_black_transp-300x300.png00Pikachuhttps://f3southwake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/f3_logo_wh_on_black_transp-300x300.pngPikachu2019-12-17 02:44:552019-12-17 02:44:55Bad 2020 Pun Title Goes Here
Let’s start off 2020 right with a little #3rdF challenge. 1 month long, all you have to do to win is spend time with your Shield Lock. Winners announced first week in Feb.
First things first,
What is a shield lock?
I think it’s easier to illustrate this with a conversation I had on a run the other day (no, not the one where Skidmark tried to kill me): Paraphrase here —
Me: “I’ve not seen you in a while, you been posting a lot?”
Him: “Not really, trying to get back into it.”
Me: “Oh, what’s been going on?”
Him: “You knowthe normal stuff, work got busy, fell into some bad habits, gotta get back into it and get some accountability”
Me: You have a clown car or group of guys who can help out?
Him: “Kind of, but not really. Work means I have to be punctual so I can’t ride with them, so I just try to show up on my own”
I’m sure we’ve all gone through something like that — life gets busy, things get in the way, good habits start to get replaced with bad ones, and suddenly it’s been a few weeks since you’ve posted in the gloom and a lot of that progress you’ve been making starts to slip away. It starts with fitness, but quickly bleeds into losing ground on the intentionality and dedication you’d been working on elsewhere in life.
Here’s the thing: we all know that if we reached out and said “Hey man, I need some help, I’m struggling here”, every single guy in F3 would be there in a heartbeat to support. A shield lock is more than that, though. Your shield lock are the guys who call you first. They are the ones who notice you’re slipping and reach out a hand before you’ve slid down to the bottom and realize you need help.
On a more personal note: back when my 2.0 was born, I struggled hard getting back to work. If I would have picked up a phone and called any number of my golf buddies and said “Hey guys, I’m drowning here, I can’t focus at all and my work is slipping” I know a bunch of guys would have loved to help me out. But there was no one Proximate to me to notice the issue, no one I met with Periodically to have opportunity to address the issue and certainly no one who felt they had the Purpose or role to step up and say something. And let me tell you, when your head is barely above water and you don’t know how to handle it, it’s next to impossible to articulate the need for help. There’s a small group explicitly tasked with that role this time around, and for that I’m extremely thankful.
That’s the shield lock: the small group of guys with whom you are Proximate, Periodic, and Purposeful.
For Dredd & Helmet’s Take on this (which is where I got the above info), See Q1.7 from QSource or listen here: Skip to 28 Minutes
So what’s the Challenge?
Pretty easy!
Get 3-5 guys to commit to complete the challenge for the month of January & come up with a team name
Work out together during the week. Bonus points if you all EC or one/some/all of you Q the workout!
Hang out!
(note: “coffeeteria” after workouts doesn’t count. Need to make an intentional #2ndF effort)
Serve
“Serve” can be a wide array of things. A book study, a service project, serve together at church etc. But, do it *together* (so, don’t count all of you happen to go to the same church on Sunday and nodded to each other in the atrium).
I’m not going to go “Slack-Cop” on this, so if you mark down “We served”, it’s good enough for me.
That’s it. Basically, spend the month of January intentionally being with a smaller group of guys. You’re literally #winning every time you go grab a drink together.
Please note, all of these can be completed in larger groups. If someone organizes a big service project in January, would love to see ALL the shield locks there. LEAD something together!
How do we do it?
Let me (Slide Rule) know your team name and who’s in the Shield Lock.
I’ll make a tab for your team on the Shield Lock tracker, found here: Shield Lock Challenge
At least weekly, log your time together.
The Details
1stF (max 18 pts / week)
1 point / pax at a workout (max of 3 pts)
+1 point if the entire shield lock posts (this balances scoring for 3, 4, 5 person groups)
+1 point if all who posted from shield lock also ran EC
+1 point if someone from shield lock Q’d (might want to start filling up that Q Sheet now!)
Top 3 workouts / week count toward total (Max of 6*3 = 18 pts)
2ndF (7 pts / week)
7 Points if the entire shield lock does anything 2ndF during the week.
Can not be associated with a workout (Panera after U-Turn doesn’t count, for instance)
3rdF (15 pts total)
15 points if the shield lock does something service related over the month.
Most points wins! Ties broken by 3rdF, then 2ndF, then most Q, then most EC points, then week 4/3/2/1. Winners announced first week in February.
Important Note:
There was an F3 podcast recently about guys who are “cheating on their family” with F3. They’re running away from problems at home and use F3 as a way to do it. The shield lock better be the guys who are helping you address those problems, not run away from them.
This Thanksgiving story is a true one. The names have been changed to protect the innocent…
It’s that time of year again. Time to be thankful, sit down with your family, make a side-dish, share a feast, and pass out on a couch to football. You expect that Cousin Red has hosting responsibilities. He always hosts… Out of nowhere he texts (doesn’t call) and asks me to host just the night before the big day. I don’t have a plan, what will I make? I realize Red has no idea who is coming or how many people I have to serve.
Frantically, I send out invitations and ask for RSVPs. I get a few actual RSVPs – my brother Corey (big help when planning out the meal budget) and cousin Mark (you should see this guy clean-up after dinner). Otherwise, lots of questions and comments from the peanut gallery. Stephen (always the match-maker at our get togethers) liked this picture I sent in the invitation but he’s not coming, Jaron (the cousin that think’s he’s some sort of comic book character) says he’ll send some of his high quality H2O but he isn’t coming, and my boy Olson says he has a Full House of his own to deal with…
I hope I make enough! … What if I make too much? … Do I have enough chairs? … Who am I kidding we don’t sit at R4TJ. Family! Am I Right?
EC: Nemo, Pikachu, UTI
My brother Andrew showed up unexpectedly. I figured he might turn up on his way out of town but I just wasn’t sure. As I stepped out to greet him, Chris shot by the door. (I swear that guys moves like lightning). The time I had set in the invitation for appetizers arrived so we got started, figured no one else would be coming. 2ish miles of EC was on the menu. It was something I’d discovered long ago on a visit to Paradise City. By the time we were done other guests had started to trickle in.
FNGs: Zilch – It would be nice if some of these guys had more friends to bring along to dinner. The more the merrier I always say…
We got started with some light stretching. Meals at R4TJ are no joke and you really need to stretch things out to make room. Right as we got started, Brian tore into the driveway. He said he’d planned on going to Jeff’s get together but put in the wrong address. Since he was so close to my house… he just made himself at home… Oy! We added a card table, threw a table cloth on it and let him join us. It’s Thanksgiving after all and he brought a few cans for sides…
The Workout:
For those of us that came with an empty stomach and a hefty appetite. YHC served a beautiful whole bird. If you had to equate the amount of meat to a distance – I’d say it was about 5 miles of Turkey. If you went back for more (like Chris did – More than a few times I might add – that guy can really dig in) you might get more like 10 miles out of that bird. Truly a feast!
Guests seeking something on the lighter side opted for the neck and the dark meat. Chad (we call him Rut – hunters like the gross stuff) was happy to deliver. Such a long neck on this thing. 3 miles of meat (I know its strange but my family has always measured their meat in miles.)
Mary: We didn’t invite her. Always brings up politics at the table. Gets Corey all bent out of shape. She winds up drunk and things really get strange after that… Not worth the hassle.
Announcements: Convergence tomorrow at Tiger Blood, 6AM. Friendsgiving at M4Ls on Thursday, Frosty, Christmas Party, Oakwood 24, BRR registration opens soon, there was more and I hope its all on Slack. With all the tryptophan and you just start getting sick of your family… It’s like Blah Blah Blah….
T-Claps (Recognition): These go to Josh and Brian – This was Kosher’s 3rd post in South Wake and he came out for 3 miles at R4TJ. I’d say its a bit rare for our newcomers to show at R4TJ especially when running hasn’t been their thing recently. Great work Kosher and welcome to the family. Katniss delivered the goods, the canned goods that is!
Prayer: Mark lead us in prayer (again, strange family, prayers after the meal). Great message from Corey about being mindful/grateful for what we have in our families. Bring all 3Fs to your table this year. Be great fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. as we always talk about. Keep Quiver and family in your prayers. Consider those
2nd F: Once all the crazies left… Brian, Corey, Chris, Josh, and I (Jon) went over to Panera for some after-dinner coffee.
https://i0.wp.com/f3southwake.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homerbelt.gif?fit=245%2C245&ssl=1245245UTIhttps://f3southwake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/f3_logo_wh_on_black_transp-300x300.pngUTI2019-11-27 13:26:342019-12-30 16:04:19R4TJ - Gorging on Turkey with the Family
Bad 2020 Pun Title Goes Here
/in AO Post, Faith, Fellowship, News /QIC: PikachuWhat’s up F3 South Wake! So a few months back I had the honor of being nominated within the leadership team to fill Deadbolt’s shoes as our next Nantan. (For those unaware, the lexicon defines Nantan as “A cultural/spiritual Leader within a Starfish-modelled Organization who Influences through VAPE.” VAPE is defined as “Acronym for the four F3 Leadership Skills: Vision, Articulation, Persuasion, and Exhortation.” Honestly I had zero expectations of being selected to be our Nantan but I am honored for the opportunity and can’t wait to see what 2020 holds in store. That all being said – these are my ramblings about how I envision us moving forward into the 2020 year as a region. As always, we are at our core Freed to Lead. There is no requirement that anyone, even an FNG, listen to what I (or the rest of your leadership team) have to say here or anywhere else, but after a lot of reflection and consultation with numerous pax at our core I believe it is a good objective list for the 2020 year and beyond!
Speaking of leadership team, I’d like to highlight who we have stepping down, stepping up, and staying the same for now. It may look like slightly organized chaos (and well you wouldn’t be wrong) but we discussed after having the entire team start anew at the same time in 2019 that we would like to have some continuity when team changes happen, so we’re staggering our swaps moving forward.
Give these guys some love when you see them in the gloom – they’ve all sacrificed some evenings (and lots of text messages) to keep F3 South Wake churning along. They’re also fantastic resources within our pax and I would highly encourage you talk to any/all of us about anything you believe we should do more/less/better/different.
That all being said – here are my musings about what the future holds in store for us. All for your reading pleasure!
~ Pikachu
Wow. What a year 2019 was. We became a region thanks to Deadbolt’s continued leadership. We established our first leadership team. Slack is Back. Lots of new AOs. Numerous first time half and full marathons. Q-Source and 3rd F for really the first time in our region’s history. More coffee (and poops thanks to Lipstick) then we can count. Q Swap with our Carpex brothers. Another Long Ass Run. Wrightsville. BRR. Holly Springs Half and flag runs up the ramp. 3rd annual Frosty CSAUP, annual Christmas party, Oakwood24, Throwback AO Week, and it looks like 11 pax that will complete the accomplishment of setting a goal and tracking their workouts throughout the year. Way to be men!
Plant
For the first time in the past two years we have grown enough in number of AOs that we are not averaging 20+ at any given AO (not to be confused with Any Given Sunday). This has been great organic growth from pax members stepping up to plant new AOs (too many to list) with new and unique offerings all over the place (Kettlebells have become all the rage, Sheepdog offers something you can’t get anywhere else, running continues to be popular) and some rivalries developing (looking at you R4TJ and TBD). We should continue to closely monitor workout numbers to keep our numbers closer to the F3 target of 8 – 15 to allow proper community building and accountability.
We have also (deservingly so) gained a reputation as a running region. While this is great for pax like YHC who love to run and are always seeking more miles, we have at times treaded on the line of Open to All Men. We must strive to plant workouts that are intentionally (and consistently) low/no running. 5-Onnit has filled this to a degree, but I envision multiple, permanent options that establishes this side of our community and allows pax that are committed to the no/low running life (or are starting their Fitness journey and need to start there) somewhere to accelerate as well. T-Claps to Forceps for the excellent work on this front with Groundpounder.
Grow
We should strive to continue to grow within our community. Our 1st F will continue to draw new men in, but we should continue to find new ways to get our name out there and make all of South Wake (not just Holly Springs!) aware of F3. FiA did a great job of outreach at Holly Springs Half Marathon – we should find some active outreach activities of our own to do. We have done events with Hope Community church in the past – I’m sure we can find at least 4 events throughout the year to staff to spread the word about F3. If F3 means as much to all of us as we frequently say it does then we should have no qualms getting 4-5 guys together to spread the word at a few events!
We must also continue to have our pax grow accelerate in all aspects of their lives. We do a great job of pushing each other to accelerate in their Fitness (lots of great half and full marathon testimonies out there) but do we meet our full potential outside of fitness? Are we creating community(ies) outside of workouts? Shield locks? Serving together? Slide Rule continues to accelerate us here, and the January Shield Lock challenge is a fantastic start. We’ve seen many of these groups be organically created over the past years – let’s be just a bit more intentional with them moving forward. It doesn’t have to be awkward or forced, just purposeful and value added.
Serve
2019 will go down in the history books as the year that we gained a 3rd F for the first time. We might not be where Slide Rule wants us to be (guy has high standards!), but we should recognize that we have improved a ton and have grown so much as a region. T-Claps! 2020 should be the year that we continue to serve and be active within our community – we are, and always will be, Freed to Lead, but I envision us selecting the key (and popular) partnerships from our 2019 Breathtaker campaign (Healing Transitions, Meg’s Smile, Food Pantry, A Cure In Sight, etc) and doubling down our efforts (and thus impact) on these organizations.
I would also like to see us serve the pax of our region further through internal 3rd F opportunities. Q-Source was again a huge step up for us as a region, but the nationwide effort ends with the 2019 calendar year and we need to move on to something else. The Garner area pax have a great study that meets weekly on Thursdays at 0545 at the Banks Road Sheetz. I would like to see an option or two pop up around our Holly Springs/Fuquay pax – remember it doesn’t have to be Christian focused (and ideally all of our options shouldn’t be). There are some rumblings of new opportunities – I look forward to what our region plants in the 2020 year!
So there you have it. Let’s go enjoy our holidays and if you’re in town get after it with those throwback AO mini-convergences.
See You in the Gloom!
~ Pikachu
2020 Shield Lock Challenge!
/in AO Post, Faith, Fellowship, News /QIC: Slide RuleLet’s start off 2020 right with a little #3rdF challenge. 1 month long, all you have to do to win is spend time with your Shield Lock. Winners announced first week in Feb.
First things first,
What is a shield lock?
I think it’s easier to illustrate this with a conversation I had on a run the other day (no, not the one where Skidmark tried to kill me): Paraphrase here —
Me: “I’ve not seen you in a while, you been posting a lot?”
Him: “Not really, trying to get back into it.”
Me: “Oh, what’s been going on?”
Him: “You know the normal stuff, work got busy, fell into some bad habits, gotta get back into it and get some accountability”
Me: You have a clown car or group of guys who can help out?
Him: “Kind of, but not really. Work means I have to be punctual so I can’t ride with them, so I just try to show up on my own”
I’m sure we’ve all gone through something like that — life gets busy, things get in the way, good habits start to get replaced with bad ones, and suddenly it’s been a few weeks since you’ve posted in the gloom and a lot of that progress you’ve been making starts to slip away. It starts with fitness, but quickly bleeds into losing ground on the intentionality and dedication you’d been working on elsewhere in life.
Here’s the thing: we all know that if we reached out and said “Hey man, I need some help, I’m struggling here”, every single guy in F3 would be there in a heartbeat to support. A shield lock is more than that, though. Your shield lock are the guys who call you first. They are the ones who notice you’re slipping and reach out a hand before you’ve slid down to the bottom and realize you need help.
On a more personal note: back when my 2.0 was born, I struggled hard getting back to work. If I would have picked up a phone and called any number of my golf buddies and said “Hey guys, I’m drowning here, I can’t focus at all and my work is slipping” I know a bunch of guys would have loved to help me out. But there was no one Proximate to me to notice the issue, no one I met with Periodically to have opportunity to address the issue and certainly no one who felt they had the Purpose or role to step up and say something. And let me tell you, when your head is barely above water and you don’t know how to handle it, it’s next to impossible to articulate the need for help. There’s a small group explicitly tasked with that role this time around, and for that I’m extremely thankful.
That’s the shield lock: the small group of guys with whom you are Proximate, Periodic, and Purposeful.
For Dredd & Helmet’s Take on this (which is where I got the above info), See Q1.7 from QSource or listen here: Skip to 28 Minutes
So what’s the Challenge?
Pretty easy!
(note: “coffeeteria” after workouts doesn’t count. Need to make an intentional #2ndF effort)
“Serve” can be a wide array of things. A book study, a service project, serve together at church etc. But, do it *together* (so, don’t count all of you happen to go to the same church on Sunday and nodded to each other in the atrium).
I’m not going to go “Slack-Cop” on this, so if you mark down “We served”, it’s good enough for me.
That’s it. Basically, spend the month of January intentionally being with a smaller group of guys. You’re literally #winning every time you go grab a drink together.
Please note, all of these can be completed in larger groups. If someone organizes a big service project in January, would love to see ALL the shield locks there. LEAD something together!
How do we do it?
Let me (Slide Rule) know your team name and who’s in the Shield Lock.
I’ll make a tab for your team on the Shield Lock tracker, found here: Shield Lock Challenge
At least weekly, log your time together.
The Details
1 point / pax at a workout (max of 3 pts)
+1 point if the entire shield lock posts (this balances scoring for 3, 4, 5 person groups)
+1 point if all who posted from shield lock also ran EC
+1 point if someone from shield lock Q’d (might want to start filling up that Q Sheet now!)
Top 3 workouts / week count toward total (Max of 6*3 = 18 pts)
7 Points if the entire shield lock does anything 2ndF during the week.
Can not be associated with a workout (Panera after U-Turn doesn’t count, for instance)
15 points if the shield lock does something service related over the month.
Most points wins! Ties broken by 3rdF, then 2ndF, then most Q, then most EC points, then week 4/3/2/1. Winners announced first week in February.
Important Note:
There was an F3 podcast recently about guys who are “cheating on their family” with F3. They’re running away from problems at home and use F3 as a way to do it. The shield lock better be the guys who are helping you address those problems, not run away from them.
Any questions? Feel free to ask!
R4TJ – Gorging on Turkey with the Family
/in Fellowship, Running 4 the John /QIC: UTIPAX: 187, Boy George, Katniss, Kosher, Master Shake, Nemo, Pikachu, Rut, ShamWow!, Slide Rule, Sweep, UTI
This Thanksgiving story is a true one. The names have been changed to protect the innocent…
It’s that time of year again. Time to be thankful, sit down with your family, make a side-dish, share a feast, and pass out on a couch to football. You expect that Cousin Red has hosting responsibilities. He always hosts… Out of nowhere he texts (doesn’t call) and asks me to host just the night before the big day. I don’t have a plan, what will I make? I realize Red has no idea who is coming or how many people I have to serve.
Frantically, I send out invitations and ask for RSVPs. I get a few actual RSVPs – my brother Corey (big help when planning out the meal budget) and cousin Mark (you should see this guy clean-up after dinner). Otherwise, lots of questions and comments from the peanut gallery. Stephen (always the match-maker at our get togethers) liked this picture I sent in the invitation but he’s not coming, Jaron (the cousin that think’s he’s some sort of comic book character) says he’ll send some of his high quality H2O but he isn’t coming, and my boy Olson says he has a Full House of his own to deal with…
I hope I make enough! … What if I make too much? … Do I have enough chairs? … Who am I kidding we don’t sit at R4TJ. Family! Am I Right?
EC: Nemo, Pikachu, UTI
My brother Andrew showed up unexpectedly. I figured he might turn up on his way out of town but I just wasn’t sure. As I stepped out to greet him, Chris shot by the door. (I swear that guys moves like lightning). The time I had set in the invitation for appetizers arrived so we got started, figured no one else would be coming. 2ish miles of EC was on the menu. It was something I’d discovered long ago on a visit to Paradise City. By the time we were done other guests had started to trickle in.
FNGs: Zilch – It would be nice if some of these guys had more friends to bring along to dinner. The more the merrier I always say…
Warm Up: Daisy Pickers, Frankensteins, Burpees (Thanks Katniss), Butt Kickers, High Knees
We got started with some light stretching. Meals at R4TJ are no joke and you really need to stretch things out to make room. Right as we got started, Brian tore into the driveway. He said he’d planned on going to Jeff’s get together but put in the wrong address. Since he was so close to my house… he just made himself at home… Oy! We added a card table, threw a table cloth on it and let him join us. It’s Thanksgiving after all and he brought a few cans for sides…
The Workout:
For those of us that came with an empty stomach and a hefty appetite. YHC served a beautiful whole bird. If you had to equate the amount of meat to a distance – I’d say it was about 5 miles of Turkey. If you went back for more (like Chris did – More than a few times I might add – that guy can really dig in) you might get more like 10 miles out of that bird. Truly a feast!
Guests seeking something on the lighter side opted for the neck and the dark meat. Chad (we call him Rut – hunters like the gross stuff) was happy to deliver. Such a long neck on this thing. 3 miles of meat (I know its strange but my family has always measured their meat in miles.)
Mary: We didn’t invite her. Always brings up politics at the table. Gets Corey all bent out of shape. She winds up drunk and things really get strange after that… Not worth the hassle.
Announcements: Convergence tomorrow at Tiger Blood, 6AM. Friendsgiving at M4Ls on Thursday, Frosty, Christmas Party, Oakwood 24, BRR registration opens soon, there was more and I hope its all on Slack. With all the tryptophan and you just start getting sick of your family… It’s like Blah Blah Blah….
T-Claps (Recognition): These go to Josh and Brian – This was Kosher’s 3rd post in South Wake and he came out for 3 miles at R4TJ. I’d say its a bit rare for our newcomers to show at R4TJ especially when running hasn’t been their thing recently. Great work Kosher and welcome to the family. Katniss delivered the goods, the canned goods that is!
Prayer: Mark lead us in prayer (again, strange family, prayers after the meal). Great message from Corey about being mindful/grateful for what we have in our families. Bring all 3Fs to your table this year. Be great fathers, brothers, husbands, etc. as we always talk about. Keep Quiver and family in your prayers. Consider those
2nd F: Once all the crazies left… Brian, Corey, Chris, Josh, and I (Jon) went over to Panera for some after-dinner coffee.