Over the hill (and back again)

AO: the_eddy
Q: Roadkill
PAX: Half Lyfe, Juicy J, Legos, Sooie, Choo Choo, Motorola, Stubs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Not so cold

WARMUP:

THE THANG: A quick ruck up the Ukraine trail and back again.

MOLESKINE: “You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending” – CS Lewis. Even though New Years is a great time for big changes, we have the same opportunity with every new day.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Nada

COT: Count off, Prayer, Name-a-Rama, Olive Oil double shots for Stubs & Roadkill followed by merciful coffee.

Cold 11s

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles
PAX: The Merchant, G-string, Étouffée, Sooie, Roadkill, Link 1.0 from Houston!
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS: Coldest day yet. Beautiful sunrise.

WARMUP:
Side Straddle Hops
Bacs
Bac – Back’s
Take off running when Étouffée showed up late
Mosey to stop sign and back

THE THANG:
2 rounds of 11s.

Pull-ups and Carolina Dry Docks – wall sit for the six
Iron Mikes and Lt. Dan’s (aka ultimate Lt. Dan’s)

5 minutes of Mary

MOLESKINE:
We ran for 40 minutes and Mary for 5 minutes. Fantastic work by all Pax pushing through the leg fatigue.
Shoutout to Link 1.0 joining us from Houston. Roadkill for HCing even when he didn’t want to. Sooie for bringing the cups. Always good to see The Merchant! G-string and Étouffée for pushing the pace.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Christmas party next week.
Encouragement for Derby and Hair Band as the prep to run 50K on Saturday!

COT: Prayers were said to counteract the darkness and in anticipation of the coming light.

Temperature Is Just a Number

AO: pain-train
Q: Sooie
PAX: Derby, Juicy J, Piglet, Shakira, Chili Dip, Sooie
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS: :cold_face::cold_face::cold_face::slightly_smiling_face::slightly_smiling_face:

WARMUP:
– motivators from 6
– SSH 20 (for Chili Dip)
– BAC
– BBAC
– Low slow squat + seal clap
– WMH OYO
– imperial walkers

THE THANG:
Grab the sandbags and mosey over to pickup coupons from behind the stage. Mosey to playground and assign stations.

Station 1 (timer)
With the sandbag, Deadlift → Clean → Press → Drop bag behind you → Explosive backward jump over the bag → repeat until you’ve gone ~10 yards → Bear crawl/drag it back to start → rotate.

Station 2
Overhead block hold while holding wide-stance squat

Station 3
Sandbag chest press (AMRAP)

Station 4
Block lunge row (AMRAP)

Station 5
Block lunges (AMRAP)

Station(ary) 6
Juicy J did his thing despite injury.

Repeated entire rotation 4x. Very fitting considering the soundtrack was Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

MOLESKINE:
Start thinking about New Year’s resolutions/goals for 2026. Getting traction begins with an idea, then verbally articulating it, then writing it down with achievable steps.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Christmas party 12/12 Hair Band!
– Grow school 12/6 SalPal

COT:
Prayers said and Derby draught ☕️ drank.

Side trail

AO: the_eddy
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: Pitmaster, Choo Choo, Half Lyfe, Sooie, Stubs, FLO, Roadkill
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Layers were worn.

WARMUP: nope

THE THANG:
Finally remembered where that side trail was I told Stubs about at launch, but then couldn’t remember where it was so took us on an extra 20 minute detour.

MOLESKINE:
Great numbers on such a cold morning. Lots of mumblechatter!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Holiday party Dec 12. Grow school this weekend!

COT:
“I’ve got somewhere to go,
But no where to be.
And all day to get there”

LooseCaboose+

AO: the-knoll
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: Derby, Sooie, Roadkill, Étouffée, Pebbles, morning stār, Bumblebee 2.0
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: wet but not too cold

WARMUP: SSH, shoulder warm up, SSH, lower body warm up, SSH

THE THANG: LooseCaboose+
PAX lines up
First in line rests.
Middle of line alternates exercises.
Last in line does burpees.
To start, last in line does MOT to the front, then we switch. Each round consists of 2 sets all the way through.

Round 1
Exercises: Squats or Imperial Walkers
MOT: Lunges

Round 2
Exercises: merkins and mountain climbers
MOT: Bear Crawl

Round 3: Iron Mikes and Low squat holds
MOT: Reverse Lunges

Round 4: Carolina Dry Docks and Plank Hold
MOT: Crawl Bear

REPEAT

Bonus Round: SSH and Burpees
MOT: Burpee Broad Jump

MOLESKINE: the ground got squishier as we went

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 holiday party Dec 12
Thanksgiving workout at Crieve Hall (Knoll is open too)
Juicy J and Piglet VQs are coming

COT: I have a tendency to put a lot of weight on specific outcomes when I need help. A “I need this one thing to happen to make everything okay” kind of attitude. What really happens is I close off to everything else and miss a lot of opportunities to be helped or find new solutions. Encouragement to PAX to be open to help and different paths forward when facing challenges.

Focus on your core.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Half Lyfe
PAX: Pebbles, AAA, Parka-Eh, Sooie, Roadkill, Étouffée, Piglet, Churchill (2.0), Icebox (2.0), Palay (2.0), None
FNGs: 1 None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: 55 degs, overcast, seemed darker than usual.

WARMUP: SSH, BAC, BBAC, OHP, WMH, Runners Stretch.

THE THANG:
Partner up. One does exercise. One runs to backstop and back.
Thang 1:
200 Swing Rows finish what was left from Tues. minus the absolutions. But did take plank jacks from them and added to Thang 2.

Thang 2: Core
500 Mountain Climbers 2=1
400 Sit Ups
300 Flutter Kicks
200 Plank Jacks
100 Plank w/ knees to elbow.

MOLESKINE:

CORE VALUES
DISCIPLINE
Do it even if you don’t feel like it

DETERMINATION
If you’re determined nothing can stop you

ATTITUDE AND EFFORT
Two things you can control

CONSISTENCY
Is what transform average into excellence

REPETITIONS
Choose quality over quantity

PASSION
Is the fuel that drives us

ANNOUNCEMENTS: check slack.

COT: count off, name-o-Rama, prayers offered up for Étouffée for discernment on some up coming decisions, ended with some coffeteria.

Great push today everyone! Thank you for letting me lead you this morning!

Buck on a Ruck

AO: the_eddy
Q: Sooie
PAX: Roadkill, Half Lyfe, Choo Choo, Sooie, Siri, Legos
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS:
Verily, the morn broke cold as a miser’s mercy. 26 degrees with a sly, needling breeze that whispered of winter’s oncoming siege. Old Man Winter had not yet unsheathed his frosted blade, yet his breath could be felt upon the nape.

WARMUP:
Nay.

THE THANG:
Our fellowship, numbering six set forth westward beneath the paling gloam, rucks strapped firm like the burdens of ancient questing. Our boots found rhythm along the winding westward toward the venerable cemetery resting at the knees of mighty Mt. Eddy.

At the pavilions, we moved as one—six silhouettes vanishing and reappearing between cedar guardians, their boughs sighing. The path swelled upward, a slow heave, a subtle beckoning, all the while treading upon a road of gold: fallen leaves beaten flat as though by elven hands, paving our ascent to the summit.

Time, that ever-reluctant companion, betrayed us. 0615 rang out across the ridge though our loop remained unsealed. Yet YHC called the ruck to a halt where we stood. Numbers and names recited, announcements spoken, and petitions lifted skyward like sparks from a campfire.

Down the final slope, through the thinning trees and the reluctant dawn light, we made our return to the mortal trappings where the humming sound of automobiles ferrying commuters to their various destinations steadily increased. We sealed our brotherhood with the sacred draught: Sooie Brewie, the steaming elixir that stirs the bones awake.

But let it not be forgotten—
On the trail, as though summoned from forgotten legend, stood a buck, proud and unmoved, bearing eight points upon his antlered crown. A sentry of the forest realm. A sign, perhaps, or a silent benediction upon our wandering fellowship.

MOLESKINE:
Our quote for the trek:
“A hunted man sometimes wearies of distrust and longs for friendship.”
So spake Aragorn son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain, ranger of the North.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Siri is leading a 0600 beatdown on 11/15 at the Percy Warner stairs.

COT:
‘Twas good to welcome back Half Lyfe to the gloom and hear him recount the various trials he endured during The Struggle!

The Great Beaver Beatdown 🦫 🌖

AO: pain-train
Q: Sooie
PAX: Siri, Roadkill, Juicy J, FLO, Cheeks, Sooie
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS: A perfect 55 degrees, slight breeze, and basked in the smile of the Great Beaver herself.

WARMUP: 3 Truths and a Lie (F3 Edition)
Each PAX took turns sharing three truths and one lie while everyone did Imperial Walkers. Guess correctly? Reward yourself with 10 squats. Guess wrong? Pay the penalty: 10 burpees.
If the majority sniffed out the lie, the storyteller took the burpee penalty instead.

By the end, we learned a few surprising things about our brothers, some believable, some definitely HR violations if true.

THE THANG: The Labors of The Great Beaver
Juicy J made a brief cameo, then sped off after the “warmup” in his Prius to “save his body” for “the tussle,” dashing our hopes for an epic 3v3 showdown. So, the remaining five brave souls launched a co-op campaign to conquer four brutal labors:
– Labor 1 at gazebo 1: 100 Alternating Hand Block Merkins (as a group)
– Labor 2 at gazebo 2: 200 WWII Sit-ups with Blocks (as a group)
– Labor 3 at gazebo 3: 300 Goblet Squats with Blocks (as a group)
– Labor 4: the team returned to gazebo 1 for the Table Carry Gauntlet: 1 PAX at the front, 1 PAX at the rear of the picnic table, 2 PAX performing farmer carries with blocks, 1 PAX carrying a single block solo. We rotated positions as fatigue set in.
Completed 2 full rounds of the 4 Labors.

MOLESKINE:
None, other than reflection on the joy of doing hard (stupid) things together.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– The Ascent (11/15) see Siri for details
– Pain train food drive, bring your non-perishables to pain train to help alleviate food insecurity in our community. See FLO for details.

COT: The Fellowship of The Beaver
Topics discussed:
– Siri’s unsolicited Zoom call contribution
– Apricot explosions (don’t ask)
– Chocolate milk + spicy peanuts + paintball = a questionable life choice
– Gallon Challenge CSAUP proposal
– FIRE! it isn’t anything.
– The mysterious inner workings of the male psyche
– Deep thoughts from shallow dudes
– Quantum entanglement and other things we don’t actually understand

Prayer Requests:
That none of our lives depend on opening a pickle jar for the next couple of days.

Thank you FLO for the Flo Joe and all who came out. Had a great time!

Station to station

AO: the-knoll
Q: Stubs
PAX: Wolfpack, Derby, Sooie, Roadkill, Stubs, Gold Digger, AAA, El Capitan, Juicy J, morning stār, Pebbles, Étouffée, Link (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: chilly start but quickly warmed up

WARMUP: SSH x20
BACs x12
BacBacs x12
Shoulder presses x12
Slow squats X10
Willy Mays Hays OYO
Mosey to far stop sign (voted on by Pax on Election Day)

THE THANG:
5 teams
4 stations
5th team as timer carried 50LB sandbags to fire hydrant and back

2 Rounds
Mercs
Squats
LBCs
Dips

2 Rounds
Carolina dry docks
Swing rows
Freddie Mercuries
Step ups

With remaining time we did 11s on grassy hill
Jump Squats and Hand Release Mercs

MOLESKINE:
Don’t Borrow Worry

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Good Luck to All participants in the Tussle
COT: silent prayer and coffeterria

Hi Tired, I’m Dad

AO: f3dads
Q: Sooie , Black Lung, Derby
PAX: Shania, Grape, Sooie, Black Lung, Derby, Juicy J (JBowman), Two Face, Diego (2.0), SixSeven (2.0), Spidey (2.0), Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (2.0), Raisin (2.0), Craisin (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Tiger Slash (2.0), Hotdog (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: Slightly overcast and 56 degrees. :pinched_fingers:

WARMUP: Black Lung kicked us off, acknowledging that none leading were proffessionals. A quick ~100 yard mosey got our heart rates up and Diego took over warming us up with some lunges, ab warmups and leg warmups. Black Lung finished up the warmup with some classic BAC, BBAC, and low, slow merkins.

THE THANG:
With our limbs now limbered, Derby took the helm, leading us in some fantastic EMOM’s. exercises were as follows
– 10 burpees, 5 sets
– 20-30 WW2’s, 5 sets
– 20-30 Squats, 5 sets
– Simon Says 5 minutes. Simon called out exercises. If PAX exercised when Simon didn’t say, PAX would perform 1 burpee for the first infraction, 2 for the second, 3 for the third to buy back in.

Now having worked up a good sweat, YHC led in some games:
– bear tag battle royale (3 rounds)
– Infection (3 rounds)
– Dad bear crawl assault. (2.0’s harassed dads as they attempted to bear crawl up the hill toward the goal.)

MOLESKINE:
Nothing better about being a dad than doing stuff with your kids! We took a moment to reflect on that and enjoy our time together

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Tussle coming up. Briefly considered the idea of a 2.0 Tussle.

COT:
Prayers were lifted. SixSeven offered a spontaneous prayer of gratitude for the unexpected blessing of chocolate milk! Enjoyed some fellowship over donut holes courtesy of Grape, bagels from Black Lung, coffee from Derby, and bananas & chocolate milk from YHC.

T-claps to Grape for getting this on the calendar, Derby and Black Lung for CoQing, and Diego for a great warmup!