THE SCENE: Cloudy and Chilly, low 40s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
Check.
WARM-O-RAMA:
-20 SSH, (4-ct), in cadence
– 10 Cherry Pickers, 4-ct, IC
– Little of this and that/ Michael Phelps/ Arm Circles
– Bolt 45s
THA-THANG:
MOSEY up Serpentine sidewalk and back down Baby Cardiac to CMU parking lot. For a warmup. Battle Buddy up, and each pair gets a piece of chalk.
COLLECTIVE EFFORT
We will work together to accomplish a difficult task in the CMU parking lot/Pavilion area, which will be completing a high number of reps of various exercises, all together, as a PAX. As we complete the reps, we will cross off the markers to track progress. If we do not complete all reps with 5 minutes left, we end with 20 Burpees, otherwise, we will do Stargazers.
The Tasks will be broken out as follows:
CMU Pile:
– 500 Curls (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 500/20 = 25 markers)
– 500 Overhead Presses (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 500/20 = 25 markers)
– 500 Squats (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 500/20 = 25 markers)
BABY CARDIAC:
- 50 Sprints up Baby Cardiac (Marker indicators 2 trips each, 50/5 = 25 markers)
SUICIDES:
- 50 Suicides (Marker indicators 2 suicides each, 50/5 = 25 markers)
CORE WORK:
– 500 LBCs (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 500/20 = 25 markers)
– 200 Big Boy Situps (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 200/20 = 10 markers)
– 200 American Hammers (2-ct) (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 200/20 = 10 markers)
PAVILION:
– 500 Jump or Step Ups (2-ct) (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 500/20 = 25 markers)
– 200 Decline Merkins (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 200/20 = 10 markers)
– 200 Bench Pullups (Marker indicators 20 reps each, 200/20 = 10 markers)
We ended up with more guys than expected, so we easily finished all the reps, and rinsed and repeated quite a few of them. Ended with a final sprint up Baby Cardiac.
MARY:
Flutter Hammers, E2Ks, Box Cutters (all 20 reps, 4-ct IC)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 strong. Jetlag not tagged.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Quite frankly, I considered dropping my Q today, after witnessing the disgusting, inexcusable acts against our Capital building, the house of the people yesterday. I was so disheartened, so sad, so ANGRY that I thought it beyond me to lead a Q after that. But then I reconsidered. If I just dropped the Q, that would be an abrogation of my responsibility. I would be putting the burden on someone else. I would be turning away instead of being out front during a conflict. Part of F3 is to foster leadership. I don’t consider myself the world’s greatest leader, to be honest. I’ve always been more of a Doer than a Leader. But I’m trying to improve myself in that regard, and turning away is not what leaders do.
So, I Q’d today, but I scrapped my original workout and my BOM. I’ll save it for next time. I wanted to focus on doing something together. Something collaborative, where we work towards a common goal. We need more of that as a nation, because right now, guys, we are a broken and lost community.
One of the things I really appreciate about F3 is that it is apolitical. It has some pretty clearly stated goals, is very inclusive, and refrains from taking political stances. I loved the National F3 response in the wake of the racial protests this past summer. Their response was, “We have no response. Our ethos speaks for itself, and we will continue on that mission.” So I will honor that approach, and won’t go down a rabbit hole today voicing my opinions about what happened yesterday. With one exception…
One of the things that angered me the most of what I saw yesterday was the carrying of flags that invoked the name of Jesus, our lord and savior. I’m not a biblical scholar, and I don’t pretend to be able to channel what Jesus would do or say in witnessing the ugliness of the mob yesterday, but I feel pretty confident that He would be sad, disgusted, even angry.
In the Sermon on the Mount (found in the Book of Matthew) Jesus Christ laid out the central facets of the way of life He taught His followers. One of the central themes of the Sermon on the Mount is Christ’s expectation that His followers be characterized by peace—not violence or war. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Christ’s followers should be characterized by living a way that leads to peace, not by violence and strife. The apostle Paul wrote that Christians are to do whatever possible to “live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18), and many scriptures support the basic truth that Christians are to “pursue peace with all people” (Hebrews 12:14; see also 2 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 5:22; James 3:17). And with regards to hatred of fellow human beings, Jesus likens hating another man with breaking the 6th Commandment (Thou Shalt Not Kill) and says, “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matthew 5:21-22).
I saw a lot of hatred in the faces of the mob yesterday. I felt more than a little of it creeping into my own heart. Hatred for our fellow humans, especially for our fellow Americans, is not the path of a Christian.
In closing, just some humble words of advice… I’ve heard it said recently that the biggest threat to our democracy and to peace between us isn’t Russia, Iran, the Corona virus, Republicans, Democrats, etc. It’s the spread of disinformation on the internet and social media. I tend to agree with this statement. Please… before you form a definitive opinion on something, before you pass judgment on someone or something, and before you forward something on, share, post, like, whatever… just do a little research on it. Take a look at multiple sources of information that are neutral, that are reliable, that can be substantiated, that don’t have an agenda. Falsehoods, exaggerations, and us-vs-them mob mentality largely fueled what happened yesterday. We need to start respecting and working cohesively with each other, like we did in the workout today, or we are lost.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for friends and families of the PAX that are healing from injuries, or dealing with deaths and sickness from COVID.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Asylum CSAUP Jan 30, 6:30-9:00 am. Asylum shirts are now available on Mudgear!