Oh baby it’s called up there

Preamble:

I’ve been intending to post at Starting Line for quite some time, but never made it happen. Decided to properly use my time off work and the winter vacation to make the trip. Signed up to Q just to make sure I won’t be able to change my mind last minute. I do know myself.

Woke up before 4am to make it on time for a Pre-Ruck. Most AOs no longer do Pre-rucks (Pre-runs are more common) and rucking provides a good opportunity to talk, get to know the other men and connect.

Logically I knew I’m heading north, but I didn’t realize it will be about 6 degrees lower than in Johns Creek. About 52 degrees less than the warm, cozy bed I left behind and totally not missing the warm covers and soft pillow and… never mind. I’m there. I looked around for a few min and placed a board of pain in a nearby pavilion. Should have looked better at the tables there but that will come later. A 60lb sandbag was left near the flag ‘just on case’.

4 for a pre-ruck!

Warm-O-Rama:

Short disclaimer followed by a mosey on the ‘track’ there. Basically a loop. Stop near the flag for some SSH, Weed Pickers, Imperial Walkers, Arm Circles (OYO), Covids (OYO) and Copper Head Squats.

The Thang:

Moseyed to the pavilion where I left the board of pain. 10 exercises, carefully curated from the Exicon for the resulting subliminal messaging. Some of them were new and so YHC first demonstrated them.

• 20 Singlet Merkin (Makhtar followed by a Merkin)
• 23 Mario (jump on the bench, jump to the top of the table, jump back down)
• 20 Alabama Ass Kickers (kick back with one leg and opposing hand, then with the other)
• 23 Reverse LBCs
• 20 Travolta Merkins (Merkin, right arm up with finger pointing high, Merkin, left hand up)
• 23 Gorilla Humpers (like Monkey humpers, but a wider stance)
• 20 One Legged Burpee (exactly as bad as it sound, start on one leg, go down to a one legged merkin and jump back up on that leg.) We did them single count
• 23 American Hammers – 4 count
• 20 Lunges – alpha count
• 23 Spiced Rum Squats (according to the description it’s like Bulgerian split squats) – alpha counts

After every two exercises we run a loop and waited for the 6 doing something (air chair, SSH, squats, low plank).

the Mario was an immediate issue, as the picnic tables were plastic and we didn’t want to jump on them. Alternated to jumping on nearby rocks, 2 jumps count as 1.

During the BD Lightweight started to get lightheaded due to low blood sugar. While he went to get something sweet and modified as needed, YHC noticed his regular brothers knew to pay attention to him and recognized the symptoms immediately. They knew what to expect and how to react. This was a definite F3 moment, proving (if another proof was even needed) how different we are from a gym. Pax don’t just work out together. We get to know each other on a much deeper level. Kudos for this group!!

With a few minutes to spare YHC wanted to make use of the stairs near us. 20 LBCs at the bottom, 20 at the top, 20 at the bottom, 20 at the top and last 20 at the bottom. We finished (or almost finished) with just enough time to mosey back to the flag. Unfortunately the sandbag was not utilized.

COT:

The theme was Smart Goals 2023, so YHC encouraged to write down goals for next year. Think about the 8-block if you know it. Health goals – physical and mental (e.g. reading, learning); Relationships goals with family and friends; Impact goals – work and 3rd F. Also think about goals for your sub-region.

We prayed for people impacted by the winter storm.

Naked-Man Moleskin:

YHC never regretted a drive to a farther-than-usual AO and this was no exception. This visit, especially with a pre-ruck before and coffeteria after, allowed me to get to know the men better and I loved it. This is a tough group, a strong core, that I’m sure will grow and will have a long lasting impact on the community. I’m honored to know them.