12/08/2021 - Dark Tower - May the Watchers become Warriors BDRC
AO: Dark Tower
When: 12/08/2021
PAX:
Number of Pax: 16
Pax Names: @@, Baby Hands, Ball Boy, Big Gong, Blues Clues, Glenn, Nosejob, Putt Putt, Sam Walton, Serena, Shells N Cheese, Snoop-A-Loop, Sputnik, Stay Puft, Trickle, Uncle Rico, Wide Right,
DR Names:
Number of FNGS: 0
FNG Names:
QIC: Bush Push
Introduction
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~ Mother Teresa
Are you coming to BDRC tomorrow or going to be run over by your reasons not to show up?
Be warmed up by 5 AM and ready to push yourself for the full hour. Workout is first timer BDRC friendly too so time to drop your HC for BDRC below
Warm-O-Rama
I came up with this workout months ago but the North Central College track has been closed. Much to my surprise I found out last Friday the stadium was open again when @Blues Clues led an awesome boot camp there. As soon as my feet hit that that track on Friday I got so excited thinking about doing BDRC there.
I have been like a kid waiting for Christmas this week only I was waiting for BDRC to come not Santa. I had a back up plan just in case the stadium was closed today. I knew at 415 this morning when I did a quick check on the track that it was game on.
Made my way back to the Dark Tower lot and started to loosen up about 4:40. One car after another started to roll in. The turn out of HIM’s pushed my excitement levels up a few more notches
I was so pumped for this workout I almost took off right when the clock struck 5 as I blazed through the five core F3 principles. Luckily someone remind to do a quick count and then it was go time.
The Thang
We jumped right into a 1 mile Indian run. Two lines – both fast and off we went. The lines got jumbled and it turned into more of a chaos sprint to the stadium instead of an organized Indian run. Definitely something I would improve next time but all 16 HIM’s pushed hard on the run. We went east on Aurora to the Burger King, North on Washington made a right at Rosebud (oh I mean Chicago…sorry my Italian roots make it mandatory to use Rosebud as a landmark for directions). Followed Chicago to Brainard and went right on Brainard. Followed Brainard to the stadium entrance.
Unfortunatley @snoop a loop rolled his ankle on a curb at the start of the run. That didn’t stop him. He made his way all the way to the stadium to join us for the main event.
Everyone met on the stairs side of the track at about the 40 yard line. Instructions were given.
1 mile around the track
then go up and down the stairs 2 times
Another mile around the track
up and down the stairs again but now 3 times
Rinse and repeat adding one more set of stairs for each mile you complete.
For an added challenge you could work to do a negative split on each mile…meaning each mile should be faster than your last
We will do this until 5:52
GO! Didn’t check clock but it had to be about 5:10 when everyone took off. Courageous by Casting Crowns was played on repeat the entire time we were on the track. Partly a mental game but more over it was an important part for my COT.
A few guys, lead by Baby Hands prompting, decided to do a set of stairs before their first mile. It wasn’t a flex but they said it would help them keep count of their laps better…modify as necessary includes counting skills:)
5:45 hit and a 7 minute warning was given
5:50 finish up last lap or last set of stairs as fast as you can and then meet by the entrance to the track
5:52 Get in 2 lines again. Indian Run back to Dark Tower. Shorter route this time. Went left around the north side of the stadium made our way through the Burger King parking lot and bolted west on Aurora to Dark Tower.
Guys were smoking this run so we had 3 minutes to spare
5:57 Added a little unplanned OYO run. Run down the hill around the snack shack pavillion and back up the hill to the cul du sac.
6:00 Recover
Mileage covered ranged from 5.5 to around 6/6.5
Circle of Trust
My preblast used a quote from Mother Teresa. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
That we buried deep inside
May the watchers become warriors
Let the men of God arise
And we’re taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight
It takes courage to not sit there and let life run you over
It takes courage to be a man of action not a man of empty words
It takes courage to get out of bed early in the morning
when it’s cold
when it’s dark
when it’s wet
when you know the workout is going to be hard
when you are nervous about not keeping up
when it’s your first BDRC
It takes courage to truly look yourself in the mirror and admit you don’t have it all together
It takes courage to face your struggles
to face your past
your addictions
your insecurities
your weaknesses
It takes courage to ask for help with whatever keeps you up at night
To be vulnerable to someone else about your failures, about your shortcomings
It takes courage to ask for guidance to get on the right track and stay on the right track so you don’t get run over by darkness
Blues Clues said on Friday choice is our greatest asset
An asset has no value if it creates no value
Without courage
we can’t make the tough choices
we can’t make choices to overcome what afflicts us
we can’t make choices to keep moving down the right path
we end up choosing to just sit there waiting to be run over wasting our greatest asset
Making courageous choices is when choice becomes the most valuable asset
Because when we make courageous choices we create value for our families, our community and people around us
As the song says we go from being watchers to warriors
We will be the leaders, the men, the husbands, the fathers, the partners, the brothers, the friends, the co-workers God made us to be
May we all leave here this morning feeling stronger and move convicted to use our greatest asset of choice to choose to live courageously and let our actions do our talking for us.
Aye
Closed with prayer intentions and a 30 second moment of silent prayer.
Amen
Naked Man Moleskin
You ever get so excited for something that you build it up in your mind to be so incredible that the real thing ends up disappointing. Today was the complete oppositie for me. For sure I had this built up in my mind but I never imagined our 60 minutes together would be as good as they were this morning. To my knowledge we had two first time BDRC participants @shells n cheese and @snoop a loop. BD’s and BDRC have taken my fitness to levels I didn’t expect at 44 years old. As a way to pay it back I want to get more men to push themselves to a BDRC or BD. Way to step up gents!
@snoop a loop was a beast. His rolled ankle didn’t stop him. He crushed stairs the entire time staying in the workout for the full 60. @shells n cheese was burning up the track. Looking forward to seeing you both again at a BDRC and BD.
@Putt Putt gave feedback in the AAR that regardless of someone’s pace the track work kept us all together and guys were constantly encouraging each other the entire time. It was great to hear this as I wanted the workout to be hard, to the point that the routine started to mess with your head, but then a brother would be near you with a kind that made you kick it back into your top gear.
Learn from mistakes so will I no doubt do a better job of organizing future Indian Runs so they don’t turn into chaos sprints.
And in case anyone is wondering below is a link to the movie Courageous and song lyrics to Courageous by Casting Crowns. Great movie and hopefully you still enjoy the song after today.
https://www.courageousthemovie.com/
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/castingcrowns/courageous.html
Thank you again to each of you for joining this morning!!
PS my back up plan is up for my next BDRC Q. Hope to see you all there