F3 New Orleans

Tag: H8!

  • First Official Northshore H8!

    The inquiries started as soon as Steve announced the 3rd semi-annual Northshore H8! in his weekly e-mail blast. Would YHC get it right this year? Couched in the politest terms possible, the PAX wanted to know. So after reassuring everyone who asked that yes I knew what I was doing this time, YHC privately reviewed his notes from the last two fiascos, scoured Hawgcycle’s backblast from the recent Southshore challenge, and secretly consulted with Cowbell to confirm his conclusions. The result of all was, I think, a successful running of the Northshore H8! Finally.

    But first there was the warmup and a memorable warmup it was when 9 year old Pick Axe agreed to help prepare the PAX by leading his favorite exercises. YHC and Pick Axe rotated with Seal Jacks, SSHs, Hillbillies, IWs, lunges, toe touches, and arm circles. Once he adjusted his volume to screaming 9 year old level, Pick Axe performed flawlessly. The PAX really enjoyed it, and the presence of so many sons with their fathers in the early morning Mandeville Lakefront gloom has been a real boost to our fellowship and wholesome mission.

    So everyone was feeling pretty good on the mosey to that famous landmark, the Lakefront Shaft, and the starting line for the 3rd semi-annual but 1st official Northshore H8! Once YHC got through the instructions over Bushwacker’s questions, comments, thoughts, and philosophical musings, we were off.

    Of course, the Northshore PAX cannot replicate the Southshore’s version of the H8! precisely because we don’t have levees and a figure 8 was out of the question (it would be like playing Frogger with the traffic). We did our best and if truth be told it was more like a HS! YHC marked out a .4 mile out and back course which included a bridge with minuscule elevation change and cones measuring 35 yards apart. The first lap required each PAX to run and bear crawl the course and then perform 8 burpees and 36 hand release Merkins upon returning to the starting line. Rinse and repeat with the number of burpees and Merkins decreasing by 1 each lap. The objective was to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes. Total of over 3 miles running, 550 yards of bear crawls, 36 burpees and 120 hand release Merkins for the 8 laps.

    There were some impressive performances. This type of workout tends to favor the little guys and the guys who like to run. The guys who can lift appliances with their pinkie fingers when helping their friends move generally do not like this workout. But YHC didn’t hear any negative mumble chatter and only witnessed lots of effort. The 40 minute buzzer finally sounded and we made our way back to the shovel flag where we wrapped things up in our COT, Hammer praying us out.

    Thanks for letting me lead guys. SYITG.

  • Us Against H8!

    Conditions: Humid, 74 degrees, Humidity 95%, Wind 8mph from ENE

    Warm-up:  Mosey from the flag to the start.  Warm-up on your own.  No time for SSH or Grass Grabbers or J-Los, we’ve got work to do.

    The Thang:  The H8!  F3 NOLA’s overly complicated, semi-annual, feat of strength.  The stick by which our fitness is measured.    

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (burpee with 8 hand release merkins, burpee with 7 hand release merkins, …, burpee with 1 hand release merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    NMM

    • The construction at the south base of the levee caused for a slight re-route.  The H8! Committee did a good job of ensuring that the change was slight and the overall distance was not affected so that this fall’s running of the H8! Is considered official. 
    • T-claps to all of the guys coming out for the first time.  I think Heart-A-Quake, Mama’s Pride, Undertaker, Disclaimer, Bieber, Bartman, Catfish, Big Easy, Snooze were all first timers. 
    • I didn’t keep a record of who made it and who didn’t.  I am pretty sure the success rate was just north of 50%.  That’s really good, especially for having so many new guys.  Our fitness continues to accelerate.

    One of the core principles of F3 is that it is open to all men.  But just proclaiming that you are open to all men doesn’t cut it.  We have to be intentional about making sure that we are welcoming to all men and that we are not unintentionally excluding anyone.  There are lots of things that can make men different from one another, but most of them have nothing to do with what F3 is about.  I just mean to say that participating in an F3 workout has nothing to do with what race you are, or what your financial situation is, or what religion you are, etc.  (Side note:  I do think it’s important to think about those things and make sure that we are not being unintentionally exclusive because of the make-up of our Pax.  My point is just that the core principles of F3 workouts could apply to anyone, anywhere).  One thing that does have a lot to do with F3 is fitness level.  That’s why diverse fitness levels have to be considered when planning every workout.  It is important that the guys that have a high level of fitness are getting smoked and it is important the that guys on the lower end of the fitness spectrum are staying with the group and are not being left behind on their own.  I would like to think that we are pretty good across F3 NOLA at making sure that each work out feels like a team event, that we all have a goal of getting better and that we are supporting each other to reach that goal, no matter what our current fitness level is. 

    One of the complaints that I have heard about the Iron Pax Challenge is that it is not consistent with F3 in that way; that it puts the focus on the individual and even worse, ranks the individuals.  Some men  that aren’t at the top feel a sense of embarrassment or shame that they aren’t comparable to the guys at the top. You could make the same argument about the H8!  There’s certainly a sense of completing it and not completing it. 

    Personally I think competition like this is really important.  If you want to run faster, you have to run with faster guys.  In order to accelerate our fitness, we need to be in the back of the pack striving to get to the front.  I enjoy competition and I think it plays an important role in growth.  But I also think that it is important that we work hard to keep the sense of comradery and teamwork that all F3 workouts have.  The H8! Is something we all want to conquer and that we want to help each man conquer. 

    There are a couple of quotes that have stuck with me from the book “Run the Mile You are In:  Finding God in Every Step” by Ryan Hall, the American Record Holder in the half-marathon and the fastest American to ever run the Boston Marathon (2:04).  He said “Competition can be a beautiful thing if we are focused on making ourselves and others better and are not concerned about how we stack up with everyone else…..this is why comparisons in athletics and in life are so fruitless.  When we compare, we miss the joy of the journey as well as the joy of the achievement.”     

    Let’s make sure we keep pushing ourselves and each other, without compromising the joy of the journey.  A common motto at an F3 work out is that it’s “You against You”, and that is very true.  But it is also true that it is “Us against H8!”

  • All Hail Sir Shuffles! or the 7th Running of the H8

    All Hail Sir Shuffles! or the 7th Running of the H8

    On a windy Thursday by the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, history was made in F3 New Orleans.

    Triple Shift and Kuch kicked off the festivities for the H8 VII! They split the Pax up into two groups due to the great showing of 33 men to take on the challenge. Little did anyone know that someone was about the conquer the H8 as never seen before.

    YHC was the first and only one to bow out early due to struggles with his shoulder. The rest of the pack ran hard, bear crawled hard, and burpeed with everything they had through 40 minutes of pain and exhaustion. These are the men YHC is not ashamed to call his brothers.

    Then what men said could never be done……….. it happened.

    They said no one could run 100m in less than 9.6 seconds and on August 12, 2009 Bolt became the fastest man in the world at 9.58.

    They said no one could run a marathon in under 2 hours and on Saturday, October 12, 2019 Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1:59:40.

    They said no one could run 9 laps on the H8 and on Thursday, October 17, 2019 Shuffles ran 9 laps of the H8 with 30 seconds before the 40 minute mark.

    Tclaps to Shuffles for 9 and Tclaps to all of our finishers for setting the bar and giving the rest of us something to strive for. Your Fall 2019 H8 finishers: Shuffles, Breadsticks, Mahatma, Sogo, Rudy, Tua, Col Mustard, Quarterpipe, Screwtop, and Tanner.

    The Pax counted off, Name-O-Rama, Welcome to FNG Crackles, Intentions, and Prayer for the Pax

    -Rev Sox

  • H8! #6

    The Thang

    Event: The 6th running of the H8!

    Conditions: 72 degrees, 90% humidity, winds out of the SSE at 4 mph.

    Participants: 30 Pax including, 7 H8!ers, and 14 first timers.

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (burpee with 8 merkins, burpee with 7 merkins, …..burpee with 1 merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run just less than 3.5 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    We did AMRAP and then moseyed back to the flag.

    The Skinny
    • 12 finishers for a 40% success rate: SOGO, Cowbell, Smooth, Mahatma, 86, Thighs, Mariah, Triple Shift, Dirty Dell, Ya Mom N Dem, Screwtop, and Hawgcycle
    • No one got nine. Who will be the first?
    • I feel like YHC spent most of my energy chirping at Mahatma, at least until the 5th lap at which point he left me far enough behind he couldn’t hear me anymore.
    • I may have to put cones out next time to protect the integrity of the H8!.
    • Rudy had his first DNF at the H8! but it was for medical reasons. His doctor says no burpees. I would like to find a doctor like that.

  • Northshore H8!

    Beautiful morning on the Mandeville Lakefront. Bean joined YHC to lead a warmup of Arm Circles, Overhead Handclaps, Merkins, Seal Jacks, Butt Kicks, Imperial Walkers, and Windmills, all IC 10-20x. The PAX then moseyed westward for The Thang…Northshore H8!

    AMRAP in 40 minutes:

    35 yard bear crawl, .4 mile run, 35 yard bear crawl, then 7 burpees and 1 Merkin to complete Round 1

    Rinse and repeat working towards 1 burpee and 7 Merkins

    Goal of 8 Rounds.

    The Northshore H8!, last attempted six months ago, once again proved to be a tough challenge for the PAX. Only superheros Waterpik and Bushwacker completed all 8 rounds in 40 minutes. This benchmark workout definitely gave the rest of us good reason to keep working hard to get better. Deceptively difficult, this beat down will check the ego every time.

    Slow mosey back to the shovel flag for shoulder taps, IC 20x.

    Countorama, nameorama and Bean prayed us out.

    Welcome FNG Clean Hit!

  • Northshore H8!

    There’s been a fair amount of mumble chatter emanating from the Southshore lately about the so called H8! beat down.  Never to be outdone by our Southshore brothers, the Northshore PAX decided to turn up the volume to 11 this morning with a modified version of the H8!   After the standard disclaimer and a warmup of SSHs, Seal Jacks, Toe Touches, Imperial Walkers, Front to Back Lunges, Lateral Lunges, and Windmills, all IC and with rep counts from 10-20, YHC led fourteen men westward on the Mandeville Lakefront to the launch pad for 40 minutes of suffering.

    The PAX started the clock and their first lap with one Merkin.  This one Merkin was the centerpiece of YHC’s diabolical plan to make the Northshore H8! .01% better than the Southshore version.  YHC’s poor reading comprehension and math skills actually made it a lot harder, however.  YHC misinterpreted Hawg’s Friday afternoon briefing, realized his mistake 1 lap into the H8!, but by that time the horses were out of the barn and it was too late to recall them for revised instructions.  Anyone who has Q’d a beat down know how that works.

    At any rate, after that first Merkin (which was terrific across the board by the way), the PAX bear crawled 35 yards, ran out and back for .4 miles round trip, bear crawled 35 yards back to our starting point and then performed 8 burpees and 8 Merkins within each burpee to complete one lap.  This last part is where YHC mangled Hawg’s instructions.  We should have performed descending Merkins instead of 8 Merkins for each burpee, i.e. 36 instead of 64.  Too late.  The die was cast, as mentioned above, and there was nothing to do but get on with it.

    So we did, completing as many laps as possible in 40 minutes, dropping the number of burpees and Merkins by one on each lap.  Whether it was the extra Merkins or our lack of fitness relative to our Southshore brothers, we’ll never know, but no one completed 8 laps in the prescribed 40 minutes.  The PAX cheerfully embraced the suck, however, which is something.  Even when the wind picked up, it started to rain hard, and the Sky Q started throwing lightening bolts nearby.

    Thanks for letting me lead this morning, guys, and welcome to FNGs Survivor and The Hammer.  See you in the Gloom.

     

     

     

     

  • Conquering H8! One Small Act at a Time

    It’s standard convention to end with the Naked-Man Moleskin, but I’m going to stick the important stuff up front.

    NMM

    I’ve learned a couple of things this week from our F3 brothers about how to have impact.  You don’t have to make big waves to have impact, it can result from small acts, but consistency is paramount.

    Triple Shift – If you recently joined F3, you may 1) be surprised to hear that Triple Shift is #Respected among our group and 2) think he is a genetic freak of nature (#AsianAging).  Those of us that were there with Triple in the beginning (and also there when he disappeared for a year and a half) know that he is an average Joe Schmo like the rest of us.  He conqured H8! because he became committed to changing his fitness level a year and a half ago.  When he first tried the H8! he completed 4 and 3/4 laps.  That would have made him the six today, lapped by just about everyone.  So, in a year and a half, he has increased his fitness level by approximately 70% in regards to this test.  Think about that.  That’s impressive results in that amount of time.  How did he do it?  Well, he eats right and he posted over two hundred times last year.  He made changes and he stuck to them.  Consistency works and the results can be dramatic.  So if you aren’t where you want to be, and few of us are, make some small changes to your diet and start posting more.  If you can’t post more then start working harder when you post.  Results will come if you are consistent.  Triple Shift is proof.

    Jingle Vader – I must also say, I was thoroughly impressed with what JV accomplished today.  Another example of the progress consistency creates.  He may have not #ConqueredH8!, but 7 and a half laps is no joke.  That puts him right there with Bubba on that very first H8!  I think he will soon join Rudy and Triple as the President of that uber-exclusive club of respected H8!ers.

    But here is the real lesson I have learned from JV.  On Tuesday I posted in San Antonio. The Q was Madonna, who planted the first flag in San Antonio five years ago  Some of you may remember Madonna from when he posted with us at the Stomp.  When he found out that I was from NOLA he got excited and said that he always tells people this story about new Orleans:  When he posted at the Stomp, he got a ride to and from the AO.  The person that brought him back to his hotel had a clean towel and bottle of water waiting for him when he got in the car.  He was blown away by the hospitality and continues to tell that story anytime anyone talks about New Orleans.  He didn’t provide any names, but I am certain JV is the man that gave Madonna a ride back to his hotel (I think Yankee gave him a ride to the Stomp).  A fairly small gesture in the grand scheme of things, and knowing JV, he probably hasn’t given much thought to it since.  He consistently does that type of thing.  It’s just who he is.  Regardless, it has obviously made a huge impression on Madonna.  Madonna is the leader of F3 San Antonio and, from all accounts, really well respected in that community.  Who knows how much impact this one gesture has made on others as he continues to use it as a lesson in generosity.

    We are all fortunate to be a part of this.  I’m constantly learning from the men around me and being pushed to accelerate and impact the world around me.  Just a couple of lessons I learned this week from a couple of High Impact Men.

    Event:  4th Running of the H8!

    Conditions: 67 degrees and calm

    Field: 10 F3 Nola Pax

    Post your results in the comments below to have a record of your progress.

    The Thang

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (bupee with 8 merkins, burpee with 7 merkins, …..burpee with 1 merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    We did AMRAP and then moseyed back to the flag.

    Lagniappe Moleskin

    • 50% success rate is our best so far.  Remember we were at 0% just a year and a half ago.
    • T-claps to our new H8!ers Walleye, Mahatma, and Triple Shift.
    • T-claps to Rudy on the 3-peat.
    • T-claps to Mahatma for crushing the H8!  Really glad to have you as a part of this thing.  You are pushing us all to get better, and get better we will.

     

  • #ConqueringH8!

    Event:  3rd Running of the H8!

    Conditions: Breezy and 70ish

    Field: 12 F3 Nola Pax

    Post your results in the comments below to have a record of your progress.

    The Thang

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (bupee with 8 merkins, burpee with 7 merkins, …..burpee with 1 merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    We did AMRAP and then moseyed back to the flag.

    Moleskin

    • 5 of the 12 participants #ConqueredH8!  That’s a pretty good percentage.
    • Welcome to Cowbell and Nip/Tuck, the two newest members of H8! club.
    • Nip/Tuck is the first Uptowner to #ConquerH8!
    • SOGO showed up 6 minutes late, or he would have conquered.  #DontBeL8.
    • Now that Cowbell has done it, I fully expect to see him standing across Lakeshore Dr. in flip flops with a Pina Colada in his hand observing the next one.

    Shorty suggested that #ConquerH8! become the new social motto for the world.  There’s a lot of hate in the world today and this has been are rough few months.  So let’s keep growing this thing.  There were thousands of men this morning that committed to making themselves better, and that’s some good news for the world.  Keep at it.  #ConquerH8!

  • The H8! Can Be Conquered

    Event:  2nd Running of the H8!

    Conditions: Clear and 42

    Field: 13 F3 Nola Pax ages 14-49

    The idea behind the H8! was to create something challenging that we can use to measure our progress.  The inaugural running was in October and results can be seen here.  Five men from that first running came out to measure their progress on this brisk morning.  Eight others came to test themselves for the first time.  No one conquered it that first time, but today was a different story.  T-claps to all the participants today.  It is obvious that F3 Nola has improved in the last 5 months.  Let’s keep pushing each other – accelerate.

    Post your results in the comments below to have a record of your progress.

    The Thang

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (bupee with 8 merkins, burpee with 7 merkins, …..burpee with 1 merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    We did AMRAP and then moseyed back to the flag.

    Moleskin

    • I felt like we had a good chance to conquer it today, but our improvement over the last 5 months is more than I thought.  The Tough Mudder is in trouble.
    • Welcome to Triple Shift’s 2.0 Yo-Yo making his initial post at the H8!  That’s a nice initiation.  Later in the day he called us out for a lack of creativity in his F3 name.  If he continues to post, I promise we will try to do better.
    • T-claps to Yankee for his first appearance at Okwata.  Our lack of creativity in naming our FNG was certainly not due to him.  Who knows how many laps he could have finished if he hadn’t been thinking of all of the possible types of Shifts we might use for his name.
    • T-claps to Kimchi for having not missed a workout yet this year.  Beyond impressive.

  • Can the H8! be Conquered?

    Okwata continues to thrive.  We showed up 10 strong on a more humid than hoped for October morning for an Okwata inspired fitness test.  The warm-up today consisted of a mosey to the foot of Canal.

    The Thang

    Each lap consists of running south to the top of the levee, crossing canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running south to the bottom of the levee, cross canal and run north to the top of the levee, cross canal (bear crawling the neutral ground), running north down the levee and back across canal to the starting point.  At the starting point you do a descending burp and merk pyramid starting at 8 (bupee with 8 merkins, burpee with 7 merkins, …..burpee with 1 merkin)

    At the end of the 2nd lap the burp and merk pyramid starts at 7, etc.

    The goal is to complete 8 laps in 40 minutes.  According to MapMyRun, each loop is approximately 0.4 miles.  Therefore, to conquer the H8! you will have to do the following in 40 minutes:

    • Run over 3 Miles of Hills
    • 550 Yards of Bear Crawls
    • 36 Burpees
    • 120 Merkins

    We did AMRAP and then moseyed back to the flag.

    Moleskin

    • No one conquered it today.  Bubba was about 20 seconds from victory.  He apparently almost splashed on the backside of lap 8, which would have been an epic way to kick off the inagural H8!.
    • Post your number of laps in the comments if you want a record of your accomplishment.  Half laps count.
    • Better luck to us all next time.