F3 Knoxville

Author: Pele

Busy Bees at the Asylum

THE SCENE: Cloudy and a bit cooler than expected, high 40s

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 

Check.

WARM-O-RAMA:

Squat hold – 15 seconds

– Motivators (5 count, decreasing)

– Squat hold – 30 seconds

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence

– Squat hold – 45 seconds

– Little of this, little of that (arm stretches) + Michael Phelps

– Squat hold- 60 seconds

THA-THANG:

Mosey to edge of field by the new bathrooms.

  • Catch Me If You Can!
    • Partner #1 Bernie Sanders, Partner #2 does the exercise then sprints to catch Partner #1. When he does, they reverse rolls.  Go the width of field and back.  Exercises:
  1. 5 hand-release merkins
  2. 5 Burpees
  3. 5 Carolina Dry Docks
  4. 5 Bobby Hurleys

MOSEY to bottom of the first hill that comprises Pickett’s charge.

  • Hill runs . One partner will do slow shuttle runs in the holding pen while the other partner does the hill run and exercises at the top. Then he will run back down and switch off with partner.
    • Do both exercises @ 5x/10x/15x during the three reps per Round  Do planks after each round until 6 catches up.
      • Round 1: Big Boy Sit-ups/American Hammers (4-ct)
      • Round 2: Smurf Jacks/Iron Mikes (4-ct)
      • Round 3: Carolina Dry Docks/Burpees

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Hello Dollies, 25, 4-ct IC, Flutter kicks, 25, 4-ct, IC, Homer/Marge, 4-ct up and down

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
5 Strong.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I just came off the busiest 2 months of my professional life. Late nights, early mornings, so many things to do that you can’t sleep, late-hour frustrations and challenges, getting so lost in spreadsheets that your head spins.  A week or so ago my brother sent me a joke when I blew off talking to him for the millionth time. He was being a sarcastic smart-#@!, but the words hit home: “Maybe One Day, I’ll be what you need. But don’t wait too long… because the day you want me, may be the day I’ve finally given up…”.  I was also reminded of the song Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, which is a cautionary tale about a father who is too busy to hang out with his son, and then later in life, realizes that his son has “grown up just like him” and doesn’t have the time or inclination to spend precious moments with his aging dad.

We all go through periods of our life when we are strung out, busy, have too many responsibilities, etc. But take 10 minutes to call someone you love, talk to them, ask them how THEY’RE doing, connect with the people you care for.  Don’t give them a reason or an excuse to give up on you.  Sometimes they’re gone for good.  And above all, don’t forget God during times of stress and fatigue. Take the time to say a prayer, thank Him for the blessings in your life, and ask for strength to finish the task at hand. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We must be intentional about making time to rest in Jesus. Take a few moments when life starts to feel overwhelming and take solace in God’s everlasting love.  Deadlines at work will come and go. God is eternal.

MOLESKIN:
Continued best wishes for Pinto’s and Jinxy’s dad’s continued recuperation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

More than cards and candy…

THE SCENE: cloudy and pleasant, upper 50s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 

Nailed it.  Did I say I wasn’t a professional?… I think so.  Not sure.


WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH IC, 13 Steve Earls (lost count), 10 Cherry Pickers, Little of this/that, 10 Tempo Merkins IC, 10 Windmills IC

THA-THANG:
Valentine’s Day warm up! Mosey to the fields by the new bathroom.  Four cones will be set up for BUCK 25s! Bernie Sanders from center cone to cone to right. 10 pickle pounders/ 10 pickle pointers

Run back to center cone and Bernie to cone to left. 10 pickle pounders/ 10 pickle pointers

Bernie Sanders to cone behind 5 pickle pounders/ 5 pickle pointers

Charge up two terraces of hills, 100 Side Straddle Hops for the Buck 25!

Mosey to Parking Lot across the street.  Q had hidden bag with Valentines for the PAX, but almost couldn’t find where he hid them. (Thanks Ice Man for finding them!)  Each PAX gets a Valentine.  There is a poem with a related exercise.  We will do the exercise at the cones separating the bays, and then run the length of the parking lot and return to the next bay up, or lunge to the next station once we turn the corner.  Another PAX will read their Valentine, and we will continue until all Valentines have been read.  The poems and exercises are (random order):

  1. Roses are Red, violets are blue, I’d climb any mountain, to finally reach you.
  • Do 20 mountain climbers 4-ct

2. I said to you, “Oh, please be mine; Be mine forever, Valentine. I must have seemed like quite a bore, So join me in some Captain Thors!

  • Do Captain Thors (1:4 ratio of BBS:American Hammers up to 5:20). 1x each side = 1 American Hammer
  1. I swore that we would never part,
    As I put my hand upon my heart.
    Had I been thinking with my head,
    I probably would have fled instead
  • Sprint to end of parking lot and back (then do it again to get to next station!)

4.  You’re sharp as a tack and quick as a fox! I got you a gift, just open the box!

  • 20 Box Cutters (4-ct)
  1. After six shots of vodka at the bar,I find you as pretty as a shining star
  • 20 Star Jumps
  1. Valentine, O, Valentine, I’ll be your love and you’ll be mine.
    We’ll always be happy, and that is a fact You’ll be my Jill, and I’ll be your Jack!
  • 20 Plank Jacks (4-ct)
  1. She sent her love a Valentine;
    But he did not reply.
    He packed his bags and waived Adios! And from her he did fly!
  • Do Superman pose, hold for 60 seconds
  1. Oh will you be my wallaby?”
    Asked Mr. Kangaroo.
    “For we could find so very many
    Jumping things to do.”
  • 20 Jump Squats

Mosey to baby cardiac.  We will do two runs up.

  • Run #1, 20 Monkey humpers, Bernie Sanders up, 20 dive bombers at top
  • Run #2, sprint to top, 3 burpees, return to AO

MARY:
Heart Shaped leg lifts, flutter kicks, box cutters, Peter Parkers

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Six men strong, plus one FNG who we named J-Lo.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

It’s Valentines Day, after all, but who was St. Valentine?  Glad you asked.  He was a 3rd Century Roman Saint, martyred and buried on February 14, 269 AD, and is the saint of couples, beekeepers, marriage, love, and plague and epilepsy, of all things.

Valentinus (Latin version of his name) defied the emperor Claudius’s orders and secretly perform Christian weddings for couples.  This was prohibited, because Claudius felt single men made better soldiers, as they had less to lose.  To remind the men of their vows and God’s love, Valentinus cut hearts out of parchment and gave them to them, perhaps the origin of heart-shaped Valentines.  For his crimes, he was tortured and ordered under house arrest in Rome.  He pleaded his case to the Judge, and discussed the validity of Jesus’ teachings with him at length.  The Judge tested Valentinus by bringing in his blind daughter.  If Valentinus could restore her sight, the Judge would convert to Christianity.  He touched her eyes and restored her sight.  The Judge was humbled and immediately converted.

So, he was released, but he continued to preach where he wasn’t supposed to, and kept performing Christian marriages, was eventually caught and was sent to the emperor, Claudius II for punishment.  Claudius took a liking to this fellow (I get the impression Valentinus was quite the charmer), but then Valentinus went too far, and tried to convert the emperor to Christianity.  Claudius demanded that Valentinus renounce his faith, and when he didn’t he was beaten with clubs. That didn’t kill him, so they stoned him.  This guy was apparently like the Terminator, and just kept going, so they chopped off his head.  Yep, that did it.  Before he was sentenced, it is rumored that St. Valentine wrote a note to the daughter before he died, signed, “From your Valentine.” Thus inspiring the tradition of love letters.

SO, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about chocolates and flowers and Hallmark cards.  Human love and sexuality is wonderful, and blessed by God, and all that is celebrated by the holiday.  But the saint who it is named for was willing to put his life on the line for what he believed.   And with the power of the Holy Spirit he was able to do that —even to the point of death.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers went out to Swimmie’s uncle, who is suffering for some health issues, and continued prayers for Abscess and his family.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Showing Up for Life

THE SCENE: low 40s and drizzly… sure lived up to the GLOOM in Fake Gloom!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Yep
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH (IC), Little of this and that, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Baby Arm Circles forward/backward, 20 Tempo Squats (IC)

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey up the tail of the dragon and around, down baby Everest, and back to AO to warm up.
  • MINI TABATA (20 sec on/10 sec off x 6):
    • Carolina Dry Docks *
    • American Hammers *
    • Peter Parkers *
    • LBCs *

* Run up Baby Cardiac after each set.

Mosey to parking lot across street

LIEUTENANT DANS (split into two groups)

  • Two lunges+ Squat =1, Ascending reps, to group, which is holding Al Gore. Then second group returns.
  • Rinse and repeat, adding a Bobby Hurley to the squat rep.

BERNIE SUICIDES

  • Run forward ¼ across parking lot, Bernie Back.  5 star jumps
  • Repeat ½ way across. 5 star jumps
  • Repeat all the way to curb. 5 star jumps
  • RINSE AND REPEAT, but with 5 Burpees instead of star jumps.

FOUR CORNERS

  • 20 Merkins, BEAR CRAWL TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Hello Dollies (4-ct), BERNIE SANDERS TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Mountain Climbers (4-ct), HOP TO NEXT CORNER
  • 20 Smurf Jacks (4-ct), regular JOG TO NEXT CORNER.

MARY:
30 Bicycle kicks (IC)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine Strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Showing up for Life

This past Tuesday marked the 10 year anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson, when Captain Sully Sullenberger safely landed an aircraft with 155 people on board on the Hudson River.  There were no casualties, in large part due to the preparedness and quick thinking of Sully, his crew, and the first responders. After reading about the incident, I was incredibly impressed with how Sully handled the situation, his ability to work under pressure, his humility, and his leadership.  I purchased his book, HIGHEST DUTY, and found some thought-provoking passages in there about his outlook on life that I wanted to share .

In the chapter “Showing Up For Life”, he begins by recounting an incident he heard on the news when he was a 13 year old growing up in Texas. A woman named Kitty Genovese had been sexually assaulted and killed outside her apartment in Queens.  Apparently, her screams were heard by others, but no one did anything about it.  The “Bystander Effect” was partly to blame; people are less apt to help in an emergency when they assume or hope that others will step up and help.  Sully made a pledge that day that if ever someone needed help, he would act. No one in danger would be abandoned.  Not on his watch.

When Flight 1549 crashed into the water, his crew assisted in getting everyone out of the airplane. Sully was the last to leave.  He walked the plane up and down, twice, to make sure no one was still on the plane.  No Man Left Behind.  Only when he was CERTAIN that no one still needed help in evacuating the plane did he himself jump into one of the rafts. When describing why he feels that ordinary people act courageously in extraordinary situations he says: “I believe many people in those situations actually have made decisions years before. Somewhere along the line they came to define the sort of person they wanted to be, and then they conducted their lives accordingly.  They told themselves they would not be passive observers. If called upon to respond in some courageous or selfless way, they would do so.”

Sully did that when he was 13, when he heard about Kitty Genovese.  It helped him act instinctively to save 155 people that cold January day 10 years ago. HIMs do not go through life as bystanders!  My coach used to say, if you visualize it, you will do it.   Take a moment and visualize how you would react in an emergency, what you would do if someone needed help in a life or death situation.  Will you be a bystander? Or will you act.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Puddle’s roommate, who is a young man recovering from an illness.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

New Years Beatdown

THE SCENE: low 50s, mostly cloudy, and mostly pleasant!!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.


WARM-O-RAMA:
20x then 19x SSH (4-ct, IC) (2019, baby!!); 20x Cherry pickers (4-ct, IC), 30x Ussain Bolts (10 for each squat increment),  baby arm circles forward (10x) and backward (10x); little of this, little of that.

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Parking Lot south of ball fields

  • PARKING LOT PYRAMIDS (hat tip to someone else who did this… maybe Woodshack?)
    • PYRAMID LAPS! Partner up with like speed. Run opposite directions, high five when you pass at the far end, and every time you meet at the near end, do the following exercises in reps of 20 except burpees, which will have 10 reps:
      • Lap 1 LBCs
      • Lap 2 LBCs, Mtn Climbers
      • Lap 3 LBCs, Mtn Climbers, Bobby Hurley’s
      • Lap 4 LBCs, Mtn Climbers, Bobby Hurley’s, burpees
      • Lap 5 Mtn Climbers, Bobby Hurley’s, burpees
      • Lap 6 Bobby Hurley’s, burpees
      • Lap 7 burpees

Mosey to sidewalk leading to Cardiac Hill:

  • Starting at end of Parking Lot, do PAULA ABDULS. Run two lightposts, Bernie Sanders back one, do 10 Iron Mikes (5 each leg), rinse and repeat until path intersects perimeter trail.
  • Reverse course.  Do 11s back up to parking lot (jump squats).

Mosey to perimeter road.  AYG sprint back to AO.

MARY:
20x EH2s right side, 20x left side (it was at this point that the Q couldn’t figure out which was his left or right ankle); 25x American Hammers (4-ct, IC); 20 BBS (OYO)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 F3 HIMs and two FNGs, Stockton Webb and Ross Dempster, who we named Misfire and Cellar.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

About a year ago, I did something I’m not particularly good at: practiced forgiveness.  A friend of the family approached me after my mom passed and mentioned a sizable loan that she had given to him a year or so previously.  Trying to tie up loose ends quickly, I approached him with a number of payback options, all of which he agreed to.  However, he failed to live up to his promises, and claimed that one emergency after another consumed the funds he was trying to save up to pay back the loan.  After years of this, I became frustrated and angry.  A year ago this past Christmas, however, I prayed on the matter and felt an overwhelming peace.  I must do the Christian thing and practice forgiveness.  Not with regards to accepting the excuses, but with the loan itself.  I resolved to trust him that his reasons were valid, and the only conclusion at that point was to decide that he needed the money more than I did.  I let him know of this in an email, and felt satisfied that I had done the right thing.  But after a few months, the old feelings of resentment, anger, and frustration resurfaced.  I prayed again, and realized I had not fully gone through with the forgiveness process.  I had forgiven him in my mind, but not in my soul and heart.  I prayed again, and this time I felt fully at peace.  I tried to put Grace into practice, and forgive my debtor, as my debt is forgiven by God.  I encourage everyone to adopt as their New Year’s resolution to release the negative energy and forgive at least one person in their life that has wronged them, completely and unconditionally.

This also ties in with the link that Cap’n Crunch posted a month or so ago describing an amazing act of forgiveness when a man lost his wife and unborn child in a traffic accident involving a firefighter medic who fell asleep at the wheel.  An excerpt: “In moments where tragedy happens or even hurt, there’s opportunities to demonstrate grace or to exact vengeance.  Here was an opportunity where I could do that. And I chose to demonstrate grace.”

For those who missed it, the link is https://www.today.com/news/one-man-s-forgiveness-after-tragedy-creates-profound-friendship-stranger-t144626?fbclid=IwAR1l1J1wtO2ymOSzzE8MfHHp9oor_GjRSaApQGTQY7mINCtlPHv4lGnrFAg

 

Ephesians 4:31-32

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Lords Prayer: “and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”

MOLESKIN:
We had a lot of fun and fellowship at the Polar Bear Plunge this year.  Let’s do it again next year!  Also, a word of appreciation to all the PAX who showed support in any way for the Pitstick family during the difficult time following the loss of Quickrete (Grady Pitstick) last month.  F3 at its finest…

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Brolympics Redux

THE SCENE: Cloudy, mild breeze that would ruffle my hair if I had more of it, mid 40s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Done

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x 20 IC, Cherry Pickers x 10 IC, Ankle Grabbers/hammie stretch, Baby Arm Circles Forward (x10) and Backward (x10) IC, Shoulder Tap Merkins x 10 IC

THA-THANG:
Today we revisited the events of the Brolympics that we enjoyed at the F3 anniversary a few weeks ago.  We started with the long distance run first, carrying a softball bat high as the Olympic torch.  Indian run from AO up Baby Everest and around running trail to parking lot, then back close to the AO, passing “torch” off as PAX gets to front.

Brolympic Redux:

Parking lot will have 6 different stations that imitate the F3 Brolympics events.  We will do each station for 2 minutes, AMRAP.  The stations are:

  • Merkins
  • BBS
  • Shuttle Run / Suicides
  • Burpee Broad Jumps
  • 40-yd dash
  • Bear Crawl around cones

This was followed by a mini Pickett’s Charge up Baby Everest.  Not enough time to rinse and repeat as planned, so we each PAX member chose whatever exercise they wanted to revisit, rotating as desired, until it was time to head back to the AO.

MARY:
Flutter kicks x 25, 4-ct IC, Box Cutters x 20, 4-ct, IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 Strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Doing Christianity – Reverend Gretchen Sylwester at Bethel Church, Elmhurst IL

‘Author and activist Shane Claiborne writes in The Irresistible Revolution: “If you ask most people what Christians believe, they can tell you, ‘Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that Jesus rose from the dead.’ But if you ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent. They usually say something like “Christians live pretty much like everybody else, they just sprinkle in a little Jesus along the way.”

One of the speakers at an interfaith community event at the Villa Park Islamic Center said that in her tradition, religious action is far more important than religious belief. From her perspective, how we live is far more important than what we say we believe. More recently, the tragedy in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue might make one question about what a “Christian response” to this tragedy might be.

What is essential to a Christian way of life? What are the things that we do that set us apart? If you were to describe the Christian way of life to a non-believer, what would you say? If it is not just Jesus’ sprinkles, what is it?

One place to start is by talking about generosity and grace. We share. Christians use our power and privilege to change things for others who have less. We are slow to judge and quick to forgive. We are diligent in setting aside time for prayer and meditation. We worship with others as an essential practice, something that we make room for in our lives as a “must” rather than a “maybe.” And most of all, Christians look to the future with hope, not fear.

I encourage you to consider your own action plan for being a Christian. Forget about the word “think.”  Forget the word “believe.” Consider what it is that we do that makes us unique. For as the old hymn goes, in the end, “They will know that we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.” ‘

MOLESKIN:
The PAX shared some words of support for one of our members who is going through a difficult stretch.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
3rd F coming up this Saturday at the Outlook, 8:30 a.m.  Breakfast provided, $10 donation recommended.