Partner Flyby Races & Mailbox Suicides

13 pax joined Nanny and Snare for a F3 3 year anniversary Speed beatdown celebration.  We sure enjoyed the cooler morning today (with a breeze as bonus!).  It went something like this….

The Thang

1. Nanny had the first 22.5 minutes and took the guys to Skyline of course.
2. Partner Flyby Races
   1. Lap 1
      1. P1 runs clockwise.  P2 runs counterclockwise.  Whence the two shall meet, drop and do 10 burpees, and continue on your way.  Make note of EXACTLY where you met.
      2. Get MAD at base of Skyline until the 6 arrives.  MAD = 10 x Mericans, 10 x Air Squats, 10 x Dry Docks.
   2. Lap 2 & 3
      1. Everything is the same EXCEPT whichever partner is faster (meets the their partner slightly further than lap 1) skips the burpees and goes straight to home.  The slower partner should have been faster and does 10 burpees to make sure this never happens again.
      2. Get MAD at base of Skyline until the 6 arrives.  MAD = 10 x Mericans, 10 x Air Squats, 10 x Dry Docks.
      3. Prior to the start of lap 3, anyone who “won” lap 2 had to pay a 2 burpee penalty when the gun went off before starting their run.
3. Snare takes the reigns.
   1. Mailbox suicides.
      1. Round 1.  Stoli skip to mailbox 1 and do 5 air squats.  Run back to start and do 5 air squats.  Mailbox, 2, 3, and 4.
      2. Round 2.  Side shuffle to mailbox 1 and do 5 mericans.  Run back to start and do 5 mericans.  Mailbox 2, 3, and 4.
   2. Mosey to HCES Mary lot via buslot.
      1. Snare led mason twist x 15.
      2. Nanny led Homer to Marge x 5 straight into low flutter x 20.

The Naked Moleskin

1. A fair amount of mumblechatter ensued when we stopped at the base of Skyline during our warmup run.  Allegedly the pax spent time here on Tuesday.  Sure ya did.
2. When we gathered after Lap 1 of our Partner Flybys and I explained how subsequent laps would be different there was mumblechatter about how this would break friendships and cause multi-generational feuds.  Dangers of a Hatfield/McCoy chasam amongst the pax as a risk….we pushed on.
3. I was not able to keep track of how each pair did on lap 2 vs 3, but after Stoli thumbed his nose at Dropcloth and snickered something about “sucka” and “eat burpees,” Dropcloth had his revenge on lap 3 when he solidly trounced the young Stoli and told him to “suck asphalt.”  I may have miss-heard the prior commentary or completely made it up to increase the drama that you as a reader are surely feeling at this moment.
4. When Snare explained that we would be doing Stoli skips during our forward movement towards mailboxes on the suicide run in honor of Stoli being the Q on Snare’s rookie post 3 years ago, Stoli broke out into little girl tears while Chopper guffawed quite loudly.  Both the Stoli skips and side shuffle ended up being weird hard and stressed all those supporting running muscles.  Good stuff.
5. Congrats to my fellow 3 year anniversary brothers who share this day with me; Snare, Chowder, and Pony Boy.  There were other FNG’s at our rookie post 3 years ago but they are not amongst us.  Only the strong shall stand.  T-claps fellas.
6. The following is a re-post of comments I made during yesterday’s BB, but wanted to re-iterate to these men who posted today:
   1. 3 years of F3 warrants a little reflection.  Prior to F3 I was the classic guy on the island.  Lonely, solo, and outside of a few male friendships – friendless.  I’d get up, work out by myself, work all day, come home, and then rinse and repeat.  A pretty flat existence.  F3 has brought an incredible amount of texture to that flat life.  Mornings are no longer an unfortunate interruption to sleep but a daily event that is highly anticipated and heralded by multiple alarms set to previously unthinkable hours.  With my fitness and relational tanks topped off, I go into my day (at home & at work) leaning forward, not on my heels reacting to it like I used to.  Each room I walk into I walk with more confidence than I used to, knowing that I am fit, friended, and have a band of brothers ready to back me up if ever I need it.  That barely scratches the surface of this iron sharpening that happens inside F3.  The countless times “my way” of doing things (faith, family, work, etc….) has been challenged by the example of the many men of honor, virtue, and self sacrifice that I have had the honor of being friended by has had and continues to have a significant cumulative effect on how I live.  Am I a better man today than I was 3 years ago?  Yep.  Do I thank God for this tool of F3 that he has used to sharpen me?  Oh yea.  Set that alarm boys, the gloom is calling.
7. A word from Snare re: some reflections on 3 years with F3.
   1. I remember sitting at a neighborhood brunch with Scott (Chowder) and Kevin (Capone, now M.I.A.) one Sunday morning as Kevin was explaining this F3 thing to us.  He finally talked us into going with him that following Tuesday.  It was the first time for all of us. I remember being a little nervous. Why in the heck was I up at 5:15 a.m. meeting total strangers, in the dark, to work out??  When that first beatdown (by Stoli) ended, I knew the answer. F3 really was what I had been missing.  The first F is awesome and just what I needed and look forward to.  But more importantly, the 2^nd and 3^rd F’s are what keep me coming back each week. I’ve met more friends over the past three years than I have ever had in adulthood. Guys that I could have been standing in line next to at Harris Teeter, pumping gas at BP or sitting next to at a table at Pippa’s are now my brothers.  We motivate, inspire and lead each other. We’ve build a network not just in our neighborhoods, but in our communities and beyond.  I’m thankful for all of the PAX that have pushed me to be better.  I’m thankful to the PAX that have encouraged me to complete the last few reps or to finish strong.  In turn, I hope I have also been that encouraging voice, motivating fist bump or even that spirited “BS” call.  T-claps to Stoli for Q’ing my first beatdown and to Titanium for naming me. Cheers!