The BackBlast:

AO:

vineyard

Pax Names:

Mouth-2-Mouth, SGT Slaughter, Homer (Respect), Westside, Spock, Tiny Tat, Beater, Lexi, Gut Check

Number of Pax:

9

FNG Names:

Number of FNGs:

0

Intro:

There was a perfectly appropriate title to this Valentine’s Day beat down: Box of Chocolates. Because the PAX wouldn’t know what they were going to find as the beatdown unfolded. But, Valentine’s Day turned into major “bro” time and the jokes ensued. Such is Thursday at the Vineyard, where the mumblechatter never ceases!

Warm-o-Rama:

Took a long mosey to my favorite place at the AO–out in front of the school overlooking Arnold Mill Rd.
13 SSH (I can't count to 14 at 5:32 am)
14 Imperial Walkers (Taught Beater how to count them!)
14 Windmills (which apparently for these PAX is too many!)
Sun Gods OYO

The Thang:

Took another mosey down the hill to the main entrance of the school–the bottom of the loooong driveway.
Viet-Dan: Lunge walk uphill to light post for 5 squats. Lunge walk to next light post for 10 squats… Lunge walk uphill 1/4 mile+ to a total of 140 squats. (Quads destroyed)
Reminiscent of the scene where Bubba and Forrest meet LT Dan. They walk a long way to meet him on his way to the outhouse. This Exercise mimicked that trip.
Rings of Fire (3x): At the roundabout take the next … nevermind! We would not escape the roundabout! Each PAX given a number 1-9.
1. Bear Crawls. Each PAX took a turn stopping the bear crawl ring to plank, while he did 10 Merkins. (Westside forgot he was #6) We made a full lap!
2. Pickle Humpers. This is where is all got weird, much to YHC's amusement! With the PAX Monkey Humping, each PAX took a turn stopping the action for PIckle Pounders, while he ran a Karaoke lap around the roundabout. (Tiny Tat bemused the fact that we were all now on security cameras "pounding" the pavement on Valentine's Day! … At a high school, in the dark, at 6:00 am)
3. Crab Walk. This is where we all fell apart. With the PAX Crab Walking forward around the ring, each PAX took a turn stopping the action to plank, while he did 10 Derkins.

At this point the chatter was high and the PAX were smoked. It's a shame we ran out of time right before Burpback Mountain!

COT:

6th man was Tiny Tat who shared a bit about himself for the PAX. Let us know that a fever has been passing around his house for a few weeks and his daughter got the walking pneumonia.

YHC provided the background for the beatdown theme… hard work in short distances: In life, we often set our eyes on the destination, staying fixated on the ultimate goal. When we do this, we often don't stop and celebrate small wins thru hard work. We burn out. We lose focus. We fail. Foster Care blogger Jason Johnson describes it with this analogy to running (parenthetical notes mine):

"In order to make the run (marriage, ministry, relationships) more manageable and less dreadful, I’ve learned to set “micro-goals” along the way. Micro-goals are so small that they’re virtually impossible to miss. My micro-goals are the light poles that intermittently line the main road from the front to the back of my neighborhood. I’ve found that if I focus on the larger goal only, let’s say the 3-mile marker, it’s much more difficult for me to mentally stay focused. I’m consumed by the “gap” between where I am and where I ultimately want to be. That “gap” is filled with distance, time and a lot of hard work. But, if I set smaller micro-goals along the way — simply focusing on making it to the next light pole 100 yards ahead I effectively shorten the “gap.” This helps pass the time, establishes momentum and builds confidence along the way."

"Ministry (marriage, parenting, relationships) is a marathon, not a sprint. And while we are all visionaries and see where we ultimately want to be, it’s necessary — if not critical — to set micro-goals along the way. Otherwise, we’ll burn out in the big gap, become disillusioned with the process and perhaps, worst of all, lose the joy we once had for the purpose that compelled us in the first place."

Men, love your wives this Valentine's Day. Set a goal to do one thing you aren't already doing–something small–that gets you further in the race with her.

Naked Man Moleskin:

From Urban Disctionary:
picklemonkey:
1. someone who goes to work, but does not work. they spend the day on forums and telling jokes. (Hmmmm…. Slack?)
2. Large dangerous mammal, consisting of the face, arms, and legs of a monkey, and the body of a pickle. Highly dangerous when provoked. Very rare. If you ever see a Picklemonkey, it is already too late.