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A Workout That Will Live in Infamy

THE SCENE:
Rolled up at 0450 for a pre-workout Ruck, because Patches.  Forecast had me expecting low 30’s and rain, so I came layered.  Instead we got shorts weather and no precipitation – thanks, Backseat!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
Waivers were signed in triplicate.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25 IC
Imperial Walkers x15 IC
Daisy Pickers x15 IC
Little Arm Circles x10 (each direction)

THA-THANG:
BOMBS seemed appropriate for Pearl Harbor Day, but we tweaked it a bit and ended up with Suicide Kamikazes.

Cones were placed at 15, 30, and 45 yards.  PAX partnered up and completed the following exercises as a team.  PAX 1 would do burpee suicides (1 at cone 1, 2 at cone 2, and 3 at cone 3) while PAX 2 would perform the listed exercise.  Flapjack and continue until all reps complete.

K:  Kraken Burpees x25 (see below)
A:  American Hammers x50
M:  Merkins x75
I:  Iron Squats x100
K:  Knerkins x125  (knuckle merkins)
A:  American Hammers x150
Z:  Zebra Butt-Kicks x175
E:  Enola Gay Situps x200  (WWII situps – YOU FIND AN EXERCISE THAT STARTS WITH ‘E’!)

*Kraken Burpees: do a regular burpee, but replace the merkin in the middle with 3 hand-release merkins.  RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

MARY:
Sprinkled throughout.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 PAX:  Bob Ross, Choker (QIC), Flobee, Ragequit, Tiger Lily, Zima.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor last year.  Highly recommend.  Two things really stuck with me from that visit:

1. Tears of the USS Arizona.  The attack on Pearl Harbor was 77 years ago today, but there is still a very slow oil leak coming from the ship.  As you stand on the memorial and look out onto the water, you can see little drops slowly appear on the surface.  They refer to this as the tears of the Arizona, as though the ship is still mourning the loss.  It is very moving to see this in person.

2. Attack survivors buried with their shipmates.  1177 men lost their lives on the Arizona that day; 335 survived.  Over the past 77 years, 43 of those survivors who subsequently passed away chose to have their remains interred on the ship with their fallen brothers.

Shared hardship really strengthens the bonds of brotherhood.  We get a little piece of that in the Gloom, at at CSAUP events like GrowRuck.  It is nothing compared to what the men of the USS Arizona experienced of course, but it serves as a good illustration of one of the reasons we do what we do.  Doing hard things together makes us stronger, both individually and as a team.

MOLESKIN:
Kotters to Flobee!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Nope.

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AMRAPalooza V: Dead Men Do No Burpees

THE SCENE:
As I rolled up in the Morg, I thought to myself, “I should be sure to write my backblast today, because if I don’t I’ll forget about it for a week and by then I won’t remember much about The Scene or what happened during the workout.”  As usual, I was right:  I didn’t, and I don’t.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:
I don’t specifically remember doing this, but no phalanges were mutilated so it must have been covered.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25 IC
Daisy Pickers x15 IC
Windmills x15 IC
Little Arm Circles x10 IC (each direction)

THA-THANG:
Many moons had passed since my last AMRAPalooza, so I decided it was time for the next installment.

Complete As Many Reps As Possible for one minute of each of the following exercises; take a break between exercises by completing one 0.2 mile lap around the parking lot.  Silent prayer OYO for the Creeper van as you pass its sad, empty parking space.

  • Burpees
  • WWI Situps
  • Merkins
  • Squats

2.5 iterations were completed.

MARY:
ANGTFT.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 PAX:  Beetus, Carport, Choker (QIC), Granola, Orange Julius, Potiphar, Rosetta Stone, Sleep Number, Wall Builder, Woodpecker

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I’ve been in a bit of a lull, especially with my Queen for the past few months.  I’m not where I should be after 10+ months of F3.  It makes it a struggle to fight the pull of the fartsack some mornings.

When you’re feeling like that, it’s more important than ever to keep taking the DRP.  Decide the night before that you’re going to take it – don’t wait until the next morning, when the warmth of the fartsack can make a persuasive case for staying in it.

When the alarm goes off, I know the workout is going to hurt.  But I also know that what will hurt more is the feeling I’ll have around 6:30 when I start seeing the pics on Slack of the guys that posted.  FOMO can be a strong tool – use it to your advantage.

MOLESKIN:
Always write your BB before the end of the day.  Or be less old.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Maybe.

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Lamplighter row

THE SCENE: 39 degrees, crisp and cool, but gone is the 70 degree weather.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Disclaimed
WARM-O-RAMA:
Windmills 15 IC
Proper stretches.
Arm Circles IC 10 (forward and reverse)
High Knees IC 20

THA-THANG:
Mosey lap around the parking lot to the light posts.
Each light post, add 1 rep. Transportation varied between posts.
1 burpee bearcrawl,
2 burpee
3 burpee
4 burpee
5 burpee
1 Merkin lunge walk
2 Merkin
3 Merkin
4 Merkin
5 Merkin
1 Mountain climber, Imperial Walker
2 Mountain climber,
3 Mountain climber
4 Mountain climber
5 Mountain climber

Mosey back to Startex.
Sprint the long end of the parking lot, walk to short ends. 2 total laps.

MARY:
BBS IC 15
LBCs IC 15
Pickle Pounders IC 10
Plank 60 seconds (Commie)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Commie, Mr. Wonderful, Red Roofer, Choker, Sleep Number, Bailout, Woodpecker, Wall Builder, Granola, Orange Julius, Potiphar, Carport, Commie

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
God wants to be in every aspect of our life and he has made provision for this in his word.
A couple of paragraphs from John Pipers book “Future Grace” highlights this fact.

When I am anxious about my ministry being useless and empty, I fight unbelief with the promise of Isaiah 55:11. “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

When I am anxious about being too weak to do my work, I battle unbelief with the promise of Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

When I am anxious about decisions I have to make about the future, I battle unbelief with the promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go ,”(Psalm 32:8).

When I am anxious about the welfare of those I love, I battle unbelief with the promise that if I, being evil, know how to give good things to my children, how much more will the “Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). And I fight to maintain my spiritual equilibrium with the reminder that everyone who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for Christ’s sake “shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30).

When I am anxious about being sick, I battle unbelief with the promise “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). And I take the promise with trembling: “Tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

When I am anxious about getting old, I battle unbelief with the promise, “Even to your old age, I shall be the same and even to your graying years I shall bear you! I have done it, and I shall carry you; and I shall bear you, and I shall deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).

When I am anxious about dying, I battle unbelief with the promise that “not one of us lives for himself and not one of us dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Romans 14:7-9).

Prayers for Mr. Wonderful with an important interview. Prayers for Red Roofer and his family.

MOLESKIN:

Bailout posted and left just as fast. Seemed like it was because the Men of the Morg are just that intimidating. But the hunter orange said otherwise.

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Bert & Games

  • THE SCENE:
    • 269.8167K, 96% humidity, 4 PAX short of the 10 PAX threshold for fun & games Q.
  • F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • WARM-O-RAMA:
    • Simon says (10 burpees for infractions: 3 infractions)
      • SSH 18x IC
      • Mountain Merkins 13x IC
      • Frog walk across parking lot
      • Inchworm 10x IC
      • Bear Crawl back to STARTEX
      • Aussie Burpees 10x IC
  • THA-THANG:
    • Fun & Games
      • Ruck, Ruck, Boots (10 mins)
        • PAX circle up
        • Picker rucks around circle
        • PAX alternate standing and Al Gore each time Picker says Ruck
        • Boots PAX has to try to catch rucked picker
        • Hilarity would have ensued…
      • Freeze Tag (10 mins)
        • Regular rules
        • Frozen PAX performs 2 burpees, then lunges until unfrozen
    • Bert WOD
      • 50 Burpees
      • 400 meter Run
      • 100 Push-Ups
      • 400 meter Run
      • 150 Walking Lunges
      • 400 meter Run
      • 200 Air Squats
      • 400 meter Run
      • 150 Walking Lunges
      • 400 meter Run
      • 100 Push-Ups
      • 400 meter Run
      • 50 Burpees

  • MARY:
    • Crab/Bear notasport (aka “soccer” aka “futbol”)
      • 3 on 3: first with crabwalks, then with bear crawls
  • COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
    • Ruck: (3) Commie, BAM! (+ Cujo), Choker
    • BC: (6) Commie, Choker, Wall Builder, Orange Julius, Sleep Number, Granola (QIC)
  • CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
    • From https://wodwell.com/wod/bert/
      • “U.S. Marine Cpl. Albert Gettings, 27, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, died on Jan. 5, 2009, while conducting counter-sniper operations in Fallujah, Iraq. Cpl. Gettings was serving as a team leader with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, at the time of his death.
        Every quarter, Cpl. Gettings’ fellow Marines in Fox Company complete a special CrossFit workout in his honor as part of the Cpl. Albert P. Gettings Award ceremony.
        He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Palimino; parents, David and Juliet; and sister, Cori.”
  • MOLESKIN:
    • It is very difficult to keep things in order while Q’ing a Simon Says workout. I wish I had prepared more for it. Simon Says has a lot of potential for sharp-minded Qs.
    • We completed about half of the BERT WOD in 30 minutes. Probs could complete the whole thing if we had an hour–Mothership.
    • Pleasure as always to get better with fellow Morgolians.
    • Prayers for PAX we haven’t seen in a while.
    • Feeling unchallenged from the workout, Commie was seen knocking out hundreds of 50# barbell curls after the workout, while the rest of us mortals slunk back to our cars.
    • No coffeeteria 🙁
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Thanksgiving Leftovers and Seconds

THE SCENE:
Dark and cold, like I like my Nitro.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
Done did.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25 IC
Daisy Pickers x15 IC
Imperial Walkers x15 IC
Little Arm Circles x15 IC (each direction)

Midway through the WOR, a very bundled-up figure emerged from the walking path.  YHC paused the warmup to invite this stranger to join us, hopeful that 1) he would accept, and 2) that it was a dude.  He didn’t, but he was.  The gravelly-voiced sextuagenarian (RESPECT RESPECT) replied that he had been walking laps since 4am, but that he would see us on Thursday.

THA-THANG:
A few days ago we got fat on Thanksgiving dinner.  So this morning we got thin on LEFTOVERS.  1 minute AMRAP of each exercise below, with a .25 mile mosey in between each one.

L:  Lieutenant Dans
E:  *Elevated Merkins  (hands on park bench)
F:  Flutter Kicks
T:  Tempo Merkins
O:  Overhead Claps
V:  V-Ups
E:  *Elevated Merkins (feet on curb)
R:  Russian Twists
S:  Squats

*Yes, I know they are called “Irkins/Derkins”.  YOU TRY FINDING EXERCISES THAT START WITH THE LETTER E.

MARY:
The only thing better than Thanksgiving leftovers is a second plate of them. So we set the AMRAP timer to 30 seconds and went through the list again (minus the mosey this time).

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 PAX: Choker (QIC), Soulja Boy, Tiger Lily, Tree Hugger

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
2.0s and their screen time is something my M and I have been struggling with for the last several months.  Whenever the kids have free time, their first choice is Netflix/Fortnite/Computer/iPad/etc.  There are several negative side effects to this: bad attitudes when it’s time to unplug, infighting among the siblings over whose turn it is for a given device, chores/homework getting short-changed, etc – not to mention the obvious detrimental effects of not enough exercise.

The 2nd F event last Friday came at the perfect time for me.  My M had a prior commitment, but I packed up the 2.0s and brought them to the park.  They were not enthused about the plan.  But after a few minutes of playing frisbee, they were practically transformed.  Playing together, laughing, having fun – it was a beautiful sight to see.  It became clear to me that I have done a terrible job of taking what F3 has given me and incorporating it into my family.  The event paid immediate dividends – Sunday afternoon when we got home from church, 2.2 asked me if I’d go outside and play catch with him.  I was shocked – he’s never asked that before.  We had a great afternoon.

Turn the devices off.  Go to the backyard and play with your kids.  They won’t realize they like it until they do.

MOLESKIN:
I heart the NE Kingdom.

Prayers were lifted up for Josiah, 2.0 of Tiger Lily’s friends who underwent surgery this morning.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Go sign up for the Whetstone program.

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“Foreigner wrote a song about how my fingers feel right now” – Choker

THE SCENE:

There was a one shirt deficit at the 30 degree, frost covered, Commie-less Morg in this morning’s gloom.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Dat got did.


WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x20IC

ISW x10IC

Arm Circle x10IC/reverse

👆 This was a change from the original planned WOR since Choker forgot to bring the frisbee for which he prostrated himself as a “horrible person”. YHC heartily disagrees.

THA-THANG:
Part one consisted of five partnered rounds. Partner 1 performs the designated number of a stationary exercise while partner 2 plows forward, collecting as much frost from the ground as possible on their person along the way, 50ish yards via the designated mode of travel. Once P1 completes  exercises, pop tall and sprint to catch up to P2 and switch. There and back, Jack. Al Gore till all in.

Sets were as follows:

  • Lunge walk/burpees x5
  • Bear crawl/SSH x20
  • Duck walk/merkins x20
  • Broad jump/squats x15 
  • Crab walk/CDD x15

Part 2 is a simple Dora 123 routine:
– 100 Merkins
– 200 BBSUs
– 300 Squats
Dora wanders 15 yards to the wood fence and cranks out 10 Derkins & back.

MARY:
Ran out-o-time. Our CMUs sat cold and saw no use.

Next time…

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 PAX: Orange Julius; Granola; Choker; Soulja Boy

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Transparency. A virtue commonly passed by with its forgotten value these days.

“Hey, how ya doin?”

“Good. You?”

“Good.”

“OK, Later.”

In reality one just had another fight with his M that morning and the other one is grieving the loss of a loved one and is far from OK. Both could use some genuine human interaction. An ear to listen or shoulder to cry on.

Transparency has the potential to become fellowship, discipleship, and the spark of real lasting relationship.

The challenge to the PAX: When you ask someone how they are doing, mean it. be prepared for a genuine response no matter how unlikely you are to receive one. Be willing to challenge someones obviously false positive attitude

MOLESKIN:
The Gloomhorn was sounded victoriously throughout this mornings ridiculous events. It’s good to know the PAX are having a fibrous Bfast prior to coming out. Tclaps, bruthas!

100% retention for Momasteeria!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

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It’s Frickin’ Freezing in Here, Mr. Bigglesworth

THE SCENE:

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:
Yes and quickly, because brrrrr.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25 IC
Windmills x15 IC
Little Arm Circles x10 IC (each direction)

THA-THANG:
Duplicated the Thang from last Friday’s Neverland workout: a series of 5 minute sets, with 1 minute of rest in between.  Each set consisted of 2 exercises. The PAX would perform 12 reps of each exercise OYO, then 11 reps of each OYO, and so on until 5 minutes expired.  At the end of each round, each person’s score would be the lowest number of reps that were successfully completed for both exercises.  For example, if time expired while you were still working on 4 reps of exercise 2, your score for that round would be 5.  Lowest score at the end of the Thang wins.

Set 1:  Merkins/BBSU.  Winners: Commie & Carport tied with 0
Set 2: CMU Curls/Flutter Kicks.  Winners: 3 tied with 0
Set 3: Burpees/WWI Situps.  Winner: Orange Julius with 9
Set 4: CMU Presses/Freddie Mercuries.  Winners: 4 tied with 0
Set 5: Derkins/Squats.  Winners: 5 tied with 0
Set 6: CMU Tricep Extensions/Monkey Humpers.  Winner: Carport with 0
Set 7: Carolina Dry Docks/Imperial Squat Walkers.  Winners: 3 tied with 9

Final Scores:
Carport: 20
Commie: 22
Sleep Number: 28
Orange Julius: 30
Choker: 34
Wall Builder: 45

Conclusions:

  • Tiger Lilly is still the king
  • Carport can not count
  • Overall scores were better due to it being too cold to stop moving for more than 1 second at a time

MARY:
Sprinkled throughout.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 PAX: Carport, Choker (QIC), Commie, Orange Julius, Sleep Number, Wall Builder

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Psalm 133:1 – “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”

F3 is a brotherhood, and I’m very grateful for the unity we have.  Unity does not require 100% agreement.  Some of us root for the maroon team, others for the orange one.  Some vote for the red team, others for the blue team.  Some cook chili, others make some kind of bean concoction.  But at the end of the day, I know the guy across the circle from me has my back whether or not our opinions differ on any given issue.

This unity and brotherhood will be on display next Monday when Gus and Cheesesteak host a lunch with the “Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel” as the topic of discussion.  What you will see if you attend is something that has become very rare these days:  an honest debate over a weighty topic, yet free of personal attacks, misrepresentation, and general rancor.  Try doing that on Facebook or the Tweeters.

Every day in F3 brings me a new reminder of the special thing we have going here.  More guys need this.  Go get them.

MOLESKIN:
I’m willing to try wearing some at the next workout.  Moles stay warm, right?

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
QSource lunch 1130 Friday at East Memphis Whole Foods, topic is LDP.

“Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel” lunch 1144 Monday at East Memphis Whole Foods.  Read the statement here prior to arriving.

Attendees at either lunch can get the WF salad bar, or if you want to save time just bring a salad from home and flush a $20 bill down the toilet to get the same effect.

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Morg Monday: Modified Murph

  • THE SCENE:
    • Warm-ish & wet-ish
  • F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • WARM-O-RAMA:
    • 15x IC Goofballs
    • 10x IC Around the World Lunges
    • 15x IC Mountain Climbers
    • 20x OYO Penguin jumps
    • Indian Run to the Playground
  • THA-THANG:
    • We partitioned the workout into 20 14 rounds in 2-count cadence of
      • 5 pull-ups
      • 10 merkins
      • 15 air squats
      • 1/10 mile run (first back always went for the 6)
  • MARY:
    • 10x IC low country crab
    • 10x IC crunchy frog
    • 10x IC reverse crunches
  • COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

    • 5 PAX (0 FNGs) + 1 Cujo for pre-BC ruck: Orange Julius, Bruce, Commie, BAM!, & Choker
    • 12 PAX (0 FNGs) for BC:  Orange Julius, Bruce, Woodpecker, Rosie, Wallbuilder, Commie, Carport, White Castle, Pirtle, Sleep Number, Choker, & Granola (QIC)
  • CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
    • Most of my CoT was lifted from this site which selected excerpts from the “Biography” section of the Murph Foundation website (italics):In case you’re unfamiliar, “Murph” is a classic CrossFit workout known as a Hero WOD. Hero WOD’s are made by CrossFit to honor the men and women that have fallen in the line of duty. This one is specifically to honor Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28th, 2005.
      Murph
      1mile Run
      100 Pull-Ups
      200 Push-Ups
      300 Air Squats
      1 mile Run
      With a 20 lb Vest or Body ArmorThis workout itself was Michael’s favorite workout to do, which at the time referred to it as “Body Armor”, hence the 20 lb vest or body armor as part of the workout prescription.

      Here’s an excerpt about what went down in Afghanistan in June 2005:

      On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy was the officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wing tasked with finding key anti-coalition militia commander near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shortly after inserting into the objective area, the SEALs were spotted by three goat herders who were initially detained and then released. It is believed the goat herders immediately reported the SEALs’ presence to Taliban fighters.

      A fierce gun battle ensued on the steep face of the mountain between the SEALs and a much larger enemy force. Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.

      Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire.  This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy.  While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point, he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.  Severely wounded, Lt. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.

      As a result of Murphy’s call, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard, was sent in as part of the QRF to extract the four embattled SEALs. As the Chinook drew nearer to the fight, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter, causing it to crash and killing all 16 men aboard.

      On the ground and nearly out of ammunition, the four SEALs, continued to fight.  By the end of a two-hour gunfight that careened through the hills and over cliffs, Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson had fallen. An estimated 35 Taliban were also dead.  The fourth SEAL, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, was blasted over a ridge by a rocket-propelled grenade and knocked unconscious. Though severely wounded, the fourth SEAL and sole survivor, Luttrell, was able to evade the enemy for nearly a day; after which local nationals came to his aide, carrying him to a nearby village where they kept him for three more days. Luttrell was rescued by U.S. Forces on July 2, 2005.

      By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit and inspirational devotion to his men in the face of certain death, Lt. Murphy was able to relay the position of his unit, an act that ultimately led to the rescue of Luttrell and the recovery of the remains of the three who were killed in the battle.

  • MOLESKIN:
    • I’ve been wanting to participate in the Murph WOD for a while, but haven’t been able to coordinate a fitting occasion for it until now. As a soft, non-veteran civilian, I’m never really sure how to adequately or meaningfully convey my gratitude to the brave men and women who lay their lives down for the rest of us.In reading Lt. Michael Murphy’s story above, I was struck by how much it took to recover Luttrell. Mission first, men always. Again, without any service experience myself, and drawing from my understanding that there would be no Easter without Good Friday, I can only guess that behind every Veteran’s Day there is a Memorial Day.So, in addition to the honor and thanks rightly due our Veterans, I’d like to think that we should also stand side-by-side with our Veterans to engage their stories, remember their fallen friends and family,  and cherish our shared freedom.
    • In addition to the comic relief of Carport’s flying-squirrel ready-positioning, for pull-ups, he also helped us recognize and honor AOQ-extraordinaire, Sergeant First Class Thomas Wright (aka Choker) for his service.
    • Apparently, everyone was way more familiar with this story than I was. I did my best to memorize and convey as much of the biography as I could and the PAX patiently let me stumble through it.
    • Kotters to White Castle!!
    • Stoked to have Pirtle permanently join the Morg!
    • One day Rosie may show up for a whole workout. Showing up late is better than not showing up at all!
    • Prayers for Carport & Red Roofer.
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5 Minutes Isn’t That Long, Right? Wrong.

THE SCENE:
40 degrees and somewhere between a mist and a drizzle.  Someone noted that it had been raining steadily an hour earlier.  Acclamation and thanksgivings were offered up to Backseat for another fine performance on Weather Q.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:
Disclaimer disclaimed to the 3 disclaimees who had previously heard it a combined total of eleventy bajillion times.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x20 IC
Daisy Pickers x15 IC
Windmills x15 IC
Little Arm Circles x10 IC (each direction)

THA-THANG:
This morning we performed a series of 5 minute sets, with 1 minute of rest in between.  Each set consisted of 2 exercises. The PAX would perform 12 reps of each exercise OYO, then 11 reps of each OYO, and so on until 5 minutes expired.  At the end of each round, each person’s score would be the lowest number of reps that were successfully completed for both exercises.  For example, if time expired while you were still working on 4 reps of exercise 2, your score for that round would be 5.  Lowest score at the end of the Thang wins.

Set 1:  Merkins/BBSU.  Winner: Tiger Lilly (0)
Set 2: CMU Curls/Flutter Kicks.  Winners: Tiger Lilly and Zima (0)
Set 3: Burpees/WWI Situps.  Winners: Tiger Lilly and Shoestring (8)
Set 4: CMU Presses/Freddie Mercuries.  Winner: Shoestring (3)
Set 5: Derkins/Squats.  Winners: Tiger Lilly and Shoestring (0)
Set 6: CMU Tricep Extensions/Monkey Humpers.  Winners: Errbody (0)
Set 7: Carolina Dry Docks/Imperial Squat Walkers.  Winners: Tiger Lilly, Shoestring, and Zima (7)

Final Scores:
Tiger Lilly: 19
Shoestring: 27
Zima: 34
Choker: 41

MARY:
No additional Mary, but she was well taken care of throughout the Thang.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 PAX: Choker (QIC), Shoestring, Tiger Lilly, Shoestring.  Plus a special appearance by Flobee on Starsky duty.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Ecc. 4:9-12

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him–a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

This passage is most often heard at weddings, but it has direct application to F3 as well (except for that middle part, NTTAWWT).

You guys are the extra cords in my strand, and I’m very thankful for it.  We are surrounded by guys in this city who don’t have that.  It is on us to coax them past the speed bumps of early wakeup times, cold/rainy weather, and the myriad of other common excuses we’ve all heard and used. When we EH a guy, we’re not just giving him the opportunity to grow stronger; we’re strengthening ourselves by adding another cord to our strand.

We come out to the Gloom to make ourselves stronger.  The First F is only a third of that; the Second and Third Fs just as/more important than the physical aspect.

MOLESKIN:
You know your Q is successful when the 1FQ raises the possibility of splashing merlot.

Tiger Lilly is a beast.

I felt like I owed restitution to Neverland’s Multiple-Grammy-Award-Winning AOQ  for the terrible playlist that accompanied my Jukebox of Pain a few weeks ago.  Today’s playlist did not have a specific connection to the exercises we were performing, but it RAWKED.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AOlympics tomorrow at the Mothership!

Ruck Club Veterans Day event on Sunday – see the preblast for details.

Posted on

Decisions, decisions

  • THE SCENE:
    • Warm 56* and RAIN???
  • F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • DIRECTIONS:
    • Rotating clockwise, each PAX will decide whether, and at what tempo, to Q 5 reps in cadence of the exercise or to give a 5 count rest. If the Thang has not been completed by 0605, there will be a penalty movement back to STARTEX before Mary.
      • WARM-O-RAMA:
        • 100x IC SSH (I didn’t even think this was possible until Shoestring Q’d this at the Morg)
        • Sprint to pavilion
      • THA-THANG:
        • 100x IC Bodybuilders
        • 100x IC Picnic Table Rows
        • 100x IC Merkins
        • 100x IC Picnic Table Squats
        • Penalty movement: Crabwalk back to STARTEX (~750 meters)
      • MARY:
        • 100x 10x IC Flutterkicks
  • COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA


  • 7 PAX (0 FNGs) + 1 Cujo for pre-BC ruck: Choker, BAM!, Mr. Wonderful, Sleep Number, Commie, Woodpecker & Granola
  • 12 PAX (1 FNG) for BC:  Choker, Mr. Wonderful, Sleep Number, Commie, Woodpecker, Photoshop, Carport, Potiphar (FNG), Orange Julius, Wall builder, Rosetta Stone, & Granola (QIC)
  • CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
    • This was yet another GrowRuck12-inspired Q: taking a discouragingly-high rep range, breaking it down into more manageable bites, with looming punishment hanging over our heads should we fail to meet the standard.

      I also wanted to convey a lesson Cadre Kevin shared with us–something to the effect of “Just make a decision. If it’s the wrong one, make another decision until you start making the right decisions. To not make a decision is both a decision in itself and a vote for the status quo.”

      This hit home for me because I am a notoriously TERRIBLE decision maker. I overthink. I hem. I haw. I fail to take action. I stress out. I stress others out. I am usually dissatisfied with my final decision. And on it goes.

      I wanted today’s Q to give each of us the opportunity to experience a relatively low-risk decision crucible: “Can I even Q 5 more reps? Even if I can, can my brother next to me? Does he need a break? Will he call a break if he needs one? Will someone else call a break if I need one? Will we miss our time hack if I call for a break? What will the punishment be? Could it be worse than enduring more reps of this exercise?”

      Hopefully, this mental exercise encouraged reflection on how we make decisions so we can avoid analysis paralysis.

  • MOLESKIN:

    • Prayed for Rabbit, Ramrod, Bootheel, and Green Monster.
    • Sleep Number was none too interested in the unnamed penalty movement and did everything he could to speed up the counts. Sadly, we did not meet our time hack.
    • Rosie (Rosetta Stone) for the early starsky, showing up at 0610 as we were all suffering the penalty crab walk back to STARTEX. While some folks just skip the workout altogether when late, he made the effort to show up. T-claps to you my friend.
    • Great meeting Photoshop, who took our outstanding ruck pic.
    • Potiphar HC’d for today’s workout Sunday AND SHOWED UP. T-Claps!
    • Phenomenal Coffeeteria with Commie, Mr. Wonderful, Choker, and Rosie. We stayed so long we even saw Flobee and met his M.
  • ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    • We need Q’s. Please step up and Q.