The Bedrock of Our Relationships

The F3 Concentrica Jumanji posted on Slack provided food for thought. You’ll recall, dear reader, the Concentrica’s components, the five relationships illustrated as separate rings – wife as the bulls-eye, then children, shield, whetstone, and work.

One thought immediately came to YHC while reviewing this graphic – whither the SkyQ? Faith? The Third F? Mulling this while sketching out the plan for today’s beatdown, YHC thought of how God intermixes among all five components – a spiritual Venn diagram, if you will – and how paying homage to Him forms the bedrock of fulfilling relationships. With our wives, we effect a sacred, loving relationship via faithfulness and fidelity, and in doing so, we honor God. With our children, we give, sacrifice and discipline, and in doing so, we honor God. With our work, we fully employ to the best of our abilities the unique talents gifted to each of us, and in doing so, we honor God. It all begins and it all ends with God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Air Bags, I know you’re out there, brother – can I get a hallelujah?!?

Okay, on to today’s fun, to honor the SkyQ by making the most of our physical abilities.

Warm-Up
We started off with some SSH’s. Now, theoretically, the Pax was to execute said SSH’s in cadence. In reality, not so much. After the sixth non-cadential hop, YHC cut it off and shifted to the dreaded 29s, where the Q counts the first five SSHs and then everything goes silent, until the Pax (theoretically) stops in unison – in other words, at the same time! – on the 29th hop. That didn’t happen. Unwelcome ramifications would later ensue.

A little mosey, some Hillbillies, and it was time to get to really get to work.

Lunge Fun
At the opening of the second parking lot, each Pax grabbed two pavers and held them overhead. We walked as a group for ten lunge steps, and then stopped and did 20 mountain climbers and 10 monkey humpers. Rinse and repeat down to the third lot. I think the Pax agreed, the monkey humpers pleasingly accented the lunges. Modification: Instead of holding the pavers overhead, we did a couple of walks doing curls with the pavers.

Beat the Clock
At the opening of the third parking lot we ditched the pavers. The eagle-eyed McDreamy spied a bucket suspiciously sitting alone in the gloom, and sure enough, the good doctor had sniffed out part of today’s fun. Everyone was excited to see it filled with golf balls! We left said bucket and moseyed ~ 100 yards to another bucket – one that was empty – and then partnered up. It must be noted that the partnering came after some extended confusion on the part of YHC as to the enumeration of the Pax this morning. Of course, the always-empathetic Pax, led by nurturing Outhouse, gently corrected YHC, as opposed to busting YHC’s (non-golf) balls over it. Actually, for the record, balls were busted, and deservedly so.

So… Partner 1 took off running toward the bucket of balls that was ~ 100 yards away. Upon arriving at the bucket, P1 performed 10 merkins, grabbed a ball, and hoofed it back to Partner 2, who was doing LBCs. P1 dropped the ball in the empty bucket, and then he and P2 switched duties. Each Badlander ran about 1,000 yards as part of this exercise, and did so at an admirable, non-mosey sort of pace. The goal was to empty the far bucket before 10 minutes was up. Alas, we did NOT beat the clock. Balls remained in the far bucket. Unwelcome ramifications would shortly ensue. However, it should be noted that the Pax didn’t give this exercise short shrift, with Gump and Show & Tell in particular motoring out there. Well done, gentlemen.

Burpee-Enhanced Beep Test
Some of the Pax have had the pleasure – yes, pleasure – of engaging in the beep test at previous beatdowns ITG. For the uninitiated, the beep test is simply a series of timed shuttle runs. There are 21 levels, and each level has a certain number of shuttles within it, and each shuttle must be executed in a certain amount of time. Level one starts off easy enough, but with each subsequent level, the completion time gets faster and faster. Courtesy of a “mobile application” that one of my children “downloaded” for me onto my “cellular telephone” – yes, for a senior citizen, YHC is something of a tech savant – we embarked on the beep test, but we did so with a twist. YHC had been on the fence as to whether to require the Pax to do one burpee at the end of each shuttle. Given the calamitous results of the 29s and Beat the Clock exercises, YHC was left with no other choice – the Pax would perform one burpee at the end of each shuttle. (YHC is pretty sure he heard Gravy whisper “Yes!” upon this announcement – G-Train is an animal!)

The goal was to finish five levels, which would take five minutes and result in the execution of 41 burpees. However, with all of us winded from Beat the Clock, modification was needed about halfway through, with burpees turning into merkins. When merkins became too challenging, the Pax was encouraged to keep running and keep time with the beeps. This was challenging, and the Pax performed admirably. It warmed YHC’s heart to see several members of the Pax bent over, hands on hips, at the conclusion of this. Mission accomplished. Everyone just advanced their endurance.

COT / BOM
Announcements: F2 at Seven Rivers near Town Center today. G-Train is signed up for a half marathon. Mark YHC’s words, the day is coming when this cat will be doing full-length Ironman events.
Prayers for friends with ill children; for the continued success of Gravy’s son at school; for all needs unspoken.
Always a pleasure. YHC … out!