Battle is a workout that pushes you to your physical limits (repeatedly), while the mission is one that reaches down into your sole. One makes you as miserable as possible, and by doing that makes the rest of life seem a little easier. The other makes you thankful for all the blessings you have in life. Both leave you a changed man.
They’re the kind of workouts that are still in your mind later that day. The kind where if you see a fellow F3 pax at 8pm that night, the first thing you say to them is “I went to battle today” or “I hit the mission up this morning” and the other pax get it. Neither workout is fun in the way that Thunder or Brickpile can be; neither is easy; both are a challenge; both are a……… well, a battle or a mission.
Last Saturday 17 pax came together for a Battle like none before. It was a physical challenge (which we all knew it would be), but we were all surprised how the Mission merged into Battle to give the workout an extra punch.
Conditions: 78 and humid.
The Thang: 10 SSH, squats, and merkins in cadence.
Count off by 2’s, and form two teams. The majority of the rest of the workout was done within your team. There were six stations (this took about 50 minutes to complete):
- Station 1: tunnel of love for about 40 yards.
- Station 2: run to the big steps. 10 merkins on each, box jump on each. Wait for the 6 at the top.
- Station 3: each pax run up to the grassy circle landing,10 burpees, run back down. Other team members hold 6 inches, plank or air chair.
- Station 4: bear crawls backwards up the big winding stairs (#crowdpleaser).
- Station 5: climb each barricade at the side of the park, LBC’s, BBS, merkins at each landing.
- Station 6: tunnel of love for about 40 yards.
Team 1 beat out team 2 in the final tunnel of love. Unsurprisingly, team 1 still did the “punishment” exercise, which was mountain climbers, sprints, and squats.
Everyone did 20 merkins then jailbreak to the flag.
BOM and COT by YHC.
Moleskin:
- While there were teams, everyone was together the entire way. They say the camaraderie of F3 comes through mutual suffering. The suffering might have given this workout it’s camaraderie (which there was plenty), but this workout was special from the beginning. This wasn’t about team 1 or team 2, it was about team 3.
- Billy Bob gave a moving vignette (not the kind you eat) at the end of the workout. YHC has always had tremendous respect for the man, but hearing him talk was amazing. This was easily the most moving speech YHC has heard in months. #TClaps Billy Bob.
- Great to have some up the Mission pax out there with us. We gave them a nice taste of what it’s like at Battle each weekend, and they gave us a nice case of what it’s like at the mission each weekend.
- #TClaps to the 14 battle pax who stayed for the mission. 14 out of 17 stayed. That’s pretty darn good.
-Stache