AO: Brick City (Battelle Riverfront Park)

QIC: Ball Bearing (VQ round 2. More Pax less police this time)

PAX: Bo Schembechler ; Cross Grain

Lots of nerves about an actual legitimate VQ the night before and nearly ended up coming in hot or fartsacking entirely because the Q didn’t change the alarm the night before for an earlier wakeup. No worries though as I was pulled from slumber by the sounds of my 3 year old shuffling into our room 15 minutes before I needed to wake up anyway.

Met up at the flag and started with some cotton pickers, hangers, Teach stretches and one legged quad stretches with some extra hops thrown in for good measure or bad balance.

Instructed the PAX to sack up and start moving down near the river.

Stopped and removed the bags for some wall sits with the bag out front and over head. Repeat x 3. Lots of praise and thanks thrown out to Ball Bearing Jr for pushing dad out of bed and into the gloom.

Moved to the benches and climbed up. Left the bags on the ground, squatted down and brought them up to the chin for 3 sets of 10. Cement walls, big butts and narrow benches made for some balance challenges, but we made it through.

Climbed to the top of the wall and tried some kettle bag swings X 10. Banging the bag and weight plate on the wall almost forced the Q to improvise a quick sprint when it was pointed out that there may be some damage to the concrete. A quick check showed that it was only a scuff and we climbed down from the wall for the next part.

At the bottom of the hill the pax was instructed to drop the bags and line up for Bear and Bags (Bears and Bricks according to the F3 Exicon). Bags at your feet and assume the bear crawl position. Drag the bag up the hill past your hands and then crawl until the bag is at your feet. Repeat until you reach the top of the hill then back down and do it again 4 more times.

Moved to the stairs for some calf raises on the bottom step. Turns out that wasn’t good enough for the Pax so it turned in 10 calf raises each step all the way up the stairs.

Cramp walked our way back to the flag for the BOM.

Thanked the Lord for the time to get together and get better with each other and offered prayers for Bo’s family.

I was reminded too late that this was one of the first Pax to get together after Bo found himself at an F3 workout last January and how we would meet at the Y gym and help to figure out what this thing was going to look like.

I’m amazed at what you all have built, I’ve been a part but to a much lesser extent to this point. I’m encouraged by the relationships that have formed from this and I’m looking to finally fully committing to showing up as many mornings as I can to get better with an impressive group of men. I keep telling myself that I’m old fat and slow right now, but my goal by the end of the year is to just be old.

My V-Q is in the books and I’m finally over the hump. Hopefully more to come, but I’m hoping to Q at the Van or Camp Willis for a Memorial Day Murph. There is a man I share a name with who gave everything and is honored by people all over with an insane workout named in his honor.

Thanks again for the encouragement and the push to get better.

-Balls