F3 Knoxville

Author: Ma-am

Just a guy who loves a girl. Privileged to be the dad of 2 great boys. Recipient of more grace and mercy than I deserve.

One Hill of a Morning

THE SCENE: 72 Humid degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Windmills IC x 10, Cherry Pickers IC x 10, 40 yard Millenial Run, 40 yard High Knees, Karaoke left and Karaoke right (20 yards each)

THA-THANG:
Stop 1

Waxjob Hill

  • 5’s Merkins and Burpees starting with 4 Merkins at the bottom, 1 Burpee at the top.  Bernie up the hill, jog back down.  When finished plank it up and wait for the 6.  Then mosey to One Tree Hill.

Stop 2

Fire-team drill to the pine tree.  Run to the cadence of “I’m up, they see me, I’m down.”  When you hit the ground do 5 Merkins and repeat all the way to the top.  Round 2 is the same, but substitute Merkins with 5 BBS.

Mosey to Mt. Crumpet

Stop 3

From the bottom, run at a 45 degree angle to the cone halfway up.  At the cone, complete 10 Merkins.  Run to the pine tree at the top of the hill, there complete 10 flutter kicks.  Run at a 45 degree angle to the cone halfway down and at the cone complete 10 Dry Docks.  Then run to the bottom of the hill and once there do 10 squat jumps.  Rinse and repeat.

MARY:
Box Cutters IC x 15, Flutter Kicks IC x 15, BBS 20 OYO, LBC 1 min OYO
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
One of the driving forces in our lives are the groups that we associate with.  Having a circle of friends that we can count on and know will support, encourage and provide accountability is essential to our well-being.  There is a lot of focus in the media right now with recent suicides and we all know about the suffering of our servicemen returning from deployment.  The world is a tough place and lots of people are fighting battles that we know nothing about.  I am grateful for F3 and what this group of men mean to me.  Let’s be aware of each other, and the other people in our lives and make sure that everyone knows, without a doubt, that we are there to lift each other up.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Beer run this Saturday, talk to Moses for more info.

Fireteam Drills and Running in Squares

THE SCENE: 34 Chilly spring degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Windmills IC x 10, LBAC IC Thumbs Up x 10, Thumbs Down x 10, Tempo Squats IC x 10, SSH IC x 10

THA-THANG:
Mosey to One Tree Hill and assemble PAX at the bottom.  Q explained fireteam movement (stand, run to the cadence of “I’m up they see me I’m down, get on the ground).  PAX took the hill using that cadence and performing 3 rounds of exercises while down.  Round 1: 5 Merkins, Round 2: 5 BBS, Round 3: Carolina Dry Docks.  At the end of R3, stay at the top of the hill.  Each PAX grabbed a CMU and moseyed to the baseball field where 4 cones were set up in a square.  PAX divided into groups of 3 (or 4 where appropriate) and began with the first exercise on the list.  They then ran clockwise to the next cone and repeated the exercise, continuing to each cone until they reached their starting point.  Once back at the starting point, they moved to the next exercise on the list and proceeded clockwise until returning to their original spot.  If all of the exercises were completed, they started again at the top.  The exercises were as follows:

Merkins x 10

Overhead CMU press x 10

Burpees x 10

Squat Jumps x 10

Iron Mikes x 10

SSH x 10

Goblet Squat x 10

Clean and Press x 10

MARY:
With 3 minutes of work time left, PAX went all in with Absolution OYO until time expired.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
One of the techniques that Marines are taught in basic training is counterintuitive to human nature.  That technique is to run toward the threat rather than away from it, thereby lessening our exposure to risk.  If we are ambushed and turn to run, we increase the amount of time the enemy has to get us sighted in.  Often times in life we face challenges that we want to run from, to avoid or to ignore.  We see many examples in the Bible where God calls his people to face the enemy and know that He is in control.  My challenge to the PAX (and myself) is to be strong and present in the face of attack and know that God has my six.  It can be really difficult for me to see how my suffering is for the greater good, especially at that moment, but I know that God is good and I can trust Him to provide the strength I need to face adversity head-on.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill is coming up in about a month.  Opportunities are out there to join a team or volunteer.

Sound the ALARM

THE SCENE: 54 Perfect degrees, partly cloudy and still a little moisture from the overnight storms
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Little of this/Little of that, Michael Phelps, Big Arm circles, Cherry Pickers x 9, Easy jog to middle of parking lot, then high knees to the other side, Butt-kickers to middle, easy jog to the curb.

THA-THANG:
Started with a bear crawl CMU drag from one end of the grinder to the other.  The CMU was then used in the following circuit:

Round 1 – 20 curls, 20 dips

Round 2 – 20 goblet squats, 20 lunges (10 per leg)

Round 3 – 20 BBS, 20 2-count flutter kicks

Round 4 – 20 Rows, 10 pull-ups

Round 5 – 10 Merkins, 20 CMU bench presses

Between each round, PAX ran an approximately 1/4 mile loop.  At the end of Round 5, start over again with Round 1

MARY:
We cashed out today to the Cupid Shuffle.  During the verse, PAX would perform Mtn. Climbers, during the “down” part of the song, Pax would perform Merkins, during the “to the left” and “to the right” parts PAX would kick their feet in that direction from a plank position.  Continue through the song (4:39 in length).
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
One year for Christmas a kid in my neighborhood got a 10-speed bike.  We all had BMX bikes with the old school coaster brakes and Mike Benson was the first in our neighborhood to get a 10 speed.  There was a large hill we called Denton’s Hill that ended into a cross street.  You had to go left or right at the bottom, straight was a field with a picket fence.  We were riding down the hill and got near the bottom and Mike went flying past us, eventually crashing through the fence and into the field.  Turns out he didn’t fully understand how the brakes work on a 10-speed bicycle.  He got away from the fundamentals.  Often as men, we over-complicate things.  In our jobs, with our wives, with our kids and our friends. I have found that if I keep 2 simple, basic fundamentals in mind, everything else just kind of falls into place.  Those are:  love God and love my neighbor.  That is it.  If I am doing those things correctly, I treat my co-workers, my wife, my parents, my kids and my friends the way that God has called me to treat them.  My challenge to myself and the PAX is simple, get back to the basics; love your wives the way you did when you first started dating, be present in your kid’s lives, be the kind of friend that God wants you to be.  Get back to the fundamentals.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Luck of the Draw

THE SCENE: 65 humid degrees with a light wind out of the west
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Cherry Pickers x 10, LB Arm Circles x 10, SSH x 15 then skip across the parking lot and back, high knees across and butt-kickers back.

THA-THANG:

14 PAX set out to get better today

Luck of The Draw

  • 2 decks of cards placed at opposite ends of the parking lot.  On each card is written an exercise.  Random PAX draws a card and calls out the exercise and the face value of the card (which equals the number of reps).  PAX runs to the cones placed at the mid-point of the parking lot and performs the exercise and the prescribed number of reps.  After completion, run to the opposite curb where a card is drawn and the exercise is called.  Exercises are performed at the mid-point of the parking lot (run 25 yards-exercise-run 25 yards), rinse and repeat.
  • Mosey toward the sand-bag barricade while singing cadence (message me if you want the cadence)
  • Pine Tree Hill with a Battle Buddy
  • Pick a battle buddy.  Buddy 1 runs to the pine tree at the top of the hill, touches the tree and returns.  While Buddy 1 is running, Buddy 2 is performing an exercise with a CMU.  When both have completed 1 run and 1 set of the exercise, round 1 is complete and Round 2 begins.  The exercises are as follows and all are performed with a CMU:
    • Round 1 Clean and Press
    • Round 2 Squats
    • Round 3 Bench Press
    • Round 4 Rows
    • Round 5 Overhead Press
    • Rinse and Repeat
  • Mosey back to the Grinder slingshotting with the CMU.  Buddy 1 runs while Buddy 2 does 5 Merkins.  When the Merkins are complete, Buddy 1 runs to catch Buddy 2.  When he catches him, Buddy 2 does 5 Merkins while Buddy 1 runs with the CMU.  Continue to the Grinder.

MARY:
25 Big Boy Sit-Ups, 10 Flutter Kicks, 10 Slutter Kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My oldest son Eli is on the autism spectrum.  A while back he observed his younger brother and me interacting with some friends of mine in town.  Later that night, he shared with me that he wished he was like me and Luke.  His desire was to be able to interact better with people and be more comfortable in social settings.  I shared with him that I would not change him even if I could, that what made him special was that he has a unique perspective and gifts that are different than mine.  I told him his mom and I have always referred to him as our magnificent puzzle and that we love who and what he is, no matter what.  He went on his way and returned a little while later and put his arm around me and said, “I love you, dad.”  The word this morning was that sometimes all of us need to hear that our Father loves us unconditionally, defects and all.  We are his wonderful creation.  Jeremiah 1:5 says “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”  The Creator of the universe knows me, a screwed-up dude in Maryville, TN.  And that is pretty awesome.
MOLESKIN:
Thank you to my Bomb Shelter brothers for the support and encouragement on my VQ.  I love you guys, you are the best.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2/23/18 Meet at the AO around 5:15-5:30 to set-up for CSAUP, there will be a little running, a little driving and a little fellowship at Public House for Fermentation Friday.

2/24/18 CSAUP at 6 AM sharp.  Please park in the parking lot of the Methodist church adjacent to the park.