Seven men posted in the gloom this morning to embark on a new journey into the heart of City Park.
The Goal: Mix things up with a run to the Couturie Forest, weave a few trails, and make our way to the highest elevation in New Orleans, Laborde Mountain, aka Monkey Hill (a whopping 43 feet above sea level).
The Itinerary: Get there (1.5 miles) by whatever method you choose (running/burpeeing/walking/bearcrawling) in 15 minutes, spend 15 minutes inside the forest with trail runs and COP, spend 15 minutes getting back. Total estimated distance of 3.5-4 miles.
The Disclaimer: Paper mini-maps were distributed to give the PAX a visual of the route and hopefully avoid having the workout turn into a search party.
The Trip There: Steady run/jog by all PAX. T-claps to Side Effects on being the pace car. T-claps to Shorty for the EH with Ragin Cajun and hanging with him for the run. PAX trickled up to the trail entrance, planked up to wait for the six. T-claps to Side Effects for burpees.
The Journey Inside: Start running the trails which are well defined and lined with packed mulch, making for an optimum running surface. After a near wrong turn and a few cobwebs to YHC’s face, we hit the bottom of the mountain for a quick plank to let the PAX catch up, then ascended up the terraced incline to the peak aka Laborde Lookout. Caught our breath before a quick COP: 30 Knee-Ins on the benches (aka Ledge Crunches?) at top OYO, run to bottom of hill for 30 IPW, run back up for 30 more Knee-Ins (no room for Burpees plus the mesh decking at the top is not good for ground exercises). YHC was considering more for the COP but wanted to make sure the PAX had enough fuel in the tank to get back to the flag. Mosey down adjacent trail to the bottom, zig zag a ways to the entrance for another quick plank&wait. YHC then tried to drum up some inspiration for the PAX with a mountain climbing quote that he read via Google: “Getting to the top of the mountain is optional, getting down is mandatory”
The Trip Back: Surprisingly, we were a minute or two ahead of schedule which meant a steady mosey back would allow the faster PAX to make a lagniappe loop around the track. T-claps to those who mustered up the energy to do so. Trickled back to the flag where we sealed the deal with 10 burpees.
While this wasn’t the most intense workout in F3 history, YHC got the vibe that the PAX enjoyed the variation which still had the running and cardio theme of the Tuesday Stomp.
COT included prayer for the victims in Orlando, safe travels for those on trips, and for those battling illnesses.
A good morning was had by all.
Tool
Tool always finds a way to change up the route and give us a new challenge. Thank you.