Backblast: Stars and Stripes
Temp: 82°F | Humidity: 85%
PAX: 6 (eventually)

Five of us were on time and moseyed to the Peristyle for warm-ups. As we arrived, someone pointed out the large, empty concert stage facing the Great Lawn—still standing after the City Park July 3rd celebration. It called to us. An audible was made, and we climbed aboard to get started.

Just as we began, Kenner-Brah arrived, laced up his shoes, and joined us on stage.

Warm-Up (IC):

Grass Grabbers

Abe Vigodas

Tie Fighters

Fie Tighters

Mountain Climbers

The stage was a bit slick, so we moved on to the white sculpture near NOMA.

Stars:
We kicked off with 11 Star-Merkins (actually T-Merkins) at the first light pole. Then:

Lunge walk to the next pole

10 Star-Merkins

Bear crawl to the next pole

9 Star-Merkins
… and so on, all the way down Lelong Drive. At the end, we crossed the street to finish the full set.

Sound Check:
We paused at the Singing Oak for a brief “sound of silence,” then moved on to the Laborde Gazebo waterfall for a round of dips.

Stripes:
We headed toward a patch of tall, dry grass—which looked much shorter from afar. Frac wisely suggested we relocate to the short wet grass nearby to avoid hidden ants.

Here, we performed 5 rounds of “Stripes”:

Sprint out in a straight line

Jog back

PAX questioned why only 5 and not the full 13. Same reason we did 66 Star-Merkins instead of 50: #Merica.

Westward Expansion:
We moseyed over to the small lakeside theater for:

Monkey Humpers (IC)

Wife Pleasers (IC)

Then on to the sunny side of the Museum for calf raises, followed by a trip to the mini foundry for sit-ups and bent-arm hangs.

Took the Rudy short-cut—which, of course, is actually longer—back to the Great Lawn.

Finale:

50 American Hammers

While the crew began dismantling the stage
We were joined by three runners – El Guapo, The Architect, and Kuch, fresh off their relaxing run in the springtime air.

COT