F3 Knoxville

Tag: BlueBird

Burpee Nightmare

THE SCENE: Beautiful morning after some late rain yesterday

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER


WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x20 IC; LBAC (F/B) x10 IC; Tempo Squat x10 IC; Tempo Merkin x10 IC

THA-THANG:
PAX worked through a series of exercises doing 100 reps of each, after every 20 reps run across parking lot and back. Also had EMOM timer, every time it goes off stop and do burpees. Start with 1 and increase by 1 every time until you can’t complete in a minute then reset to 1.

  • Curls
  • Skull Crushers
  • Goblet Squats
  • Overhead Press

MARY:
Overhead Clap x40 IC; Seal Clap x15 IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

10 for the beatdown plus 5 mall walkers

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

  • William A. Ward

As I shifted through some quotes, this one struck me. You can definitely look at this like the blurb that was attached to the quote suggested. It said the quote “speaks to the importance of patience, urging us to find satisfaction and pride in even our smallest strides.” That is sound wisdom and something that we each should strive to do but I see deeper meaning in the quote. The seed we are to be sowing daily is something that will improve those around us not just ourselves. For me, as a Christian, that means telling others about the Good News that Jesus died on a cross and rose again so that we can be with God. Christians are commanded to do this very thing, but we can’t save a single person. It is only by Christ that any man is saved so continue to plant seeds daily and let God worry about the harvest.

“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:1-20‬ ‭

MOLESKIN:
Thanks for having me this morning!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

11/5 – Brolympics

DORAs with Betty on the Mosey at the Asylum

THE SCENE: Warm & humid
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Yes all the things
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, Tempo Merkins, Cherry Pickers, Windmills, Down-Ups in the Grass for Football, BBS at the base of Baby Everest, run to the top with some Man-Makers.
THA-THANG:
Three (3) stations for (3) Teams with a (4th) team carrying Betty to Bump the next group. The workout order of the stations were for each time a group was at a station, they did the next exercise.

  • Station #1 (AO with a Coupon)
    1. Blockies
    2. Curls
    3. Thrusters
    4. OVHD Press
  • Station #2 (Pav-Lov)
    1. Table Rows
    2. Box Jumps or Step-Ups
    3. Lt. Dans
    4. Toe Merkins
  • Station #3
    1. Big Boy Sit-Ups (BBS)
    2. Flutter Kicks
    3. Hello Dollys
    4. X-Factors

MARY:
It’s the weekend, so we had to hit the ATM
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 HIMs with the introduction of an FNG who was named 0600.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The Q focused on the quote from Jack London, “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.“ May we all burn brightly for God’s Will and not stay idle for our own glory.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None.

Obstacles to Joy

THE SCENE: A beautiful 80 degree fall evening
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER done
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, cherry pickers, this and that, Rockettes, and some leg stretching
THA-THANG:
Insert information about the workout.

  • Battle Buddy (4 Rounds):  cacoons, pike ups, starfish, squats
  • Battle Buddy (4 Rounds): supermans, mountain climbers, LBCs, squats
  • Battle Buddy (around the Admin/Overlook):  10x merkins, squats, SSH

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 HIMs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

When I get in a funk, I read “The Book of Joy” by Douglas Abrams.  It documents a meeting between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama where they discuss “lasting happiness in a changing world”.  The book is separated in two sections, 1) Obstacles to Joy & 2) the Eight Pillars of Joy.

A quote that resonates with me: “Too much self-centered thinking is the source of suffering.  With a self-centered attitude, you become distanced from others, then distrust, then feel insecure, then fear, then anxiety, then frustration, then anger, then violence.”  It reminds me that, when I start focusing on myself, and forget to focus on others, things start going off track.  Like the F3 concept of “Living Third”.

The Obstacles to Joy

Fear, stress, & anxiety:  Stress & anxiety often come from too much expectation & too much ambition.  When we don’t fulfill that expectation or achieve that ambition, we experience frustration.  Often, we are not being realistic about our ability.  When we have a clear picture about our own capacity, we can be realistic about our effort. Then there is a greater chance of achieving our goals. But, unrealistic effort brings disaster. So, in many cases, our stress is caused by our expectations and ambition.

Frustration and anger: “A moment of patience in a moment of anger will save a thousand moments of regret.”  When anger develops, ask what is the cause? Then ask what will be the result of that anger? You will realize anger is of no use in solving problems. It just creates more problems.

Loneliness:  We are social animals & cooperation is necessary for survival, but cooperation is based on trust. When there is trust, people are brought together. When you have a compassionate mind, the atmosphere around you is positive.  If you feel fear & distrust, then others will distance themselves from you. They will feel cautious, suspicious, & distrustful.  And that brings about the feeling of loneliness.  Although the drive behind excessive self-focus is to seek greater happiness for yourself, it ends up doing the opposite. When you focus too much on yourself, you become disconnected from others. You also become alienated from yourself, since the need for connection with others is a fundamental part of who we are as human beings.

Envy:  What causes suffering in life is a general pattern of how we relate to others: 1) Envy toward the above, 2) competitiveness toward the equal, & 3) contempt toward the lower.  Often envy comes because we are too focused on material possessions and not on our inner values. When we focus on experience or knowledge, there is less envy.

Suffering & adversity:  Suffering can either embitter or ennoble us.  The difference lies in whether we can find meaning in our suffering. Without meaning, we can become embittered. But, when we can find meaning in our suffering, it can ennoble us.  The depth of our suffering can also result in the height of our joy.

Amazon book: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Joy-Lasting-Happiness-Changing/dp/1524708631/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1662562715&sr=8-1

Audible audio book:  https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Book-of-Joy-Audiobook/B01IQ15URC?qid=1662562762&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=4JBQYWP0YQ9EQ71QS9JS

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sept 10th, 9/11 Stair Climb, 10a Asylum

Sept 11th, Picnic, 4p Victor Ashe (check Slack for details)

Be a Leader, not a Boss

THE SCENE: A bit toasty, but not too bad.  The breeze made it tolerable
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-SSH x 10 (4-ct, IC)

-Plank Jacks (4-ct, IC)

  • Rockettes (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Night Clubs (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Grady Corns (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY down Roadshow Run.  Head north on the path doing Nickel/Dime/Quarters (run 1 light do 5 reps, run 2 lights do 10 reps, run 5 lights do 25 reps) Go all the way to the small parking lot near where the main drive goes down to the ball fields.  Exercises are:

  • Merkins
  • Froggy Jumps
  • Imperial Walkers (2-count). NOT walking forward.

MOSEY to the hill south of 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.  Do Flutter kicks or LBCs until the 6 catches up.
    • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
    • Round 2: Lunges (single count)
    • Round 3: LBCs (single count)

MOSEY to the Colosseum.  Stop at stop sign to do 20 Flutter kicks (4-ct, IC)

  • RUN to 3 o’clock position, do 20 SSH, run back down and then over to 9 o’clock position, 20 SSH, then meet back at center by Overlook.
  • Run to stairs. 10  SSH, run to the right about 50 feet, 10 SSH, run back to stairs and to the other side (left) 50 feet, 10 SSH, back to center. (NOTE: This was supposed to make a “UT” on our Garmin maps, but it ended up looking more like an anchor…)

MOSEY to AO

MARY:
20 American Hammers, 20 Dead Bugs (both 4-ct, IC)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 sweaty dudes.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Be a LEADER, not a BOSS.  Leaders join the team, get their hands dirty, lead by example.  Bosses sit up in their executive chairs and tell others what to do.  F3 is not a “clipboard workout”.  Whoever leads, also embraces the suck along with the PAX.
MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

9/11 Remembrance Hill Climb Sept. 10 10 am at the Asylum, BBQ at Victor Ashe park Sept. 11 4 pm

Giving Back

THE SCENE: Sunny, temp in high 80s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 8 Cherry Pickers, 8 Twisties, 7 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Paradactyls Forward and Backward, Stretches
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the stop sign at the Southeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks.

Mosey to the parking lot that is to the east side of the Utilities Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 Hello Dollies.  We will then Bear Crawl across half the parking lot and Lunge across the other half.

Mosey to the shaded area the the southwestern corner of the Utilities Bldg.  We will do 10 Tempo Squats.

Next, we will go along the perimeter trail as it heads south and then east toward the water area where there are benches overlooking the water.  We will run for six lights and walk for two lights until we get to our destination.  Then, each man will grab a boulder from the boulder pile near the water’s edge.  We will do the following exercises with the boulders:

  • 25 Shoulder Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Rows
  • 25 Squats

After putting the boulders back we will go west and south along the perimeter trail until we reach the pavilion that is close to the Lily Pad.  We will get there by running for six lights and walking for two lights until we reach our destination.

Mosey to the Outdoor Chapel.  We will do 20 Baby Crunches then run on the sidewalk as it circles the chapel.  We will rinse and repeat twice.

Mosey up the grass that is south of Pickett’s Charge.  We will be running up to the stairs that goes up from the small parking lot left of the coliseum.  There will be three hills to climb.  We will stop to do two burpees af the top of each hill.

Mosey to the end of the gravel parking lot for the Admin Bldg.  We will sprint about 50 yards north on the roadway.  We will take a brief rest and sprint back to the parking lot.  Then, we will sprint back to the AO flag.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks and 20 Bicycle Kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
During my first number of years working as a psychologist at Cherokee Health Systems (where I still work), I spent about 6 hours per week consulting on the Oncology/Hematology Unit at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH).  I saw many many kids with cancer.  I loved the staff members, including doctors Ray Pais and Shahid Malik, on the unit because they were mighty special people. The staff had such a heart for the patients and the families of the patients who came there.  I also loved the kids on the unit.  Some had bald heads due to chemotherapy, some may have had trouble walking, some were sickly, some may not have had much longer to live.  But they still loved to play, they still loved to laugh, they still were affectionate, and they still had a zest for life. You might think that a cancer ward would be a sad place to work.  Certainly, there was sadness.  But I found it to be a joyful place to work.  Love abounded there.

My wife, Jan, a psychologist who works on all floors at ETCH, recently sent me an inspiring story about a former patient on the Oncology/Hematology Unit.  Hannah Lawson was diagnosed with a cancerous stage three brain tumor at the age of 7.  Her dog, Frenchy, was the first to notice something wrong with her.  Frenchy pawed at her pillow, knowing Hannah just wasn’t right. Her parents came in and found her disoriented and non-responsive.  Two days later, on Valentines Day in 2007, surgeons removed the brain tumor.

The journey was not over for Hannah.  She had to go through radiation treatment at the Thompson Cancer Survival Center.  During her months of treatment, she would sometimes get letters from U.S Soldiers overseas.  U.S. Soldiers often write to kids who have cancer and some become pen pals with kids. Hannah’s pen pal was a soldier named David Creech.  Hannah admired what these soldiers like David Creech did.  During her treatment and recovery, Hannah began to think of how she, also, might help others.  She created Hannah’s Army Angels which raised money for the pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.  Hannah’s Army Angels also collected supplies to send to soldiers overseas.  Because of what she had accomplished through her Hannah’s Army Angels, the Tennessee legislature recognized her bravery and compassion with a proclamation and special metal coin on the senate floor in Nashville.

After graduation from high school, Hannah went on to study nursing at East Tennessee State University (ETSU).  Now age 22, she still has some remnants of the cancer and brain tumor, including left-sided weakness and permanent baldness on the right side of her head.  Guess where she is now working?  At ETCH on the same ward where she received treatment all those years ago.  Pediatric oncology was always her passion in college. And, her prior treatment is one of her greatest connections to the young patients she is caring for ETCH.

Two other things to mention in this happy story.  Hannah is getting married in October.  And, her dog Frenchy, who found her that day back in 2007 and helped to save her life – she is still alive and will walk down the aisle as the flower dog on Hannah’s wedding day.

God, thank you for warriors like Hannah Lawson.  May they be an inspiration to us and reminder how, we too, can give back to our communities.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Crispr’s friend, Chris, whose mother recently had a massive aneurysm in her brain.  She is currently at the hospital.  Prayers for Mr. Jinxy’s father who has a heart condition that is worsening.  His father was recently released from the hospital.  Prayers of praise that the brain tumor of Swimmies’ sister was found to be benign.  Prayers for Lillydipper who has total shoulder replacement surgery this Thursday.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mt. Everest public run on September 10 at 10 am.  F3 family picnic on September 11 from 4 pm to 8 pm at Victor Ashe Park.