Let’s have a Picnic!

Weather: 62 degrees, really humid with a 100% chance of excessive security
QIC: BRUTUS

Happy 42nd Birthday to Sir Wallace!

PAX: 30!  Big Mac, Bing, Brutus, Chili Pepper, Clutch, Condenser, Coop, Crabcakes, Dasani, Defib, Diesel, Freon, Goob, Hang Ten, Lancelot,
Manziel, Mr. Clean, Papa Smurf, Props, Ringo, Ripken, ShamWow, Sir Wallace, Slater, Sniper, Stagecoach, Steel, Thor, Trump, Zeus

Pre beatdown tune was “For the First Time” by Darius RUCKer.  Get it?

QIC’s planned Thang got totally wiped out by security (pax could not go down to tower level), leaving YHC frazzled. But with help from the pax it turned out OK.

5 Core Principles and F3 Credo (“Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you left him”) were reviewed.  Kind of.  I was frazzled.  WE recovered.

Mosey with a special 60 male buns monkeyhumper treat to a motorist on Cattleman who didn’t even extend the courtesy of a honk.  Warm-up with some windmills (to get used to the 30 lb plate hitting the back of your head repeatedly, which in the end felt very similar to the conversation with your kids about cleaning their room), squats, arm circles, Mike Phelps and flutter kicks.  13 count on a couple of these to celebrate this unlucky day.  Continued help from Coop cuz I still can’t get the exercise call done properly.  Maybe that’s why it took YHC 6 years @ THE OSU.  No there were other reasons….

MESSAGE = PICNIC: I stuck with today’s message, even though the Thang had a strong connection to the theme (I’m saving that plan).  YHC’s high school junior year (1981-1982!) chemistry teacher Philip “Rev” Atkins was a very special and memorable man (passed in 2013).  Not a fantastic instructor, but a GREAT personality, and totally non-PC back in the days when you could get away with it.  He referred to exams and quizzes as “picnics” in an attempt to remove the negative stigma.  40 years later I still use this term.  I don’t trim my 80 foot long, 10 foot high bushes in July, I have a picnic.  I don’t pay the bills, I have a picnic.  Plus it’s a great word – say it 10 times fast.  It’s all about perspective – put a positive spin on the bad stuff.  “Picnic” is a “tool” to influence the perception of the situation or event.

THE THANG: Security had left by the time the warm up was over, so pax made a long slow loop around the tower level with intent to execute original Thang, but wisely decided not to.

Proceeding to low point of parking lot (at the drain grate, that smelled curiously like Ripken’s flatulence), pax executed 5 hill repeats double time to top of S/SE hill, with exercises at top, and return to bottom for a different exercise.  Non-ruckers were to do 2X exercises vs rucker count.

#1: (15/30) each squats (top) and merkins (bottom)

#2 (13/26) each Aussie Burpees (top) and LBCs (bottom)

#3 (20/40) each pickle pointers (top) and Weezy Jeffersons (bottom)

#4 (20/40) each overhead claps (top) and Carolina Dry Docks (bottom)

#5 (20/40) each lunges (top) and mountain climbers (bottom)

Next was to have been the really fun planned part, but pax helped me ad lib here. Double timed to bottom of hill on Cattleman with some uneven run curb work on the way and another monkeyhumper show to a motorist.  From bottom of hill, we split into 2 groups, with Bing leading on to the top of the bridge and YHC back to top of hill at parking lot entrance.  Each group did one set of arm, core and leg exercises then return to bottom of hill.  Returned to parking lot for a round of mary, which was passing the rucks around the circle for about 2 minutes to close it out, reversing direction, and trying not to drop Chili’s 50 lb sack (was dropped twice, no injuries).

Announcements: Bing will be on call with F3 leadership today to get a virus update.  Outlaw Trail Run #2 (24-MAR evening).  Ronald McDonald House (31-MAR). Grow Ruck (03 and 04-APR).  Gator Wilderness Run (25-APR).  SUPNRUN5K (16-MAY).

Praises: Coop for assistance with the Thang and sharing his ruck experience.

Prayer Requests: Lori and Sarah.  For the entire world re: Covid-19, prayers to help quell the fear and uncertainty, prayers for medical personnel that will be on the front line.  Prayers for those that have been and will be directly affected.  Heavenly father, help to eradicate this evil virus.

Post beatdown: 17 boisterous pax @ Panera.

Thanks again to all pax for allowing me to lead (or least getting more practice at it) and your patience this gloom and for just being brothers.