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Is there a Big Dipper?

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EC: Redenbacher, Lipstick, Nemo, YHC

FNGs: Not today…

Warm Up:

The original plan was to endure the heat and do a simple out and back from R4TJ headquarters to TBD headquarters, see if we could do a fly-by and see some of those PAX out to be DETERMINED.  Slap some hands, some asses, and bring it back to R4TJ HQ for COT.  Then, even before we could start warm-up, I locked eyes with DawgPound and he was giving me those big puppy dawg eyes.  He wanted to run The Little Dipper…  How can I say no!?  There was some backlash in the ranks “Who’s the Q?”  I answered “Well, I am!” and justified that it’s running and I want to make sure that R4TJ is catering to the needs of it’s VIPs (which is anyone that shows up and has a voice – extra VIP status for ‘The DawgPound’ because is has a THE in his name).  Had he requested that we all start doing Merkins for the duration of the workout, I would have said “Dawwwgggg, Please!” but he only suggested a slight detour on our return route and we probably netted a bit more mileage which MADE US STRONGER!!!  But, I digress…

Frankensteins, Daisy Pickers, High Knees, Butt Kickers were our warm-up moves.  The last two were in motion towards the stop sign off the main drag into Ting near the construction.  We began the run from the sign.

The Workout:

A RUN!  It really shouldn’t surprise anyone, R4TJ is listed as a RUNNING AO on our website.  Not listed on our website is that we typically run for something closer to an hour end-to-end at R4TJ.  Lipstick and I will need to call on our resident web heads to fix that.  We’ve been living a lie…

We ran The Little Dipper for THE DawgPound as previously discussed.  It’s named for it’s shape, see this backblast for reference.  187 was fast to ask about the Big Dipper…  We simply don’t have one here in South Wake.  Maybe it’s because Holly Springs isn’t very big? Or perhaps we discovered the Big Dipper but called it the Little Dipper because we were hoping for more from a Dipper?…  Not sure…  Curious… Fascinating… Intriguing….  Dodo Birds?  OH, YEAH!  So we were running and it was really hot and steamy out this morning.  I don’t know about the rest of the PAX but it was a struggle today for YHC.  I managed to get back to HQ clocking in just over 5 miles (even with the slight short-cut down the stairs instead of going all the way to the light at Ting).

It is important to note that we had 2 visitors this morning

– Peeping Tom of Carpex was out.  Still a little bloody and bruised in places but getting out in the gloom from some walking and light running where his injuries would allow.

– Borland from Raleigh was present and accounted for as well.  Glad to have him out and in my corner to maintain order at the AO this morning.  Be glad some of you were counted, nuf said.

Mary:  Big Mary or little Mary?  Do not tell Big Mary, I called her Big…  It never goes well…

Announcements:

-Sasquatch CSAUP 7/27 – Hit up Owais for details, check your Social Media accounts

-Still needs for this weekend to support Meg’s Smile – check with Sliderule

T-Claps (Recognition):

-Midget for helping bring everyone together this morning (through the power of his High School self) but also every other day of the week.  He is always our spirited mascot/ambassador, EHing guys on the runs through town at many of our AOs and keeping the rest of the nation aware of what we are doing here in South Wake.

-Sliderule is killing the target for Meg’s Smile charity this month with everyone’s help of course 🙂

Prayer:

-Crablegs – Great work out there on behalf of ALS, hope you are enjoying your travels and stay safe.

-Double D – Your family is in our prayers following your father’s passing.

-Our BRR 6-man, stay well men and God speed.  Take care of yourselves and each other as you continue your training.

-Emeril’s Dad – recovering from surgery

-Friend of YHCs son Corbin, still in a coma after a dry drowning event.  He did come off of the ventilator and is breathing on his own.

Particle Board’s VQ

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20 PAX (12 for EC) posted at Purple Cobra to experience a VQ from Particle Board.

EC: Banana Seat, Redenbacher, 187, Pikachu, WebEx, Warbucks, UTI, Skidmark, Dahmer, Pablo, Full House, Lucky Charms

FNGs: None
Warm Up: Started with standard warm-up lap, warm up exercises in cadence: SSH x 30, Good Mornings x 10, Imperial Walkers x15, Hillbillies x 15, Sir Fazio arm circles 10F & 10B, 10 burpees OYO
The Workout: PAX moseyed to the Wells Fargo parking lot and found an accountability partner.  PAX were instructed to complete a Dora 1-2-3 (100 Merkins, 200 Freddie Mercury in cadence, and 300 prisoner squats) splitting the exercises between partners.  Partner 1 started the exercises while partner 2 ran out of the lower entrance to the lot and ran up the sidewalk along Holly Springs Rd to the intersection of Sunset Lake Rd and completed 5 star jumps (adding 2 star jumps for each return visit to the intersection) and then back to the lot to rotate with partner 2.  Once all reps were completed, Q had partners complete a “reverse partner’s chair”?  (pax faced their partner and performed a wall-less peoples chair, but held partners hand for balance).  Pax then moseyed to the  other side of the lot behind the building to perform a few BTW exercises.  Exercise 1: Partner 1 was in BTW while Partner 2 did diamond merkins x20, then switch and repeat.  Exercise2:  Partner 1 was in BTW while partner 2 did mickey mouse merkins x 10, then switch and repeat.  Pax then moseyed back to the circle for Mary.
Mary: Homer-to-Marge IC x 2o, pickle pounder IC x 20, side plank crunches (5 IC on each side), 5 burpees OYO.
Announcements: Check slack and FB, Meg Smile charity auction, Amazon Prime Deal on Garmin Watch for those PAX looking
Prayer: Crab legs, Double D’s family, Dumbo’s Aunt

Double Dose

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EC: Aquaman, Lipstick, Redenbacher, UTI
Warm Up: SSH x25, Good Mornings x10, Frenkensteins x10, Butt Kickers x10, Arm Stretches
The Workout: 10x800m Tempo Run.  The course was Ting Block. Each time you made the block, do the next section at 30 seconds slower than the pace you did the block at.  Target pace for the block was 1/2 Marathon.

Tempo runs are tough. It really isn’t easy to scale back and maintain paces.  Great Job by all. It’s a great training run and helps build the endurance for the longer runs.

Mary: Stretching as we waited on the 6
Announcements: Lots of choices this Saturday, choose wisely! Umstead, U-Turn and F3-Raleigh Mock Tri.
T-Claps (Recognition): Great job by all this morning. Pace was strong and great to see Abe continuing to build on his run game!
Prayer: UTI’s old neighbors son who is in a coma from swimming. (Post Swim Drowning effect), Bullseye/Aquaman to make better choices around peer pressure. Crablegs and his journey

BTW- The Shitter was used twice this morning

Oyster Shell Injuries, Indian Run Education, and Hills.

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Pre-Blast featured a reference to Hills this morning. The reality is that BRR is just around the corner and more and more PAX are finding their way to AGS on Sunday’s. For this morning’s edition of AGS, YHC figured it fitting to pick up where we left off from last week and provide another bootcamp style running workout with Hills as the main feature.  Last evening received an ‘HC’ from Deadbolt indicating a return to the gloom. A 5:45am pickup time was established.

As normally is the case on Sunday morning, YHC picked up his gear and in a half-awake manner, picked up the phone to check the status of Wescott clowns looking to clown car. Quick glance and was disappointed to see that Deadbolt was out. Apparently, oyster shell cuts to the foot are a real thing for those who spend time at sea, and can impact one’s ability to perform roadwork on Sunday’s. Not sure if these were suffered on the boat or at a restaurant, but in any event, he’d be missed out there for sure this morning.

Arrived to a very occupied Womble parking lot. That silver sedan has become a fixture, signifying Redenbacher was out getting his EC fix beforehand. And what is this?….A Double D sighting?  YHC thought he had seen a ghost. Glad to see him back in the gloom and especially on a Sunday. I’ve mentioned this before in previous BB’s, but when you put a Double D in the mix of any workout, it amplifies the experience to another level. Pull into my spot and give a nod to the right as DawgPound and Cowboy make their appearance. Plant the flag, greet Pablo, who will be rucking with DawgPound this morning. Good to see him back as well fresh off of vacation. Full House and Cruise arrive from their EC run just as UTI and H1N1 roll in.

Circled up and as 6 o’clock hits, we were off.

Warm Up:

Light jog to the back end Ivan parking lot for the following warm-up exercises. All in 13 reps (homage to Alex Morgan and today’s World Cup final and to redeem my cadence count blunders from yesterday)- Imperial Walkers, Good Mornings, Hack Sacks, Hillbillies, Mountain Climbers. Just as we finished up Mountain Climbers, we hear some very loud Mumblechatter in the distance…Better late then never, Yogi comes trotting in to cash in his HC from the night before. When you arrive late, you do burpees, so with that, 5 burpees OYO. Light jog to the far end of the parking lot to perform Fazio Arms 13 F\13B. From there, lined PAX up in single file for an Indian Run back to the flag. Squat hold at the flag while YHC explained the route.

The Workout: While Pablo and DawgPound took their ruck toward Sugg and to the lake, YHC would provide some hills and accountability to the PAX looking to run this morning. We would start on Stinson in front of the Womble parking lot and begin a scout run past the Hunt Community center to the top of the hill and continue it until we got to the 1st side path in front of the baseball fields. When we got to the path, we held for the six and and began an Indian Run back to the starting point. At times during this Indian run, we had a few gaps in the line causing some inconsistency with pace and some PAX leaving the back of the line before the prior PAX had a chance to make it back in front of the line. As we got back to the starting point, PAX squat holded for the six. As we squat held, Yogi provided a history lesson on the origin of the Indian Run. He shared that it was designed for longer distances to keep the PAX together, so that the line would move to accommodate the pace of the slower PAX to keep the group together and avoid instances where that PAX would not fall behind and get eaten by a bear or other wild animal. As I write this, I’m hoping that there is a PAX out there that decides one day to dress up in a bear suit and jump of the bushes the next time we do an Indian run at Womble to illustrate this point…. I digress, my apologies.

At the conclusion of this history lesson, YHC explained the route again to ensure everyone was on the same page. This would be a hill accountability run where we would be picking up the six periodically throughout the run and tackle the hills together. The route would take us down and up Stinson. When we reach the top of the hill at Stinson, we would circle back and pick up the six. We would then take a right onto Bass Lake and head to the parking lot at Bass Lake. When we reach the parking lot, we would pick up the six and ensure that we arrive at the same time and\or squat hold for the six. At the parking lot, we recovered on a series of 3 exercises- 5 burpees, 10 star jumps, 20 squats before making the final push back up Bass Lake Road and back onto Stinson. Great pushes by all PAX up the hill. We made 2 stops on the way up the hill were PAX either circled back for the six or did a plank hold with Merkins mixed in (thanks to DoubleD for setting this standard). On the last stop at Stinson, PAX performed one last plank hold for the six and performed 13 merkins, before making a strong push back down and up Stinson. As PAX finished up, they were treated to a Yogi and Abe jail break up the hill to finish up at precisely 6:58… 2 minutes shy of the 7am end time and just under 5mi of ground covered as promised.

Mary: Series of stretches as we waited for Pablo and DawgPound to finish up their ruck.

Announcements: JoCo needs some support. Head out there if you haven’t had an opportunity to experience a workout at these AO’s- Grow the Mustard Seed as UTI shared his experiences from recent travel to Michigan. F3 Dads Camp coming up. Check Slack and FB for details. Sasquatch July 27th CSAUP.

2nd F- Dunkin Donuts.

Prayer: Prayers for a pastor H1N1 knows, who recently suffered the loss of a child. Additional prayers for a Wescott neighbor Tom, who recently passed unexpectedly. Prayers for his family, wife, and 8 children. YHC took us out.

World Cup Cardio For Dads and 2.0’s- 34 PAX Strong for Little Squirts workout

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With the Women’s World Cup tomorrow, YHC and his co-Q 2.0- Sprinkles mapped out a soccer inspired cardio workout complete with a 2.0 vs. F3 Dads finisher. Arrived a few minutes early to chalk off the back parking lot of Ivan, for some later exercises, but as we started walking back, we realized that the soccer fields which were usually filled with tournament play were actually empty. This would provide the perfect opportunity for on-field drills after warm-up, which ended up working out better. Dads and 2.0’s started filing in and gathering at the flag. Lots of new 2.0 faces and soccer balls filled the grassy area next to the tennis courts.

YHC looked down at his watch and then checked with 187 on the time, who indicated my watch was off by about 1:10. With that, YHC and Sprinkles had PAX circle up for instruction. No FNG dads this morning, but 8 new 2.0’s. Did a quick check on exercises with the 2.0’s- demonstrating bunny hops, Side Strattle Hops, Bear Crawls as these would be integral to some of the exercises we would be performing this morning. With everyone on point, YHC and Sprinkles made their most aggressive move of the morning with a light stroll around the soccer fields. As we made our way toward the back lot of Ivan, YHC realized this may not have been a smart move considering the little legs out there this morning, but the dads were veterans and knew how to modify by picking up 2.0’s on shoulders to complete the run back to the flag.  T-Claps to those with multiples today to inspire the older ones back to the flag. Squat hold at the flag for the six and circled up for the following:

FNGs: Pastel, Boots, Warhol, Tumbles, Dory, Tea Time, Posada, Vanellope

Warm Up: Alex Morgan Inspired exercises for a 13 count for each of the following: SSH, Fazio Arms F\B, Goof Balls, Squats, Mountain Climbers, Imperial Walkers, Hillbillies, Mountain Climbers. Not used to a 13 count, YHC struggled with cadence on half of the exercises and felt the need to stop at 10 and sometimes exceed 13 on a few occasions.

The Workout: With the soccer fields wide open, YHC and Sprinkles instructed PAX to grab all of the soccer balls and led them to the fields for a series of drills.

1st Drill- Up and Unders

With Pikachu and 187 holding a long wooden dowel horizontally, dads planked along the dowel line behind it. 2.0’s lined up about 20 yards in single file in the distance. As they were in line, they’d perform SSH’s and the person at the front of the line would sprint to the dowel, hop over it and then bear crawl through the tunnel of planked dads. Height of the dowel was adjusted per 2.0. Completed 1 round and switched up to the next exercise.

2nd Drill- Soccer Ball Toe Taps (New Mexico inspired)

Formed 5 lines of dads and 2.0’s 20 yards behind two soccer balls placed 10 ft apart. PAX in the lines planked, while leader in each line sprinted to the 1st ball and performed 13 toe taps before moving to the 2nd ball 10 feet ahead and performed 13 more toe taps, before filing back into the plank line. While in plank position, YHC, Pikachu, and Lipstick called out alternating plank exercises- Right Arm-Left Arm- Regular, Shoulder Taps, Merkins, and a questionable call for Pickle Pounders (Thanks, Lipstick- would not be an F3 workout without these). Completed 2 rounds before moving to the next exercise.

3rd Drill- Kick and Retrieve

3 Lines of PAX planked behind a soccer ball. Lead PAX would kick the soccer ball ahead about 10-15 years, while the PAX at the back of the line would get up and sprint forward to retrieve the ball and dribble it back to the lead PAX next in line and resume place at the front of the line to move their way back. This looked good on paper and on the field, until 187 pointed out that there was an error in the exercise design, which was causing him to continually kick and retrieve. In any event, we made it through somewhat of a cycle before calling a scrimmage of 2.0’s vs. Dads.

Let’s just say the dad’s were a bit competitive this morning. Some early scores and a dribbling masterpiece and goal put on by Pac-Man forced us to change the rules where adult PAX who were carrying a 2.0 would be considered a 2.0. It most be told that Pac-Man has serious soccer skills and if we were to give him a soccer ball at Paradise City, I guarantee he is 1-2 minutes faster than his normal pace time. An additional rule was also put in effect where adult PAX could only get 2 touches on the ball before having to pass or shoot. A big shout out to the Popinski and Boots tandem, who served as enforcers for the 2.o Team and also Tea Time showing off some sideline skills to a cross that should have been converted by Messi, but got a late jump.

9:45 hit and YHC notified PAX of time. PAX called for additional play and why not? We were having too much fun. Called game at 9:55. With soccer balls and water bottles retrieved, headed back to the flag for Mary.

Mary: Stretches OYO. Quick Count of PAX-34, Name-O-Rama, named 8 new 2.0’s

Announcements: F3 Dads camp coming up. Look on Slack and FB for updates or see M4L for further details.

T-Claps (Recognition): All PAX for coming out this morning to the workout. All of the 2.0’s for getting out there and having fun.

Prayer: Prayers for Pikachu’s wife who is experiencing back pain. Prayers for those healing from illness and injury. YHC took us out. On behalf of Sprinkles and YHC,  it was a pleasure and honor meeting with everyone and leading the workout.

2nd F- Freeze Pop Fellowship followed.

Everyday I’m Shuffling

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9 Pax at varying start times got their 5 mile run this morning.

EC: Just Redenbacher

FNGs: None
Warm Up: Everyone grab some red truck. Did some side to side leg swings and did some front to back leg swings. Some gluteus maximus/minimus stretches and we were off with a reminder to get the 6.
The Workout: The little dipper
Mary: She’s never here. I think the smell keeps her away.
Announcements: 4th of July convergence
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer: Tom – 187’s neighbor passed away. Crablegs, his traveling. All those traveling and celebrating this week and weekend. Thankful for our freedoms. Remember how small the F3 community really is. Good support from F3 Pittsburgh and the hospitality they showed Crablegs, spending time not only with him but also his family.

4 Miles..Scout’s Honor

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YHC decided to mix it up again at AGS this morning. Pre-Blast promised no more than 4 miles, two less than the standard 6 everyone has come to know and experience on Sunday’s. A lot of familiar faces this morning- A Cowboy with DawgPound, and Cupid. An unoccupied silver sedan, which meant Redenbacher was out getting some EC. Planted the flag and in the corner of my eye see a Bobby Dall sighting. He survived Whiplash yesterday and was looking for some recovery…Unfortunately, for him this morning his workout from yesterday was to be a continuation, but at a different speed, which I’m sure he appreciated..

At the 6am start, we had a perfect 6 to start the morning off right.

Warm Up: Light mosey to the Ivan parking lot. Circled up for prison Squats X10, Mountain Climbers X10, Imperial Walkers X10, Fazio Arm circles 10F\10B, Michael Phelps, HB’s X10. From the Ivan parking lot, mosey’d to the top of Stinson with a Squat hold for the six and while I explained this morning’s menu.

The Workout: This morning we would break out the areas surrounding Womble into segments of accountability. We would first journey to the Stop sign at the bottom of Stinson. When PAX arrive to the stop sign, they would perform 5 Burpees, 10 Star Jumps, 20 Squats, and LBC’s until the last PAX had completed their squats.  From the bottom of the hill, PAX would continue their run back up the hill and back to the top and perform the same set of exercises- 5 Burpees, 10 Star Jumps, 20 Squats, with a Squat hold for the 6. By that point, everyone had a good lather going and YHC called for an Indian run to the left and proceed up Grigsby to the crosswalk just before the baseball fields to the left. PAX did a rinse repeat of Burpees, Star Jumps, and Squats. Then called for a Scout run, where the lead PAX would run their 5k pace as far ahead as they wanted and then circle back to fall back in line. The run continued all the way to the Sugg Farm gates, where PAX did another rinse repeat of Burpees, Star Jumps, and Squats. Squat hold for the six, before scout running it back to the statue in the middle of the baseball fields. Circled up for a set of squats and monkey humpers. Checked the watch, and was going to do it again for the second straight week by making good on my promise of exact mileage and timing. 4.0 miles, no more and no less. Redenbacher questioned whether YHC had an internal GPS.  I guess we’ll have to see what happens next week.

Mary: PAX performed a series of stretches- Plank position performed a right foot over left\left over right to stretch out the calves. Regular Plank, Right Arm Up, Left Arm Up. As we switched to Left Arm, Bernie cruised by to say a hello to PAX. Continued with a runner’s stretch-left leg to left hand, right leg to right hand. Homer to Marge both legs X10, Left Leg X10, Right Leg X10. American Hammers X10. Plank to a Downward Dog with a slight roll back to upright position. As we resumed upright position, Bernie had circled back for some quality COT

Announcements: Cupid shared that Ultimate Frisbee is on the agenda for Mutiny tomorrow. 1776 Workout on July 4th. YHC called a second F at Dunkin Donuts to cap off this morning’s activities.

T-Claps (Recognition): All PAX for holding each other accountable throughout this morning’s workout.

Prayer: Prayers for speedy recoveries for PAX that are injured and for those managing marital challenges. YHC took us out.

If you don’t read any backblast, I would read this one for sure.

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Do what you want……..  YHC is not a marketer and prefers not to preblast. (unlike our friends at TBD…I hope you got your moneys worth over there this morning, they need some revenue to pay for all the marketing expense)  You all know where to find me on Wednesday’s and if you don’t, check the South Wake site for AO time and place.  EC was on for 0500, YHC arrived at 0501 to pass by a good group of ECers making there way to Bridgewater.  The pace was steady and YHC was almost caught up when _____ well you know what happened.  EC group made it back to Ting to greet Nemo who was ready for some running.
Warm Up:  Consisted of half the ECers still out and about doing there thing and the remaining group sharing there thoughts on what route to take.  YHC had enough and declared the AO as “Do what you want and be back here at 0615”.  YHC did tell the group the planned route and kicked off some warm-ups.  SSH x12 Good Mornings x6 Stationary Butt Kickers x8 Frankensteins x7 and Phelps
The Workout: Leave Ting and head into Bridgewater. Take the right that leads you to the greenway to sunset ridge and follow the sleepy hollow path.  Turn left on Crossway and do and out and back.  Come back through sleepy hollow greenway and back to Ting.  Various distances were accomplished this morning 5-10 miles
Mary: She is still waiting
Announcements: R4TJ will no longer be a people pleaser.  When YHC has the Q don’t expect a preblast or giving in to PAX request on route options (I do except bribes). I will commit to posting the route the night before on the R4TJ Slack page.  We will be doing what I want to do from now on and you can either like it or leave it!
T-Claps (Recognition): Redenbacher! This guy is killing it. He has been committed to the run and is showing some great GAINS!
Prayer: Crablegs and his ALS Summer Tour

Have a great day! Lipstick

 

PS: This is all fun and games.  Take it with a grain of salt.

Rise of the Dodo Bird

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20 Pax showed up for a beatdown by YHC after a week of being downrange. It was good to be back in the gloom with these HIMs and this morning was no different. A strong crowd for EC on a hot and muggy morning, the definition of gloom. Breathtaker made an appearance after the reassurance that running was not the focus of the morning. There were chafed nipples, a malfunctioning light vest, and a Skidmark. As 0530 hit, with no FNGs and 1 self proclaimed Kotter, we were off

ECEC: Warbucks, Skidmark, Redenbacher, UTI
EC: Warbucks, Skidmark, Redenbacher, UTI, Axe, 187, Plex, Dahmer
Skins: Skidmark, UTI, Warbucks

Warm Up:
SSH x30 IC
imperial walker – 10 IC
hillbilly 10 IC
squat 10 IC
sir fazio arm circles 10/10 IC
moroccan night clubs 10 IC
seal claps 10 IC
overhead claps 20 IC

The Workout:
Everybody was warm, so we moseyed to the Path to nowhere for:
People’s chair – 5 count by pax. This took a really long time, resulting in mumble chatter about partner leg massages and 187’s strong legs from carrying so much weight around.
Ascending testicles – 1 round
mosey to better wall for round 2

Mosey To loading dock grab 2 rocks
Curls were done while the 6 arrived

Circled up for 2 rounds of:
Overhead press
Triceps extensions
Dodo bird – 187 gave history of the dodo bird
Curls for the girls

This circuit was going pretty smooth, but got way off track when 187 gave Pax a history of the dodo bird. Apparently they are extinct, can’t fly, and ate rocks to digest berries. Pax stopped counting, so many dodo birds where done until we got to a 15 count. This mumble chatter approached Carpex status.

With tired arms, we moseyed to guard rail for 2 rounds of:
Dips
Derkins
Underdogs

Mosey back toward start, stopping at far end of lot. Pax grumbled when YHC told them to partner up based on leg weight. We
Wheelbarrowed back to start with burpees when switch, increasing each time.

Mary:
With Mary awaiting, we moseyed back to the flag where Dahmer led the following while I retrieved my phone:
LBC
LSF
Freddy Mercury
PicklePounder
Homer to Marge

Announcements:
See social networks.
1776 convergence on 7/4
Umstead trail run

T-Claps (Recognition):
Redenbacher with lots of good work lately. Keep it up and you’ll get that sub-2 half in November.

Particle board on his ability to avoid Qing a workout. Hope to see you leading one soon.

Prayer:
Crablegs on his journey to all MLB parks making memories and spreading awareness for ALS.
Follow him here: http://challengelarry.org
Unspoken and injured PAX.

Is “Mini EC” the new thing?

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It’s been a few good months since launching Downtown Train. To date, the biggest (and only) disappointment has been watching the construction of the parking deck.  I was really excited about the idea of a true multi-level parking ramp right in our very own downtown, having posted a few times in Hendersonville at a great parking ramp spot.  Sadly enough, it is now clear our deck will have no ramp, no multi-level with slope.  Oh well, at least it will provide some walls and some coverage if we need to seek shelter in the rain and cold.

I don’t think any of us know what to expect when we start a new AO (and there have been plenty in South Wake recently) but for me this has been a great experience.  Each week we have had a strong group always ready to put in the work, and also patient about exploring the opportunities in the downtown area.  Today was no different as we had a strong group of 9.  I have been taking requests lately and recognizing the interest in a workout that is not quite as run-centric as others.  We have had some guys coming back from nagging injuries, become a popular spot for breathtaker, and hosted many a #HIM who has pushed themselves on runs Fri/Sat/Sun.  Although the constant temptation of both Library Hill and Cemetary Hill constantly linger on the near outskirts of the starting lot, I am all about offering up an early week alternative that fits well with the PAX.

I will say, the EC streak is alive and well.  If you recall my tenure as Disney site Q, I was proud of the fact the EC streak extended in perpituity through my transition both on and off of that role.  There is a disclaimer for Downtown Train.  In the early days, Coal Ash and I were holding down the fort with dark, cold runs down to 55 and back.  There were several days I held down the streak on a lonely loop down to Womble and back.  Now, we have Brexit and sometimes Bernie getting the EC on the run from home.  This morning, and last week as well, due to some delays getting out of the joh…I mean, house, YHC was running late.  The good thing is, there were a few other late for EC but way early for the main event, so YHC, Redenbacher, 3rd Cousin, Abe and I headed out for a nice 1 mile jog.  A little EC is better than no EC at all, and full credit to Redenbacher for coining the phrase “mini EC”.

FNGs: Not on this Monday
Warm Up: Jog around the big block but stop short and circle up in the church lot for a basic run through of w/u exercise with some stretches as well.
The Workout: On the jog up to HS Road we found a spot on the wall of the shut down drug store and we dug in for 5 sets that went as followed:  all 10 count or ICx10, no breaks – BTTW, People’s Chair, Plank Hold, Merkins, Plank Hold, Shoulder Taps, Plank Hold, Mt. Climber, Plank Hold, Squats.  4th and 5th sets we dropped the plank holds but upped the count to 15.  Finished with a bonus BTTW 20 count..  On the jog back to start we did 3 full sets of a shoulder burn as follows and all to 10 count or ICx10 – hold arms out, fazio arms front and reverse, hold arms out, seal clap, hold arms out, overhead clap, hold arms out for a final 10 count.  After 2nd set I asked that everyone think of someone who they know is taking on a bigger challenge in their life – clearly more challenging than pushing through a burn out set.  With this focus in mind, everyone stepped up and pushed through the final set.
Mary: Round of plank-o-rama
Announcements: Need a Q for DT next week, 1776 convergence workout
T-Claps (Recognition): Great to see Deadbolt out there this morning as I had not posted with him in a couple weeks, Mookie for breathtaker (doing the workout but also supporting the cause), and I want to say Redenbacher has been killing it, he shows up, puts in the work and brings a great presence every time
Prayer: Friend of 3rd Cousin, I believe her name is Marilyn, diagnosed with and now battling cancer.  Deadbolt took us out.