Today marked our third mile trial at the Uptown Tsunami AO since we decided to copycat (sort of) the Wally Sprint. Perhaps in a time when COVID isn’t as rampant we can do a joint time trial with our cross-town brothers. On this Tuesday, however, the uptown usual suspects gathered at the starting line for 45 minutes that would see their heart rates peak early, and from there it was a task just to hang on.
The Thang: .5 mile warm up followed by some light stretching, high knees, butt kicks, shuffles, and a sprint.
1 mile at your best. Times ranged between 5:50 and 7:30 for the 7 runners.
Next, we used the “Running Man” markers on the track at the park to fuel the rest of the workout, progressively speed up for 5 running men, jog for 5. That got us another lap around, followed by a .5 mile cool down.
4.something miles total (depending on your watch)
Excellent effort by all. Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
I do not think I have ever actually taken the time to honor MLK day. Maybe in elementary school before it was holiday. Though back then it could have been mentioned in the context of replacing Robert E. Lee day. Embarrassing to admit, but of course change only comes when you are willing to take an honest look at things. I have never been against the holiday, though I certainly looked at it as a day off or an opportunity for a long weekend. But this is what we all love about F3. Of course, the challenges are physical en face, but those of us that stick with F3 realize that its being challenged in ways much beyond the physical are what keeps us coming back. I couldn’t be prouder of my 45+ minutes spent today with my brothers.
I enjoy history and geography and was vaguely familiar with the story behind the Black Pearl neighborhood. I did not know that before it was the Black Pearl it was N-town. Before it was N-town it was N-town sans abbreviation. It was home to many of the domestic employees and laborers that powered to Uptown economy. It is now 67% white. Despite this changing demographic, it is still home to highest density of churches (not verified) that you will find in a neighborhood. One of those churches is Mount Moriah Baptist Church. Mahalia Jackson, the famous New Orleans gospel singer, got her start at this very church. The most pleasant surprise of my reading was that Mahalia Jackson sang the opening hymn before Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘dream’ speech at the National Mall! I amazed at the blessings to be found should you be willing to look for them. Thanks to those who joined me this morning.
The Thang:
• Warm-up: SSH X 28 (mind fart, no meaning), Grass grabber X 20, IW X 20, Hillbilly X 20
• Black Pearl neighborhood run and tour:
o Broadway Mission Baptist Church: standard plank for 2 minutes
o Mount Moriah Baptist Church: elbow plank for 2 minutes
o Greater Pleasant Green Baptist Church: panther plank for 2 minutes
o Plymouth Rock Baptist Church: side plank/arm raise 1 minute each side
o Zion Travelers Baptist Church: contralateral arm and leg up and hold, 1 minute each side
o Williams United Methodist Church: elbow plan/arm raise 1 minute each side
o St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church: merkin ring of fire x 3
• Drew Brees memorial, 9 burpees in front of Drew Brees’s house (it is F3 afterall)
Back to the flag and few minutes late and with Landing Strip walking slow to avoid a mid workout poop (moop). Great talk lead by Sandbar about how MLK often spoke of the importance of communities coming together in times of crisis. Words that definitely apply today. Thanks for the opportunity to lead!
A solid pax showed up for the first Skinny of 2021. I for one am fat and out of shape and was glad to have the motivation to get the week started well. A quick show of hands demonstrated that Bieber was the only pax present who is participating in this month’s ISI. I figured we could join him for a day. The rest of the pax enthusiastically agreed.
• Warm Up:
o Forward arm circles X 20
o Revers arm circles X 20
o Grass Grabbers X 20
o SSH X 20
• Socially distance run for a bit. Regroup and hit 5 burpees at each of the next 5 running man markers.
• Pull over for a Merkin ring of fire:
o Standard X 10
o Left arm staggered X 10
o Right arm staggered X 10
• Socially distance run for a bit. Regroup and hit 5 burpees at each of the next 5 running man markers.
• Slow mosey to corner of Walnut and St. Charles
o BLIMPs down St. Charles
o Turn around and BLIMPS backs
• Socially distance run for a bit. Regroup and hit 5 burpees at each of the next 5 running man markers.
• Socially distance run for a bit. Regroup and hit 5 burpees at each of the next 3 running man markers. Made it back in time for almost timely departure.
Count off to 16, namorama, and intentions for a great 2021. Thanks for the chance to lead. I don’t think we started a group movement but Bieber keep representing us!
Four Pax embraced the final gloom of 2020 for a jaunt through the French Quarter. @Bad Moon joined us for the first time at this AO, and we launched into a 5.5 mile trek at sub 8 minute pace.
The cool fog rolled off the river, and the usual suspects greeted us along the way. This run always goes by so quickly…so much to see.
Thank you for the opportunity to lead.
I hope 2021 helps me set my roots further with F3 and provides ample inspiration to continue striving to be the best version of myself. Wishing us all a great 2021.
six pax this morning for 5 miles at Tsunami.
We set out to run the usual levee route, but when we exited Audubon Park and hit the levee the 5:30 Kansas City Southern was chugging its way out of town. So a no-go on the Levee but we detoured along River road and then cut back and took St Charles up to Carrollton and then Oak St back through Tulane, taking Freret over to Nashville, then back down to St Charles, and back to the flag. 5 miles on the dot, with 6 mins to spare.
Main Event (causing Angie to check his watch three times hoping it was over): We lined up along the street side of the field for a “Jacob’s Ladder” type workout consisting of 5 reps on the start line, mosey to mid-field for 10 reps, back to start for five more reps, mosey to far side of field for 15 more reps, back to start for 5 more reps of the following exercises (one full set of each):
Burpees
Bonnie Blairs
Low Slow Squats
Shoulder Taps
LBCs on the lines, Bear Crawls on each leg up the field (total of 1.5 field lengths)
V-Ups
Merkins
Lunge walk from start to midfield, crab walk back to start, then Lunge walk from start to other side of field, crab walk back to start
Mosey to midfield, sprint back to start, mosey to far side of field, sprint back.
Woke up early to this beautiful, cool, dry morning to setup the field in front of Audubon Zoo with our F3 flags. Then I moseyed to our usual Birdcage COT spot to meet up with 45 other PAX to celebrate F3Nola’s 6 year anniversary. Before the disclaimer, I told the PAX that this is our actual anniversary date, and The Birdcage was our very first weekday AO. We then headed over to the field in front of Audubon Zoo with our warmup exercises in cadence. To honor our 6 year anniversary, we started the day with 6 burpees OYO.
1.) SSHs x 20
2.) Windmills x 10
3.) Self Love x 10
4.) Imperial Walkers x 20
5.) Peter Parker, Parker Peter, MCs x 15
We divided the PAX in 2 groups in the middle of the field. One group was facing the Zoo while the other was facing Magazine Street. Each group had their own marker to reach to (which was about 50 feet away).
Round 1 – moseyed to the marker and did 10 hand release merkins. Then moseyed back to the middle of the field and went back out to marker to do 15 hand release merkins. Then moseyed back to the middle of the field and went back to the marker to finish off with 20 hand release merkins. Then converged back to the middle of the field to wait for the Six (SSHs until the Six was done).
Round 2 – similar routine as round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 big boy situps.
Round 3 – similar to round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 jump lunges. Also, instead of running, we were side hopping.
Round 4 – similar to round 1 except we did 10, 15, and 20 leg raises.
Round 5 – similar to round 3 except we did 10, 15, and 20 squats.
Round 6 – similar to round 1 except we bear crawled to the marker and moseyed back to the middle of the field with 20, 40, and 60 overhead air presses in between.
Round 7 – similar to round 6 except we bunny hopped to the marker and moseyed back to the middle of the field with 5, 10, and 15 burpees in between.
At some point during the workout, we saw a shooting star with a crescent moon in the backgound.
Round of Mary
We did the following in cadence:
1.) American Hammers x 20
2.) LBCs x 20
3.) Hello Dolly x 20
4.) Low Country Crabs x 10 (Yankee’s lead)
5.) Dying Cockroach x 20 (Hawgcycle’s lead)
COT
We finished the beatdown with COT. Announcements and prayers. Someone mentioned Bogey is buying for everyone who shows up at the Deutsches Haus tonight. We thank Sky Q for giving us the strength everyday so that we can do this on a regular basis. Always grateful to be out in the AM with the PAX and hopeful for many years of this.
Few of us had some F2 coffee at PJ’s on Magazine. Always entertaining conversations with the PAX. SYITG
Gloomy and wet, but nice and cool at 5:30am. Pre-workout recon confirmed that Avenger Field was unsecured and open for business.
Mosey to and Warm up at the Labyrinth:
Side straddle hop
Grass grabbers
Pagodas
Bat Wing (forward, reverse, overhead, seal claps, Moroccan night club)
Mosey to Avenger Field and mudless astroturf for:
Corner work out (x2):
25 Squats
50 Merkins
75 Bonnie Blairs
100 Shoulder taps
LBCs to six, then 15 count
Move to half field/outfield for suicides (across outfield).
Round One – Run to each crossing line and do three Merkins at each line, run back then run to next line.
Round Two – Crab walk to each crossing line, two Burpees at line, bear crawl back, then crab walk to next line.
Round Three – Lunge walk to each line, five squats, Lunge walk back, then lunge walk to next line.
Mosey back to flag. Count, Name-o-Rama, Announcements (PJ’s, Q-Source), Intentions (thoughts and prayers for Bartman’s wife and baby), Sky-Q and gratitude.
The mid-August air was heavy, but the feet were fast and light this morning. Nine of us gathered for a choice between two routes, each with a midway convergence on some cold refreshing water that had been placed strategically for these PAX to indulge in. Or you could show up late, play your own version of “catch us if you can” and join us back at the flag for the COT.
As usual it was a great run. Some fast times this morning despite the deep Southern August air. Thank you for the chance to lead this beatdown, and thanks for trusting the route. Motivated and inspired by all…always.
Our thoughts and prayers to all the families starting back to school, and of course for all the intentions that weigh on the hearts of the F3 family.
Thank you to F3 Nation for being there for all of us.
13 PAX braved the feels like temp of 93 degrees and the threat of storms this morning at the Birdcage. We were lucky to avoid the torrential downpours that immediately followed our COT, and I thoroughly kicked my own ass during this beatdown. Hats off to my fellow F3 brothers who pushed me to the brink today.
The Warmup…Short Mosey to an Open Field (not the best idea surrounded by lightning, but what the heck), SSH X 20, Windmill X 10, Imperial Walkers X 20, Grassgrabbers X 10, Imperial Walkers X 20, Mountain Climbers X 20, Peter Parkers X 20.
Short socially distanced mosey to the Zoo parking lot where we began a routine of Some Merkins, Core, Legs, Run around the parking lot…Repeat
Merkins X 11 IC, LBC X 20 IC, Squats X 20 OYO, Run a lap
Merkins X 12 IC, Dying Cockroach X 20 IC, Bonnie Blair X 20 OYO, Run a lap
Merkins X 13 IC, Real Freddie Mercury X 20 IC, Imp Walker Squat X 20 OYO, Run
Merkins X 14 IC, Flutterkicks X 20 IC, Side Lunge (10 each side) X 20 OYO, Run.
The original plan was to repeat this with some variation on rep count, but the ominous skies provoked a Mosey back near the shelter. It was there, in honor of the conditions that we summoned Captain Thor.
The Captain Thor: Exercise OYO, but start as a group at the beginning of each round.
1 Big Boy Sit Up, 4 American Hammer (2 is 1), 5 Merkins,
2 BBSU, 8 AH, 5 Merkins
3 BBSU, 12 AH, 5 Merks
4, 16, 5
5, 20, 5
6, 24, 5
7, 28, 5
8, 32, 5
With a little over 5 minutes left I called on some old fashioned burpees.
As many Burpees as you can in 30 seconds, followed by 1 minute of rest X 2
As many Burpees as you can in 20 seconds, followed by 1 minute of rest X 2
Back to the flag, 30 seconds of plank until time. Count o Rama, Name o Rama, Soc Dist BOM and COT.
Thanks again for providing me the opportunity to lead. I swear every Q I’ve had I end up doing more than I bargained for, and more than I thought myself capable of. I guess that’s the thing about Leading…you dig into yourself in a way that you didn’t think possible. So, it should stand to reason that stepping up to lead in our community (no matter how small) will afford us the same opportunity…finding out just how much you have inside of you, and realizing there’s a lot more than meets the eye. As we all reflect, discuss, and reflect some more about the current circumstances I just urge us to keep prepping ourselves by becoming the best version of ourselves everyday. The chance to rise to the occasion will present itself, and when it does…How will it find you?
