F3 Knoxville

Author: Walt

The Boulevard of Broken Burpees

THE SCENE: Mid 70s, muggy, dark, with a hint of lightning.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Sideshuttle hops in cadence
  • Windmills in cadence
  • Little baby arm circles in cadence
  • Jog down the road to Burpee Boulevard (not actual street name)

THA-THANG:
Deconstructed Burpees combined with a hill run.  At each street with did a different part of a burpee with a full burpee at the top.  Started with a set of 5 and added 5 each around.

  • Bottom of hill: go down to merkin position and then hop back up
  • Run to the next side street: merkins
  • Run to the next side street: the jumping park of burpees
  • Run to the next side street: burpees
  • Run back down the hill and start all over, adding 5 to each set

MARY:
We just jogged back to the grindstone and didn’t have time for anything else.  I ran us up until 6:10 becasue I wanted to finish the set we were on.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My dad was in foster care much of his youth and he and my mom were foster parents for several years after I graduated high school.  Several years ago, I wanted to give back in a similar way so became a “Big Brother” for Big Brothers Big Sisters.  My little was Trevor.  He lived with his mom and brother and was a good kid!  He didn’t know a stranger and LOVED claw machines.  One day I took him to play putt putt but I think we spent most of our time in the arcade.  He picked the jackpot briefcase on the Deal or NO Deal game and I was frantically trying to collect all his tickets and put them in some kind of order.  After the tickets stopped spitting out and after I had them all folded neatly I handed them over to Trevor so he could go pick his prize.  When he turned around he saw a birthday party going on in the corner.  Without missing a beat he walked right passed the prize counter to the party and interrupted the celebration by asking, “Whose birthday is it?”  Everyone pointed to a set of twins and Trevor walked over and handed all his tickets to the twins and wished them happy birthday.  I thought I was the one who was supposed to lead and teach him but that day he taught be a lesson in humility and generosity.  As leaders we are often the ones teaching but it’s important to remember we can also learn from those we lead.

MOLESKIN:
Smuggler took it easy because he participated in a late night beat down that went for 2 hours last night!  He did some jogging, kept us company, and threw in some much needed mumble chatter!  We did 250 burpees between Butterfingers and I.  Smuggler might have got some bonus burpees in there too!

Prayers for Smuggler’s coworkers with family health
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Gents do Abs, CMUs, and Sprints

THE SCENE: It felt nice out until we started sprinting and slinging CMUs around.  Then I noticed how muggy it was.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcomed Pom-Pom, Tuna, and McKowski visiting from Chicago!


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Side Shuttle Hops
  • Little Baby Arm Circles
  • Butt kicks from sideline to sideline and back
  • High Knees from sideline to sideline and back

THA-THANG:
Jogged up to the oval office.  Half of us had CMUs.  Had 2 stations of exercises.  Once one exercise was complete jog on the track to the station on the opposite end of the track.  On the way to the next station there were 2 sets of cones.  HIMs were to muster all they had and sprint from one cone to the next.  Station exercises were as follows:

  • 5 Grip, Rip, Rolls
  • 5 Catalina Wine Mixers
  • 10 Grave Diggers (2-count)
  • 10 Freddy Mercury’s
  • 15 CMU curls
  • 15 American Hammers (2-count)
  • 20 CMU Swings
  • 20 V-ups (everyone’s favorite)

MARY:
10 Heel taps in cadence and 10 LBCs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

A few years ago, I ran in the Panerathon Expo 10k/5k in downtown Knoxville along with my wife and a few of our coworkers. In races held in high-traffic areas like downtown Knoxville, there are usually several police cars along the course to ensure the safety of runners by blocking and conducting traffic. There were also several volunteers along the course directing runners which way the course went and encouraging us as we ran by. I find it wonderful that people volunteer to get up so early to stand at a corner for hours directing people over and over and encouraging hundreds of runners as they pass. Some were more enthusiastic than others, but I was grateful for all of them. 

Even though these volunteers committed half their Saturday to working the race without any compensation, I was more impressed with the person who was required to be there; the person who was paid to be there. A police officer and his car were posted on one of the overpasses to ensure no cars attempted to drive on or through the race course. I am sure it was his assignment to work the race. It was his job, so yes, he was getting paid to stand there for two hours as people ran by. It was his job, and all he had to do was stand there and ensure the safety of the runners, but he chose to make it more than just a duty. As we ran, he genuinely shouted encouragement with a smile on his face. I have run in numerous races and have never witnessed a police officer that involved in a race.

I doubt that police officer anticipated being recognized or rewarded for how he handled his race duties, and I doubt he was, but that did not stop him from making someone’s life better. He took something mundane and turned it into something magnificent with his only motivation being to make a difference in someone’s life. 

“The person doing the work determines the difference between the mundane and the magnificent.” – Mark Sanborn, Author of The Fred Factor

MOLESKIN:
Pray for peace and comfort for Kim and Daniel and family.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

This hill from the road to the grindstone is slippery when wet 🙂

Walt Disney World Workout

THE SCENE: Clear, mid 60s.  A perfect morning to visit the parks!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:
Side-strattle hops, baseline lunges
THA-THANG:
We took a tour of some of my favorite attractions at each Walt Disney World theme park.

  • Magic Kingdom (Splash Mountain): 5 sets of stairs
  • Epcot (Spaceship Earth): Thank the Phoenicians for the “Alphabet”
  • Hollywood Studios (Tower of Terror): 21 burpees (1 for each seat in the elevator)
  • Animal Kingdom: Bear Lion Crawl through Kiliminjaro Safari (across football field and back)

MARY:

  • Overhead claps x25
  • American Hammer x10
  • Shoulder taps x15
  • Little baby crunches until time

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
7 HIMs and one 2.0

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Many of you know awhile back we were looking for a daycare for our 6 month old and we were quickly running out of time.  I wasn’t worried.  I was praying about it along with other friends and family.  I had confidence God would provide and he did!  An availability came up the week after my mother-in-law could no longer keep him.  God answered our prayers but what did I do after he provided?  I went about my life.  It probably took be a full week until it hit me….I never thanked God for providing!  Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  I did the supplication part of that verse but not the “thanksgiving” part.  Sometimes we come to expect things of God, family, friends and there’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, we should expect certain things from God, friends, and family.  I expect my wife to love me, be patient with me, share life/family responsibilities, etc.  But that does not mean we should stop being grateful!  Remember as you go throughout your week to show gratitude to those around you.

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We discussed allowing 2.0s to continue to be a part of our workouts.  No one present raised concerns.  Some voice their support of allowing 2.0s to come.  Reach out to Smuggler if you have any questions or concerns.