May 23, 2023 – The Catamount Complex
Weather – Clear, 58° F
Pre-runners (7): Farva, Low Flow, Girl Dad, Simmons, Schrute, Razzle Dazzle, Boss Hogg
PAX (9): Simmons, Korver, Farva, Half Court, Low Flow, Girl Dad, Stranglehold, Schrute
Q: Boss Hogg
As I was driving to the AO this morning I was feeling more excited than I generally do, but not sure why. As I was traveling north on 48th Street and saw the street sign reading “Bernadette” come into view, it all became clear. I parked at the base of the Bernadette hill about 0430 to setup cones prior to the pre-run. As PAX arrived for both the pre-run and the beatdown, they could see the lit cones that lined Bernadette. While there was a temptation to turnaround and go home, she looked too darn beautiful all lit up to not stick around.
Following the pre-run, I greeted the PAX at 0515 sharp. We covered the F3 Mission Statement, The Five Core Principles, as well as our Credo. I realized after the beatdown that I forgot to share the disclaimer, but since I was wearing a T-Shirt of a cat with a cowboy hat that said, “Meowdy,” I figured it was clear that I was not a professional.
Warm-O-Rama
· 10 Big Ones IC
· 10 Tappy taps IC
· Cherry Pickers-Unknown amount. We performed these while I explained what was about to take place for the Pre-Thang
The Pre-Thang
We moseyed to the base of the Bernadette hill. Lined along Bernadette were four cones (the streetlight at the top of the hill representing the fifth cone). We performed a Merkin ladder of sorts. The PAX ran to the first cone, performed 30 Merkins, ran back down the hill. The PAX then ran to the second cone, performed 25 Merkins. This continued through 5 stops along Bernadette with the amount of Merkins decreasing by 5 with every stop. PAX who completed early picked up the six. The PAX completed 100 Merkins and logged over a mile of hill work running up and down Bernadette.
The Thang
Following our love affair with Bernadette, we moseyed to the football field where we completed the Thang as a group. Starting at one goal line, we ran together to the far goal line. A PAX would be called out to pick an exercise and amount of repetitions to complete. We would then run back to the other goal line and do it again. So on and so forth. The following exercises were performed:
· Colt 45s (Simmons)
· Oh Yeahs (Korver-there’s also a great story as to why he chose this exercise, but Korver wouldn’t elaborate)
· Farva Beans (Farva-of course)
· Bonnie Blairs (Half Court)
· LBCs (Low Flow)
· Box Cutters (Girl Dad)
· Diamond Merkins (Stranglehold)
· Clap Merkins/Hand Release Merkins (Schrute)
· Carolina Dry Docks (Boss Hogg)
The beatdown concluded with the PAX circling up for some Sarpy Slammers. At this point, Girl Dad was at 2.95 miles for the beatdown (T-claps!), so some impromptu “Duck Duck Goose” was incorporated while holding the Slammer position to allow for some extra mileage and get Girl Dad to 3.0 miles. I believe Schrute led the group in distance with 3.12 miles* (more T-claps!).
*Apple watch
Announcements/Prayers
· Brickbuilder on June 3rd at the Oracle. It is NOT too late to sign up. All are welcome…not just F3 and the event is Co-Ed. Reach out if you’re looking for a team
· Farva Murph at the Sandlot/Steel Mill/Pit lot this Thursday. Start time will be 0430 or 0445 depending on the amount of PAX who HC. Farva will let everyone know
· Prayers to all that are traveling for the upcoming holiday weekend
COT
I discussed a podcast that I had listened to yesterday. It was an interview with Molly Bloom who is the subject of a book and movie called Molly’s Game. The story in a nutshell is that Molly comes from an affluent family, she had aspirations of joining the Olympic Ski Team, but suffered a terrible injury which ended her skiing career. She intended to go to law school, but chose to take a year off. During that time she waitressed for a private poker party and made $3000 in tips in a single night. She started hosting her own private poker parties, making millions of dollars per year. Her story eventually falls apart. She’s threatened by the Italian Mob, federally indicted and convicted. One of the most interesting parts of the interview, however, was Molly’s perspective on becoming a convicted felon. While no one wants to become a convicted felon, she said that by becoming one it liberated her from comparing herself with other people because “I’m not even in the conversation anymore.” She talked about how when you stop comparing yourself to other people, you start to value the things that really matter. It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons with others, whether it’s money, house, job, fitness level, etc. I encouraged the PAX to go into the day only comparing themselves to themselves and no one else.
Aye! Boss Hogg
