Last year on a run around the baseball fields at Juggernaut, Grady, Superstar, Bob Ross and YHC had a ridiculous conversation about which Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was best and who was the better Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder was one of my favorite actors and after hearing he passed this week I thought I’d come up with a tribute workout in his honor. But when I started watching old clips of his movies for inspiration, I lost all focus and just laughed. I never made any useful connection to exercise so on to plan B… Pygmy Pyramids.

33 F3 veterans showed up at Urban Jungle this morning and this happened:

Warm Up
Jog to front parking lot adjacent to Six Forks
SSH x25 IC
GM x10 IC (slow and low … my hamstrings are still sore from Crucible on Monday)
IW x25 IC
Sir Fazio Arm Circles x12 Forward x12 Reverse IC
MC x25 IC Hold the plank at the end…ponder the day ahead

The Thang

Jog to the parking garage at CapTrust
Here we did a modified BLIMPS Pyramid where we ran to the top of the first ramp and completed an exercise set, ran to the next ramp complete another, and repeat to the top then work our way back down. We mixed in some bear crawls half way up and half way down. Stop after each exercise and squat hold until everyone is done so the group stays together. The exercise pyramid was as follows:
10 Burpees
20 Lunges
30 Imperial Walkers
40 Merkins
50 Plank Jacks
60 Squats at the top
50 Plank Jacks
40 Merkins
30 Imperial Walkers
20 Lunges
10 Burpees

Jog over to the fountains by JCPenney
Split in pairs. Partner 1 starts on the fountain, Partner 2 on the sidewalk for the following exercise then flapjack.
Durkins/Box Cutters x15 IC
Left Right Step Ups/Rosalita x15 IC
Irkins/Homer to Marge x15 IC

Jog to the shovel flag side of JCPenney
Balls to the Walls 5 count down the line
People’s Chair 10 count down the line

Mary
Not much time for Mary today… American Hammer x30 IC and we were out of time.

COT
9/11 Stair Climb at Carter Finley meet at 6:30am
Labor Day convergence at 7am at Pullen Park
I’m forgetting one announcement.. sorry.

Prayer requests
For Rain Man and his family. He recently lost his father. Prayers for peace and comfort.
For Orwell’s friend Carol and her family. She was killed in her garage in Whiteville this week and leaves behind 3 children. Prayers for peace and comfort for Orwell and Carol’s family.

Moen took us out with some heartfelt and inspiring words.

Moleskin
14 months ago Moen and I were at a wedding and he told me about “a workout I’m doing that you would like”. After he described it, it didn’t sound much like something I would like, but none the less I joined him at Urban Jungle for Cotton’s Stairway to Elevens. Yes, it was a horrible as it sounds. Many of you know because you were there that day and you were there this morning. I’ve been Q quite a few times now but never at Urban Jungle. It’s a truly special AO in my opinion, unlike any other workouts I do. The endless stairs, parking garage ramps, and urban space provide so many options. And the group that gathers is inspiring. Centrally located, it draws from all over the city and the mumblechatter never disappoints. To be honest, I had a terrible night’s sleep last night. I was anxious. I’ve never led a workout this large and didn’t want to disappoint this crowd. But as always with F3 (and in life), I was better off for stretching myself and stepping out of my comfort zone. I had a blast leading this morning. At the top of parking deck with everyone knocking out their 60 squats, there was an brief moment of near silence. The mumblechatter stopped for a moment, probably because everyone was counting to 60 in their head. It gave me a chance to look around at the Pax, check out the stars and reflect. I’m so grateful to have an opportunity to work with you fine men and was truly honored to lead you today. Thank you for the opportunity.