F3 New Orleans

Tag: El Guapo

  • Rarajipari at the Stomp

    El Guapo:  When Hawg sent the message on GroupMe last night that we would be playing Rarajipari at the Stomp, I knew I had to be there.  I’m running the Blue Ridge Relay in September and I’m taking every opportunity that I can to train.  I also thought it would be a good opportunity to see how Hawg’s training is going.  Truthfully, I’ve been a little concerned.  He set up a June challenge for us on MapMyRun.  They idea was to run at least 70 miles in the month of June.  86 and Swampcock are already over a hundred.  Everyone else on the team is around 50-60.  Hawg has run…..11.  Eleven miles.  that’s about a third of a mile per day.  A third of a mile per day.  He also looks a little overweight.  Well, maybe more than a little.  I’m not sure he’s training.

    Rudy:  You have met Hawg right?  What about him made you think he knows what training is?  I didn’t even know he was still doing F3.

    Da Parish:  Hawg made a burpee bet with me on the LSU – Arkansas series this year and then went double or nothing on the SEC tourney.  He owes me 66 burpees at the Mothership, and I haven’t seen him since.

    Hawg:  I got a lot of family commitments.

    Stubhub:  Now that school is out, I’m glad to be back to working out with the guys.  I’ve been back for a while, but Hawg kept making a big deal about my “kotter” today.  I just let him go on and didn’t say anything.  My kotter was a month ago.  I’m not sure the last time he posted.  When he taught my girls in high school my wife and I used to talk about how we weren’t real sure he knew what he was doing.  Seeing him operate at F3….my opinion hasn’t really changed.

    Bongo:  “We gotta get out while we’re young, ‘Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run..”

    Triple Shift:  Hawg pulls up, at 5:30 mind you, with a couple of baseballs.  We are supposed to be playing Rarajipari.  They actually make balls for that, but he’s going to use baseballs.  What kind of Mickey Mouse operation is this?

    Stubhub:  So as soon as we take off, my calf starts acting up again.  I injured it last week.  Let’s see…what was I doing when I injured it?  Oh yeah, I was at an F3 workout.

    Hawg: So Stubhub pulls up lame right out of the gate.  I felt so bad for him.  His first day back in a year and that happens.

    Stubhub: ….

    Cornbread:  T-claps to Stubhub.  He stuck around and got some work in and met us for the COT.  A lesser man would have gone home.

    Tool:  I was excited about the team I was assigned to – Me, T-Shift, Rudy, and El Guapo.  We are all strong runners and I can get to Laborde Mountain in my sleep.  I’ve actually done it a couple of times after one of our block parties.  At least, I think that’s how I got there.

    El Guapo:  We came out of the gate with the early lead, but we start to hear heavy breathing around Diagonal Ave.  We knew JV was out of town, so it had to be Hawg.

    Tool:  Things were going well, until Diagonal Ave.  Rudy and El Guapo must have gotten spooked and they took off….fast.  As Cornbread caught up to me and Triple, I could see Rudy and El Guapo crossing Harrison.  They were heading into the Couturie Forest using the path on the right.  Ironic as it is, the path on the right is wrong, but they were too far gone to hear me.

    Da Parish: Our team entered the Couturie Forest with Tool and Triple, but Rudy and El Guapo were already in there.  Laborde Mountain is only few hundred yards or so.  Having gone to Nichols, I’m familiar with losing and this had loss written all over it.

    Cornbread:  So kicking this baseball down the street is pretty easy, but once you get into the woods it gets a lot harder.  That’s when Hawg tells me and Da Parish, “I’ll run ahead and make sure we are going the right way.  You guys take care of the ball.”  …. Thanks Hawg.

    Da Parish:  We got to the top of Laborde Mountain and there was not a Rudy or El Guapo in sight.  We won!  I knew those Basin Runs would pay off.  Have I ever mentioned that there’s a run every Thursday night at The Basin?

    Hawgcycle:  Given the ISI this month, I thought we would do some merkins while we waited for the other team to straggle in.  Knowing that Triple Shift was there, I counted the cadence very slowly, making sure everyone had time to do them in perfect form.

    Tool:  Bongo and I split up to look for Rudy and El Guapo, hoping to find them in time to still win.  When we got to the top, the other team was there.  Wait, where’s Bongo?

    Bongo:  “All by myself, Don’t want to be, all by myself…anymore.  All by myself, Don’t want to be….

    Triple Shift: So Hawg finishes the merkins and proudly exclaims “That’s 50 more toward this month’s challenge.”  If he has done the rest of his merkins the way he did those 50…. I’d say he’s done…..zero merkins this month.

    Tool:  Hey guys – we need to go get Bongo.  No man left behind

    All:  No Man left behind!

    Stubhub:  ….

    Cornbread:  Unfortunately finding your way back from Laborde Mountain is easier than finding your way there, even for Rudy.

    Hawg:  We had lost sight of El Guapo and Rudy, by the time we passed the Foundry.

    Rudy:  I lost sight of El Guapo by the time I passed the Foundry.

    El Guapo:  Okay.  I’m certain Hawg’s not training.

     

     

     

     

  • Memorial Day Murph

    Growing up, Memorial Day represented the first weekend of summer.  This was the first time we would pack up the car, hitch up the boat, and head to Lake Norfork on the eastern side of the Ozarks; a ritual we would repeat every weekend until Labor Day.  I loved Memorial Day and hated Labor Day.  Labor Day represented the end of summer, the beginning of school, and the end of fun.  Made sense that a holiday celebrating work would represent all those terrible things.  Also appropriate, Memorial Day represented freedom.  School was out.  It was time to be care-free and head to the lake.  I had a good understanding that Memorial Day represented freedom, but I never considered the cost associated with that freedom.  And that is unfortunate, because that is what the holiday is really about.

    So for Memorial Day 2018 F3 New Orleans did our best to recall the sacrifices made.  We, like many others around the nation, completed a Murph.  A Murph is a 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 merkins, 300 squats and a 1 mile run, named in honor of Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy Seal who lost his life in Afghanistan.  I have feeling the real Murph didn’t modify his pull-ups as much as I did.  Oh and he wore a weighted vest through the whole thing.

    Naked Man Moleskin

    Great showing by the Uptown and World Pax, coming together at City Park.  I was impressed.  Further confirmation that 0530 is the right time to workout on the weekdays:  November Project showed up at 0600 only to find us on the equipment.  It worked out though, mainly because the F3 Pax crushed this Murph.  We were all running our final mile by the time they needed the pull-up space.  Lucky for them, there was no showdown.  Also lucky for us Da Parish and Rudy were not around.  I’m certain they would have broken into song from West Side Story.

    Impressive times by all.  I believe Mahatma and Gabrielle completed it in about 36 minutes. We finished with Mary, culminating in a 21 gun salute of the American Hammer.

    Great way to start the week and honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  Thanks guys.

  • Ev’ry man a king

    YHC is also the much belated. And yes, I’m writing this while fartsacking the Skinny.

    On May 12, 2018 the PAX gathered at Audubon Park to clown car out to Elmwood for the Huey P. Long Bridge 5K.  Uptown PAX don’t travel well so we like strength in numbers. T claps to Tinkles for driving.

    After collecting our race bibs, doing a warm up jog, and getting buzzed by a drone filming the events, the runners were ready. It was hot and 1300+ runners pressed in. Mulligan, Tinkles and El Guapo moved to the front where they could position to lead the scrum.  The gun sounded and we were off.  A quick mosey through the Elmwood office park and then up.

    “The Huey P. Long is a cantilevered steel through truss bridge that carries a two-track railroad line over the Mississippi River at mile 106.1 with three lanes of US 90 on each side of the central tracks…. In 2014, a writer in The New Yorker described the bridge as “a structure so vaulting and high that it seems to extend from one white, towering Gulf Coast cloud to the next.” Thank you Wikipedia.

    And so we reached for the clouds.

    Cashbar kept a brutal pace charging up the hill and YHC had to skip taking landscape photos from the top. At the finish line in Bridge City, we reassembled. Mulligan and Guapo had won their respective divisions and the entire PAX finished in 30’47”.  YHC was the six. We collected our t-shirts and jambalaya and took the shuttle bus back to Elmwood.

    Glad to run this one with the F3 Pax and my 2.0.

     

    #GeauxOverIt

  • 21 Strong

    After participating in the Tchoupitoulas Bar-A-Thon the night before with approximately a dozen other F3 Beer Champions, YHC did not want to get up and post, much less Q, at the Mothership.  However, the being held accountable part of the F3 creed sat front and center of my brain, right next to the hangover part.  YHC could not let my F3 brothers down.

    YHC was eager to see how many other Bar-A-Thon patrons would post, but that thought quickly went away upon seeing Cruiser in attendance from Houston, aka New Orleans West according to Hawg.

    With 4 shovel flags planted, YHC quietly set out some cones in the parking lot and returned to the group of 20 other men that had assembled.  The clock struck 0630, time for a disclaimer, which YHC did give contrary to what Triple Shift says……and mosey toward the Peristyle.  Some of the sprinklers were jetting out water on the already rain soaked Great lawn, so YHC was attempting to avoid it, but Rudy talked the Q into testing it.  So, circle up on the Great Lawn, but we wouldn’t be here long…..

    Warmup
    SSH IC x 31
    Hillbilly’s IC x 20
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    Peter Parker IC x 20
    Mountain Climber IC x 20
    Parker Peter IC x 20

    Mosey to the strategically placed cones in the parking lot. Set up to mirror a basketball court, it was time for some suicides. Start at baseline, sprint to first line, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint to Half Court, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint to third line, sprint back and do exercise. Sprint full court, sprint back and do exercise. That’s one evolution.
    First Evolution – 5 Burpees OYO upon returning to baseline each time.
    Second Evolution – 5 Eight Count Body Builders IC upon returning to baseline each time.
    Third Evolution – 5 Copperhead Squats IC upon returning to baseline each time.
    Fourth Evolution – No exercises, just sprint to each line and back retrieving the cones.

    Mosey to trees near NOMA
    Line up at the first tree, and bear crawl to third tree. Lunges IC x 10
    Bear crawl from third tree to fifth tree. At this point, Rudy indicated a large pool of standing water near tree six that the Pax should engage. Looking back, YHC may have lost a great opportunity. Maybe next time…..
    Circle Up for Jack Webb
    1 merkin, 2 air presses
    2 merkin, 4 air presses
    You get the idea
    10 merkins, 20 air presses
    Kong walk from fifth tree back to third tree, Squats IC x 10
    Duck walk from third tree back to first tree, Monkey Humpers IC x 20

    Mosey to the fountain by NOMA. The regular Cross Fitters were on the steps doing Burpees, which the Pax began to critique. YHC decided to stay off the steps this day, we don’t need a West Side Story BB……
    RL Step Ups IC x 20
    Freak nasties IC x 20
    LL Step Ups IC x 20

    Mosey to the narrow strip of grass in front of NOMA and elbow plank up in two columns.
    Pax Bridge Jumps. Last man jumps over each Pax and assumes plank position in the front. Each Pax does 3. Although there were two teams, there was no competition here, YHC just wanted to equally spread the suck around. Speaking of Suck…
    Mosey back near the standing water that continued to call to Rudy for “The Suck”

    Three minutes of the following exercise over and over again
    7 SSH
    7 Merkins
    7 Squat Jumps
    The Pax said something about it being 6, but YHC stood his ground. This day would suck that much more…..
    YHC lost count, so not sure how many rounds were completed.

    Mosey back to the road in front of NOMA and line up in the two columns again for a two column Indian Run back to the Flags. Upon arriving at the flags with one minute to spare, YHC called a sudden change and directed all back to the Great Lawn for 10 Burpees OYO to seal the deal!

    COT

    Count Off, Nam-O-Rama, Announcements, Intentions and Closed with a prayer.

    NMM

    T-Claps to our IT guy for making the F3 website easy to find and the workouts well defined. Our newest FNG found F3 by searching the web and posted at the Mothership! Welcome Catfish! I think it has something to do with the Notre Dame scam, but who knows. Ask Rudy about it.
    It was a pleasure having Cruiser from Houston post. Cruiser is an inspiration to us all, a true HIM! Cruiser, know that you and your family are always in our thoughts and prayers.
    T-Claps to Woz for leading the bible study at 8:15 post coffeeteria.

    YHC intended to create a beatdown to recognize Armed Forces Day.  The 5 of each exercise in the suicides represented the 5 branches of our great military.  Thanks to all who serve and to our veterans.

    Thanks for posting with me today, for holding me accountable, and for making me a better husband, father, and man.

    SYITG

  • Sweating on a Saturday wit “EMOM” and Dem!

    EMOM and DEM (you might have to be a “yat” to get it)

    What an awesome day to luck out as a fill in Q!  26 men decided to show up at the mothership for a Sat sweat which I wasn’t sure I had prepared to deliver.  But non the less the disclaimer was given and the Pax headed out, with one FNG in our group.

    We moseyed passed the grant lawn, with a few expected mumbles, for a longer run than most might have anticipated to then circle up next to the baby foundry and warm up.

    All in cadence:

    SSH x 25

    Slow toe touches x 25

    Windmills x 15

    Mnt Climbers x 25

    Shoulder Taps x 25

    Then we broke up into 7 groups (6×4 and 1×2) in order to utilize the foundry tools (some felt it was “too” close for comfort and modified):

    2 rounds of:

    Pull ups

    Incline push ups

    Step ups

    Dips

    Jump overs

    Hangs (some added leg crunches)

    Timer was 10 burpees (Hawg continued to encourage the ensure the over head clap was “heard” for good measure of performance).

    The PAX was ready for a 3rd round but there was a plan in place and we had a lot of work to complete, so mosey back to the great lawn.

    4 groups (2×7 and 2×6) Attack the corners with added burpees in the center x 2

    Each group started on a corner and completed exercise and reps prescribed by the QIC – then rotate (running) to the next corner while leaving corner #1 would run to center of lawn complete 5 burpees before going to corner #2, from #2 run long side to #3, from #3 run to center of lawn complete 5 burpees before heading to #4 then run long side to #1……repeat!

    #1 20 sqt jumps

    #2 10 each arm alternating push ups for total of 20

    #3 20 V Ups

    #4 20 Shoulder taps

    NOW, Pax was well oiled and lubricated, ready to finish strong!

    EMOM – EVERY MINUTE ON THE MINUTE

    QIC was nervous as there was just 20 minutes on the clock and there was no time to waste……had the PAX assemble in groups along the benches then barked out the instructions.

    15 Box Jumps…..cross the street and wait.

    Full Sprint to third tree (designated with big branch) and back!

    Bear Crawl out…..same tree

    Kong Back…..cross the street

    10 Burpees

    Every minute on the minute – So the faster you complete each THANG the more rest you get BUT the clock never stops for an expected 20 minutes of continuous effort!

    Pax (including the QIC) may have underestimated our fitness level as the 1st round was easier than expected BUT we all figured out quickly that rounds 2 and 3 kicked out butts!  Unfortunately we were not going to have enough time to complete the 4th round so instead of cheating the PAX out of the total 60 minutes we all showed up for, the QIC quickly transition to a bit of MARY –

    20 4 count flutter kicks

    1 minute of plank

    Then we headed back to the flag with pride that we all left a lot of sweat behind for Your Emom n dem!

    Circle Up – count off

    Today we had an FNG – now known as “Wetsuit”, big shout out of respect (54 as I recall), he came and hung with the group completing our stroll through the park.  No doubt I may have missed the opportunity of a more rounded “waterpick” name but maybe Wetsuit will bring an FNG that is a water skiing dentist!

    NameOrama – Intentions and closing prayer of thanksgiving!  God Bless!

    Planting a seed – Please check your family calendars for the month of July – looking to coordinate a F2 event where we can expand our camaraderie in a NON workout atmosphere, notice I didn’t say sweat as this would be Summer in NOLA  .  I’d like to suggest a Saturday afternoon, somewhere central for a BBQ with family friendly games.  July 14, 21 or 28.  More details to come!

     

     

  • Trifecta of Anniversaries

    Rewind 3 years ago to a rainy Saturday morning in April when YHC was coaxed into coming to his first F3 workout, standing in the dark amid the mud and a bunch of dudes calling each other by goofy names.  Not exactly the best way to spend a Saturday morning but I went with the flow since my buddy Amensty assured me it would be way more fun than my usual morning jog.  Just a few minutes in, I quickly learned what a burpee was and silently cursed whoever invented it.  The rest of the workout went about the same and an hour later, after almost bailing mid-way, I was still standing, feeling a newfound sense of accomplishment.

    Three years and umpteen burpees later, there I was standing in the same spot preparing to lead 16 other men through a workout that would not only touch on the greatest hits of the past few years, but also pay homage to the NOLA Tricentennial celebration going on throughout the city.  Let’s face it, 300 reps of an exercise is way better than 3.  Weather was 60 degrees with clear skies, the optimal conditions for running around and testing the limits of our almost late model chassis.  The PAX had a good mix of guys from The World and Uptown along with a visitor, F3 Thibodaux, currently living China, previously from N.C., originally from the NO area.  Here’s what went down:

    Warmup on The Great Lawn:

    • SSH x30
    • Burpees x3
    • IW x20
    • Burpees x3  (“I see where this is going” -The Peanut Gallery)
    • Arm Circles x20
    • Burpees x3
    • Windmill x20
    • Burpees x3
    • Low Country Crab x20
    • Burpees x10 (Expect the unexpected…learned that in my first workout)

    Next up, a mosey to The Foundry for some pimping.  Here we knocked out 3 rounds of PIMPS OYO:

    • Pull Ups x5
    • IW x10
    • Merkins x15
    • Plank Jacks x20
    • Squats x25

    Mosey towards the museum and hook a left in the grass not far from the NOLA 300 sign.  This is one of 4 signs erected around town to commemorate the 300th anniversary of New Orleans.  Since the Tricentennial celebration has been in full swing the past few weeks, YHC thought we’d acknowledge that with some Dora 3-3-3.  This involved partnering up, with partner #1 running (approx 30 yds?) to the NOLA 300 sign, cranking out 3 burpees, and running back while partner #2 keeps a cumulative count of:

    • 300 Hello Dollys (single count)
    • 300 Alternating Shoulder Taps (count each tap)
    • 300 LBT

    This proved to be a circuit that kept the PAX busy for a while.  YHC often dreaded the drawn-out circuits of Dora, elevens, etc in the early days but now have a love/hate feeling when doing them….always hate when they start but smile when they’re done cause they push us more than one would typically done solo.  After this, we made our way over to the water fountain for hydration and a little planking.  From there, a mosey back towards the same area but this time we lined up along with neutral ground curb, facing the NOLA 300 sign where we knocked out:  100 Rocky Balboas OYO, bear crawl to opposite curb for 10 merkins, then backwards bear crawl back.  Rinse and repeat twice for a total of 3 rounds and 300 Rocky Balboas.  YHC heard zero mumble chatter on this so apparently/hopefully it had the PAX in a zone.

    Next up we circled up in a nearby field, this time in the shade just for Rudy, for a round of The Suck.  For those unfamiliar, it’s a fairly new circuit we’ve done a few times that always seems to bring excitement and cheers from the PAX.  The Suck consists of SSHx6, Jump Squatsx6, Merkinsx6, as many times as possible in 3 minutes, calling out your count after each circuit.  Typically this is best enjoyed with 2-3 rounds broken up by a minute of rest in between, but time was ticking and the PAX had to settle for just a single round.  T-claps to the crew for pushing hard and to those who approached the 8,9,10? mark.

    As we started to make our way back to the flag, there was just enough time to pay homage to one last anniversary.  It just so happened to be YHC’s 17th wedding anniversary so what better way to celebrate than 17 burpees.  The commemoration of me losing my bachelorhood was followed by a mosey back to base where we called it a morning.

    COT included YHC thanking the PAX for pushing me over the past 3 years to become stronger, faster, healthier, and a better leader.  I’ve reaped many more benefits from this than I did jogging on my own.  Prayed for safe travels for Thibodaux, Mahatma’s two youngest sons, and a few other things YHC was too woozy to recall.

    Moleskin:  I often recall something I read a few years ago in a backblast from a fellow PAX in South Carolina (?) that hit his one year mark of posting with F3.  Among many other things, he said something along the lines of, “…I used to think my glory days were behind me but I now realize they are yet to come.”  I’ll have to try to dig that out of the archives.  It was a cool and inspiring post.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead, and most of all thanks for all the great beatdowns over the past few years.

    Tool

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • CelebrHATE on the small screen with Cowbell

    With Ed Daniels being drawn into the gloom by Triple Shift on this 610 Stomp sort of day, YHC saw the opportunity to make Cowbell famous, sending him off into his glorious thirties with a beatdown dedicated to celebrHATE this once in a lifetime occasion.  Surely this would lead to monuments being erected, with the possibility of memorials following his departure from this world.

    Spoiler alert:  Cowbell fartsacked.  Oh well, YHC tried……

    Back to the Ed Daniels bit.  YHC arrived at 0515 to find Triple Shift promoting the F3 organization to the sports reporter and his cameraman.  T-Claps to Triple Shift for spreading the word.  This will certainly help to maintain his crown as king of the EH.  Not that anyone was getting close to knocking him off that hill…….

    YHC made a quick mosey to the track to drop off some cones, more to come on that later.  Upon arriving back at the shovel flag that YHC planted, two more were planted next to it.  YHC almost gave the F3 flag a hug, as it hasn’t been seen in weeks.  As long as it has been cared for and used effectively, all is well.

    F3 Nation had a plethora of good names ready to throw at Ed Daniels, but apparently he did not show up for the beat down.  At least 19 men showed up in force to promote the power and awesomeness of F3.  With the cameraman hanging out in the area, the clock hit 0530, and so it begins:

    Disclaimer, and probably one too short judging by the scolding looks of Rudy.  But hey, “Not a professional trainer, so modify as needed” was said…..

    Tuesday is normally a run day, hence the 610 Stomp name.  Due to circumstances, we did a sudden change and did a quick mosey to the track.

    Circle up on the matting inside the track.  YHC still intended to celebrHATE Cowbell’s coming of age, but had to get something out the way first.

    Warmup

    SSH IC x 31

    With that out of the way, it was time to celebrHATE!

    COP

    Hillbilly’s IC x 20
    Alternating Shoulder Taps IC x 20
    Tempo Merkins IC x 10
    Escalator

    The Escalator is 5 exercises, composed of:
    10 Burpees OYO
    20 Merkins IC (Up Down cadence)
    30 Smurf Jacks (a tribute to Cowbell)
    40 Monkey Humpers IC – did YHC mention the cameraman was a female? Not absolutely certain, but this may have been when the film crew exited.
    50 Squats IC

    Indian Run twice around the track, or 1/2 mile.

    One final tribute to Cowbell – Smurf Jacks IC x 30

    Mosey to the inside grassy area of the track where the cones were set up for some suicides. Starting at first row of cones, sprint to second set, sprint back and do 5 merkins. Continue this to each set of cones, set up like a basketball court, a tribute to the end of March Madness. Not only did the track crew forget to turn the lights on, but YHC may have left out one row of cones. The start line should have been one set with 4 sets beyond, which caused some major confusion. So much confusion that YHC decided to do it again with burpees.

    Mosey to the first corner of the track for 4 Corners:

    Corner #1 – Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10 (there was much rejoicing) – Sprint to corner #2
    Corner #2 – Bobby Hurleys x 10 OYO (tribute to end of March Madness) – Sprint to corner #3
    Corner #3 – Merkins IC x 10 (there’s the 4 count the Pax was longing for) – Sprint to Corner #4
    Corner #4 – Iron Mikes IC x 10 (lunge jumps)

    Mosey back to the matted area for Ring of Fire #1
    All Pax hold the plank position. The first Pax does 5 merkins, then resumes plank. The ring of fire goes around to all the Pax.
    Ring of Fire #2
    Same as before, just replace with 5 Burpees. That’s a lot of planking!

    Mary

    Flutter Kicks IC x 30
    Hello Dolly IC x 25
    American Hammer IC x 20

    Times up, mosey back to the flag(s)

    COT

    Count off and Name-O-Rama
    We had one FNG, and no, it was not a reporter.  Welcome Phoenix!  Some claimed the name was too good, but they’re just jealous.  They all wanted Fracsac too, but it was specially reserved for YHC!

    Announcements, intentions, and closed with a prayer.

    Thanks for posting with me today and for putting up with my inability to design a proper court.

    Remember: F3 is an organization of leaders, not an organization with leaders. Each Pax is expected to be a leader in other groups outside F3, as well as within F3. To lead in F3 is easy, just sign up and take the Q here

     

    NMM

    If you didn’t notice, Bogey was especially happy this morning. He was the winner of the bracket pool, and will be exempt from any burpees this Saturday post Mothership. Here’s the Burpee count:
    Reluctant Yankee: 8
    YHC: 24
    El Guapo: 30
    Hokey Pokey: 32
    Seaman: 33
    Rudy: 35
    DaParish: 43
    Milkman: 56

    Come out Saturday and see the Burpee debt paid in full!

  • Its march, must be basketball time

    It’d been several months, but YHC was ready to get back to business. Unfortunately, in the meantime – apparently YHC had forgotten many aspects of how to Q, and the PAX was always ready and willing to point out his many mistakes and flaws. Oh well. You get what you pay for….

    Arriving at 6:20, YHC enjoyed some good F2 with the early arriving PAX. Slowly but surely a good size crew pulled in, and as 6:30 rolled around, the crew of 19 set off towards the east – enjoying the pink and orange hues from the sunrise as we moseyed towards the lawn in front of the museum.

    Warm up:

    • SSH x25 (Here comes Coxswain – he seems to think the workouts start at 6:35)
    • Smurf Jack x20 (Mumblechatter about “Smurf Jack” and “Cowbell” seemed rampant)
    • Hillbilly x25 (Bogey decided to point out some flaw in YHC’s form.  YHC thought his form was perfectly adequate.)
    • ISW x20

    Its March, leading up to the NCAA tournament.  So lets talk basketball…

    Thing 1: Notre Dame reference, of course.  Wednesday Night, YHC making dinner and turns on the TV to discover ND playing Va Tech.  Early in the second half, ND is down by 21 and looking terrible.  End of second half, ND is up by 5 and celebrating.

    • Peter Parker x21, 5 Merkins
    • Parker Peter x21, 5 Merkins
    • Shoulder Taps x21, 5 Merkins
    • Floyd Maywether x21, 5 Merkins

    Little did he know at the time, but our FNG is a Va Tech fan.  Sorry (but not really) about that.

    Thing 2: 2000s and the advent of the “1-and-done”- 1 year of college bball before moving on to the pros.  Anthony Davis wins national championship and Final Four MVP.  Then on to the Pelicans.

    PAX splits into 3 groups for the “1-and-done Indian Run”.  Each group runs from the front of the Museum out to Wisner, then back and on to the Refinery.  The “1-and-done” part: the last PAX drops for 1 Burpee before sprinting to the front of the line.  Each PAX seems to get about 5 burpees in during the run.

    Thing 3: Duke and the dreaded “Bobby Hurley”.  Dang them and their slap-the-floor approach to defensive intensity, epitomized by Bobby Hurley in the early 1990s.  PAX pair up – 10 groups.  YHC fumbles a bit trying to get the 10 exercises ordered to intermix legs, arms, and core.  YHC fails miserable.  Many PAX point out YHC failings.  YHC perseveres.

    • 15 Bobby Hurleys (the timer)
    • Box Jumps
    • Ski Jumps
    • Pull Ups
    • Step Ups
    • Dips
    • Mountain Climbers
    • Rows
    • Knee Ups
    • Merkins

    Repeat for 2 cycles.  Bobby Hurleys followed by Box Jumps followed by Ski Jumps: that’s a bad ordering of exercises.  Note to self to try and avoid that next time.

    Mosey to the great lawn

    Thing 3a: Quick Pitstop at the Tool Wall for 25 Calf Raises and 25 Monkey Humpers.  Just because.  Mosey on to the great lawn and plank in the center for the 6.

    Thing 4: Dean Smith and the 4 Corner offense.  OYO – 8 8-count-body builders at each of the 4 corners around the great lawn.  Start where ever, go in whichever direction.  YHC doesn’t care.  Just get to each corner and do 8.  Go.  El Guapo had to be reminded what a “corner” is.  its not the straight away.  Its the corner.

    Return to the center to plank for the 6.

    Thing 5: Fab 5 from Michigan – we’ll do the Ab 5

    • Ray Jackson (the lesser known member): LBC x25 (because YHC couldn’t think of a J ab exercise, though several astute PAX later pointed out the J-Lo….
    • Jimmy King: flutter Kick x25
    • Jalen Rose: dying cockRoach x25
    • Juwan Howard: american Hammer x20 (YHC feeling the pain…)
    • Chris Weber: that’s right, the dr. W x10

    Thing 6: Nolan Richardson and Arkansas “40 minutes of Hell”.  PAX finish with our version of “4 minutes of hell”.  Suicides across the great lawn OYO for 4 minutes.  Go.

    Mosey to the VSF (20 PAX and we have a VSF?  Where are the flags?!?!?!?)

    Count-off, Name-o-rama.  YHC told he is doing it wrong (which, apparently, he is).  Naming of our FNG – was “Papa Bear” (celebrating his brood of 3 married children and youngest 9 year old), until we realize that “Papa Bear” is already claimed.  So late pivot, naming him “Hokie Pokey” for his Va Tech connections.

    Announcements (Thursday Night Basin Run, next week’s Tough Mudder).  Intentions and Prayer to close.  Today’s scripture is the parable of the pharisee and tax collector praying in the temple.  Jesus instructs us to pray as the tax collector, humbly.  Lord, teach us to be humble.  Lead by our example, not by our words.

    Gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to lead.

  • Man, the weather was great this morning!

    This weekend was hopefully a start to why many of live here in the south,  the heat has not arrived and the cold is on the way out.  And In New Orleans,  spring time means the start of festival season and all things outdoors including Saturday  F3 workouts where the “Gloom” term may very well be omitted.  “Roll down the windows, pull down the top,  crank up the Beach Boys and don’t let the musics stop,  we were born to rock…..”  well not quite southern California but enough to pull in a good crowd Saturday morning for F3 New Orleans.

    Here is how it actually went:

    Quick disclaimer and off to mosey to museum area.  I had my doubts last night the way my lower back felt from Hawg’s Friday morning Rock City with squat jumps and rocks and the ISI challenge of the day.  However we all persevere.

    Warm ups

    (25) IW

    (20) Windmills

    (30) Arm circles

    (26) peter parkers

    (31) SSH I think…

    First activity

    Over to the field to measure against the trees:

    Bear crawl to first,  (10) squat jumps (w.o a rock today)

    Lump walk to 2nd tree, (15) monkey Humpers

    Repeat (3) more times for a total (8) trees

    That was a leg focus,  with a bit of mumble chatter…

    Second Activity

    Over to Fountain:

    (8) Decline mercan

    (8) dips

    (8) Incline mercan

    Repeat another time

    That was a upper body focus

    Mosey over to Foundry for timer base work outs

    Break into (2) groups:

    1 runs an Indian run as primary timer

    Other works (6) stations —  (10) burps (secondary timer), pull ups, dips, step ups, leg pulls while hanging

    Repeated Twice till 7:15

    Back to Peristyle for Mary

    (25) IBCs

    2:00 of plank hold

    (20) flutter kicks

    (25) J LOs

    1:30 of Shoulder taps

    (20) Hello Dollys

    Enough….

    Back to COT for names, FNG naming, Announcements, Prayer requests and Prayer of thanks.

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead.

    PS.  — My apologies for those I missed in PAX below,  let me know my misses and I will update.