Warm Up: 187 took us through some warmups at the top of the ramp
The Workout: Pikachu started with 4 corner indian runs with 3 burpees and 5 merkins. YHC then took us to the ramp for 7’s with burpees and merkins. Finished with Suicides on the ramp.
Mary: Skidmark took us out with Yoga
Many training plans, one team. F3 strong is what I’m talking about. 20 fellas pushed themselves in various ways this morning. The “bat flippers” were mostly present and accounted for on a 10 mile route. Team FML plus a few more got at least 10 miles while joining the classic U-Turn route and picking up the six…a lot. . Several more of us including YHC got between 6-9 miles with many mix-ins training for BRR and RDC marathon. Aquaman and Bernie were hitting 20 plus today. Martini bagged a half marathon.
YHC message was simple as I was inspired by Dovetail’s post this week. If you struggle…good. If it hurts (not injured)…good. If it’s difficult… good. If you fail… good. If you make a mistake… good. Bottom line is I had a crappy week, and many of us can complain about many things. BUT… if our M’s and kids are happy and healthy, if we have meaningful work to do, if we can exercise and have our health, if the Lord above loves us as sons even though we are messed up people, well then…good!
Warm Up: Imperial Walkers, Hillbillies, Good Mornings, Frankenstein’s
The Workout: Standard U-Turn route. Lots of picking up the 6..,which was often YHC.
Mary: Runners Stretch And Pigeon Pose with almost a full…OUT LOUD… sing along to Tom Petty by none other than THE Dawgpound! The song…Last Dance with Mary Jane! Not gonna lie…the way my feet and knees hurt… I get the song big time today. But enough of that for now…
Announcements: Go mulch. There may be an additional week or two added.
T-Claps (Recognition): Martini on the half marathon today. Strong work brother. Lots of picking up the 6. All those elites out there…many of you for picking up my six!
Prayer: Pikachu’s M and health issues. Protection from injury illness for pax with races coming up. YHC took us out…and then a few pax went to join Martini as he completed his half… THAT is what this is about!
19 PAX in total out to celebrate National Backwards Day (which is really January 31st, who knew!) and a reverse U-turn track. Multiple PAX grabbed extra miles for EC this morning prepping for BRR.
The warm up – SSH, IW, daisy pickers, windmills, good mornings, 10 burpees OYO. 19 PAX set off for a leisurely stroll, reverse u-turn heading up through by Target first and then down the hill on Irving, up Green Oaks and into 12 Oaks before returning back to Panera. Post run circled up for Skidmark’s version of some stretching by watching some chick on a video…some yelled out porn, but couldn’t be confirmed. YHC determined best to just wrap this thing up.
Announcements, mulch sign up, volunteers are still needed, repeat offenders are welcomed. FV/HS convergence this week, make sure to check as not all AO’s will be open this week or next. Great job by the entire group today picking up the six. No spoken prayer requests, but honor those unspoken and for our first responders, military and for our nation.
FNGs: n/a
Warm Up: Two laps around the track
The Workout:
14 PAX ran a modified workout from the Great Steve Prefontaine.
200 meter repeats on the track. Alternating Target 5k race pace / +10 slower per 200m continuously for 1600m.
After 1600m run, go back and pick up the six.
2 minute rest and then repeat.
Mary: Streeeetching (Pigeon pose, runners stretch, etc)
Announcements: Mulch
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer: Prayers for Lipstick
Q sheet was empty so FML decided to take a leap and Q the workout since we needed most of us only needed 5 miles this morning while following the training plan. YHC was excited to catch up with Mookie who was like BOOM!! when the Q sheet slot filled. Unfortunately there are sometimes more pressing issues like late nights with the family, illnesses, hangovers, or sometimes the fartsack just wins baby. I’m not going to speculate as I believe the sleeping in was needed. Next time Mookie, next time.
FML rolls in style. We promised 2nd trunk coffee complete with all the fixins in a picnic basket. No donuts or fritters, sorry.
YHC rolled up early to set up coffee and there was only 1 EC, Vaseline, who for 2 days in a row drove to the workout. Congrats on the PR.
Route was secret until time to post but I promised hills and we’d keep our feet dry. Minus the sweat, they stayed dry. We started with 11 but finished with 12. See how that works, you can come back with more, but never less.
FNGs: None
Warm Up: Leg swings side to side and front to back, tiger claws, and some hip opening things
The Workout: The route went like this: Down Stinson and across Bass Lake Rd, into Sunset Ridge. Turn R at the first road and continue staying right until Sunset Walk, Sunset Walk to Gable Ridge, Turn R on Gable Ridge to Linksland. Turn R on Linksland. Follow Linksland to the end where some thought this was a dead end but it actually meets up with Salem Ridge again. Turn Left on Salem Ridge and loop back up to Linksland. Turn Right on Linksland. Follow Linksland past the driving range and pool and turn L on Gable Ridge. Follow Gable Ridge and turn R on Sunset Walk. From here follow the route back to Womble. At the peak of every hill we picked up the 6: Stinson, Sunset Walk, Linksland and Gable Ridge, Salem Ridge and Linksland, Linksland and Gable Ridge (after pool), Sunset Walk, Stinson at Womble.
Mary: Some stretching OYO
Announcements: mulch
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer: Full House’s family
FNGs: None
Warm Up: None. We went right out and ran.
The Workout: Run run run. 9 for convergence, 5 for Crossway. They both sucked, in different ways. For convergence, we split up and had a race/WWI/math competition, followed by a BTTW until failure. The score was 2-2…until next time guys.
Mary: Nah.
Announcements: Scramble week! Go try something new.
T-Claps (Recognition): McNugget for forgetting where Crossway is and coming to converge. He ran Nemo’s sizable head start down for the victory.
Prayer: Boy George’s house to sell quickly and easily. Our nation.
YHC pre-blasted the workout with enough time that Pax would reach out and get their paces for today’s workout. The misconception about speed work is that is not just come and run as fast as you can. Lots of requests last night for pace and YHC checked back to see at 10 HC’s as of last night. The good news, an HC still means something at Tiger Blood as all 10 HCs posted.
Runners returned from EC routes warmed up and ready to go. No one could find Dawgpound as we started the mosey. As we neared the track the lost pup was located after setting up his recovery device. 
Here is SW we don’t do 10 or 20 counts. At Tiger Blood we usually recover on the mosey, but today apparently we were to recover in luxury.
3 for 2 mile EC: Full House, Mr. Terrific, and Skidmark
1 mile EC: Dawgpound, Cupid, Pikachu, 187, Emeril, McNugget, and maybe some others
Run from home: Aquaman, Bernie, Bullseye
Notable non EC: Lipstick
FNGs: None
Warm Up: Little mosey to the track. Leg swings side to side and front to back. Tiger claws. 400 meters (1 lap)
The Workout: Tempo Runs. 2 -12 minute sessions with 3 minute recovery between sets.
“So what is a true tempo run? A tempo run—also known as an anaerobic threshold or lactate-threshold run—is a pace about 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K race pace, according to running coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D., who popularized the tempo run in his book Daniels’ Running Formula.
Without getting too technical, tempo pace is the effort level at which your body is able to clear as much lactate—a byproduct of burning carbohydrates—as it produces. Your body’s lactate clearance is at the same level as its lactate production, meaning the dreaded dead-leg sensation doesn’t set in.
That’s the key difference between a race and a tempo run. In an all-out session, your body bypasses this limit, allowing for fatigue to develop rapidly. A tempo pace, on the other hand, can be held steadily (albeit not too comfortably) for at least 20 minutes.
For those fond of using heart rate monitors, Daniels notes that tempo runs should be done at 90 percent of maximum and feel ‘comfortably hard’.”
Finished with a 400m at Short Interval Pace
Mary: No time
Announcements: Mulch again, Q Swap week between HS/FV August 10 and 17, Derek Davis Memorial Run will be held at Tiger Blood on 8/20. It will be the workout but will be open to anyone.
T-Claps (Recognition): 16 guys for speed work, incredible
Prayer: Full House’s family, Lipstick’s family
It normally doesn’t take this long to squeeze out a backblast, but this one needed to take some time to do it justice. We all joke at the lessons M4L can provide. Sometimes he shows to workouts he commits to, sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he does 1/2 of the workout, sometimes he does 1/2 Side Straddle Hops, sometimes he does a full one or just flaps his arms. On that Friday, last week at Kung Pow, he delivered one of the more memorable Q’s I’ve been a part of, and truth be told…when he shows to Q, they always have a lesson.
On an aside, these guys at Wescott are bringing it and I’m not saying it because it is home turf. I have yet to see a duplicated workout and every single one has a signature footprint. Pablo’s manhole merkins, Deadbolt and DoubleD’s Reagan era burpeefest, and who could forget that time where YHC almost killed Fram, DoubleD, Sprinkler, and Fonzie with cardio cul-de-sacs a few weeks ago.
I will say this, anytime I have seen M4L Q, I always come away with something. It could be an exercise routine, it could be something personal he has shared, but more importantly, his Q’s always extend beyond just a workout (hence F3- more than a workout) and have always shown me to appreciate the moment and embrace these great things we have… F3 and each other. Just like we tackle these workouts, we are also going through everything life throws at us together.
On this Friday morning, it was destined that something special was gonna happen. Pre-Blast yielded 8 HC’s, which was a really high number considering none of the regulars were HC’ing the night before. Also, nobody HC’s anymore…anybody else notice that?
Picked up Deadbolt… yes- we drove only being a half 0.4 mi down the road. Arrived to a completely full Wescott parking lot, 13 PAX limbering up, representing all areas of SouthWake-some from Fuquay, another from 12 Oaks, even one from Cary and also from Raleigh. 15 total- A new record at Kung Pow. Full House later shared that he was undecided that morning, but just like Nemo from a few weeks ago, he was drawn by the pre-blast marketing campaign.
What on earth did M4L have planned? Whatever it was, it was about to go down as we were at 5:29 and the mumblechatter was starting to rise above the level that gets us exposed on our neighborhood Facebook page.
Time to mosey. Extended the 15 PAX group across the street to do some warm-ups at the Veterinary clinic across the street.
FNGs: None, but would be alot cooler if there were…
Warm Up: SSH X10, Burpee X10, Uneven Merkins- Right arm extended forward x10\Left Arm extended forward X10. Mumblechatter= more burpee X10, then followed by a mosey back to M4L’s vehicle.
The Workout: Upon arrival, M4L pops the trunk. Strategically stacked where several bricks with the words “No OYO” spray painted on them. Everybody grab a brick- one for each hand. I’ve seen this workout once before, but judging by the other faces they had not and wasn’t sure what they were more surprised by…the possibility that they’d have to carry these bricks the whole workout or what M4L meant by “No OYO.” As suspected, Midget instructed PAX to mosey with bricks in hand down Wescott Ridge. PAX stopped about halfway down among the trees lining what we refer to in Wescott as the ‘fairway.’
As a tribute to New Mexico, PAX performed a series of quick feet with bricks in hands. Recover on the mosey to Bells Walk (oh- if anyone puts the bricks down, 10 burpees with bricks for all PAX). At Bells Walk, M4L calls for a Indian Brick Walk with curls where the trailing PAX double times it to the front curling alongside group of 14 PAX who are also curling in single file. Made it to the end of the cul-de-sac for 31 Monkey Humpers with bricks (31 years since entering the US) . This was also in honor of one of our favorite Wescott residents, bless her heart. She is looking for a gently used Oboe, so if anyone knows a friend of a friend who has one let us know. A real Oboe…not you, Oboe. Really- not kidding.
After those were performed, M4L called for a faster paced Indian Run with bricks, except halfway down the street, Q ended up ‘dropping’ his bricks.. 10 burpees OYO all PAX. Continued to the end of Bells Walk and onto Dumbo’s house. How we were able to fit all 15 PAX in his driveway was beyond me, but we did and its unfortunate he did not have a Ring camera to capture this. There was mumblechatter as to the other cameras he has in his house, but we would need to wait for him to return from vacation to either confirm or deny.
Inside the driveway, all 15 PAX performed 31 tricep extensions , followed by 31 overhead presses. With arms already significantly torched, M4L now reveals the true meaning of the lesson behind the “No OYO” bricks. He instructed PAX to partner up. From here, one member of the unit would give their bricks to the partner, so one carries all 4 on the mosey, while the other stays with him for moral support. Do not leave your partner- He will need you.
Not sure Fram got that memo, even with 4 bricks, he was running a 5K pace and YHC was having trouble keeping up with him as he made his way up Wescott Ridge and down to the Palm City cul-de-sac where M4L used to live. At the cul-de-sac, M4L shared a story of what F3 means to him and specifically how PAX should never do life alone- hence the “No OYO” bricks. We all carry something and should never feel afraid to ask for help and lean on your brothers to help you through difficult times. A message that hit home with everyone that morning.
On the return, PAX mosey’d with their bricks again, making sure that each partner didn’t leave the other behind. At the top of the hill, M4L did a quick check of the lead PAX to ask where their partners were. If they were left behind, he instructed them to apologize for leaving them behind as a reminder that we are all accountable to ensure we are picking up the six.
Mary: Merkins on the “Bring Sally Down”- A tribute to “Gone in 60 Seconds” (67 seconds to be exact-the amount of time remaining in the workout)
Announcements: Q Swap coming in August; New AO- Something Awesome on Monday
T-Claps (Recognition): All PAX getting out there this morning. A great crowd, great workout, great message.
Prayer: Healthcare workers, Bondo’s new grandchild Piper. Continued health for families near and far.
Double D took us out!
Wow – 6 years. When I first gave into the 18 month long headlock by Gnard Dogg from Raleigh – I remember telling my M that “maybe this will be good – I can catch a Friday workout a few times a month to change up things for me at the Y (Sad Clown). Little did I know that 6 years later, I would have accomplished the following:
WOW
Rolling into the parking lot at Cletus, Mookie and I got a little concerned. On the way over in the clown car, we discussed what we would do if we had more than 25 Pax. I did not want too many in our group(s) given Covid. I quickly discussed what I had planned to Mookie as we drove over. I remember him looking at me like “Are you crazy?”
As it became obvious that the Pax count would be near 40 – we decided to go with the Audible and split the pax. I am very glad we did. T-Claps to Mookie for the co-Q
FNGs: None – Shovel flag planted at 5:29
Warm Up: Got things started with a mosie down to the field near the small pavillion. The one we always warm up in when the crowds are big
The Workout:
Pax of 38 was split into roughly half. Mookie too one to the lower field and YHC kept the other half up top at the Soccer field. It went down like this
The Split pax on the soccer field would split again into two groups. Groups would perform exercises on duct taped sheets in two (2) of the four corners (diagonal from each other). Group 1 would sprint 50% around the track while Group 2 did the exercises. Group 2 does AMRAP until all of Group 1 makes it to the opposite corner. Group 1 would signal with a “yell” for Group 2 to stop the reps and run the same direction (clockwise around the field to them). This was repeated for 20 minutes while the other Pax was down on the field. Basically we were looping the 1/2 miles around the soccer field.
This workout was from the original scrolls of Southwake. It was named by a Ohio State fan. “Because it sux”. The pax gathered on the end line of the soccer/football field. All we did was sprints and Jack Webbs. It went like this
That went on for 20 minutes – it was a smoker
The 2 groups converged on the North Tennis Courts for Mary and COT
Mary:
Announcements:
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer:
YHC took us out in prayer
Photos, 2nd F and Busch Latte
I love you all
DB Out!
FNGs: None
Warm Up: 15 SSH, light stretching, sir fozio arm circles
The Workout: YHC did a lap around the parking lot at Eggs Up, and then brought out the dice. Faces were blank, blank, 1, 1, 2, and 2. PAX called an exercise and then rolled the dice. Number on the dice was multiplied by 5 (i.e, 3 = 15). Everyone did the exercise and we re-rolled and repeated the exercise until we got triples. Triple Blank = no lap. Triple 1s = 1 lap. Triple 2s = 2 laps. Then the next PAX picked the exercise and rolled the dice.
We got triple twos many times. No triple blanks were had. We ended up right around 3 miles of laps.
Exercises included plank, merkins, LBCs, squats, air presses, dips…a few more.
Mary: Final exercise…burpees until triples.
Announcements: None.
T-Claps: Everyone suffering through Snap’s unlucky LBC dice rolls. We did at least 100, and then ended up having to do two laps.
Prayer: People suffering with addiction, our nation’s leaders.
