YHC had heard that both fall weather and EIEI had returned to the F3 Northshore, so naturally it felt like the right time to make an appearance. And while neither of those turned out to be true (or were at the very least very premature), it was still a very welcome sight to see the regular crew roll into the Marsh this morning after such a long absence.
Saturday’s New Orleans convergence marked YHC’s first beatdown in 4 months. It felt great to be back even though, predictably, there were a few speed bumps: slightly off-cadence, misremembering exercises, and, of course, losing all arm strength about halfway through. I could barely move the next morning. Still, when I noticed an empty slot in the Q sign-up yesterday, it seemed like a brilliant idea that my (temporary) return to the Northshore should be marked by my very own Q.
Brilliant idea indeed – until YHC got up this morning and still couldn’t quite bend over to tie my own shoes. This beatdown would be a “do as the Q says, not as he does” type of event, with no comments on the Q’s form, please.
Warm0rama: SSH, ISW, toe touches, windmills, high knees, butt kicks all at or around 20x IC.
The Thang:
My original thought was that this entire thing would be filled with AMRAP challenges, which would provide two things: a break from counting cadence that would give me (literal and much-needed) breathing room and also the ability to go at my own pace (again, much needed with this crew of hard-hitting Northshore men). That didn’t last too long, but we did start with two AMRAP challenges:
- 90 seconds of hanging knees-to-chest
- 3 minutes of 8-count bodybuilders
Somewhere in here, mid-bodybuilder, Bushwacker informs me that, if I didn’t already know, if I hadn’t been keeping up – the beatdowns have taken on a lighter, more playful vibe since the end of the summer… playing football, frisbee, etc. Touché, Mr. Wacker. As if 3 minutes of bodybuilders wasn’t fun for you.
Next up, sprint the block to Marigny, winner foregoes the 20x IC shoulder taps that would follow. (As expected, the winner – Pik – refused the special treatment and knocked out the shoulder taps with the rest of us.) Sprint the next block to Girod, Peter Parkers, 20x IC.
Then a mosey up to the Old Rail parking lot for a pub crawl: 1 derkin, bear crawl across to the opposite curb, 2 derkins, back, 3, and so on, up to a miserable 13. YHC had done this one a while back in the pouring rain, and had somehow remembered it fondly. Today it was just awful. So I can’t really blame Shooter, who was ready to pitch in and book my flight back to L.A.
Mosey back to the Marsh for some Mary: Leg Raises & Crunchy Frogs, Jane Fonda’s, pulses, heel to knees, all 20x IC.
Countdown, announcements, and Garfield prayed us out. Thanks guys for the warm welcome back. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being back around such a group of inspiring men.
