- When: 7/3/2018
- QIC: Yard Sale
- The PAX: Full Monty (respect), Bada Bing, Pom Pom, Mr. Yuk, Wood Shack, Inside Out, Snookie, Airbags, Bullwinkle, Low Maintenance, Outhouse, Sandcrab (respect), Blackout (respect), Slash (respect), McDreamy (respect)
16 strong Pax joined the formation ready for battle. Excellent turnout. Nobody shied away from Aaahnold’s warning of “Embrace the Pain”. This just shows that, when the going gets tough, Badlanders get tougher.
With only 3 ½ hours sleep and fighting a cold, YHC was nervous about leading today’s regimen. Bed 12:45AM. Jumped out of bed fully alert and ready at 2:56AM. Uh oh, too early. Back in the sack I went. Alarm rattled at 4:20AM, but this time was much, much different. YHC felt like a zombie from the Walking Dead who just got smashed over the head with a baseball bat.
However, nothing could keep me from this F3 Day of Pain. I kept telling myself “Embrace the Pain”. Perhaps this was destiny showing me the path?
Arriving at the flag at 5:25AM did not install confidence in the Pax for today’s leader. However, I was determined to show them otherwise, and invited them on my journey to pain. We started promptly at 5:30AM. Nobody was late, which was a good omen. My hunch that this would be a good day was subsequently confirmed during the first exercise.
Early morning side straddle hops have a shaky history of being “sometimes good”, but often discombobulated and out of formation. However, this day was different. I witnessed the most outstanding cadence on the first exercise that YHC has seen in a long time. Full circle of men around flag, check. Equal spacing… check. Perfect cadence… check. All arms up and down in formation… check. Perfect unity. Possibly the Pax were preparing themselves for their inevitable meeting with pain. Pain brings focus. Someone witnessed a few subversives in the trees (they were not hogs), who promptly scattered after the Pax displayed its might. Indeed, this was going to be a good day!
Bill Murray would have been proud.
Razzle Dazzle!
Warmup
- 10 Side Straddle Hops (impeccable, I might add)
- 10 Reacher
- 10 Hillbillies
- 10 Don Quioxtes
- Pigeon Pose
- Limp Member
The Thang
Started with a mosey to the football field, sprinkled with some karaoke left and right. In the distance, the Pax-on-Point noticed twinkling lights and alerted the team. No, they were not pixies. They were distance markers to track our Pain Progress.
It was time to start the Pain Train. We circled up for Circle Burps. Starting with a high knee chop, everyone proceeded nicely in rapid succession around the horn, with a couple of breathers offered by the more generous Pax.
Then we lined up on the goal line to try an exercise that we have failed miserably at the last two times we tried it: The Fire Drill– quickly rolling on ground left and right on command (modified to omit the merkin). YHC was determined to get it right with today’s very promising platoon. Having learned from previous debacles, YHC stood behind the Pax so we all shared the same sense of direction, and warned them not to disappoint. Success! Despite the early hour, the Pax quickly rolled left and right on command in rapid succession with no errors. The Pain Train has left the station, fully synchronized, and ready for the next stop.
We then lined up to say hello to our old friend, Dora the Pain Giver. Pairing up in two’s, we tackled the hardest exercise of the day- Dora 1-2-3. YHC’s favorite exercise, because it involves teamwork, reps, running, hits upper body, core, and lower body, all with one simple utterance of the word “Go!”. I’d say it’s like cheating for the Q, because it uses up a large portion of time. But that would be an insult to Dora. This exercise rocks and delivers pain in heaping measures.
As Dora dished out extra servings of pain, the Pax responded with several loud calls of “GO BADLANDERS!!!”, which could be heard miles away. Dogs barked in the gloom. Women grabbed their children, while sleepy men in their underwear grabbed their guns. Little did they know that the Badlanders are here to protect, not harm.
- Pax split into pairs: one’s and two’s
- One’s exercise, while two’s run to far blinking light and back (about 100 yards each way)
- Alternate until goal completed.
- Team goal: 100 merkins, 200 LBCs, 300 lunges.
- Early finishers were instructed to continue with more merkins, LBCs or lunges (whichever they were weakest at and needed the most work) until six was in.
Following Dora 1-2-3, I thought I smelled the distinct aroma of 12-year aged island rum emanating from Black Out’s pores. He just returned from Elbow Cay in the Bahamas and was apparently purging indigenous toxins. Pain Purges.
We then mosied to the wall for 2 minute Wall Sits… and plenty of coffee talk. Pax chatter was in full motion, suggesting the team was bonded and comfortable in their pain. Another good sign. The Badlanders continue to gel and excel.
Mosied back to field for Bear Crawls. Paired up. First Pax bear crawled to first blinking light and back (about 60 yards total), while second Pax did WW1 situps. Switch. Faster Pax continued with another round until six was in.
It was time to head back. Indian Run back to the flag. We attempted a wagon wheel, but Snookie was already there, much closer than we thought. He held strong and completed the mission. We were all very proud of him. He has progressed very nicely in recent weeks. One final sprint to the flag, followed by a team ceremonial burpee for the last Pax in. Pax Pain reached sufficient level for the day.
Circle of Trust:
Discussed how it’s important to find your pain and move into the pain. I’m not talking about injury pain. I’m talking about finding the “hard stretch” vs. the easy stretch, and pushing into the pain to conquer those weak areas. Those are the areas that are prone to injury later, if not sought out and conquered. Every person is different and needs to find their own personal pain. The Q cannot identify this for you. This is your responsibility to yourself. Find those weak areas and work through them until the pain subsides. That will help create stronger Badlanders with fewer injuries.
Shared Words of Wisdom:
- With great pain comes change. If you’re avoiding pain, you’re avoiding change.
- The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow.
- Sweat is fat crying. Make it cry!
- Use pain as fuel and keep going!
- Pain makes you stronger. Fear makes you braver.
- Lean into the pain. Love the pain.
- Don’t quit. Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever.
Count-o-rama
Name-o-rama
Ball of Man- Prayers lifted up for how blessed we are to have our health and to be able to be out here working out with our brothers. Reminder not to judge others. All branches come from the same root. Everyone has different circumstances, different strengths and weaknesses. Remember: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”