Backblast #001

Intro From OBT:
F3's First Backblast
Qrusaders1,
Some 34 folks posted at 6:50 a.m. New Year’s Day for the first Qrusade/AG workout at A.G. Middle School. Out of the pre-dawn fog, the headlights just kept turning in off Runnymede – an impressive initial showing.
Dredd opened things under the school flagpole with a brief introduction and description of what to expect, including an explanation of the fact that yes, the Qrusade is just “you against you,” but it’s also you against everyone else out there – and that’s a good thing.
The workout, led by Dredd, went as follows:
Warmup lap around the AG track
Introduction to basic exercises:2
- Merkin/American Pushups
- Wide-Arm Pushups
- Diamond Pushups
- Partner / Inclined Pushups
1 x AG track
Introduction to basic exercises (cont.):
- Knee-Up +The Dolly
- Flutter Kick
- The Little Baby Crunch
1 x AG track
Introduction to basic exercises (cont.)
- Side-Straddle Hop
- Squat Thrust
- Mountain Climber
1 x AG track
Monkey Shockers:
Mixing the basic exercises in sequence, three in a row, with short rest in between.Ran to the top of the hill at the Selwyn backdoor,3 where we retrieved the U.S. flag left as a surprise gift by a representative of the Qrusade/Campos (more on this), then down the switchbacks around the Selwyn track, out the backside and onto the open field below Runnymede.4 We planted the flag atop the corner hill, then did a modified Jacob’s Ladder on that hill, increasing the number of burpees done at the top of each hill sprint to 5.
OBT read a note left with the flag by Qrusade/Campos founder Jeff Guillebeau:
Qrusaders (if you last),
Blood, Sweat, Toil & Beer (to bastardize a great phrase) will breed a deep regard called Brotherhood. If you give yourselves to this endeavor, you will find it, and it will find you. I hope you reach a point today or next Saturday – where you want to quit. So, in the union of men, “you against you” becomes a public and/or common struggle. It’s here you will see there is much more in you that you’ve withheld – or in your weakness you’ve rationalized away.
It’s time, but if you don’t care, we won’t care either. What’s it gonna be, son??
Apostle Gx
We ran back along Runnymede and in at the Selwyn backdoor, stopping at the side wall of AG for 30 seconds of People’s Chair. Here we introduced another Qrusade tradition – the ritual calling out of the names of people who should be present, sharing the pain, but for whatever reason are not. For the record, the first name yelled out was “Martin Godwin.”5
This concluded the workout6 – a good starting effort. We’ll look forward to seeing everyone (and more) back out again next Saturday, 1/8, at 6:50 a.m.
OBT
¹F3 began as a spinoff of a Saturday 7-8 a.m. workout at Charlotte’s Freedom Park that was run by a group of men known as the Qrusaders. That location was known as “The Campos” – AG was intended as a second location. After a few months it was apparent that what had started at AG needed to be its own movement, and F3 was born. For more, see Freed to Lead: F3 and the Unshackling of the Modern-day Warrior.
²These likely were done to a cadence count of 10.
³A distance of about two-tenths of a mile
⁴We’ll be generous and say this is another four-tenths of a mile.
⁵Martin “Zoot” Godwin is a Campos veteran who was involved in planning the launch of the Qrusade/AG location. He was also the one who came up with the name F3 for the new movement.
⁶It was a few more weeks before Edwin “Mighty Mighty Owl Bait” Peacock would propose the idea of a COT to help learn all the names of the new guys who were coming in. More on that in Freed to Lead.