64 degrees, partly cloudy skies, big orange sun rising in the East, sticky.
PAX- Sweet Sweet, Muffs, Picasso, Venmo, Escobar, Ketchup, Barn Door, Oscar, Arm Bar, Gator, Da Fridge
Q- Roadhouse
It had been a long time since I had been to the Kingdom. I forgot how gorgeous it was on summer mornings like this. When I arrived, it was still dark and I had some time to take a walk. I said hi to the guys Smurphing and headed for the dam.
The morning air was heavy and sticky and as I walked along the path on top of the dam I ate about 7 different bugs. But the view of the sun coming up in the East was magical and the view of the lake to the West was stunning. It got me thinking…
We get up and we drive to these AOs at 5 am or 4:30 and we run around outside but do we always take the time to enjoy the beauty around us? I know I don’t. I am too busy shaking the cobwebs off or telling another masturbation joke. Mornings are the most beautiful time of day. They are quiet, peaceful, and serene. And whether it is the lakes at the Maize or the Kingdom, or the trees at Ironwood or The Woodshed, there is so much beauty wherever you go. I encourage you to take the time to notice it. Especially in these summer months.
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program. On my walk I figured out where I wanted to do the Thang so I started back towards the flags. Some cars had started to pull in and the Smurphers were making their way back to the flags as well. At 5:30 there were 12 of us. I stumbled through the intro. Got the 3 Fs and the five core principles. Loved hearing Gator’s echo of rotating fashion… I forgot the mission, skipped the credo and told the PAX that I was not a professional. And with that we moseyed east.
We circled up for Warm-a-rama in the parking lot not far from the flags and I issued a challenge to the group. We were going to start with Silent Side Straddle Hops. 9 out loud and 11 in silence. If we all ended at the same time, the workout was over and we could go straight to coffee. If we didn’t, then we had to finish the workout. For the record, I have never been so confident in my life that we were going to finish the workout. For as good as this group is at a lot of things, we suck at counting. We started jumping and when we got to nine, we went silent. I love the sound of hands slapping hips during this exercise. It feels deafening. As we approached the 20th Hop, I looked around the group. Could we do it? Could this be the day we all stop at the same time? Could this be it? Let’s just say, we would be finishing the workout. We finished Warm-a-rama and headed towards the shitters.
Warm-a-Rama:
Silent SSH
Shoulder Taps
Squats
Imperial Walkers
Goofballs
As we approached the shitters, Escobar quickly ran ahead and tried the door to the men’s room. Locked. I asked him if he was dealing with a number one or a number two and we responded a two… Oh boy… If there is one thing I have learned, when a guy has to take a shit in the gloom, the best thing to do is to go upside down for a while. Let it work its way back up into the system. Felt like a good time to do some wall work. (For the record, the worst exercise to do when you have to take a shit is air squats).
Pre Thang: Wall Work
Donkey Kicks
Chicken Peckers
Balls to the Wall
Australian Mt Climbers
After two rounds of Wall Work, we moseyed up the hill to the top of the dam. It was time to grind!
THE THANG:
We’re going to do a 2-man grinder for the Thang. At the top of the dam was core work. At the bottom of the dam was a list of bullshit exercises AMRAP.
Top of the Dam:
20 Flutter Kicks
20 Star Fish Crunches
20 Freddy Mercuries
20 LBCs
20 Box Cutters
Bottom of the dam:
Copperhead Squats
Heels to Heaven
Cherry Pickers
Bonnie Blairs
LBCS
Carolina Dry Docks
Bobby Hurleys
Starfish Crunches
Air Presses
E2K
Overhead Clap
The Thang was a blast! Whenever you have an AMRAP station, it often leads to a lot of mumblechatter. We talked about movies, the summer, kids, and a lot of things that I cannot mention. At 6:02, Omaha was called and we headed back to the flag. The group hustled and when we got to the flag, it was only 6:06, we had plenty of time so I told the PAX to do one more lap around the lot. Ketchup looked at me like I had slapped his grandmother… We did one lap and returned for some Mary. Ketchup was still mad at me…
Mary:
Two rounds of American Hammers- rancid Style
Name-a-rama:
NOR was smooth and ended with a shot of the gorgeous sunrise.
Announcements:
Shovel Flag pass at Labryinth this week- Ozark to Pit Stop
Oscar’s VQ at Fancy Feats on Friday.
Prayers:
LPC and his family as they navigate some challenges
My mom’s sister is dealing with dementia and the family is struggling
COT:
I saw a speaker recently talking about how to fix a city’s crime problem. The man said don’t try to fix the whole city, just pick one zip code at a time. And that idea got me thinking about my journey of growth.
When I first joined F3 I was so inspired by the men in this group that I wanted to fix everything in my life at once. I wanted to a better husband. A better dad. A better worker. A better employee. And I found myself getting overwhelmed with all the work I had to do and all the areas that I needed to improve. When I start feeling that way my go to move was just to quit all of it and not get better in any area of my life.
The one zip code at a time concept is a really important for me as I try to get better every day. To choose one thing I want to improve. One thing I want to start doing, stop doing or continue doing. One area I want to get better. One area I can focus on to grow or learn or develop. And the cool part is, that makes it seem doable for me. That makes it feel reachable and that will keep me going.
So, my challenge to you is to reflect on what your one thing. What area do you want to focus on right now when it comes to getting better and becoming the man you want to become? Maybe it is at work. Maybe it is at home. It could be your fitness. Your financial health. Your mental health. It could be in your relationship. It can be whatever you want it to be. And you get to choose. But choose something and point all of your energy and focus into that thing. And get fucking good at it! And then watch as that focus grows and you start getting better in more ways. I believe in you and know you can do it!
I love you!
Roadhouse, CLB