F3 Knoxville

Author: Pele

Earl Grey Tea Type of Day…

THE SCENE: mid 30s, dark, cold, rainy… yeah, it was just a peach of an evening.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 

Yep

WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators, 7 ct, descending, Cherry Pickers IC, Little of this, little of that, Baby Arm Circles forward (10 ct, IC) and backwards (10 ct, IC), 10 x 4 calf raises followed by 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% sprint across parking lot and back.

THA-THANG:
Changed plans after looking at radar and not enjoying the near-freezing rain during the warm up and went to the pavilion for a tabata workout.  20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, 8 reps of the following exercises:

  • Squats
  • Merkins
  • LBCs
  • Burpees
  • American Hammers
  • Bobby Hurleys
  • Plank jacks
  • Bench step-ups

MARY:
Nope. Finished right on time.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Three Amigos!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
A friend describes cold rainy days like this as “Earl Grey Tea” kind of days, when it’s best to just sit in front of a fire with a nice cup of tea.  Two men chose not to do that tonight, and joined me for the workout, and I was very impressed and grateful for their presence.  But the phrase also reminded me of a post I had seen online, called “Not your cup of tea”.  The point of it was that try as we might, there are just some people that we do not coexist well with, and although we should always try to reach out and form bridges, we shouldn’t feel guilt ridden, angry, or frustrated if our attempts fail.  Rather, we should let those folks walk their own paths, and save our energy and our hearts for those who we find synergy with, who energize us and help us improve as people.

 

Synergy at Sundown

THE SCENE: Cloudy, 50s, and threatening rain, but threaten is all it did…
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 

Check

WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH (IC), 20 Suzanne Sommers, 10 Cherry Pickers (IC), 5 Prisoner Cell Merkin Burpees (PCMB) OYO

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the new trail at the north end of the park.

  • LIGHT POLE ESCALATORS
    • Start at first light pole. Do exercise then run to second light pole, do exercise, run back, etc.  Go to 8 light poles. Exercises are:
      • Light Pole 1: 5 Prisoner Cell Merkin Burpees (PCMB)
      • Light Pole 2: 10 lunges (5 each leg)
      • Light Pole 3: 15 Carolina Dry Docks
      • Light Pole 4: 20 Suzanne Sommers
      • Light Pole 5: 25 LBCs
      • Light Pole 6: 30 iron mikes (15 each leg)
      • Light Pole 7: 35 Hello dollies (single count)
      • Light Pole 8 : 40 Imperial Walkers (single count).
    • When done, do LBCs until 6 catches up.

Mosey to the center of the circle drive around the Admin building.

  • BUCK 25s!
    • Start at center cone.  Barry Sanders to the left to another cone about 75 years away. Sprint back to center cone, do 10 Pickle Pounders.
      • Barry Sanders to the cone to the right about 75 yards away, sprint back, do 10 more Pickle Pounders.
      • Run down stairs and back up, do 5 more Pickle Pounders.
      • Bernie Sanders to the base of the stairs at the admin building, do 100 SSHs
      • Run back to center cone, and sprint back to the top of stairs of admin building and do one more emphatic Pickle Pounder!
  • 75 calf raises on building steps (25 normal, 25 toes in, 25 toes out)

Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
Captain Thors, Boat/Canoe, Bicycle kicks, Hold plank 1 minute, Star Gazer refractory period.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine men strong! (Quickrete not tagged)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Many Words recently have focused on surrounding ourselves with positive people.  Why is that?  The reason is because of a concept called SYNERGY, which is based on the Greek word Synergos, which means “working together”.

In my line of work, we look at toxic effects of chemicals.  If there is synergistic toxicity, the sum of the toxicity is something greater than simply adding the two together.  For example, the toxicity of Chemical A (with toxic units =2) + Chemical B (with toxic units =3) = 10, not 5. An example is mercury and lead, both of which are neurotoxins.  A study was done where mice were given a dose of mercury that typically would kill 1% of them, and a dose of lead that would also typically kill 1% of them.  So you would expect 1-2% to die.  But they ALL bit the dust, because of the the combination of lead and mercury, which are synergistic toxins.

So synergy can be a bad thing in toxicology.

But it can be a wonderful thing in other facets of life… like FOOD and DRINK

  • Milk + Chocolate Chip cookies!
  • Pumpkin Pie + coffee!
  • Pizza + Beer!
  • A nice Bordeaux wine + a perfectly cooked filet mignon!!!! (This is where the Q started to get really hungry…)

We all know about the analogy of the fist, too.  Each finger by itself is very weak, but when balled together, WATCH OUT!

It can also be wonderful in relationships.  We are stronger together than the sum of our parts. As Cap’n said at the Olympics, there’s no way in heck we would all get up in the dark and go to a mist-covered field to throw a discuss and do bench presses and flip a 400 pound tire if it weren’t for the presence of others in the group.  Same goes for every F3 workout that we do.  I want to thank the F3 PAX, and especially the Fake Gloomers for adding synergy to my life. I am grateful for each one of you.

Quote:

GENESIS 11:6.  And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks that Mr. Jinxy’s situation at work has stabilized.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Special F3 workout at the Mend House, Monday Nov 12 6-7 pm, 308 Knox Road.  Park at the Fountain City Krogers nearby.  Contact Abscess or Tank for details.

Cleveland, TN F3 launch Saturday, Nov. 17! 7-9 am with caravan leaving earlier.  Contact Abscess for details.

Third F coming up December 8, 8:30 a.m. Stay tuned…

The Pumpkin Post

THE SCENE: Picture perfect, clear, low 60s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER 

Yep

WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators, Cherry Pickers x10 IC, Lateral Hops x 20 IC, little of this, little of that

THA-THANG:
Mosey down from the Admin building to the Lyons View Pike entrance.  Do PAULA ABDULS along the path towards Northshore, running two lights and Bernie Sanders back one light, stop and do 5 BBS/5 Shoulder-tap Merkins.  Continue to base of Everest

PYRAMIDS up to big tree on Everest.  Run up hill to tree 3 times, when we return to the path we will do the following:

  • 10 Burpees
  • 10 Burpees/10 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)
  • 10 Burpees/10 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)/10 Diamond Merkins

Run back up to the base of the summit and finish the pyramid:

  • 10 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)/10 Diamond Merkins
  • 10 Diamond Merkins.

Run to top of summit and meet at AO.

KICKBALL PRACTICE!

From F3 flag, kick the kickball into the field, where cones with numbers are laid out.  Whatever number is closest to the ball is the exercise we do.  The exercises are:

  1. 10 burpees
  2. Captain Thors (1 BBS/4 American Hammers increasing to 2/8, 3/12, 4/16, and 5/20)
  3. 15 Pickle Pounders
  4. Jump Squat Holds (10 jump squats + 10 second Al Gore, then 9/9, 8/8, etc.)
  5. Boat/Canoe with 30-second holds, x2
  6. 10 scorpion Dry Docks (5 with one leg up, 5 with the other)
  7. 10 body builders (Burpees with plank jack in there).
  8. Superman (on stomach, arms/legs out)/Reverse Superman (on back, arms and legs up)
  9. 15 patty-cake merkins
  10. 20 windshield wipers (4-ct)

(we got to all of these except the Jump Squat Holds)

MARY:
Imperial Walkers x20 IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 men strong (couldn’t tag Quikrete)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Ran across something that compared being a Christian to being a pumpkin.  It was kind of “quaint”, but seemed seasonally appropriate.  God:

  • Picks you from the patch and brings you in (John 15:16)
  • Washes all the dirt off of you (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • Opens you up and scoops out all the bad stuff, removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. (Romans 6:6)
  • Carves you a new smiling face (Psalm 71:23)
  • And He puts his light inside you to shine for all the world to see (Matthew 5:16)

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for a safe and successful Tough Mudder competition to all our F3 brothers going to Atlanta! Good luck guys! Prayers of Thanks for the scholarship that Jenner received (Congrats brother!), and prayers that Mr. Jinxy’s work situation will develop favorably and all be part of a larger plan.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tough Mudder this week-end!

The Peace of Wild Things

THE SCENE: Pleasant temperatures in the upper 70s, but still dang humid
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Boom. Nailed it.

WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH IC, 20 Imperial Squat Walkers IC, 20 Windmills IC (PAX really needs to work on getting the coordination and count down on these… 😉 ), 20 baby-to-big arm circles IC, front/reverse

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Area 51.

We will do Partner DORAs starting at the parking sign off of the perimeter road just south of the Admin building.. While one partner runs to Area 51 parking lot/loading Dock and does 5 squat jumps and runs back, the other starts the exercises.  Each pair shall complete the following, cumulatively:

  • 100 Big Boy sit-ups
  • 200 Lunges (doing both legs counts as 1)
  • 100 Merkins

Mosey around perimeter road to grassy field between Admin Building and main park road. Cones will be laid out in a large rectangle.  Move around the cones, doing Bernie Sanders on the long sides and bear crawls on the short sides.  Stop at midpoints and corners for exercises.

  • At midpoints (long side only), do 15 Carolina Dry Docks
  • At each corner, do 10 mountain climbers (4-ct)

Rinse and repeat, but replace the exercises with the following:

  • At midpoints (long side), do 15 Bobby Hurleys
  • At each corner, do 10 Plank Jacks

Mosey to path leading to Admin building.

Bernie Sanders up the sidewalk to the stairs, and do 50 calf raises on the stairs.

Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
Captain Thors, 20 Hello Dollies (IC), 15 tempo merkins (IC), 40 E2Ks (10 each leg, rinse and repeat), 20 modified table saws (IC), 20 froggie/heel touches (IC)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
11 fine men, all tagged except for Foff (sp?) who is still not registered.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Peace of Wild Things

Outside of church, I have always felt closest to God while immersed in the beauty of nature, surrounded by a world so achingly beautiful that it makes me so grateful and humbled that we have been placed in such surroundings.  Whether it is standing on a ledge looking at a spectacular waterfall, gazing out across a valley tinted with fall colors from a peak, or simply looking at the contours and pigments of a simple, perfect flower, I feel the work of God in my heart.  I wanted to read this poem, which I stole-borrowed from a fellow F3er’s Facebook page (Thanks Lillydipper!)

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Barry

When Despair for the World grows in me

And I wake in the night at the least sound

In fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

Rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds

I come into the peace of wild things

Who do not tax their lives with forethought

Of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

Waiting with their light.  For a time

I rest in the grace of the world. And am free.”

Prayers that we pause and truly appreciate the beauty of our world whenever possible, and that we are wise and responsible stewards of our wondrous planet so that it is preserved for generations to come.

MOLESKIN:
Congrats to Mr. Jinxy and best wishes on the marriage of his daughter this week-end!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lots of stuff coming up… Atlanta Mud Run, F3 Olympics, Cleveland, TN F3 kickoff all in the next month.  Stay tuned…

4 The Love of 6!

THE SCENE: It was a dark and stormy night… but actually pretty pleasant! The rain was considerate enough to hold off until the very moment we finished the workout.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH (4 x 6 = 24, IC), Cherry Pickers (4 + 6 = 10, IC), Tempo Merkins (4 + 6 = 10, IC), Bolt 45s, with a bonus squat to make them Bolt 46s (IC) — YES, there’s a pattern.  One guess as to how old the Q turned today…
THA-THANG:
Mosey to drive/parking area southwest of admin building.

BEARWAY TO HEAVEN: three cones set up at approximately 15 yard intervals. Bear crawl suicides to each cone, doing 4, 6, then (4 + 6 =) 10 merkins at each cone.  Run back to start after last cone.

4/6/(4+6) 10s Part 1: Mosey to parking inlet southwest of admin building.  Battle buddy up.  One person runs the loop up the stairs and around back into the parking area while the other person does Imperial Squats, then the other partner runs the lap.  Half way through the loop, do the following three exercises.  Do three loops doing 4x, 6x, and 10x reps:

  • LBCs
  • BBSs
  • American Hammers

4/6/(4+6) 10s Part Deux: Mosey to rock pile by the AO.  One person grabs a rock, runs to the tree down the driveway, and does the three exercises below, and runs back, switching with partner after each lap.  Everyone does this three times, doing 4x, 6x, and 10x reps on the exercises.  While one partner is running, the other is doing maintenance exercise of merkins (first lap) and running in place (second and third laps).

  • jump squats
  • lunges (doing both legs count as 1)
  • Iron Mikes (4-ct)

Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
Homer/Marge until the grunts were getting a bit embarrassing, modified table saw x20 (4-ct), Tempo Merkins

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 men strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Don’t Make It About You, Make it About the Team.

The people you have known who are great leaders, that you admired, that you would run through a brick wall for… did they tend to compliment and encourage others, or did they brag about their own accomplishments and take credit for themselves?  Strong leaders are those who have the confidence in themselves to give praise to others, thereby instilling pride in them and encouraging them to continue to put forth their best efforts.  During the retirement ceremony tight end Jason Witten, Coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys described one of the things that made the future hall of famer so special, which was his humility and praise for his teammates.  He recalls in the clip below how Witten– when discussing one of the greatest plays of his career– gave praise to everyone else on the team for being an integral part to its success.  Witten wasn’t a rah rah guy, but he was universally respected for not only his talent as a player, but because of his team-first mentality.  We can all take a lesson from this, and take the time to lift someone else up, give them thanks and praise for being a part of your “team”, whether it’s your family, a sports team, your church group, your PAX.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Final Thursday of the month beer rendezvous at Union Jacks! The birthday boy paid the tab.  In the spirit of the Word above, I wanted to show my appreciation to the team at the Asylum that has meant so much to me.  Cheers, fellas!