Challenge comes packaged in many different ways. Some kinds of challenge, we can build into our routines. Others take us by surprise in the form of trauma or other external pressure. Part of the magic of F3 seems to be that we do the best we can challenging one another in ways we can control, and we hope and pray that in so doing we”ll gain the strength and habits of mind and spirit to overcome those things we can”t. The 19 PAX at House of Pain on Wednesday marched through three sets of challenges of their own devising.
After the customary warm up, Lazy Doras provided the sort of quotidian, routine challenge without which none of us would get anywhere. Whether it”s grinding to Malcolm Gladwell”s 10,000 hours, dropping one”s mile time, building a client base, finishing a dissertation, etc.–some things just don”t happen without putting in the time. In pairs (and one group of three), we grabbed some steel and worked through ten consecutive one-minute sets of military presses (one PAX did 10 reps, while the other “rested” with the steel above his head), jump squats (10 reps, with “resting” position low squat hold), and curls (10 reps, with “resting” position steel straight out in front). The tenth minute was a bonus military press. There was nothing glorious about this round–just getting it done and making sure the PAX got something close to their money”s worth before trying something new.
The second act brought the challenge of working together as a team. Individual accomplishment just isn”t as satisfying without someone with whom to share it. The game was pretty elemental: Team One had the goal of moving 10 pieces of steel and 30 tennis balls from the top of the parking lot to the bottom. Team Two had the goal of bear crawling up the hill. The twist was that Team One had three secret weapons (the biggest pieces of steel), and they could send bear crawlers scrambling backward (crawl bear) to the previous island by touching them. PAX from Team Two could neutralize the secret weapons by making it to the top of the hill and holding them above their head. There were epic performances, including Red October”s repeated furious dashes to the next island; Sweater Vests”s Sisyphean trips up and down between islands two and three; and Team Two”s first glorious charge to the final island together. Each group had a shot at glory, and the bear crawlers won each time.
Sometimes in the day-to-day challenge and in team situations, it”s hard to tell whether or not one put forth one”s absolute best effort–tested oneself to see how much one could do. We tried to create the challenge of maximum effort–pushing to failure–for the last hurrah. PAX all began doing burpees together, leaving one at a time for the 100+-meter sprint up the hill and back (the next PAX released when the prior PAX made it to the top). Upon return, PAX did max military presses with one of the big pieces of steel, then max cinderblock merkins. While waiting, PAX then held a piece of steel above their heads, doing 10 penalty burpees each time they had to take a break. Tuco almost burned the rubber off of the soles of his shoes he took off so fast, and Nothing Sexy was a machine on the merkins.
A little bit of Mary took us out, with Bushwood keeping us there for a bonus 30 seconds of extra flutter kicks. Prayers in COT that we would take the confidence and goodwill we get from F3 into the various challenges we each face.
Moleskin:

• Virgo is fast.
• Great to have Foot Fault back in the saddle after the safe and happy arrival of his first.
• Prayers for Chachi and all on IR.
• Juco is right; the new bull shirts are tight.