F3 Knoxville

Author: Pele

Farewell to Everest

THE SCENE: Getting chilly and dark.  Winter is coming.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Imperial Squat Walkers (4-ct, in cadence)

– 10 windmills (4-ct, in cadence)

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct, in cadence)

THA-THANG:

Mosey to EVEREST.  FAREWELL TO EVEREST!!  We’ll be switching our meeting place to the opposite side of the park for winter, so we might not see Everest again for awhile.  We shall pay our respects before we leave…

EVEREST SUICIDES x5

Up and back to tree stumps/trees. Every time you get to the bottom, do 10 reps of an exercise, which will change for each Suicide.   At end of each suicide, hold a plank until 6 catches up.

Exercises:

  1. Plank Jacks
  2. Monkey Humpers
  3. Squats
  4. Merkins
  5. Stargazers (you’re welcome)

Mosey to flat area at base of the Summit.

Partner UP.  One partner, run to bottom of the Roadshow Run stairs, do 10 SSH, run back.  Other Partner BEAR CRAWL to tree, do 10 Merkins, and Bear Crawl back. Meet back at starting point, do 5 Patty-cake merkins, and switch.  Rinse and repeat

STOMACH BUSTER! 20 Am. Hammers, 20 flutter kicks (both 4-ct IC).

AYG up the summit and to the AO

MARY:
No time for her.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

THE LANGUAGE OF GOD PART DEUX: Things that make you go Hmmm…

Continuing on with my Words about The Language of God by Francis Collins, I just wanted to share some of the observations he makes regarding Life, the Universe, and Everything when contemplating his Christian views and how they aren’t incompatible with his rigid and extensive training as a scientist.  [DISCLAIMER ABOUT BELIEFS].  His observations have helped me, as a scientist, understand how the origins of Creation can have a supernatural, Godly origin yet still obey the laws of science.  There are an amazing number of incredible coincidences that have led to where we are today, standing in a park, on a planet we call Earth.  Consider for example…

  • In the early moments of the universe, following the BIG BANG, matter and antimatter were created in almost equivalent amounts.   But there was one part per billion more subatomic matter particles than anti matter.  If there was pure symmetry, or more dark matter, the universe would have devolved into pure radiation.  But that tiny bit of extra matter is what forms all the mass in the universe.
  • The way the universe expanded following the Big Bang depended critically on how much total mass and energy the universe had and the strength of the gravitational constant. If this constant was smaller by even one part in 100 thousand million, million, the universe would have collapsed before it reached its current size.  If it had been GREATER by just 1 part per million, stars and planets could not have formed.
  • And there are at least 15 other physical constants whose values are impossible to predict how they came to be what they are. And yet they are exactly the values they need to be to have a stable universe capable of sustaining complex life forms.  As it happens, the existence of a universe as we know it rests upon a knife edge of improbability.  Is this really an accident?…. Are we just really, really lucky to be here today?  HMMM…

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Abscess’ MRI, prayers for Jetlag’s return journey
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coat Drive still going on for another week; Sign up for Brovember challenge; we’ll move our meeting spot to the parking lot across the street from where AM meets starting next week after the time change.

The Pumpkin Says…

THE SCENE: Sunny, a bit warm, low 80s.  Maybe the last 80 degree day of the year?…

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– Air Squared (Squat chair while forward extended arm claps) 10 Overhead, then 10 sideways (seal claps)

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

-LBCs, forward/backward

-Leg Stretches

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Big Tree next to circle drive, south of the Admin bldg.  What’s that?? A bag?? A bag with a PUMPKIN IN IT??!! Let’s get it.

Get Pumpkin.  Indian Run to oval parking lot down by Field of Dreams.  Pass the Pumpkin to the back of the line.  When it gets there, that person runs to front, carrying it over his head, then passes it backwards.

  • The Pumpkin Says What You’re Going to Be! This was my favorite Halloween song from grade school.  I can’t remember the exact lyrics, but it talks about how the pumpkin will select what your get-up is for Trick or Treating that year.  So… Pick a card from the Trick or Treat container.  This is the “disguise” we will have for Halloween, and an associated exercise..
    • A DRAGON!
      • Do a 5-count Welsh Dragon. RUN A LAP
    • AN INMATE!
      • Do 10 Prisoner Get Ups. RUN A LAP
    • A FAMOUS ATHLETE!
      • Do 20 Bobby Hurleys, RUN A LAP
    • A STAR WARS VILLAIN!
      • Do 20 Imperial Squat Walkers, RUN A LAP
    • AN ANNOYING CARTOON CHARACTER!
      • Do 20 Smurf Jacks, RUN A LAP
    • DOLLY PARTON!
      • Do 20 Hello Dollies (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A ZOMBIE!
      • 20 Walking ROCKETTES (feet straight out) (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A PIMP!
      • 20 Pickle Pounders, RUN A LAP
    • THOR!
      • Do a round of CAPTAIN THORS (up to 5 reps), RUN A LAP
    • SPIDER MAN!
      • 20 Peter Parkers (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A ZOMBIE!
      • 20 Zombie Crunches each side (LBC with both legs laid to the side like a dead zombie), RUN A LAP

REVERSE INDIAN RUN UP PICKET’S CHARGE.  Person in front runs with the Pumpkin over their head as long as they can, then hands it off and goes to back of line.

Mid-way up Pickett’s… Pumpkin Line Dance.  Get in a line.  Do the following exercises, doing a special Pumpkin exercise when it gets to you (in parentheses).

  • Big Boy Situps (5 American Hammers w/ pumpkin)
  • Hold Plank (5 Pumpkin Press Burpees)
  • Tempo Squats (5 Squat Thrusts with Pumpkin)

MARY:
The PAX did some ab work while the 6 caught up.  Then some stretching to wrap it up.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine little ghouls! And a pumpkin.  Which we smashed at the end.  It was a good pumpkin.  It deserved better.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Scrapped my original Word, and talked about how grateful I am to have to of our Double-Respect HIMs, Lilydipper and Jinxy, back from their hip surgeries and working out with us again.  We are a better PAX for it, and their dedication and effort to recover and get back into our workout group is nothing short of inspiring.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Christmas Party!

Where you’re supposed to be

THE SCENE: Beautiful, a tad warm, plentiful sunshine, low 80s, no breeze
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check, with special focus on our FNG, Chris, who is a mentee of Tank’s.
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Motivators (Q butchered these, so we moved on after 6)
  • 7 BAC Forward, Backward  (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Windmills (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Rockettes (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Tempo Merkins
  • 7 Cherry Pickers (4 ct, IC)

We established (not easily, mind you…) that 7 squared = 49. Apropos, as this was a 49th Bday Q, no?
THA-THANG:

MOSEY down to gavel circle across from Area 51 :

  • Birthday Sea Biscuit!
    • ROUND 1: Run a lap, 49 Merkins
    • ROUND 2: Run TWO laps, 49 BBS
    • ROUND 3: Run THREE laps, 49 SSH
    • ROUND 4: Run TWO laps, 49 Squats
    • ROUND 5: Run ONE lap, 49 Seal Claps

Mosey to Big Tree near Pickett’s charge.  Here there be Dragons!!

  • Welsh Dragon (7 count ascending).  Tclaps to F6 who did it without stopping to rest! (Q rested a bunch of times…)

MOSEY to Bottom of Pickett’s Charge.  49s! Do 4 reps of the exercise at the bottom of each of the three hill tiers, and 9 at the top.  The exercises are:

  • 4 Jump Squats, Run up first level, 9 more Jump Squats
  • 4 Lunges (2-ct), Run up second level, 9 more Lunges
  • 4 Burpees, Run up to wall at Coliseum, 9 more Burpees.

MOSEY to AO

MARY:
No time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 strong.  Welcome FNG Iron Mike, real name Chris, an 11-year old mentee of Tank’s.  He wants to play middle linebacker in football, so we named him Iron Mike, with his approval.  Iron Mike and After Party not tagged.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I recently read the Language of God by Francis Collins, a physician and scientist who spearheaded the Human Genome Project.  He is currently the director of the National Institutes of Health.  The book discusses his struggles as a scientist to accept God, given his rigorous training in the Scientific Method, and his reluctance, at least early on in his life, to be able to rationalize a spiritual Father without being able to identify any actual evidence that He exists.  I’ll touch on some of the revelations and evidence that he lays out that builds his case for the existence of God in another Word, but I wanted to highlight one portion of the book today, because it seems timely.  Dr. Collins volunteered to go on a mission trip to a hospital in a small, impoverished village in Nigeria one summer, and in the book he admits that at the time he had some illusions of being sort of a Savior figure for the people there.  Here he was, a highly educated physician from America, coming to save the day for these poor villagers. But those illusions were quickly dashed.  He became frustrated that most of the illnesses he was called to treat were highly preventable with just some simple sanitary and medical standards.  The shortcomings of the facility where he worked were appalling… there weren’t enough hospital beds, X-ray and other basic hospital resources were lacking, etc.  Frustrated, disillusioned, and overwhelmed, Dr. Collins was losing faith that his efforts could ever make a difference.  And then a young farmer came in with an illness that at first appeared to be tuberculosis, but further testing revealed that he had fluid build-up in the pericardial sac around his heart.  The only cure was to draw out that fluid with a syringe.  In a modern hospital, this would be easily done by a computer guiding the needle.  But here in this hospital, Dr. Collins was forced to do it manually.  The man would die otherwise.  But it was terribly risky. Dr. Collins put the syringe into the man’s sternum, and was able to draw off the liquid without piercing the heart.  The farmer recovered, however, his long-term prognosis was still poor.  A few days later, he came across the farmer again, who said, “I get the sense you are wondering why you came here.”  Dr. Collins was shocked that the farmer had seen so clearly how he was feeling.  “You came here for one reason,” the farmer continued. “You came here for me.”  This was an epiphany for Dr. Collins.  He wasn’t there to be the great white doctor, saving an entire village.  He was there for that man.   As he puts it in his book, “We are each called to reach out to others.  On rare occasions, that can happen on a grandiose scale.  But most of the time, it happens with simple acts of kindness of one person to another.  Those are the events that really matter.”

As Steam said recently in a Word, You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

As another brother who is acting as friend and counselor to some people close to him recently said to me, “I’m exactly where I need to be”.

Maybe those simple acts of kindness will be so much more meaningful to others than you think.  Maybe your belonging to F3 is part of it.  Maybe that meal you deliver to Waxjob’s family will mean more to them than you can imagine.  Maybe the blood you donate on Friday will save someone’s life.  Maybe the Word you deliver at your Q will inspire someone to reach out to someone in need. Look for those opportunities, and then grasp them, even if they seem trivial.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for F6 and his cousin, who is expected to deliver on Wednesday (update that the delivery was successful, and Baby Jasmine and mother are doing well). Prayers for Jetlag and his family.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Blood Drive Friday at Asylum, Hardship hill this Saturday!!

Cat’s in the Cradle

THE SCENE: Beautiful! Around 80 degrees, very low humidity. Aaaaaah!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check

WARM-O-RAMA:

– 15 Split Jacks L, 15 Split Jacks R (4ct, IC)

– 15 Moroccan Nightclub (4 ct, IC)

–  10 Rockettes (4 ct, IC)

–  10 Cherry Pickers (4 ct, IC)

–  10 Tempo Merkins (4 ct, IC)

THA-THANG:

Mosey to bottom of Everest.  We learned, to our astonishment, that the Great Pyramids are actually not in Egypt, they’re at the bottom of the great Mount Everest!  Who knew???

  • EVEREST PYRAMID:
    • Do the exercise, then run ~1/3 way up Everest 5 times. Exercises will be the following (all single count)
      • 20 Merkins
      • 20 Merkins, 20 Iron Mikes
      • 20 Merkins, 20 Iron Mikes, 20 Bottle Openers
      • 20 Iron Mikes, 20 Bottle Openers
      • 20 Bottle Openers
  • MOSEY to Intersection of Trail and Road (all 4-ct, IC). AB BLASTER!
    • 20 flutter kicks (10 Wide)
    • 20 American Hammers
    • 15 Box Cutters
  • MOSEY to stop sign at northeast corner of Admin building drive.
  • DORAS: Partner 1 Bernie Sanders to end of Guard Rail, then runs to tree, then runs back. Each partner does 3 Burpees during the hand-off. Partner 2 does the exercises, then switch:
    • 100 Big Boy sit-ups
    • 100 Bobby Hurleys
    • 100 Merkins
    • 50 PCMBs (modified to 25 due to time)

AYG to guardrail, Bernie back to Stop Sign, then AYG to bat cave/AO.

MARY:
Homer/Marge.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I heard the song Cat’s in the Cradle the other day.  It’s an incredible song, beautiful, yet sad.  Written by Harry Chapin in 1974, it tells the story of a young boy growing up who’s dad never seems to find the time to spend quality moments with his son.  As the son grows up, as he says in the song, “I’m going to be like you, dad.”  Which at face value sounds like a compliment, but really he’s saying that as he gets older, he will be as ambivalent about spending time with his dad as his dad was to him.  And this comes to pass.  The dad, as he gets older and more frail, wants to spend time with his son, but his son finds excuses of his own, and avoids him.

When I was young, it was actually the reverse for me.  I took my parents for granted, was caught up in my own little world with my friends and activities, and in spite of having loving, caring parents that wanted to be a part of my life, I sort of ignored them, or only interacted with them on a serious level when I wanted something… my allowance, permission to hang out with my friends, etc..  As I got older that changed, and I wanted to spend more time with them and get to know them as people.  Unfortunately, they passed away before I could fulfill that desire.

I wasn’t a great son in that regard.  I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and be a better son to our Heavenly Father.  The temptation is to run to him when we need something… protection, money, salvation, whatever.  But part of the message of the song is that relationships aren’t built on the times when you NEED each other, they’re built on the times when there’s a mutual give and take.  So I’ve tried to be conscientious about really trying to share with God, and not just run to Him when I need something. And God is not like that father in the song.  He ALWAYS has time for us, for hearing us, comforting us, and providing for us.  That’s not how it should work.  In life with kids and parents, or in your spiritual life, with you and your Heavenly Father.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for a friend of Drum Major that is struggling with addiction issues, for Corona Weight’s brother who is doing well and continues to walk the line, and for Sparkler’s friend who’s battle with ALS is coming to an end.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill Oct 2.  Join the Asylum PM team, or make your own!  It’s a great day for a great cause.  We will be needing help building the obstacles in the coming weeks.

 

Heat Wave

THE SCENE: Sunny, HOTt, humid… typical E TN summer day.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-Motivators (5 count, descending)

– 10 Plank  Jacks (4-ct, IC)

– 15 Moroccan Night Clubs (4-ct, IC)

– 15 Overhead Seal Claps (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Steve Earls (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to the Bowl area by the Bermuda Triangle.

  • JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER. Start at bottom of hill, run to top of slope and do 25 reps of an exercise, return to starting position.  R&R 4 times, totaling 100 of the exercise.
    • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
    • Round 2: LBCs (single count)
    • Round 3: Lunges (single count)

MOSEY to Grassy Area by Base of Everest.

Totem Pole.  Start at 10, do all the exercises, then run to the bench by the road (or to Summit, dealer’s choice), do 10 SSH, and return. Then start at 9, etc.

  • 10 Burpees
  • 9 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)
  • 8 Diamond Merkins
  • 7 Box Cutters
  • 6 American Hammers (4-ct)
  • 5 Imperial Squat Walkers (4-ct)
  • 4 Hand Release Merkins
  • 3 Prisoner Get Ups
  • 2 Squats
  • 1 Star Gazers (10 seconds).  Rabbits R&R

We got about 75% of the way through this.

Go up Summit twice, once must be Bernie.  Do 25 MERKINS, 25 BBS, 25 SQUATS, and 25 IMPERIAL WALKERS somewhere along the way.  Rabbits rinse and repeat the exercises until 6 catches up.

MOSEY TO AO.

MARY:
Ran out of time.  Did some light stretching.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
22 Strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Special WORD by Lilydipper, who has been out with an injury for a few months.  Thought it would be great to have him address the PAX as he recovers from hip surgery.  Here are his words:

Gents, I haven’t been able to work out with you guys since mid-March.  Here we are in August, 5 months later.  Your fellowship lifts me up.  Thank goodness I have been able to come to board meetings.  I get to share a beer with you, see my brothers, commune with you.  Man, I need that fellowship.  I know Jinxy has needed it as well and that is why he was hobbling on crutches to the board meetings before he healed enough to join you guys in workouts.  The well-wishes you shared with us and the prayers you prayed for us have meant more that I think either one of us can say.

But what I want to share with you today is the importance of the workout.  I have been thankful to have fellowship with you brothers at board meetings and Coffeeteria.  Yet, I can’t wait to get back to the workouts.  Of course the workout makes us more physically fit.  I must admit that I have gained about ten pounds since mid-March.  But it is not physical fitness that I want to talk about.  It’s the bond created by going through the gloom, the heat, the sweat, the grime, the gasps for breath, the spilling or merlot, the dizziness, the pain, the questioning of self, the suffering through hell with one’s brothers – that is what I want to talk about.

Jetlag and I were conversing about Coffeeteria the other day.  Both of us agreed that part of what makes it so special is the suffering that precedes it.  Somehow that coffee and bagel just tastes better when you have made it through the torture with your brothers. As Crawdad says, “It’s the reward, baby!”   And, believe me, an ice cold beer at the Board Meeting certainly tastes better after suffering through the heat of the Fake Gloom.

Still, what makes the workout even more special is being able to look at your brother and think, “man we have been through this together.”  Each man in F3 has a respect for the other because we know what the suffering is like.  Yeah, Swimmies may run around the Caribbean three times faster than me.  He respects that pain and he knows I am feeling it too.  We each know that we are pushing to get better.  He respects this old man because I am willing to go through the same ring of pain that he is.  I love that about F3.  I also love how we encourage each other.  Doubtfire is one of the best at doing this. “Hang in there, Lily, you got this.  I’ll run with you, c’mon, let’s get over that hill.”  We cheer for each other, pull each other through.  “Leave No Man Behind.”

Bros, I appreciate you allowing me to join you for fellowship after the workouts.  I see you guys drenched and grass-stained after a difficult beat-down and I almost feel guilty for showing up in my dry clothes.  Just know that when I am fully healed (which the surgeon says should be about mid-October) I will be glad to hook shields with you and battle beside you once more.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Guppy’s sister, who is expecting.  UPDATE, shortly after the workout, she delivered a healthy baby daughter!  Prayers for those affected by the flooding in Tennessee.  Also, we presented Lilydipper with a ruck sack/plate/patch gift to help him with his recovery.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Iron Pax coming up, food drive continuing for a few weeks, Hardship Hill obstacle construction help needed (contact Sparkler).