Run #2 – Getting Faster!

Date: 2026-03-17 AO: tortoise-and-hare Q: Red Skull , PAX: Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Brown Slip, Barney, Decaf, Nut Spread, Angry Bird, Groot, T-Bone, Turkey, Hot Topic, Cheese Wiz, Holy Water, Mater FNGs: None COUNT: 14 CONDITIONS: Uncomfortably cold, windy and dark!
WARMUP: Standard pre-run warm-up with some Windmills thrown in for fun.
THE THANG: RUN!!!
MOLESKINE: This class is fast. 4 out of 8 finished sub 30 mins, and 3 more finished sub 32 mins. Our slowest man today was 36 mins, but that was because he was dealing with some leg pain. I expect to see this group all below 30 mins in the next 2 weeks, and that wold be a first for a 4:13 Strong cohort.
COT: Prayers for strength, courage and wisdom

Block Party

Date: 2026-03-13 AO: thestronghold Q: tampalibra PAX: Shocker (Mark Holmes), Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Young and Restless, Decaf, Chunks, Red Skull, Tinkertoy, Ginger, Barney, Winger (Bill Diebenow), hambone, Groot, Mater, Grimes, Angry Bird, Turkey, Puff Puff, Holy Water, Hot Topic, T-bone, Cheez Whiz FNGs: None COUNT: 22 CONDITIONS: Windy
WARMUP: SSH x 50, Squat x 10, LBACF x 10, LBACR x 10, Air Press x 50
THE THANG: Rep scheme: 10 + mosey, 10 + 20 + mosey, 10 + 20 + 30 + mosey…up to 50 and then start dropping reps from the bottom
10: We’re not worthy 20: Thruster 30: 4-count flutter 40: HR Merkin 50: Block curls
Mode of transpo -> Burpee broad jump Mode of transp <- Lt. Dan
MOLESKINE: Prayers for strength and perseverance, shut out the negative voices (internal and external), court dates, etc. Stay focused!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Chunks 50k Struggle: Endure
PLAYLIST: Heavy breathing

Run #1

Date: 2026-03-10 AO: tortoise-and-hare Q: Red Skull PAX: Right Said, Crawlspace, Chunks, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), SalPal, Barney, Young and Restless, Decaf, Angry Bird, FNG 1, FNG 2, FNG 3, FNG 4, FNG 5, FNG 6, FNG 7, FNG 8 FNGs: 8 FNG 1, FNG 2, FNG 3, FNG 4, FNG 5, FNG 6, FNG 7, FNG 8 COUNT: 18 CONDITIONS: Dark, damp and perfect running temps
WARMUP: Standard pre-run warm-up: SSH, Squats, IWs, Stretches, WMHs
THE THANG: Find a partner who knows the course and RUN!!! This is one of the faster classes that we have seen in a while. The fastest time was 24:30 and the slowest time was 37:40. It looks like we will have a lot of time for post-run burpees with this class!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: The annual 4:13 Strong fundraising dinner will be on Thursday, April 9, 6p-8p. There is an F3 tables so if you would like to attend, let me know and I will get you registered.
COT: Prayers for focus and the ability to identify and overcome distractions and obstacles.

Final Tortoise & Hare for Class 2026-01

Date: 2026-02-17 AO: tortoise-and-hare Q: Red Skull PAX: Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Barney, Decaf, Young and Restless, Chunks, Wham-O, Puff Puff, Finger Tips, Papa Bear, Slurpee, Pom Pom, Sticky Fingers, Chicken Little, Guppy, Stir Fry FNGs: None COUNT: 16 CONDITIONS: Perfect PR weather – 43 degrees!
WARMUP: Standard pre-run warm-up: SSH, Squats, IWs, Stretches
THE THANG: Find a pace partner and RUN!!
MOLESKINE: 5 out of 9 4:13 Strong guys posted their fastest ever run time today. It is such an encouragement to see men push themselves all the way through the finish line! Thank you to the F3 PAX that consistently showed up and encouraged the 4:13 Strong men. You will likely never fully appreciate the impact that your presence has on our men.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Signing Day this Friday, 2/20 at 11:30am. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the men in this class and enjoy a delicious free lunch of Hot Chicken and Mac & Cheese.
COT: Prayers for peace this week as the men navigate the highs and lows of job interviews and offers. Join us on Friday to see how it all plays out.

Run #5 of 6

Date: 2026-02-10 AO: tortoise-and-hare Q: Red Skull PAX: Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Swig, Barney, Decaf, Young and Restless, Hipster, Brown Slip, Chunks, SalPal, Wham-O, Zumiez, Finger Tips, Papa Bear, Slurpee, Pom Pom, Sticky Fingers, Torta, Chicken Little, Guppy, Stir Fry FNGs: None COUNT: 21 CONDITIONS: Perfect PR weather – 52 degrees
WARMUP: SSH, Squats, Windmills, IWs, WMHs
THE THANG: RUN!! Two 4:13 Strong men had a PR this morning (Finger Tips and Stir Fry) and two F3 men had a PR this morning (Decaf and Brown Slip). Way to take advantage of the nice morning and lock in a new Personal Record.
Thank you to SalPal for hosting the “after party” this morning!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. Signing Day – next Friday, 2/20 11:30a at 4:13 Strong. All are welcome to come for the ceremony and stay for lunch (Hot Chicken and Mac & Cheese). 2. The Whiskey House Event – next Friday, 2/20 5:30p at The Whiskey House. This is a special event benefiting 4:13 Strong. Contact Red Skull or Barney if you are interested in joining.

Super Bowl Prep

Date: 2026-02-05 AO: thestronghold Q: Wham-O PAX: Tinkertoy, Young and Restless, Dan and Dave, Decaf, toga, Chunks, Wham-O, Hipster, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Brown Slip, Barney, Red Skull, 4:13 Strong Men FNGs: None COUNT: 25 CONDITIONS: brisk / windy / good championship football weather
WARMUP: SSH 25, LB arm circles 10, imperial walkers 10, Good Mornings 10, Merkins 10, Coupons
THE THANG: “Championships aren’t won on Super Bowl Sunday. They’re built in the weight room, sharpened on the practice field, and finished at the goal line. Today, we go through all three.”
TODAYS RULES: 1. Every single rep, every block has a hand on it 2. If a teammate cannot complete the rep with the block, another man may hold it for him (while the teammate in need does an “un-burdened” rep beside him)
ESTABLISH TEAMS (4) W/CAPTAINS
1 – THE WEIGHT ROOM (10): NO POINTS | 3 Rounds • 20 DL → Upright Row • 15 Chest Press • 10 Thrusters Plank on coupon until all done
2 – THE PRACTICE FIELD (10): 1 Round = • 10 Merkins (coupon) • 15 Swings • 20 Chest Press • 25 Mtn Climbers (4ct) Each completed round = 1 Point
Drive 3 – THE GAME: GOAL LINE (10): Teams VS. Teams race / 3 “Plays” head to head / each winning team earns a point / final play you’re vs. EVERYONE only the 1 winning team earns 2 points.
plays: – 25 Blockees – 15 Blockees – 5 Blockees
MOLESKINE: stick to consistency in the little things over time and you’ll build something great. Don’t do it alone, bring in the man beside you!
ANNOUNCEMENTS: N/A
COT: prayers for Caleb’s family (hospitalized) (brought forward from Road-trip)

Warm Welcome

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra
PAX: Decaf, Skeet, Dan and Dave, Dan Tanna, Goodwill, Chunks, Young and Restless, Barney, Red Skull, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Wham-O, Hipster, Tater, Zumiez, Puff Puff, Finger Tips, Papa Bear, Slurpee, Pom Pom, Torta, Giggity, The Count, Chicken Little, Guppy, Stir Fry, Bedazzle, Sticky Fingers, Nut Spread
FNGs: 15 Zumiez, Puff Puff, Finger Tips, Papa Bear, Slurpee, Pom Pom, Torta, Giggity, The Count, Chicken Little, Guppy, Stir Fry, Bedazzle, Sticky Fingers, Nut Spread
COUNT: 29
Red Skull commented that we saw the softer side of Tampa today :joy:. Nothing too brutal, didn’t harp on cadence, and didn’t start with burpeeapocolypse!

Warm ups:
SSH x 50 (to get the heart rate going, warmup, and stop the complaints about the cold weather)
Squats x 10
WMH x 10 OYO
Air Press x 50
LBAC x 10 each
Finger Bangers x 10

Grab a coupon and mosey to the courts.

Without explaining group 1 vs group 2 here is what we did:
Perfect Merkin x 20
Mosey (either murder bunny or lunge)
Ground to shoulder x 20
Mosey back

R&R 15, 10, and then 5

Then. same pattern with:
We’re Not Worthy x 5
Mosey (no blocks)
Thruster x 5
Mosey back

R&R 10, 15, 20

Back to startex, circle up for name-a-rama, started burpees instead bc everyone wanted to dilly dally getting back to startex.

These men are breaking deeply rooted habits and ways of living/thinking. Pray for them. Pray the Lord gives them the vision to see why they need it, courage to do the hard things, and confidence that they can accomplish it despite the difficulty,

…And we named a dude Nut Spread :peanuts:

Struggle 005

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra , Ginger, bigbang, Ponzi
PAX: Sanctions, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Noble Virus (Mark Britnell) F3 Franklin, Bubbles (Tyler Slaughter), Judy, Half Lyfe, Swingline / Jason Aeverman, Import, Humpty Dumpty (F3 Franklin), Grinder (F3 Brentwood) StoryTime (F3 Franklin), Decibel (F3 Bowling Green), Straight Racket (F3 Bowling Green), Double Dribble (F3 Franklin), White Belt (F3 Franklin), Speed Date (413), Raisin (413), Mosh Pit(413), Toad Stool (413), Cuties (413), Purple Rain (413), Old Maid (413), Road Trip (413), Shred-It (413), Mater (413), Singlet (413), Ziggy (Men of Valor), Jared (Men of Valor), Christopher (Men of Valor), Chris (Men of Valor), Michael (Men of Valor), Courtez (Men of Valor), Hector (Men of Valor)
FNGs: 7 Ziggy (Men of Valor), Jared (Men of Valor), Christopher (Men of Valor), Chris (Men of Valor), Michael (Men of Valor), Courtez (Men of Valor), Hector (Men of Valor)
COUNT: 36
Congrats to Struggle class 005.

This was the largest class to date and by far set the standard for future classes in leadership, grit, striving, suffering, and teamwork.

90’s Summer Morning Beatdown

AO: thestronghold
Q: Hipster
PAX: Tebow, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), tampalibra, Red Skull, Dan and Dave, Right Said, Barney, toga, Chunks, Natural Ice, Purple Tiger, Young and Restless, Decaf, Wham-O, Napoleon, Step Back, Cowpie, Blackjack, Puppy Chow, Big Mama, One Star, Clorox, Cool Runnings, Beyonce, Purple Rain, Old Made
FNGs: None
COUNT: 27
CONDITIONS: Pleasantly Moist

WARMUP: Classic WOR, grab a coupon

THE THANG: Name That Tune – 90’s Hip Hop Hits

Blockey buy-in (10 I think?), start the music

Each song we are moving around campus, carrying the coupon.

At each stop – Around the Worlds waiting for the 6

Once all in – 413 PAX has the chance to name artist and title. Correct answers reduce # of blockeys, incorrect answers add more.

There were 8 or so stops around the Stonghold, with a smattering of correct answers, averaging about 7 blockeys per stop, with some WW1’s mixed in for good measure.

Back to the startex for the blockey/WW1 finisher.

MOLESKINE: Lively PAX this morning, decent showing with Name That Tune considering most of these pups hadn’t yet been born.

Thanks to the F3 guys who added some extra support and encouragement for the slower PAX, great group effort all around.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 50 miler coming up

COT: Prayers for 413 families going through some stuff, and the current class to stay focused and persistent. Always an honor to lead!

Cluster

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra
PAX: Chunks, sooner, Oatmeal, Ginger, Red Skull, Skeet, Decaf, Shocker (Mark Holmes), toga, Ponzi, Pole Dancer, Young and Restless, Dan Tanna, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), DintyMoore, Crawlspace, Right Said, Hair Band, Mullet, Wedding Singer, Minnie Pearl, Catfish, Chyna, Whoopi, Escort, jackie moon, Toadstool (aka Princess Peach aka formerly PlayStation), Tail and Mane, Barney, Dpole?, Yes Chef, SaxMan, BigRig, Air Ball, Toots, Square Root, Wolverine
FNGs: None
COUNT: 38
CONDITIONS: Perf

WARMUP:
50 SSH, 10 Merkins, 25 Flutters, 10 WMH, 10 GM’s

THE THANG:
First, YHC quickly realized there was not enough blocks for what was planned. I don’t feel like I pivoted very well tbh, that’s on me for not having a backup plan in place.

Here is what was rx’d:
– 15 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Hand-release Merkins, 200m run
– 14 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Goblet Squats, 200m run
– 13 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 We’re not worthy’s, 200m run
– 12 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Hand-release Merkins, 200m run
– 11 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Goblet Squats, 200m run
– 10 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 We’re not worthy’s, 200m run
– 9 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Hand-release Merkins, 200m run
– 8 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Goblet Squats, 200m run
– 7 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 We’re not worthy’s, 200m run
– 6 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Hand-release Merkins, 200m run
– 5 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Goblet Squats, 200m run
– 4 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 We’re not worthy’s, 200m run
– 3 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Hand-release Merkins, 200m run
– 2 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 Goblet Squats, 200m run
– 1 Burpee Block jump overs, 50 We’re not worthy’s, 200m run

In reality here is what happened:
Partner up – 1 block per partner group
– 15 burpees together
– P1 does 50 HR-Merks while P2 runs, flipflop
– P1 does 50 WNW’s while P2 runs, flipflop
– 14 burpees together..etc

2-3 rounds in YHC called an audible, rallied the troops, apologized for poor planning, constructively criticized poor listening, stupid questions, and bitching from PAX, and then prescribed finishing out the burpees (apocalypse+) starting at 13. Funny enough the MC and smart-mouths stopped :man-shrugging:

MOLESKINE: Lessons learned on leadership, planning contingencies, listening, using the time someone gives you to ask questions, etc