18 studs and 2 more who stopped by on a long training run came to the Commons for a Run/Ruck. Here’s how it went down.
The Thang – The Grid is a running workout in a 4 block x 4 block grid. The perimeter of the grid is the boundary. Each corner must be run around. The Grid for today is in the ONLY 4×4 block of organized roads in Greenville. This is because Greenville was formerly the leading producer of tobacco in the world until the tobacco buyout program. The pax stood silent as a joke was made about the roads in this town being laid out by drunk tobacco farmers.
Our Grid was 1st St, Greene St, 5th St, and Reade St.
The advantage of the grid is that the Thoroughbreds can run faster by cutting inside the grid 1 or two blocks to extend the distance. This keeps them moving fast AND keeps them with the 6.
Here is the reality of how some pax ran the Grid. Bonus points if you know who ran these grids.
BOM/COT – We stayed in a circle today, giving fist bumps, elbow bumps, and foot bumps. What ever a man wanted to do. We still offered thoughts and prayed it out as is a custom in ENC. We did not Ball of Man. In F3 Nation, we modify as needed AND we follow the 5th Core Principle – End in a COT.
Moleskin – Sometimes in life you have an idea and then can “be still” enough to listen to the Sky Q and learn a thing or two. The workout today started out as a way to break the status quo at the Commons of running out and backs. YHC wanted to keep the men together while allowing for some modifications for faster and fastish pax. Here’s some of what was learned:
- Focus on the Corners – In F3, we have the Concentrica to act as corners. For the Grid, guys could do what they needed, together or individually, as long as they ran to each corner. In life, those corners are represented by the Concentrica – M, Shorties, Whetstone/Shieldlock, and Mammon. During the next few months, we will be in periods where we will be more isolated and together in small groups.
- Stay focused on your M. Do what she needs you to do in order to be a good husband, etc.
- Focus on your shorties. Your kids need a dad who is calm and remains focused on helping the community. Simply play games with them.
- Stay connected with your brothers. We should not isolate each other, just be safe and keep contact to small groups of people without symptoms. No OYO. Our society depends on staying connected in times of chaos.
- Focus on your work as you can. There will be lots of disruption here, so be smart in how you balance your work and the safety of your family. Remember guys may be impacted harder than others during the next few weeks.
- Meet the Standard – Cousin IT will follow directions and run the pattern pretty close the above photo. He always meets or exceeds the standard. There will be health standards that the men of F3 SHALL meet. Lets build a culture of being OK with following health standards in our region.
- Social Distancing does NOT mean Isolation – Having the option to run in a block on the Grid gave YHC a chance to talk with Slim Jim, Tonka, Budweiser, Made Me Late, T-Bone, Fruity Pebbles, Rafiki, Floater, and several others. Some conversations were a longer run together, some was a quick passing comment. The trick is that no one ran alone. No one was isolated.
- Modify as needed – Guys were making the workout fit their needs. Tonka and Budwiser ran wherever the heck they wanted, Rafiki ran it backwards, Arkansas ran straight across the grid one time, and Made Me Late just ran around and around and around the perimeter of the Grid.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” YHC would modify that and say, “The test of the morality of our society during a crisis is what it does for its children and each other.” My challenge to the men of F3 ENC and to all of F3 Nation is how will we set the stage to lead our communities to pass that test.