Seventeen PAX including an FNG gathered at the hallowed ground of the Big Dance. Where that Voting Official lady yelled at Riggs; where we named Soda Popinski; and where Subprime makes you do the cruelest hill running in Durham County. It was a special Q – YHC’s 35th birthday. YHC just survived a GORUCK Tough event on the Friday prior and spent the weekend tending to torn up feet, sore muscles, and mental recovery from 80+ lb sandbags, the Doom Tube, and 19 1/2 miles under the ruck.
After much mumble chatter (again, it’s YHC’s birthday). We got to know our FNG, gave the disclaimer and moseyed to the back parking lot to circle up and get going.
Warm Up
SSH, Imperial Walkers, Arm Circles, Willie Mays Hayes, Harvesters, Good Mornings, and maybe one or two more to get the blood pumping. Then mosey to the pavilion.
The Thang –
Jack Webb to start –
Merkins 1 – 10
Overhead Press 4 – 40
This effectively killed mumble chatter. YHC thought you guys were better than this! Not to brag – but it felt very good to get moving after the GORUCK. The escalation sucked, but it was the good kind.
Mosey to the tennis courts for 7×5’s. – Five exercises, seven stops, only 5 reps each time. Get it!
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crawl bear – Jump Squats
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sprint – Burpees
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backwards run – Mtn Climbers
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bear crawl – Dry Docks
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…. Ran out of time!
Since we did not have time to complete the final round, we added it to Mary. Props to the PAX for pushing and picking up the 6. YHC specifically said when you finish, go back and pick up the 6, and we did. This took much longer than YHC expected which was great because the PAX can do a Death by Flutters another time.
Mary –
We incorporated the WW2’s into Mary –
5 WW2’s, heels to heaven
5 WW2’s, flutters
5 WW2’s, outlaws
5 WW2’s, LBCs
5 WW2’s, scissors
5 WW2’s, Russian hammers.
That’s it! Welcome FNG Sajak – does great work with Duke Divinity students making sure they are placed locally to make a big impact, went to App and was on a gameshow in college. Sajak was thrown out. Pat Sajak is a fellow Annapolitan and the name stuck!
CoT –
Announcements – F3 Dads Camp – check it out! Link here!
YHC took us out with a prayer. Thankful for the chance to lead and reflect on another year.
NM –
YHC enjoys F3 for so many reasons, hard work, the fun associated with it, sense of belonging, the social aspects, the faith aspects, etc. But YHC found it especially thought-provoking to Q at The Big Dance on the occasion of YHC’s 35th birthday for a couple reasons. It was an opportunity to spend time with a group of friends, acquaintances, and strangers that were not just connected via F3, but also in other fun ways. Present on that perfect (it was truly remarkable weather) Tuesday morning were PAX that used to live across the street from YHC, PAX from YHC’s same home state, YHC’s Wednesday AM Ruck buddy, and PAX that make me laugh incessantly (you know who you are). Also among our numbers, PAX that went to UNC with the M, a PAX that at one time called YHC his boss, the HIM that invited YHC out to my first post and kept up with YHC early on to keep ol’ Tater involved, and of course – YHC’s best friend in the whole wide world – Bobby Riggs.
It was really enjoyable to have all these facets of YHC’s personal, professional, and social life intertwined on an average Tuesday morning. It’s a good reminder (reinforced by news later in the day) that these workouts are fine, they are intrinsically good and should be enough, but the real value of F3 is the connections we make and then strengthen. With the announcement (and subsequent ruining of YHC’s birthday) that Coco would be taking his talents to SLC it really reinforced the social connections we build in F3. Suffering together is a true gift. Loneliness is a real epidemic in our time. FNGs become PAX, “a guy I know from F3” becomes a friend, and the real beauty of what we do (or try to do) daily at 0530 was on display internally as YHC sat in the car and tried to list out the names of the PAX and the connection was made that the majority of these guys have connections to YHC and my family outside of F3. Then it was shown very clearly as Coco posted the announcement he was leaving and Slack became this mosh pit of affirmation, sadness, congratulations, and memories.
Thank you to all the PAX that celebrated YHC’s birthday – the M made scrambled eggs and bacon and the 2.0’s avoided direct strikes to the groin for the majority of the day. YHC got everything he needed!