F3 Knoxville

Listen for the Whisper

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Mr Jinxy, Rooney(Carl Whipple), Drum Major, Abacus, Crash Dummy, Pusher, Lilydipper, Tenderfoot, Curveball, Brick, Lizzy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: 20 SSH (4 ct IC), 10 Cherry Pickers (4 ct IC), 10 Pterodactyles (complete with mating calls) forward/backward (4 ct IC), 10 Plank Jacks (4 ct IC)

THE THANG:
Met at the New Pavilion, aka Food Court, and started off doing a Dora exercise but quickly switched to a workout under cover when the death thunder started. Moved under the Pavilion, played some music, tried not to bother other rain-shelterers, and did the following circuit workout:
STATION
1:
ROUND 1: CMU ROWS / CMU CHEST PRESS
ROUND 2: TRICEP PRESSES / CMU OVERHEAD PRESSES
ROUND 3: AROUND THE WORLDS / CMU CURLS
STATION 2:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: AMERICAN HAMMERS / FLUTTER KICKS
ROUND 2: V-UPS / GAS PUMPS
ROUND 3: LBCs / BOX CUTTERS
STATION 3:
ROUND 1: STEP UPS / SQUATS
ROUND 2: ISOMETRIC SQUAT LEFT / ISOMETRIC SQUAT RIGHT
ROUND 3: BUTT TOUCHES / LUNGES
STATION 4:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: SIDE STRADDLE HOPS / PLANK JACKS
ROUND 2: HIGH KNEES IN PLACE / IMPERIAL SQUAT WALKERS
ROUND 3: BUTT KICKERS IN PLACE / WALL SIT
STATION 5:
ROUND 1: PERIMETER BEAR CRAWL / PERIMETER LUNGE
ROUND 2: PERIMETER EL CAPITAN / PERIMETER INCH WORM MERKINS
ROUND 3: PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT / PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT
STATION 6:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: MERKINS / CAROLINA DRY DOCKS
ROUND 2: HAND RELEASE MERKINS / SHOULDER TAPS
ROUND 3: OFF SET MERKINS LEFT / OFF SET MERKINS RIGHT
MARY: Nope. Ran out of time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill this Saturday!

COT: Quote from RALPH FIENNES as the Cardinal LAWRENCE in the movie CONCLAVE (Part Two from Daybreak’s COT Word):
“Over the course of many years in the service of the church, there’s one sin that I come to fear above all others. Certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end, in his agony, on the ninth hour on the cross, crying out MY FATHER, MY FATHER, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith. Let us pray that God grants us a Pope who doubts.”

Indeed, the newly elected Pope, Pope Leo XIV is a man who has felt abandoned by God, who has had doubts. Recently he said the following: I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God. I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.
And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo. But then I discovered something: God doesn’t shout. God whispers.
And sometimes He whispers from the mud and from the pain. Faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.

I remember Lilydipper saying in one of his Words years ago, “Nothing ticks me off quite like someone who acts like they have all the answers with Faith.” Even the Pope has felt the silence at times, and that he doesn’t present faith as a perfect journey. My own faith was challenged when I lost my mom and dad relatively young, two years apart. Where was God then? But then I saw…. Neighbors bringing over dinner, tributes from former students and colleagues, funerals that brought long lost companions together, friends that drove hundreds of miles to say goodbye and to give me an unexpected hug. God was there in those moments, He was whispering to me from the mud and from the pain. He was always there. And He will always be there for you. Just look. Just listen. For the whisper.

[banjo-pm] Suicides and AMRAPs

AO: banjo-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Pusher, Abacus, Down Under
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WARMUP:-20 SSH (4-ct), in cadence
– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence
-10 Moroccan night clubs/ Tempo seal claps/ Tempo Overhead claps
– Little of this and that

THE THANG:
MOSEY to road to north by houses.
SUICIDES w/cones. 5 CDDs increasing at each cone, 20 LBCs each time at the starting line.
– RINSE AND REPEAT with JUMP SQIATS and IMPERIAL WALKERS
MOSEY along Ebenezer south to other exit.
– DORAS: Partner 1 Bernie Sanders to line then run to next line, 10 SSH, runs back. Partner does the following: 100 Gas Pumps / 100 Merkins / 100 Imperial Squat Walkers
MOSEY to ROCK pile. Get a ROCK. AMRAP. Do 30 seconds of the following exercises. Rinse and repeat. Run 2 laps and DO AGAIN if time with (different exercises). For Round 2 we ran 1/2 way around the track and back)
– Overhead Press (TRICEPS)
– Curls (AROUND THE WORLDS… didn’t get any farther in round 2)
– Rows
– Squats

MARY: No time for her

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill Saturday

COT: Talked about giving people the benefit of the doubt when they disappoint you or screw up. There might be a good reason for it, and it’s not easy to take back any harsh words you might say before you find out what the reason is.

Submitting

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Brick, Mia (Max), Lilydipper, Tropicana, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Mr Jinxy, Kentucky, Drum Major, Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Lulu (Greg Huddy), Crash Dummy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WARMUP: 20 SSH (4-ct), in Cadence, 10 Horizontal SSH (aka Plank Jacks) (4-ct), in Cadence, Downward Dog stretch and reach/twists, 10 Tennessee Rocking chairs, 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence, 10 Tempo Seal Claps (4-ct), in Cadence, 5 Tempo Overhead Claps (4-ct), in Cadence

THE THANG:
MOSEY to RUSTIC PAVALON. Goal is to do each group of exercises, going up TO CONES after each group is completed. Can be done in any order. Exercise groups are:
AB BLASTER:
20x: Dead Bugs (2-ct), BBSs, American Hammers (2-ct), Bicycle Kicks (2-ct)
ARM BLASTER:
20x: Merkins, Spider mans, CDDs, Plank Jacks
LEG BLASTER:
20x: Bobby Hurleys, Iron Mikes (2-ct), Froggie Jumps, Squats.
CARDIO BLASTER:
20x: SSH (2-ct), High Knees (2-ct), Butt Kickers (2-ct), Mountain Climbers (2-ct), Smurf Jacks
STRETCH BLASTER:
10 x: Cherry Pickers (4-ct), Windmills (4-ct), Grady Corns (4-ct)

MOSEY to Nice Bathrooms. Choice of routes, PAX chose to HIT PICKETTS CHARGE! Each Flat area do 10x Grady Corns/10x Squats/10x Imperial Walkers
MOSEY to Parking lot below Colosseum
Pyramid laps! Partner up with like speed. Run opposite directions, every time you meet, do the following exercises in Reps of 10
LAP 1 Merkins
LAP 2 Merkins, LBCs
LAP 3 Merkins, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct)
LAP 4 Merkins, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
MANDATORY 60 SECOND STARGAZER!
LAP 5 LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
LAP 6 Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurley s
LAP 7 Bobby Hurleys

Return to AO

MARY: Light stretching

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill!

COT:
The naming of a new pope has been in the news a lot recently. A few months ago I watched the movie Conclave, and there’s a quote from RALPH FIENNES as the Cardinal Lawrence in the movie that stuck with me. When he was addressing the other Cardinals before the voting for the new pope began, he said:
“Let me speak from the heart for a moment. St. Paul said be subject (or SUBMIT) to one another out of reverence to Christ. To work together, to grow together we must be tolerant, no one person or faction seeking to dominate another.”
Where do Paul’s words that he’s referring to come from? EPHESIANS 5: VERSE 21 is where Paul says to be subject or SUBMIT to one another.
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
The Greek word for “submit” indicates a voluntary yielding in love and respect, reflecting Christ’s humility.
How hard is that to do? How often do you do it? I know I struggle with that, because I can have pretty strong opinions, but I usually feel sort of righteous in them because I feel I’ve:
1. Put in the effort to evaluate alternative viewpoints
2. Weighed their strengths and weaknesses (hey, I’m a Libra… the scales of balance and justice!), and
3. Put them through my internal moral filter (which is NEVER wrong!) and come to my conclusion.
But a lot of this is based on PRIDE… pride in my ability to dissect an issue, pride in my self-described open mindedness, pride in my moral values. This can blind me, and it has. Recently I was in an “animated” discussion with a friend, and things were getting a little bit heated. In my need to prove that I was right, I was forgetting to “reflect Christ’s humility”. I think that I myself personally, and all of us as a society would be much better off if we didn’t rise in anger against those who disagree with us, but channeled the humility of Christ, and yielded to them in love and respect.

Keep Striving

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Curveball, Windex, Crash Dummy, Tenderfoot, Mr Jinxy, Pusher, Sparkler, Brick
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WARMUP: 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Squat Jumps, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Twistees, 10 Rockettes, 7 Pterodactyls Forward and 7 Backward

THE THANG: Mosey to the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg. We will go up the road that semi-circles the Admin Bldg and stop at nine different cones to do the exercises listed and then go to the next cone as listed. Here are the exercises at the nine cones:
Cone 1: 10 Shoulder Taps, both shoulders = 1. Sprint to next cone.

Cone 2: 20 Hello Dollies. Bear Crawl to next cone.

Cone 3: 20 Imperial Walkers where both legs = 1. Bernie to next cone.

Cone 4: Go down stairs by bat cave. Run to summit on left and go up summit. Then go to roadway where you will see next cone.

Cone 5: 40 Baby Crunches. Slow Mosey to Cone 6

Cone 6: 20 Bobby Hurleys. Bernie to Cone 7.

Cone 7: 20 Flutter Kicks, both legs = 1. Hop to Cone 8.

Cone 8: 20 Merkins. Sprint to Cone 9.

Cone 9: 20 Mountain Climbers both legs =1, 20 Freddie Mercuries both legs = 1, 20 Big Boy Sit-ups, 20 Box Cutters, 20 Diamond Merkins, 20 Backwards Lunges, 20 Plank Jacks, 20 Iron Mikes both legs = 1.

Mosey to Coliseum. We will stop to do 20 Squats. The Coliseum is 6 oclock. We will run counterclockwise around circle. At 3 o’clock we will do 10 Carolina Dry Docks. At 12 o’ clock we will do 10 box jumps on stairs of the Admin Bldg. At 9 o’clock we will do 10 Wide Merkins. At 6 o’clock do 20 Bench Dips at steps. Rinse and repeat.
Next, guys will number off into two teams. Team one will mosey to Stop Sign on the Northeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way. Team two will mosey to Stop Sign on Southeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way.

MARY: Stretches.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill will be May 17. Volunteers are needed. Also, guys who participate can arrive early to help set up or stay late to help break down and clean up. Tomorrow morning at Shamrock, at the 5:30 am workout, Slappy will be passing the baton to Stitch as AO captain. Be there if you can.

COT:

Message

Keep Striving

As a psychologist and as a human being, I have experienced, had family members experience, and had patients experience deep depression. When depressed the idea of going through another day can seem absolutely overwhelming. When depressed, just getting out of bed to shower can be difficult. And, when we do get more active, when we do put in the effort, it may feel like we will never get rewarded. For us who are believers in God, we may wonder where He is and why He doesn’t respond. We may feel like giving up. Yet, we can’t give up. We must keep striving.

I love the song Your Labor is Not in Vain by Isaac Wardell, Paul Zach and Wendell Kimbrough. The song is about having faith and knowing God is with us although all our work and efforts may not currently seem to be paying off. Imagine God saying the following to you:

Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you
Is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
Your labor is not in vain

Your labor is not unknown
Though the rocks they cry out
And the sea it may groan
The place of your toil may not seem like a home
But your labor is not unknown

Chorus
For I am with you I am with you
I am with you I am with you
For I have called you
Called you by name
Your labor is not in vain

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth
For all that is old will at last be made new
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

The houses you labored to build
Will finally with laughter and joy be filled
The serpent that hurts and destroys will be killed
And all that is broken be healed

Remember, God is with you. He has called you by name. He is there when all seems broken. Keep striving. Your labor is not in vain.

Prayers: Prayers for Slappy and Stitch as Slappy passes leadership as the AO Captain of Shamrock to Stitch. Prayers for our brothers at Shamrock as well. Prayers of thanks for Sparkler’s continuing recovery from surgery related to prostate cancer. Prayers for Crash Dummy’s friend as her recovers from the removal of a tumor near his pituitary gland. Prayers of thanks that Windex’s daughter, Mattie, has recovered so well from her terrible car accident.

Run & Sweat

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Crash Dummy
PAX: Lilydipper, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Switchhitter (Tony), Drum Major, Brick, Kung Blue, Rooney (Carl Whipple), Mr Jinxy, Pusher, MD Hammer, Curveball
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: Side Straddle Hops x 20, Cherry Pickers x 5, Good Mornings, Runner’s Stretch, Light Stretching, Downward Facing Dog, Money Stretch.

THE THANG: Run around the park, keeping mostly to the perimeter. A few stops along the way for a quick breather. Sprint up Everest a few times then end back at the AO.

MARY:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Double Beat Down w/F3 ROCO -5/6. Hardship Hill 5/17.

COT: How are we connected to our identities? Are you tied to your business card? If you died today, how would you want to be remembered?