Date: July 28, 2021
AO: The Jimmy
QiC: Shoota
PAX (19 Total) - OT, Jorts, Bartman, HackFace, Delorean, Wilson, Beans, Braddock, Lump, Hoser, Numbers, Maytag, Chyna, Dukey, Whoopi, House Arrest, Pound Puppy and Shocker.
Pre-Party - Man the preparty game is STRONG lately! I rolled up thinking I would get a little pre-mosey in and the parking lot was already full! Lump and OT were tossing rucks, Jorts, HackFace, Delorean and House Arrest were out running around Franklin. I started to mosey and along the way I saw Braddock out for a run around the football field, then I passed Whoopi running over to the AO from his house. Pretty awesome to see so many men putting in the work before the workout even begins!
WoR - Clock strikes 5:45 and it's time to go! SSHs to 20. Then the fun started. Slow ass merkins. But, we're doing them REAL SLOW. Group MC kicked up a notch as the cadence stretched out. Got to 10 and clearly the men were used to stopping. Nope. We're going higher keeping that same slow pace. The last 5 reps Beans and I made eye contact. I think he enjoyed it.
Thang 1 - Let's switch it up. The men are already confused, might as well ride it as long as I can. On your 6 for Captain Thors. That's right, Mary at the beginning of a workout, is that allowed? It is now! I was really hoping someone would announce when we were half way through because I had a plan. Fortunately for me, Wilson came through! Upon his announcement it was time for a break. Let's do 10 burpees for fun. But, then 9 more. 8 more. 7 more. That's right it's the famed burpee apocalypse! The first exercise I ever completed in F3 Franklin, 3 years ago. Down to 5, then hold on, we have to finish that Captain Thor now. Back on your 6, to finish the Captain Thor up to 10:40. Now finish the burpees apocalypse, 4 down to 1....mosey!
Thang 2 - Arrive at the "pit" - start running and we're doing 10 burpees on the minute, for the next 10 minutes. Heard a few "time filler" cries, but I gotta say, if you're putting in the work and pushing yourself that is a grueling 10 minute span. Nothing time filler about it. A couple of times I gave it more than a minute just to help get a tad bit more running in.
Thang 3 - Grab a partner. Partner 1 crawl bears up hill and runs down while partner 2 sprints the straightaways, on turn 1 burpee broad jump the corner, on turn 2 frog jump the corner. Switch when partner 2 is done and complete other exercise. Round 2 - partner 1 sprints straightaways and lunges corner 1, frog jumps corner 2. Partner 2 politicians up the hill and runs down.
Exit the pit - As TopSpin always said, there's only one way out of the pit. Crawl bear up the hill, every 3rd "step" do 3 merkins to commemorate my 3 years in F3 Franklin. Mosey to the bball court.
Captain Thor #2! That's right, Shoota's signature move times 2, what a glorious morning! This time we slow it down, hammers are done at a slower pace which made them hurt just a little bit more. 1:4 all the way to 10:40 ratio of situps:American hammers.
Moleskin: 3 years ago I finished the workout at Pearre Creek. I was spent. Battled the feeling of spilling merlot for quite awhile. As I laid on the floor at home I told my M that I wasn't going back, these guys are nuts. Not for me. Later that afternoon I got an email from Bartman telling everyone that Spicoli was going to be Q'ing at Armada the next day. Spicoli was starting his cancer treatments and the men from F3 Nashville were coming to converge with us as Spicoli Q'd the workout. I decided if a man was going through cancer treatments and could endure what I had experienced that morning, then I needed to throw my excuses in the garbage. It was that day that, one day in, that I knew F3 Franklin was for me. Spicoli is an amazing dude and hearing his story that day, and seeing the support the men in the group were giving him, was inspiring. I left knowing I needed that in my life. There was a hole in my journey and I didn't even realize I needed to fill it.
Fast Forward 3 years and here we are. I tried to impart the importance of being grateful for your own journey this morning during the Moleskin. Every single one of us have a journey to where we are today, none are the same. And for many men that journey isn't positive, rather it's dark and lonely. It's easy for those men to fall back into that darkness and it's our job to recognize it and pull them back. This group has to be about caring for every man, even the ones we haven't met yet. Talk to one another, know what is going on in the life of every man in our circle. Be there for him, even if it just to listen. If this is "just a workout group" then we've failed, miserably. If you are struggling, reach out to another man in our group, reach out to me. I'm here for you 24/7. The hardest part is admitting it and talking about it. Trust me, I know. Tell other men about what we have here. This group, what we have, doesn't survive without new men coming into the mix who can benefit from what we offer. F3 Franklin might be free of charge, but it isn't free of effort. That effort has to include holding each other accountable and having a willingness to give it away to as many men as we can.
I'm privileged to be a part of such an amazing group of men, thank you to each of you for making F3 Franklin what it is today. It's changed my life and each of you have played a part in that.
- Shoota
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