F3 New Orleans

Author: Rudy

  • We’ve Had Enough of Your Shenanigans, Shooter! – from Bushwacker

    Everything is relative. This morning’s 40° Felt like 35° to YHC, and 55° to Shooter. He was already off to a bad start.

    WARM UP (to 50°)

    IC x10: High Knees, Butt Kicks, Toe Touches, Imperial Walkers, Windmills, Torso Twists

    THANG

    The pack of 6 PAX ran the regular route together at slightly slower than a 9 minute pace. Great mumblechatter complete with contemplations and chuckles.

    MARY

    After another appropriately extended absence, the Dice of Doom emerged from the presumably dank and dark dungeon where they reside when not inflicting groaning terror, generally at the hands of Shooter. And so it went that after Pelican started us off with a roll of 20 Merkins, it was Shooter’s turn. Shooter, Dice of Doom, Scramble – only one possibility, 50 Burpees! Instantly tired of Shooter’s shenanigans, instead of passing the dice to Waterpik, we wrapped up with 100 100s and 50 LBCs.

    COT

    Pelican prayed us out. Thanks gents, Shooter, you’re out!

    #Shooter #The Pelican #Waterpik #Akbar #Zoolander

  • Oh I Bet! – from Russo

    If you’ve ever seen YHC at a beatdown, there are certain things you can bet money on:
    (1) There will be sweating. A lot of sweating. Shooter in a sauna sweating. Tanked up on mile 10 sweating. (Even money)
    (2) At some point the phrase “Yeah you right” will be uttered (2:1)
    (3) A deck of cards might find its way into the beatdown (5:1)

    If you had found a way to find a casino willing to take a three-bet parlay on those things happening at Granny’s this week, you would have made at LEAST $4.17.

    Pax of 4 this week to see what the cards had in store.

    Warmup (pretty much all IC)
    Seal jacks
    Toe touches
    High knees
    Arm circles
    Butt kicks
    Torso twists

    Thang before the thang

    Pax did a quick course YHC refers to as a “conveyor belt”: lunge walk to each column at granny’s, and drop to a burpee there. Up and around the pilot house, then lunge walk backward, hitting a burpee at each column on the way back as well.

    Thang
    It had been a few months since breaking out the stinky, dirty, stained deck YHC loves to use, so Pax did another deck of death (!!!), this time splitting into halves instead of fours

    1st half:
    Diamonds: Merkins
    Spades: jump squats
    Clubs: shoulder tabs (2 is 1)
    Hearts: Six inch drill (IC)

    Halftime: Almost as much fun as the puppy bowl is to the super bowl, a quick slalom mosey among granny’s columns, just to say we, ahem, “ran”.

    2nd half:
    Diamonds: Makhtar N’Diayes (which morphed into more merkins because exposed elbows and forearms don’t much enjoy smacking pavement repeatedly)
    Spades: Suicide squats
    Clubs: Freak Nastys
    Hearts: Leg Raises

    Having a little time left, Pax gave it a go for another mosey around the warehouse and past the stage.

    COT and Name-A-Rama closed us out. You can say it was, err, um, ahem: Aces!

    Thanks for joining me and we’ll do it all again soon.

    SYITG

  • Building Blocks – from Akbar

    Pax Grover, Maverick, Bruno, BBQ, Bean, Barely Legal, Moho, Fletch, Turbo, Moby Dick, Cowbell, Maverick, Tarheel, Akbar

    14 strong at the Gipper on a chilly morn in the gloom. Actually, it felt more like 24 degrees after a few days near 80. What a great morning for a block party!

    WU SSH IC x 15

    Torso Twist, Self-Love, Grass Grabbers, Butt Kicks IC x 10

    Thang

    7 block exercises, complete 10 reps, .2m run to Beck and Call and back

    Rinse and repeat, adding 1 rep per exercise for each round

    Manmakers

    Block Curls

    Block Squat

    Bicycle Block Press

    Kettle Block Swing

    Triceps Block extensions

    WW1 Situps

    My count had Turbo in the lead with 17, all in all a brutal beatdown where most finished 5-7 rounds. Might need Bean to check my math, but that’s 531 to 756 reps per man in a 35 minute time span.

    Mary IC x 12

    Hello Dolly, Heels to Heaven, Hands to Heals, Flutter Kicks, Leg Raises, LBC, Crunchy Frogs for Cowbell

    Count, Name-o-rama, quick shout out to the Unitards RCR win

    QIC prayed us out

    Well done guys, thanks for letting me lead

    SYITG – Akbar

    Naked Man Moleskin

    It was great to have Bruno back with us again, and T-Claps for him coming out every time he’s in town – even if BBQ makes him

    Great to have Moho back as well after learning last week that us old guys should probably not sprint, at least until we stretch for 15 minutes.

    It’s always a crapshoot when picking out blocks at the Gipper, could get a 28 or 35 pounder. But those blocks were definitely waterlogged today!

    As Cowbell noted on GroupMe – it did feel good to have the blocks out after all that running in Feb.

  • This is what happens when you don’t sign up to Q – from Amnesia

    Pre-Thang: Some of the PAX ran the 2 mile Pre-Thang to get those miles in for RCR.

    Warm-O-Rama: 25 SSH, 25 Imperial Walkers, 20 mountain climbers – we needed some warming as the temps were still below freezing.

    The Thang: YHC had signed up planning to run the whole time, as Run Cajun Run was still ongoing. After warning from some PAX as to the running abilities of other PAX, YHC had to adapt. So adapt we did! We ran to the beach, with random stops for 5 burpees OYO.

    Then we came back and completed Dora at Marigny Avenue. You know the drill: 100 merkins, 200 big boi sit-ups, and 300 squats cumulative – one partner runs while the other completes the exercises.

    I don’t blame Jose 10k…at this point he said “screw it” and left the workout to get pure running in. Which was my intent anyway.

    Next was BLIMPS…5 burpees at the shovel flag, then run a block and complete 10 lunges…continue with 15 Imperial Walkers, 20 merkins, 25 plank jacks, and 30 squats. I had the leaders complete SPMILB on their way back to the shovel flag.

    Mary: After running back to the flag, we had barely enough time for 20 each of leg lifts and hello dolly’s.

    Name-O-Rama and COT concluded the beatdown and then YHC had to skip coffeeteria as a drive to Dallas was planned for that afternoon!!

  • Run Cajun Run Closing Thoughts – from Bieber

    A month full of extra effort and meaningful miles, Run Cajun Run helped make a sans Mardi Gras February just as epic as a year with one. What started as a conversation in the gloom, inspired by recent fundraising efforts and CSAUPs by other HIMs turned into something that I, for one, will never forget.

    Run Cajun Run ‘21 combined elements of F3 that make it such a critical element to so many of our lives. The accountability and comradeship through physical challenge, the opportunity for philanthropy to a great cause, and the ever present “mirror” that permits both public and private self reflection.

    There are a number of shout-outs and thank yous that could be sprinkled throughout this backblast, but I don’t think anyone did any of what he did for himself. So in lieu of those call outs, I will say a sincere thank you to everyone who partook in any way shape or form. The success of this month was what it was because of you.

    As we ran this month we were faced with a number of challenges. Some of those challenges were physical, some of those challenges were environmental, some of the challenges were familial obligations. Whatever the case was, these are challenges that we faced. There are probably unsaid challenges as well, but whatever the case…we faced them. In hindsight, were they really challenges?

    I mention these challenges because the recipient of our donations this year, Son of a Saint, does a tremendous job of helping fatherless young men face challenges head on. Through mentorship, opportunities, connections, and training, Son of a Saint helps these young men grow through meaningful mentorship. The parallels in spirit to Son of a Saint and F3 are so close…it made the partnership this year a no-brainer. The difference is, the challenges of the young men in Son of a Saint are the likes of which I can’t even fathom. Surmounting their challenges isn’t just a decision to “take the red or blue pill”. Rather the challenges they face are much deeper with origins beyond their control. I know our donation will do some good in helping them advance their young men to and beyond those challenges.

    My last word as Co-Q of this year’s Run Cajun Run…as the miles fade away in your memory, as your legs get back to normal, don’t ever lose sight of opportunities to be impactful to those around you (and even beyond if the opportunity presents). Don’t be afraid to leverage yourself to help others, and certainly don’t be afraid to push yourself beyond your limits.

    Just because it started in the gloom, doesn’t mean it ends in the gloom. Keep the light shining.

    If you are interested in results…RunCajunRun.com

  • Boom-Shaka-Laka! And Then There Was Chainsaw! – from The Hammer

    As YHC has/am learning, a large part of being a parent is nothing more than a glorified chauffeur/ATM. If you are Pickaxe’s dad, you can add scribe into the mix. An excuse to get in my cave and crack some AC/DC while I write. So all good!

    Pickaxe has been itching to Q again since his initial Q the day after Christmas. With a dearth of Northshore PAX donating their talent to the Lakefront beatdown, no better time than the present. So off we go…

    Warm-o-Rama

    Windmills
    Waybacks (Toe Touches w/ extra stretch at end)
    IW
    SSH

    This 9 year old drill sergeant made us bear crawl towards Noah’s Ark. Along the way, he planted several Easter Eggs with exercises or candy in them. As we approached them, he had members of the PAX open and read them. On our journey to the Ark, we did:

    Jump Squats x 15
    8 count Bodybuilders x 10
    Luigis x 10 (This is a PIckaxe original spawned from a Mario video game wherein a short, fat Italian plumber falls down, does some movement only possible through coding, and arrives in an erect posture. In practice, it must be modified from its video precision, and basically looks like a burpee where you turn over on your back before you jump up.)

    For the second half of our journey to Noah’s, we karaoked. Once at the Ark, our leader had us partner up for the following:

    Burpees x 120
    Freak Nasties x 240
    Crunchy Frogs x 360 (We missed you, Cowbell!)

    Cumulative, done by one while the other partner ran around the Ark.
    As an aside, the human body is not designed to do 360 Crunchy Frogs. Just an aside.

    On the mosey back, Pickaxe saved the most brutal Easter Egg for last. Another Pickaxe original that he made up one night as his father begged him not to! Boom-Shaka-Lakas! What is that you ask? It is a “different” kind of cadence exercise. While Pickaxe said “Boom-Shaka-Laka, Shaka-Laka, Shaka-Laka, Shaka-Laka, Boom…”

    Now, we started doing Merkins, then when he said Boom, we turned over into a crab-walk like position to do what can only be described as elevated Wife Pleasers (Hip Thrusters according to Pickaxe ;). Nonstop. 20 of them. There was almost Mutiny on the Bounty. Had our Q been old enough to see a PG-13 movie, there almost certainly would have been! However, his leadership and willingess to push all us old dudes is actually inspiring (if YHC does say so himself.)

    Back at the flag, we did some Mary, ran to the Gazebo and back, Name-o-Rama, COT. We had one FNG, Pickaxe’s younger brother, who happened to turn 7 on this day. He wanted to come out to F3 to support Pickaxe. His older brother gave him a ridiculously awesome name that he made his dad call him the rest of the day.

    As Pickaxe shared, his brother once cut his foot on a chainsaw…so welcome, Chainsaw! It was a special day for both Pickaxe and Chainsaw. Shooter bequeathed the Freedom Hammer to Pickaxe’s care for the time being, and the PAX sang Chainsaw Happy Birthday. Be it known that later that day, Chainsaw and his friends “played F3”, with Chainsaw as Q.

    Thank you to all for allowing yourselves to be led by a 9 year old, and for making a 7 year old’s birthday so special. Their dad just might be proud of them.

  • Honoring RunCajunRun plus bonus burpees – from Hokie

    I was honored to get my passport stamped and to journey down to visit with team Sweaty Bells.

    King Kong, Almonaster, Douille, SubPrime, PopALock, Blow Out, Moana and I were all excited to have a guest appearance by Man of The Year Gabrielle 😉

    9 HIM honored RunCajunRun with some running between kettle bell sets and still honored January with 100 Burpees lagniappe while also adding 150 reps with Kettle Bells as follows:

    50 Lunges with Kettle Bells
    .47 mile loop of parking lot
    Baseball toss in plank position (in lieu of boring shoulder taps) while waiting on the SIX aka Hokie

    40 shoulder presses with Kettle Bells
    .47 mile loop of parking lot
    Baseball toss in plank position while waiting on Hokie

    30 chest presses with Kettle Bells
    .47 mile loop of parking lot
    Baseball toss in plank position while waiting on Hokie

    20 rows with Kettle Bells
    .47 mile loop of parking lot with the extra of 10 burpees at each corner plus mid point on long stretch along Magazine
    Baseball toss in plank position while waiting on Hokie

    10 Tricep extensions with Kettle bells
    then 10 burpees before running across parking lot for 10 burpees
    back to the start for 10 more burpees, back across for 10 more and then back to circle for final 10.

    Thanks for endulging me. I enjoyed my trip to the far off land known as SweatyBells and hope I get another return visit to Q in the the 2nd quarter. I also welcome any of you to come visit Monday’s at The Joy at The View and to lead me in a coupon beatdown.

    We closed and journeyed to the other side of the park to cheer on some of our running brothers as they finished their RunCajunRun with 7-13 miles.

  • Mobility is required for Momentum – from Triple Shift

    Noun – Mobility – the ability to move freely and easily

    With the passage of time, things always tend to fall into a rut or ravine…depending on how bad it gets. Because we focus so much of our time on getting physically stronger to accelerate our health, we forget that regular maintenance should always be included in that formula for peak performance. As I have been battling a nagging achilles injury for over six (6) months, it’s time, to be honest with myself and be intentional about working on my mobility. Now I know you might be thinking out loud, “but we do a stretch at Broga or when we do the Abe Vigodas or grass grabbers in our warm-up.” Well, mobility and flexibility are somewhat related but put simply, flexibility is the ability of a muscle to lengthen and mobility is the ability to control movement through a range of motion.

    WARMUP – I went through a series of slow, methodical movements of squats, butt kicks, hacky sacks, high knees, merkins, etc.

    THANG – I focused mainly on mobility exercises for the Wrists/Hands, Shoulders, and Hips. I led the PAX through the instructional videos and mobility diagrams found at GMB Fitness.

    9 Wrist Mobility & Strength Exercises for Pain-Free Hands & Wrists

    Shoulder Pain: Shoulder Exercises & Movements for Pain Relief

    Hip Exercises for Power and Mobility

    COT – I closed with a prayer of gratitude and that God would provide peace for those who are suffering and encouragement for those who are leading (that’s all of us if you didn’t know by now). In the COT, I shared a wonderful poem from Red Turtle titled ‘The Last Stop’ from F3 St. Louis. Enjoy!

    THE LAST STOP
    Bent and Broken. Wounded and Torn
    Life ripped apart by the ceaseless storm
    Crashing waves blinding the eyes
    Drowning and consuming him with pain and lies
    The clown wakes
    With Shoulders slumped and knees creaking
    It’s 6 am and he is unsure of what he was thinking
    Into the gloom, he decided to stumble and stand
    Surrounded by strangers in a foreign land
    Now he stands, the world still and silent
    Focusing the clown on a cold most violent
    “Back to comfort” whispers the clown
    Back to the warmth to lay it back down.
    The whispered words crawl around inside his head
    Telling the man to go back to playing dead
    Abandon all hope. The man is not enough.
    But as the Man thinks to turn and flee
    To abandon all of the hope he had started to feed
    His friend, like a warrior, appears out of the dark
    Hefting a brick upon his shoulder with an F3 Mark
    The warrior is filled with love, hope, and fire
    Rescuing the sad clown his singular desire
    It was an Emotional Headlock gently and routinely applied
    That had finally brought his broken brother, now OUR Man, to the Pride
    As the warrior hands the brick to OUR Man
    He grins in delight at the outcome of his Plan
    With love in his heart and hope in his eyes, he gives to OUR man a final instruction
    “This is your Coupon which you must not Drop!
    Welcome FNG, you’ve arrived at The Last Stop.”
    – Red Turtle F3STL

  • Forgot I signed up to Q by Dry Socket – from Cyrous Ardalan

    A surprising Q as I initially thought I was signed up for Wednesday! Without a watch I figured I would step up to humbly lead these men into confusion.
    We started with some SSH, Grassgrabbers, Peter parker, Parker Peters, Arm circles, Rev Arm circles and overhead Claps.
    We then ran through the park and at each light post did B L I M P S. 4 laps so a total of 40 Burpees, 40 Lunges, 40 Imperial walkers, 40 Merks, 40 Squats

    Then we came around and half the group did 2 laps around the parking lot while the other group did 15x LL and RL step ups and 15x LL and RL power ups.

    Some of the PAX were unaware I had no concept of time this morning and luckily Chowda and Douille were giving me the correct time when I asked for it.

    So then we began a nice game of ring of fire with 20 merkins total 2 times around.

    After that were some core exercises consisting of LBCs, Dying cockroach, Freddie merks, Low Country Crab, Wife Pleasers.

    Realizing there was still time left, we ran 2 more laps around the parking lot and then ended with 20 Merks at the flag.

    All in all I think we got in a great workout…sorry for the confusion. Be it mine or the PAX. DS.

  • Minute Mania – from Shooter

    Great showing at the Marsh following the month of RunCajunRun. Q planned a beatdown with minimum running this Gloom as I know many are wanting to rest the tread on their sneakers coming off an incredible month as mentioned by RY in his email.. YHC brought a companion (30 lbs Ruck plate) to the beatdown to inspire the PAX..

    Warmup
    10IC Windmills, 15IC SSH, 20 IC Grass grabbers and 25IC Butt kicks.

    Thang
    Wanting to bring back the premise of how the Marsh was formed YHC with phone in hand for the timer kept the PAX busy with multiple timed reps of exercises.

    All exercises would be max reps for a minute. Split into 2 groups of 4 with pull-ups and swing tucks. F/J
    Upon finishing PAX met on the sidewalk by the playground for Carolina dry docks and Sister Mary K/Catherine’s..
    We then ran down to school and back.
    Assembled at the court for the company of the ruck plate. Each PAX alternated running suicides with the plate for a min until each member completed a round. The rest of the men completed called exercise. Exercises included Mountain climbers, Peter Parker’s, Parker Peters, Shoulder taps, jump squats, Bobby Hurleys, Lunges and squats. Next up we took to our six for 3 rounds of chest press 5, 8 and 10 looking for the right number to complete in a min as the PAX completed LBCs passing along the plate.. Next up curls for the girls which proved inefficient in form with 10 and only getting through half of the PAX before the timer sang so we completed regardless. Then we were able to complete 10 shoulder presses while the PAX did overhead claps. We did SSH on a 2nd round of shoulder presses. With 8 mins remaining we completed a lap around the block returning for time for 20IC Crunchy frogs 🐸, because 360 on Saturday wasn’t enough. And ended with 20IC Flutter kicks…

    Appreciate the great showing on a Monday, especially Backdraft making the decision to join instead of hitting that snooze 😴…

    Let’s make sure we give Russo a similar showing at Grannies on Tuesday!!

    Until the next Gloom 👍🏼👊🏼✌🏼!!!