While YHC was away from the table getting a refill at the coffee shop last week, Steroid and HorseHair decided he should do his Virgin Q. In retrospect, the push was probably a good idea. PAX of 19 showed up to encourage, and encourage they did.
Warmup and Then Some
No FNGs, but a shout out to My Pleasure; his first post was a week ago, and this is his 5th post already!
A disclaimer was given plus some thoughts about handicaps. Then run around the baseball field block and then to the grassy circle near the swimming pool, to enjoy a nice appetizer of ~20 each of IW’s, Good Mornings, Fazio Arm Circles, Peter Parkers. Followed by some foreshadowing of things to come with Plank Jacks and Squats.
Said squats are formally called “Both hands touch the ground sumo squats with good form where arms stay inside the knee so you aren’t bending your back overmuch followed by a jump as if shooting a basketball over Yoda’s head for the game-winning shot”, but that eventually shortened to “Two-Handed Buzzer Shot Sumo Squats”, and then lung capacity passed that morphed into something like “Sumo Buzzer Squats.” But I get ahead of myself.
Mosey to the nearby parking lot for three runs around the tree island and back, followed by different exercises each lap (Sumo Buzzer Squats, WW2s, Plank Jacks). On one lap Orwell started off early, so of course YHC had to lead everyone in the opposite direction for that lap.
The HT guys arrive, and we mosey to the nearest building for BTTW, where instead of any cadence, PAX patiently wait inverted while I describe my late aunt Mattie Erma Edwards Parker. She was a curator for North Carolina’s History Museum here in Raleigh, and researched and wrote many of the Historical Markers that appear all over the state. Explained that each marker has a year on it in which the event took place, and that this just might become significant to us.
The Thang
Run on a course out of Chavis and around Shaw University. Every time we saw a Historical Marker, take note of the last digit of the first date. E.g., use the ‘3’ out of 1763. If the last digit is 2 or less, then add 10 (thus ‘0’ becomes ‘10’). At each marker, do OYO exercises, but wait for PAX to catch up before starting the next one.
- N → burpees
- N x 2 → Two-Handed Buzzer-Shot Sumo Squat Yoda Things
- N x 3 → Plank Jacks
- N x 4 → LBCs
Here’s what we learned:
- John Chavis (1763-1838) – African American teacher, preacher, & Revolutionary War veteran. Taught free black & prominent white students in school nearby.
- Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – Civil rights organization, an outgrowth of sit-in movement, had origins in conference at Shaw University, Apr. 15-17, 1960.
- Leonard Medical School – Nation’s first four-year medical school. Trained 400 African American physicians. Operated here from 1882 to 1918.
- Governor’s Palace – Completed 1816. Vance was the last governor to reside there, 1862-5
- General Grant – In the Governor’s Palace April 24-27, 1865, Grant conferred with Sherman and approved new terms for surrender of Johnston’s Confederate Army.
- Shaw University – Founded 1865 by Baptist missionary Henry Martin Tupper. Chartered 1875; named for benefactor Elijah Shaw of Mass.
- James H Young (1860-1921) – Colonel of black N.C. regiment in war with Spain; edited Raleigh Gazette; legislator. Home was 25 ft. W.
That made for a total of
- 51 burpees
- 102 Sumo Buzzard Squat Shots
- 153 Plank Jacks
- 204 LBCs
Some planking intermixed along the way, with variations on arms up and feet up and leg up-down lift things. PAX seemed genuinely pleased once Chavis Park was back in view. Garmin said the entire workout was 2.7 miles, including 1.2 for the Tour de History.
Mary
Moby’s song “Flower” has lyrics of “Green Sally up, and Green Sally down….”, though it sounds a lot like “Bring Sally Up/Down”. For 3:28 minutes, it means we alternate between a 6-inch leg hold and legs up to vertical. Some PAX feared YHC had the phone set to continuous loop.
FWIW, Sally was YHC’s grandmother’s name. She and her sister Mattie Erma would have been pleased with the day’s activities. Or aghast. Hard to say.
COT
Yoda shared that John Chavis (the subject of one of our markers, and the one for whom our AO’s park is named) was an incredible man, and indeed as YHC went back and looked at his article in Wikipedia, it is impressive and worth a read. A Presbyterian Minister who served in the Revolutionary War, he established in Raleigh what became described as the best school in the state, and taught both black and white children. Oral tradition is that he was beaten to death by whites because he was educating blacks. It strikes YHC that many of the markers we saw barely scratch the surface of the challenges that people of their day rose to address. May we in F3 be so challenged to be today’s heroes.
Prayers for Rain Man and his family in the recent loss of his sister, also for others who recently lost parents; the grief continues long after the services end. Also a confidential prayer request, and a confidential praise. Jimmer took us out.
It was an honor and a pleasure to lead. It was also enjoyable to gather afterward for coffee for some 2nd F. Ambassador is a great location, and has a great group of men.
