The weather man promised lows of 35 overnight—which would have made the Vortex a slushy pot of goodness. Instead, the ten PAX who braved dangerous roads to show up found the fields to be a sheet of ice, solid in the 27-degree weather. It was nice not to worry about getting wet! Since there were no lines on the field, we made do with cones in the four corners and a circle of cones in the center.
After warm ups (without running!), we went to the center circle. Dividing into four groups of two or three, we then bear crawled out to one of four stations. PAX at station one did 15 cadence-count overhead presses with a cinder block; at station two 15 cadence-count thrusters with rucksacks; at station three 15 cadence-count cinder block lifts (ground to alternating shoulders); at station four 15 cadence-count curls with railroad ties of varying weight. In order to minimize rest, PAX were supposed to hold the weight above their head if they finished early. After the exercise, PAX we initially planned to crab walk back to the center, but the divots in the ice made this treacherous—so we bear crawled. PAX planked until all were back; then did 15 cadence-count merkins and 15 cadence-count air squats before rotating to the next station.
After one complete round, we made the second circuit a quick one. PAX lunge walked to the corners, did 10 cadence-count reps, then jogged back for 10 cadence-count merkins and air squats. After the final rotation, we did 20 cadence-count merkins and air squats to celebrate. Mary was brief: Freddie Mercuries; ring of fire (low-plank hold); and—despite Bushwood’s absence—flutter kicks.
I loved playing in the snow with my kids, but I was about as ready as one can be to burn off some pent-up energy and to get back into the office. It was great to start the (delayed) work week with such an incredible group of guys. The pre-party ruck was a special bonus.
