Testimonials
It Gets Better….
I moved into the area during the summer of 2017. A few months passed and we began to meet our neighbors. You know how it is when moving into a new neighborhood… you see a family walking down the street and you and your wife begin to size them up, “look honey - they are probably about our age, have young kids, they look ‘cool’, etc. etc.” That was me when I saw @Radio and his family. He and I would give the casual wave when we saw one another, and if time allowed, we would stop to converse. Eventually, we began to discuss our workout routine, diet, etc. In March 2019, @Radio told me about F3, and I expressed my concerns/fears regarding the physical aspect. At the time I was lifting weights, but my only cardio was that 5 minutes before a workout (we all know how that goes). He put my mind at ease by telling me, “You’ll be fine, we don’t do a lot of running.” Great, I’ll give it a shot! So off I went into the gloom for a 5:30 BC at Cyclone. QIC that day was @Crawfish. We got through the warmup and @Crawfish’s first workout was “run 1 mile around the track as fast as you can.” Ummmm - but wait, it gets better…
After the mile run, we proceed to RUN again; this time through the surrounding neighborhoods until we come upon a playground. Pull-ups and Big Boys followed (a lot of them). We get through those and then we proceed to RUN again (running and walking for me) until we get back to the flag. I can barely breathe at this point and @Crawfish yells out, “10 burpees!” Merlot was in the back of my throat but I kept it in! @Radio and I head home and I’m completely smoked. He looks at me and says “stick with it, it only gets better.” He convinced me to attend Whiskey Alpha the next day and then Cyclone again after that. The next few weeks went by and I was a regular at both locations. And guess what…. it got better.
Things are going well at this point; F3 is starting to feel right for me. @Radio was getting everything prepared for the September launch of Indigo Rebellion – but then, @Radio informed me that he and his family were moving to Columbus, GA for a new job opportunity. I must admit, I selfishly wanted him to stay. I looked up to this guy (literally and figuratively). This guy helped get me back in shape; he was a spiritual man with knowledge to share; he was a tough guy but a delicate family man at the same time. My kind of guy. Fast forward a few weeks to the Folly Convergence and I get teamed up on the Dora with this skinny ripped guy who lives on Johns Island. “I’m @Swinger” - I liked him immediately. But wait, it gets better.
@Radio, @Swinger and I get to talking and come up with a game-plan for IR. @Radio asks @Swinger and me to Co-AOQ to get it kicked off. So that’s what we did. I read Freed to Lead, reached out to other F3 leaders for advice, and prayed about it. With the leadership of @Diopter, we proceeded to kickoff IR on 09/14/19. And man, it was awesome! 30 to 40 PAX showed up in the gloom on that humid Saturday, and we never looked back. And since then, it’s only gotten better.
I’ve become a better man because of F3. It’s really that simple. I’ve become better as a brother, father, husband, disciple of Christ and leader. I lean on my brothers for advice and accountability. We don’t always agree with one another, but we do respect and love one another. There are too many PAX to name here, but I’ve witnessed so many become better and/or help others become better because of F3. It makes me happy.
So, the next time that FNG seems defeated from that first BC, convince him it only gets better. Because that’s the truth. Physically, mentally, and spiritually, it only gets better.
SYITG
Ray Lightfoot/35/Toxic
I moved into the area during the summer of 2017. A few months passed and we began to meet our neighbors. You know how it is when moving into a new neighborhood… you see a family walking down the street and you and your wife begin to size them up, “look honey - they are probably about our age, have young kids, they look ‘cool’, etc. etc.” That was me when I saw @Radio and his family. He and I would give the casual wave when we saw one another, and if time allowed, we would stop to converse. Eventually, we began to discuss our workout routine, diet, etc. In March 2019, @Radio told me about F3, and I expressed my concerns/fears regarding the physical aspect. At the time I was lifting weights, but my only cardio was that 5 minutes before a workout (we all know how that goes). He put my mind at ease by telling me, “You’ll be fine, we don’t do a lot of running.” Great, I’ll give it a shot! So off I went into the gloom for a 5:30 BC at Cyclone. QIC that day was @Crawfish. We got through the warmup and @Crawfish’s first workout was “run 1 mile around the track as fast as you can.” Ummmm - but wait, it gets better…
After the mile run, we proceed to RUN again; this time through the surrounding neighborhoods until we come upon a playground. Pull-ups and Big Boys followed (a lot of them). We get through those and then we proceed to RUN again (running and walking for me) until we get back to the flag. I can barely breathe at this point and @Crawfish yells out, “10 burpees!” Merlot was in the back of my throat but I kept it in! @Radio and I head home and I’m completely smoked. He looks at me and says “stick with it, it only gets better.” He convinced me to attend Whiskey Alpha the next day and then Cyclone again after that. The next few weeks went by and I was a regular at both locations. And guess what…. it got better.
Things are going well at this point; F3 is starting to feel right for me. @Radio was getting everything prepared for the September launch of Indigo Rebellion – but then, @Radio informed me that he and his family were moving to Columbus, GA for a new job opportunity. I must admit, I selfishly wanted him to stay. I looked up to this guy (literally and figuratively). This guy helped get me back in shape; he was a spiritual man with knowledge to share; he was a tough guy but a delicate family man at the same time. My kind of guy. Fast forward a few weeks to the Folly Convergence and I get teamed up on the Dora with this skinny ripped guy who lives on Johns Island. “I’m @Swinger” - I liked him immediately. But wait, it gets better.
@Radio, @Swinger and I get to talking and come up with a game-plan for IR. @Radio asks @Swinger and me to Co-AOQ to get it kicked off. So that’s what we did. I read Freed to Lead, reached out to other F3 leaders for advice, and prayed about it. With the leadership of @Diopter, we proceeded to kickoff IR on 09/14/19. And man, it was awesome! 30 to 40 PAX showed up in the gloom on that humid Saturday, and we never looked back. And since then, it’s only gotten better.
I’ve become a better man because of F3. It’s really that simple. I’ve become better as a brother, father, husband, disciple of Christ and leader. I lean on my brothers for advice and accountability. We don’t always agree with one another, but we do respect and love one another. There are too many PAX to name here, but I’ve witnessed so many become better and/or help others become better because of F3. It makes me happy.
So, the next time that FNG seems defeated from that first BC, convince him it only gets better. Because that’s the truth. Physically, mentally, and spiritually, it only gets better.
SYITG
Ray Lightfoot/35/Toxic
7 Reasons to Join F3 With Me
F3 stands for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. It’s a group of men who work out together early in the morning 7 days a week. The guys also have fellowship events outside of the workouts, including lunches and happy hours. Its mission is to “plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.”
A little background on me
I’ve never been the healthiest guy around. I haven’t been overweight because I have a pretty small build, but I never really cared about being healthy. After drinking myself through college and my early work career every day, I put on a few extra pounds and found myself feeling incredibly sluggish, tossing back eight or so cups of coffee to make it through each day. I watched my father, step-father and mother all pass away at early ages, so I decided in late 2011 to make 2012 my big year of fitness. I started eating healthy, cut back on the booze and demanded that I work out at least 5 days a week.
The change in nutrition was pretty easy because my wife is vegan and she took charge of making my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks each day. We threw out the microwave and moved to a nearly full organic diet, blowing it out on Saturdays as a needed cheat day. Cutting back on the alcohol was a little difficult so I picked up craft beer as a hobby and started drinking less, but better beers. Working out was the hard part.
So, here’s the deal — I friggin hate working out. I don’t just kinda hate it. I all out despise it. I have joined a couple gyms but I have a hard time motivating myself to actually go. Once I’m at the gym, I don’t hit it very hard. I admittedly slack off.
I joined a boxing gym in early 2012 and was crushing it hard, but then the gym closed. From there I moved on to Insanity video workouts. After about three months of Insanity I reached the peak of my fitness. I lost pounds and for the first time in my life, I actually saw muscles popping up. Life was getting good but then I hit a pretty nasty set back. While doing power jumps in a Dallas hotel, I tore a muscle in my back and fell on all fours. It turns out that when you injure a back muscle, all the muscles around it contract to protect the injured muscle. Because all my muscles contracted, I couldn’t get off the floor. After an ambulance ride and eight hours in the hospital, I was out of commission for six months.
I tried getting back into Insanity in 2013 but my back kept hurting and I couldn’t motivate myself to get back in the game. That’s when my buddy Edwin Peacock told me about F3. It turns out that two different groups meet within six blocks of my house every morning.
7 Reasons to Join
I’m still the new guy but after a couple months, I’m loving this workout. Here’s why:
1. Peer pressure works wonders. My mind thinks, "I have to go or people will think less of me." In reality that’s not true--the guys are generally supportive and encouraging whether you're able to come to the workouts or not--but that thought in my mind gets my butt out of the “fartsack” so I’ll take it. When I’m there, I try to keep up with all the other guys because I don’t want to look like the wuss. I got one of my work friends to join with me and I feel like I have to get up in the morning to meet him or I’ll be letting him down. It works. I’m going nearly every morning and hitting it as hard as I can. People push people. It’s like having 20 personal trainers.
2. Workouts are early in the morning. The group meets at 5:45 am in “the gloom.” Yeah, that’s pretty early and you may be thinking “how is that a positive?” The short answer is — once its done, its done. The only thing I hate more than working out is thinking about working out. Working out early prevents me from sitting at my desk all day thinking “crap, I still have to workout.” In addition, many studies prove that morning workouts give you extra energy throughout the day. Extra energy = extra productivity. I’ll take that. With my first kid on the way, I imagine the early workout will also allow me to balance family life easier.
3. You feel like a stud all day. Workouts are broken into boot camps and group runs. Boot camps are held four days a week and are the most popular workouts. I hate running. All workouts are outside, rain or shine, 20 degrees or 100 degrees. The boot camps are pretty friggin tough and “weight lifting” is done with bricks and cinder blocks. I’m just saying, after working out in freezing weather with a cinder block and covered in dirt, you kinda feel like a beast the rest of the day. Think Rocky--that’s you dude.
4. You get a cool nickname. Mine is “Jingles.” On the first day you are called FNG for Friendly New Guy. After the workout, the group huddles up in a big circle for announcements and prayer. On your first day you will tell the group about yourself and from there you are assigned a name by the group. On my first day I had keys in my pocket and the guy next to me said I jingled the entire workout, thus I am now “Jingles.”
5. It’s free! Maybe I should have said this first. Just think about how much money you save from joining a gym.
6. You help the community. I’ve been incredibly impressed how community-oriented and faith-driven the group is. The guys are always raising money and volunteering their time for needy organizations. Aside from a donation, I haven’t been involved in this aspect of the group yet, but I’m all kinds of pumped to get more involved in the near future.
7. Happy hours. If you know me, you know that I really enjoy meeting other men of faith who aren’t afraid to hit the bar for a couple cocktails after work.
Wesley Donehue, “Jingles”
F3 stands for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. It’s a group of men who work out together early in the morning 7 days a week. The guys also have fellowship events outside of the workouts, including lunches and happy hours. Its mission is to “plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.”
A little background on me
I’ve never been the healthiest guy around. I haven’t been overweight because I have a pretty small build, but I never really cared about being healthy. After drinking myself through college and my early work career every day, I put on a few extra pounds and found myself feeling incredibly sluggish, tossing back eight or so cups of coffee to make it through each day. I watched my father, step-father and mother all pass away at early ages, so I decided in late 2011 to make 2012 my big year of fitness. I started eating healthy, cut back on the booze and demanded that I work out at least 5 days a week.
The change in nutrition was pretty easy because my wife is vegan and she took charge of making my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks each day. We threw out the microwave and moved to a nearly full organic diet, blowing it out on Saturdays as a needed cheat day. Cutting back on the alcohol was a little difficult so I picked up craft beer as a hobby and started drinking less, but better beers. Working out was the hard part.
So, here’s the deal — I friggin hate working out. I don’t just kinda hate it. I all out despise it. I have joined a couple gyms but I have a hard time motivating myself to actually go. Once I’m at the gym, I don’t hit it very hard. I admittedly slack off.
I joined a boxing gym in early 2012 and was crushing it hard, but then the gym closed. From there I moved on to Insanity video workouts. After about three months of Insanity I reached the peak of my fitness. I lost pounds and for the first time in my life, I actually saw muscles popping up. Life was getting good but then I hit a pretty nasty set back. While doing power jumps in a Dallas hotel, I tore a muscle in my back and fell on all fours. It turns out that when you injure a back muscle, all the muscles around it contract to protect the injured muscle. Because all my muscles contracted, I couldn’t get off the floor. After an ambulance ride and eight hours in the hospital, I was out of commission for six months.
I tried getting back into Insanity in 2013 but my back kept hurting and I couldn’t motivate myself to get back in the game. That’s when my buddy Edwin Peacock told me about F3. It turns out that two different groups meet within six blocks of my house every morning.
7 Reasons to Join
I’m still the new guy but after a couple months, I’m loving this workout. Here’s why:
1. Peer pressure works wonders. My mind thinks, "I have to go or people will think less of me." In reality that’s not true--the guys are generally supportive and encouraging whether you're able to come to the workouts or not--but that thought in my mind gets my butt out of the “fartsack” so I’ll take it. When I’m there, I try to keep up with all the other guys because I don’t want to look like the wuss. I got one of my work friends to join with me and I feel like I have to get up in the morning to meet him or I’ll be letting him down. It works. I’m going nearly every morning and hitting it as hard as I can. People push people. It’s like having 20 personal trainers.
2. Workouts are early in the morning. The group meets at 5:45 am in “the gloom.” Yeah, that’s pretty early and you may be thinking “how is that a positive?” The short answer is — once its done, its done. The only thing I hate more than working out is thinking about working out. Working out early prevents me from sitting at my desk all day thinking “crap, I still have to workout.” In addition, many studies prove that morning workouts give you extra energy throughout the day. Extra energy = extra productivity. I’ll take that. With my first kid on the way, I imagine the early workout will also allow me to balance family life easier.
3. You feel like a stud all day. Workouts are broken into boot camps and group runs. Boot camps are held four days a week and are the most popular workouts. I hate running. All workouts are outside, rain or shine, 20 degrees or 100 degrees. The boot camps are pretty friggin tough and “weight lifting” is done with bricks and cinder blocks. I’m just saying, after working out in freezing weather with a cinder block and covered in dirt, you kinda feel like a beast the rest of the day. Think Rocky--that’s you dude.
4. You get a cool nickname. Mine is “Jingles.” On the first day you are called FNG for Friendly New Guy. After the workout, the group huddles up in a big circle for announcements and prayer. On your first day you will tell the group about yourself and from there you are assigned a name by the group. On my first day I had keys in my pocket and the guy next to me said I jingled the entire workout, thus I am now “Jingles.”
5. It’s free! Maybe I should have said this first. Just think about how much money you save from joining a gym.
6. You help the community. I’ve been incredibly impressed how community-oriented and faith-driven the group is. The guys are always raising money and volunteering their time for needy organizations. Aside from a donation, I haven’t been involved in this aspect of the group yet, but I’m all kinds of pumped to get more involved in the near future.
7. Happy hours. If you know me, you know that I really enjoy meeting other men of faith who aren’t afraid to hit the bar for a couple cocktails after work.
Wesley Donehue, “Jingles”
Why 0530?
Because we aren’t guaranteed anything except change!
It’s a question all F3 men ask themselves from time-to-time, “Why 0530?”. Why in the world am I getting up so early and leaving the comfort of my home just to go and punish myself? On the surface it makes us look a little crazy. We’ve all seen that puzzled look when we try to explain F3 to someone. So, what is the point? Each man has his own reasons. Here’s why I do it, rain or shine:
I got married in 2006. Like many of you, I was in my early 30’s and excited about marriage and starting a family. My wife got pregnant a couple years later and we were set to launch our new clan. Early in the pregnancy we learned that our baby girl, Maia, had a severe heart defect. The only option for us was to continue with the pregnancy, but we knew things were not going to be easy. We were devastated, but hopeful. Maia was born on July 25, 2009 at the children’s hospital. She underwent her first open heart surgery at seven days of age. For the next ten months my wife and I lived at the hospital while Maia went through many surgeries, procedures and a roller coaster of ups and downs.
Somewhere around nine months I began to realize Maia was declining fast. My wife couldn’t or wouldn’t see it, but I could. My heart broke for my wife, over and over again, every long day and every sleepless night. I can remember praying for hours in the small hospital chapel for God to sneak into my room, take my healthy heart and swap it with my Maia’s so that she could live and I could take her place. At ten months my wife and I held Maia in our arms as she let out her last breath.
I don’t share this story to seek attention or pity, rather provide you all with an understanding of where I have been. I know many guys reading this have been through something just as devastating and worse. Life has taught me that we are all going to experience our share of tragedies, and we must be prepared to respond.
I didn’t know it, but I hadn’t prepared myself for life, at least not for real life. I spent the next five years mostly numb. Eventually my wife and I had two healthy boys, she and I grew our careers and we did all the things young families do. I appeared to be doing fine on the outside, but inside I had lost the ability to feel much of anything – positive or negative. I had great friends and a strong family around me, but I didn’t have men around me that were willing to step into my mess, hold me accountable and push me to correct.
That is, until May 2015, the first time I posted at an F3 workout. If you’ve been around F3 for a while you know how the next part of the story goes. If you haven’t, buckle-up, because your life is about change.
Life is beautiful, exciting and full of happiness. But it’s also hard, unfair and full of darkness, and it sure as hell doesn’t owe us anything. It’s because of life’s ups and downs that we must appreciate the good times and not dwell on the bad. Also, we aren’t guaranteed anything except change. As soon as we get comfortable and life seems to be on cruise control, you know what happens.
To deal with life’s inevitable shifts of fortune, we must remain prepared and alert. What I mean by “prepared and alert” is being aware of ourselves and of those around us. Aware when we need to seek help and aware of when we need to provide it. To do this, we must be physically, emotionally and spiritually fit. When I’m “up” someone else may be “down”. I need to be able to see it and act on it. My available capacity needs to be poured into my brother when he’s down. But, I won’t know he is down if I don’t know him, and I can’t know him if we are not close. By “close,” I mean out in the cold, dark gloom, in physical pain and a little vulnerable kind of close. That type of closeness can’t happen at the office, in a bar or in a text. It has to develop with consistent, physical proximity. That’s why it’s essential to post in the gloom, outdoors, rain or shine and do it consistently.
I know life will put me in the ditch again. It’s not a matter of if, but when. I also know that the next time it happens it will be different. I will have men around me that will, without hesitation, jump in the ditch to help. Not just lean over the bank and extend a hand kind of help, but “jump-down-in-the-ditch-with-me” kind of help. The ability for us to balance out each other’s highs and lows and prevent catastrophic lows is powerful beyond our understanding. F3 is a system that protects us so that we can protect others. That’s my answer to “Why 0530?”.
SYITG,
Elias Deeb | 44 | Miter
Because we aren’t guaranteed anything except change!
It’s a question all F3 men ask themselves from time-to-time, “Why 0530?”. Why in the world am I getting up so early and leaving the comfort of my home just to go and punish myself? On the surface it makes us look a little crazy. We’ve all seen that puzzled look when we try to explain F3 to someone. So, what is the point? Each man has his own reasons. Here’s why I do it, rain or shine:
I got married in 2006. Like many of you, I was in my early 30’s and excited about marriage and starting a family. My wife got pregnant a couple years later and we were set to launch our new clan. Early in the pregnancy we learned that our baby girl, Maia, had a severe heart defect. The only option for us was to continue with the pregnancy, but we knew things were not going to be easy. We were devastated, but hopeful. Maia was born on July 25, 2009 at the children’s hospital. She underwent her first open heart surgery at seven days of age. For the next ten months my wife and I lived at the hospital while Maia went through many surgeries, procedures and a roller coaster of ups and downs.
Somewhere around nine months I began to realize Maia was declining fast. My wife couldn’t or wouldn’t see it, but I could. My heart broke for my wife, over and over again, every long day and every sleepless night. I can remember praying for hours in the small hospital chapel for God to sneak into my room, take my healthy heart and swap it with my Maia’s so that she could live and I could take her place. At ten months my wife and I held Maia in our arms as she let out her last breath.
I don’t share this story to seek attention or pity, rather provide you all with an understanding of where I have been. I know many guys reading this have been through something just as devastating and worse. Life has taught me that we are all going to experience our share of tragedies, and we must be prepared to respond.
I didn’t know it, but I hadn’t prepared myself for life, at least not for real life. I spent the next five years mostly numb. Eventually my wife and I had two healthy boys, she and I grew our careers and we did all the things young families do. I appeared to be doing fine on the outside, but inside I had lost the ability to feel much of anything – positive or negative. I had great friends and a strong family around me, but I didn’t have men around me that were willing to step into my mess, hold me accountable and push me to correct.
That is, until May 2015, the first time I posted at an F3 workout. If you’ve been around F3 for a while you know how the next part of the story goes. If you haven’t, buckle-up, because your life is about change.
Life is beautiful, exciting and full of happiness. But it’s also hard, unfair and full of darkness, and it sure as hell doesn’t owe us anything. It’s because of life’s ups and downs that we must appreciate the good times and not dwell on the bad. Also, we aren’t guaranteed anything except change. As soon as we get comfortable and life seems to be on cruise control, you know what happens.
To deal with life’s inevitable shifts of fortune, we must remain prepared and alert. What I mean by “prepared and alert” is being aware of ourselves and of those around us. Aware when we need to seek help and aware of when we need to provide it. To do this, we must be physically, emotionally and spiritually fit. When I’m “up” someone else may be “down”. I need to be able to see it and act on it. My available capacity needs to be poured into my brother when he’s down. But, I won’t know he is down if I don’t know him, and I can’t know him if we are not close. By “close,” I mean out in the cold, dark gloom, in physical pain and a little vulnerable kind of close. That type of closeness can’t happen at the office, in a bar or in a text. It has to develop with consistent, physical proximity. That’s why it’s essential to post in the gloom, outdoors, rain or shine and do it consistently.
I know life will put me in the ditch again. It’s not a matter of if, but when. I also know that the next time it happens it will be different. I will have men around me that will, without hesitation, jump in the ditch to help. Not just lean over the bank and extend a hand kind of help, but “jump-down-in-the-ditch-with-me” kind of help. The ability for us to balance out each other’s highs and lows and prevent catastrophic lows is powerful beyond our understanding. F3 is a system that protects us so that we can protect others. That’s my answer to “Why 0530?”.
SYITG,
Elias Deeb | 44 | Miter
Sad Clown No More!
I was always the fat kid. I can remember the fear of gym class, not being able to keep up, being told I was lazy by a certain gym teacher, being made fun of by my classmates. This treatment actually led to my behavior as a bully in later school years, it gave me an eat or be eaten mindset. “They won’t make fun of me if they fear me.”…or something like that. That however, is a topic for another time.
The weight struggle continued into my adult life. Gaining and losing 50, 60, 70 lbs regularly. Most recently, I had gained more weight than ever, slamming 365 lbs on my 6’4” frame. The deeper into my 30s I got and the more weight I gained, the more I started to understand this could have serious and lasting consequences. I want to be able to see my kids grow up and have kids and watch those kids grow. I recently lost my father to a combination of genetics, circumstance and a refusal to change lifestyle choices. That will NOT be me.
In May of 2018 I started another pendulum swing back in the right direction. I joined a gym, started tracking my calories and slowly but surely the weight started to come back off. By September 2018 I was down about 50 lbs and getting bored with the gym routine. That’s when my small group leader and friend @JoePa was invited to something called F3 by @OG. He, in turn, invited me and I agreed. So there I am, 315 lbs, 34 years old, being beat up on by the likes of @OG and @HBC with their seemingly other-worldly fitness levels, and it all comes flooding back. The fat kid on the playground fears. I could not keep up. I felt sick (no merlot was splashed, however, I was not so lucky at my first attempt at a stroller strides class with my wife and a dozen other postpartum soccer moms jacked up on too many starbucks lattes, kids in-tow. They beat me until I lost my breakfast underneath the Ravenel Bridge on a sunny Saturday morning…always the fat kid).
I knew what these guys were thinking. “No way he comes back.” “He’s just slowing us down”. “Look how jiggly he is!”. That’s when I noticed one of the more intense pax-ers circling back on a mosey to me. I assumed he was coming to let me off the hook, to tell me this might not be the best fit for me. But no, it was @HBC, just circling back to pick up the 6 and do what he does best, show genuine kindness and love towards his fellow brothers. He wanted to know me, I don’t remember exactly what we said, I was trying my hardest to spurt out 1-word answers in between breaths without splashing said merlot. But what I do remember was that this man was not thinking any of the nasty things I assumed. He genuinely cared about me and who I am. And he wasn’t the only one. They were all friendly, they all showed interest in who I am. I left that first work-out hurting and determined to get better and to make these guys my friends.
As I write this, I am now down 100 lbs total from last May. Thanks in-part to a new found love for running instilled by F3, to a vegan-diet (eat plants homies, it does a body good), the support of my beautiful wife, the support of my F3 brothers, and the strength given to me through Jesus Christ (as is true with all good things in my life). I completed a half-marathon back in February, where 2 of my F3 brothers @JoePa and @Falcon turned up to run alongside me, and I am training for a full-marathon in December. I still have a long way to go, but this time it is different, this time the pendulum will not swing back to fat-kid land, this time I am no longer a sad-clown trying to do it on my own. This time, I have a tribe of PAXers alongside me, pushing me to be better and fueling my resolve to be the best man, husband, father and Christ follower I can possibly be.
See you boys in the gloom!
Ian Anderson (MichaelBolton WA)
I was always the fat kid. I can remember the fear of gym class, not being able to keep up, being told I was lazy by a certain gym teacher, being made fun of by my classmates. This treatment actually led to my behavior as a bully in later school years, it gave me an eat or be eaten mindset. “They won’t make fun of me if they fear me.”…or something like that. That however, is a topic for another time.
The weight struggle continued into my adult life. Gaining and losing 50, 60, 70 lbs regularly. Most recently, I had gained more weight than ever, slamming 365 lbs on my 6’4” frame. The deeper into my 30s I got and the more weight I gained, the more I started to understand this could have serious and lasting consequences. I want to be able to see my kids grow up and have kids and watch those kids grow. I recently lost my father to a combination of genetics, circumstance and a refusal to change lifestyle choices. That will NOT be me.
In May of 2018 I started another pendulum swing back in the right direction. I joined a gym, started tracking my calories and slowly but surely the weight started to come back off. By September 2018 I was down about 50 lbs and getting bored with the gym routine. That’s when my small group leader and friend @JoePa was invited to something called F3 by @OG. He, in turn, invited me and I agreed. So there I am, 315 lbs, 34 years old, being beat up on by the likes of @OG and @HBC with their seemingly other-worldly fitness levels, and it all comes flooding back. The fat kid on the playground fears. I could not keep up. I felt sick (no merlot was splashed, however, I was not so lucky at my first attempt at a stroller strides class with my wife and a dozen other postpartum soccer moms jacked up on too many starbucks lattes, kids in-tow. They beat me until I lost my breakfast underneath the Ravenel Bridge on a sunny Saturday morning…always the fat kid).
I knew what these guys were thinking. “No way he comes back.” “He’s just slowing us down”. “Look how jiggly he is!”. That’s when I noticed one of the more intense pax-ers circling back on a mosey to me. I assumed he was coming to let me off the hook, to tell me this might not be the best fit for me. But no, it was @HBC, just circling back to pick up the 6 and do what he does best, show genuine kindness and love towards his fellow brothers. He wanted to know me, I don’t remember exactly what we said, I was trying my hardest to spurt out 1-word answers in between breaths without splashing said merlot. But what I do remember was that this man was not thinking any of the nasty things I assumed. He genuinely cared about me and who I am. And he wasn’t the only one. They were all friendly, they all showed interest in who I am. I left that first work-out hurting and determined to get better and to make these guys my friends.
As I write this, I am now down 100 lbs total from last May. Thanks in-part to a new found love for running instilled by F3, to a vegan-diet (eat plants homies, it does a body good), the support of my beautiful wife, the support of my F3 brothers, and the strength given to me through Jesus Christ (as is true with all good things in my life). I completed a half-marathon back in February, where 2 of my F3 brothers @JoePa and @Falcon turned up to run alongside me, and I am training for a full-marathon in December. I still have a long way to go, but this time it is different, this time the pendulum will not swing back to fat-kid land, this time I am no longer a sad-clown trying to do it on my own. This time, I have a tribe of PAXers alongside me, pushing me to be better and fueling my resolve to be the best man, husband, father and Christ follower I can possibly be.
See you boys in the gloom!
Ian Anderson (MichaelBolton WA)
How Swinger Got His Groove Back
I grew up playing team sports. My old man was a D1 football, basketball and lacrosse coach and as the youngest in a family of athletes, I competed in just about everything, chiseling down my high school and college sports to football, wrestling, and lacrosse. So, when I finished school and it was no longer convenient to join a team, a void presented itself and widened over time.
I graduated college on a Saturday in June and on the following Monday flew my Bontrager Race Lite, brother, and best bud to Oregon and we proceeded to ride home, dipping our fully-loaded and self-sufficient mountain bikes weighing about 70 lbs. a piece into the Pacific and then later into the Atlantic. After completing the trip in early August, I went for a 6-mile run with my sister who was a marathoner; it was a bit longer than I had ever run, but with my bike-legs under me, she talked me into training for a marathon. Several long races later, including a pair of IM triathlons, I was having difficulty staying tuned-in because most of my training was solo.
Meanwhile, two major injuries have impacted me (and a lot of minor injuries everyone knows well); the second one was a torn ACL that I cut wakeboarding at Deep Creek Lake. The typical ACL tear is a 17 year old female, so at 38 the prospects for doing anything cool again looked dim.
With dwindling motivation and a bum knee I got EH’d by my solid bud, Conflict. That kinship had been forged via dredging through life’s challenges, entering the Holy ground with Jesus and with His help go places we couldn’t go otherwise and thrive. I should add Klondike too and many others. Those guys pulled me in. It took a while but I found F3 and my team.
And this F3 team has a lexicon where there exists an F3 term, CSAUP, referring to a Completely Stupid And Utterly Pointless athletic endeavor that I translate to team sport. In addition, these activities offer opportunity to surface confidence. And I find that confidence in oneself is an important quality. Nothing is more obnoxious than arrogance, but a little swagger is a good thing. The guys I look up to among friends, at work and in life are usually confident guys. I used to have a lot of it. Like when I scored my Beauty, FIA Sprinter. She had the choice of a 6’ 7” medical student who played professional basketball, went to Bowden and set all the records (I shit you not) or me. Aye. Got the girl. Anyway, I think that confidence eroded a bit over time. Maybe life has a way of doing that; putting the nose to the grinding stone and providing is a good thing, but as a result I can isolate and that’s dangerous. Maybe nobody noticed except me. Anyway I have bitch-slapped that erosion and awoke that tiger inside of me largely through CSAUPs.
My first “team sport” was the Mud Run, then the Palmetto 200, then the Blue Ridge Relay and then the Kiawah Marathon, then the Harbison 50K, and most recently the Badwater Cape Fear. These events are locked down in my calendar and executed with F3 brothers. Dooley, JV, Turtle, Babydoc, Chapman (Chapter 11), Dew-Rant (Stoner), Leader (Lederhosen), Crablegs, Spook, Crawfish, Shorty (Shortsale), Potbelly (Porkbelly), Diopter and many others have suffered alongside me. These are friendships forged through a mutual understanding that this painful endeavor is good. The long workouts require Bootcamps and groups runs, i.e. regularly hanging out, for maintenance making these daily struggles doable, even fun, as I grow and learn. Truth is: I have been so deeply inspired by these men I cannot begin to put that into words except to say I am better as a husband, father, colleague and employer, stronger, more accountable, and more confident.
In short, I love my life, every detail including the tough ones. F3 has bested me, expanded my horizon, and given me back my groove. Enough said.
+Swinger
I grew up playing team sports. My old man was a D1 football, basketball and lacrosse coach and as the youngest in a family of athletes, I competed in just about everything, chiseling down my high school and college sports to football, wrestling, and lacrosse. So, when I finished school and it was no longer convenient to join a team, a void presented itself and widened over time.
I graduated college on a Saturday in June and on the following Monday flew my Bontrager Race Lite, brother, and best bud to Oregon and we proceeded to ride home, dipping our fully-loaded and self-sufficient mountain bikes weighing about 70 lbs. a piece into the Pacific and then later into the Atlantic. After completing the trip in early August, I went for a 6-mile run with my sister who was a marathoner; it was a bit longer than I had ever run, but with my bike-legs under me, she talked me into training for a marathon. Several long races later, including a pair of IM triathlons, I was having difficulty staying tuned-in because most of my training was solo.
Meanwhile, two major injuries have impacted me (and a lot of minor injuries everyone knows well); the second one was a torn ACL that I cut wakeboarding at Deep Creek Lake. The typical ACL tear is a 17 year old female, so at 38 the prospects for doing anything cool again looked dim.
With dwindling motivation and a bum knee I got EH’d by my solid bud, Conflict. That kinship had been forged via dredging through life’s challenges, entering the Holy ground with Jesus and with His help go places we couldn’t go otherwise and thrive. I should add Klondike too and many others. Those guys pulled me in. It took a while but I found F3 and my team.
And this F3 team has a lexicon where there exists an F3 term, CSAUP, referring to a Completely Stupid And Utterly Pointless athletic endeavor that I translate to team sport. In addition, these activities offer opportunity to surface confidence. And I find that confidence in oneself is an important quality. Nothing is more obnoxious than arrogance, but a little swagger is a good thing. The guys I look up to among friends, at work and in life are usually confident guys. I used to have a lot of it. Like when I scored my Beauty, FIA Sprinter. She had the choice of a 6’ 7” medical student who played professional basketball, went to Bowden and set all the records (I shit you not) or me. Aye. Got the girl. Anyway, I think that confidence eroded a bit over time. Maybe life has a way of doing that; putting the nose to the grinding stone and providing is a good thing, but as a result I can isolate and that’s dangerous. Maybe nobody noticed except me. Anyway I have bitch-slapped that erosion and awoke that tiger inside of me largely through CSAUPs.
My first “team sport” was the Mud Run, then the Palmetto 200, then the Blue Ridge Relay and then the Kiawah Marathon, then the Harbison 50K, and most recently the Badwater Cape Fear. These events are locked down in my calendar and executed with F3 brothers. Dooley, JV, Turtle, Babydoc, Chapman (Chapter 11), Dew-Rant (Stoner), Leader (Lederhosen), Crablegs, Spook, Crawfish, Shorty (Shortsale), Potbelly (Porkbelly), Diopter and many others have suffered alongside me. These are friendships forged through a mutual understanding that this painful endeavor is good. The long workouts require Bootcamps and groups runs, i.e. regularly hanging out, for maintenance making these daily struggles doable, even fun, as I grow and learn. Truth is: I have been so deeply inspired by these men I cannot begin to put that into words except to say I am better as a husband, father, colleague and employer, stronger, more accountable, and more confident.
In short, I love my life, every detail including the tough ones. F3 has bested me, expanded my horizon, and given me back my groove. Enough said.
+Swinger
Finding Your Purpose/ Fishers of Men
My story is very similar to most. After being EH’ed by Lumberjack, I decided to join him on a Saturday late in June 2017 at The Grove, Governor’s Park, Daniel Island. I didn’t know what to expect other than some sort of boot camp style workout. But wow, I was smoked and realized I was missing something. I definitely had a void in my life and was immediately hooked. Now the AO Q, I can definitively say that day changed my life. Without his persistence and dedication, I would still be the old Sad Clown going through life’s motions of being out of shape (1st F) with no sense of camaraderie (2nd F), and being spiritually empty(3rd F).
Let’s talk about the first F – Fitness. Throughout my life, I thought I was somewhat in shape at 35 as I have always carried a gym membership. I was a member of Planet Fitness and found myself struggling to find time to go with the hustle and bustle of work and raising two toddlers. There was so much inconsistency where I couldn’t find a groove or time. I would tend to ‘squeeze’ in a workout or two during their nap time over the weekend. It wasn’t until after the first post, I realized how physically, mentally, and spiritually out of shape I was. Generally, I am an early riser and the gloom was perfect for me. I immediately became obsessed with this new “judgment-free zone”. There are so many benefits that I get from posting. I definitely sleep better at night and have more energy throughout the day. I certainly can tell a difference when I hit the occasional fartsack. Another obvious benefit for me from posting is my attitude and I am slower to anger.
With regard to the second F – Fellowship, I have established a routine of posting at The Phoenix (Mondays), The Grove (Wednesdays and Saturdays), and The Pit (Fridays). I can genuinely say that the group of men that I have met encourages me in so many different ways. For me, The COT sets the tone for my day. The praises and prayer coupled with the workout set the tone not only for my day but for the week. These men generally care for each other and My brothers keep me posting regularly and now that I’m approaching 38, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am in the best shape of my life.
Now on to the third F- Faith. I didn’t sign up to write this newsletter but was appointed this particular month a year ago. Not knowing what I would say, was obviously God’s Timing. I am a member of the Seacoast “Cult” and we just started a series called Welcome Home. The focus of this series is to Find God while discovering our purpose for him. We all have different gifts that we can use to grow his kingdom and we are meant to be part of something greater than ourselves. So what is our purpose or calling? I believe our purpose is to show others his love for us.
We should be doing this regularly at home, in our communities, and vocationally. Matthew 4:19 Jesus says “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Isn’t this F3’s purpose to follow him and fish for other men? This passage speaks to me as it gives me encouragement to invite and go after more FNGs so they can experience what we have. Let us all make a commitment this fall to reach out to our Brothers that have perpetually fartsacked and go after new Brothers that need what we have.
Let’s do what we are called and be Fishers of men!!!!
SYITG –
Viking
My story is very similar to most. After being EH’ed by Lumberjack, I decided to join him on a Saturday late in June 2017 at The Grove, Governor’s Park, Daniel Island. I didn’t know what to expect other than some sort of boot camp style workout. But wow, I was smoked and realized I was missing something. I definitely had a void in my life and was immediately hooked. Now the AO Q, I can definitively say that day changed my life. Without his persistence and dedication, I would still be the old Sad Clown going through life’s motions of being out of shape (1st F) with no sense of camaraderie (2nd F), and being spiritually empty(3rd F).
Let’s talk about the first F – Fitness. Throughout my life, I thought I was somewhat in shape at 35 as I have always carried a gym membership. I was a member of Planet Fitness and found myself struggling to find time to go with the hustle and bustle of work and raising two toddlers. There was so much inconsistency where I couldn’t find a groove or time. I would tend to ‘squeeze’ in a workout or two during their nap time over the weekend. It wasn’t until after the first post, I realized how physically, mentally, and spiritually out of shape I was. Generally, I am an early riser and the gloom was perfect for me. I immediately became obsessed with this new “judgment-free zone”. There are so many benefits that I get from posting. I definitely sleep better at night and have more energy throughout the day. I certainly can tell a difference when I hit the occasional fartsack. Another obvious benefit for me from posting is my attitude and I am slower to anger.
With regard to the second F – Fellowship, I have established a routine of posting at The Phoenix (Mondays), The Grove (Wednesdays and Saturdays), and The Pit (Fridays). I can genuinely say that the group of men that I have met encourages me in so many different ways. For me, The COT sets the tone for my day. The praises and prayer coupled with the workout set the tone not only for my day but for the week. These men generally care for each other and My brothers keep me posting regularly and now that I’m approaching 38, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am in the best shape of my life.
Now on to the third F- Faith. I didn’t sign up to write this newsletter but was appointed this particular month a year ago. Not knowing what I would say, was obviously God’s Timing. I am a member of the Seacoast “Cult” and we just started a series called Welcome Home. The focus of this series is to Find God while discovering our purpose for him. We all have different gifts that we can use to grow his kingdom and we are meant to be part of something greater than ourselves. So what is our purpose or calling? I believe our purpose is to show others his love for us.
We should be doing this regularly at home, in our communities, and vocationally. Matthew 4:19 Jesus says “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Isn’t this F3’s purpose to follow him and fish for other men? This passage speaks to me as it gives me encouragement to invite and go after more FNGs so they can experience what we have. Let us all make a commitment this fall to reach out to our Brothers that have perpetually fartsacked and go after new Brothers that need what we have.
Let’s do what we are called and be Fishers of men!!!!
SYITG –
Viking
Angry Clown
Four years ago I stumbled across a group of guys running around a park carrying an American flag on the end of a shovel and my life has not been the same since. I wouldn’t say that I was a ‘sad clown’ before this. I was an angry clown. I had an unjustified, simmering frustration always just under the surface. I tried for years on my own to figure out what was going on inside my head without much luck. Almost immediately once I started working out with F3 my body and my attitude started to get into better shape.
About a month ago I was reminded again of the power of F3 in my life. Following my last leg of the Blue Ridge Relays, I woke up with a strange shadow in my vision. I knew right away that I had a detached retina. Six needles in the eye later and I am on the mend. The support I have received from F3 throughout this process has blown me away. More guys than I have space to mention here (and their M’s) have stepped up to help my family and me out with meals, rides, encouraging texts, and, most importantly, prayers. I can’t even begin to thank you guys enough. Knowing that I have a band of brothers that have my back through life’s challenges gives me a feeling of freedom that I cannot describe.
These are just two of the thousands of examples out there demonstrating the power that the first and second F’s can have in our lives. But if I were to let the story end there it would be a failure. The mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. Fitness and fellowship aren’t the purposes of F3. They are just the tools that give us the strength to live out the 3rd F, our Faith. If we aren’t using those tools to be better servant leaders in our community then we are missing the point of F3.
We all get inspired by movies like Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan where men sacrifice their lives in pursuit of a purpose greater than themselves. Most of us don’t realize it, but we have that same opportunity every single day. It may not be in a literal or as dramatic a way, but it is, I believe, an equally noble way. We all have the opportunity to lay down our lives by placing our wants and needs secondary to those of our wives, our children, our friends, and our community. Someone wiser than me said “Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the truly hard thing.”
So my challenge to all the PAX reading this (myself included) is to take the gifts of fitness and fellowship that we have been given and put them to use in your homes, your offices, your churches, and your community. Make a deliberate decision every morning when you wake up to Live Third.
SYITG,
Jeremy “Crawfish” Walz
Four years ago I stumbled across a group of guys running around a park carrying an American flag on the end of a shovel and my life has not been the same since. I wouldn’t say that I was a ‘sad clown’ before this. I was an angry clown. I had an unjustified, simmering frustration always just under the surface. I tried for years on my own to figure out what was going on inside my head without much luck. Almost immediately once I started working out with F3 my body and my attitude started to get into better shape.
About a month ago I was reminded again of the power of F3 in my life. Following my last leg of the Blue Ridge Relays, I woke up with a strange shadow in my vision. I knew right away that I had a detached retina. Six needles in the eye later and I am on the mend. The support I have received from F3 throughout this process has blown me away. More guys than I have space to mention here (and their M’s) have stepped up to help my family and me out with meals, rides, encouraging texts, and, most importantly, prayers. I can’t even begin to thank you guys enough. Knowing that I have a band of brothers that have my back through life’s challenges gives me a feeling of freedom that I cannot describe.
These are just two of the thousands of examples out there demonstrating the power that the first and second F’s can have in our lives. But if I were to let the story end there it would be a failure. The mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. Fitness and fellowship aren’t the purposes of F3. They are just the tools that give us the strength to live out the 3rd F, our Faith. If we aren’t using those tools to be better servant leaders in our community then we are missing the point of F3.
We all get inspired by movies like Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan where men sacrifice their lives in pursuit of a purpose greater than themselves. Most of us don’t realize it, but we have that same opportunity every single day. It may not be in a literal or as dramatic a way, but it is, I believe, an equally noble way. We all have the opportunity to lay down our lives by placing our wants and needs secondary to those of our wives, our children, our friends, and our community. Someone wiser than me said “Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the truly hard thing.”
So my challenge to all the PAX reading this (myself included) is to take the gifts of fitness and fellowship that we have been given and put them to use in your homes, your offices, your churches, and your community. Make a deliberate decision every morning when you wake up to Live Third.
SYITG,
Jeremy “Crawfish” Walz
Always by Example
My story is similar to so many around F3 Nation. I thought I was doing alright; I had a good job, wife and a couple of kids. I hung out with friends and neighbors, which was really just drinking and talking about superficial stuff and complaining about parts of our lives. But we never talked about how to really change it. I worked out sporadically and was always on the pogo 20. But at that time the Sad Clown life was the way it was. In fact, I was pretty content to live that life and just cruise along the Sad Clown highway.
All that changed when Osceola, who I worked within the engineering world, invited me to a workout group in the neighborhood (Carolina Bay) in May 2016. I accepted without much hesitation; I needed to lose a few pounds and get in better shape, right? I did not realize until later that this workout was the launch of a new F3 AO or that my life was about to change, a lot. I remember how I felt after that first workout. I had not felt that way since I was an out of shape Knob starting at The Citadel. I was BEAT DOWN! But I decided to come back because I needed the exercise. Boy! Did I get more than that.
I think about how my life has changed since that first boot camp. I am in better shape. I have run a half marathon and actually enjoy things like the P70, the Tour de Charleston and the Greenway Giddy-Up. But as we all know F3 changes so much more than just our bodies. I have met men in the gloom that are now my brothers. We push each other to be better physically, mentally and spiritually. My faith has grown stronger with weekly bible study and having others of strong faith to walk with, and sometimes carried by, along the path. I have men in my life that when we get together for a drink we still talk about our favorite sports teams, but we also talk about the parts of life that really matter and share what is in our hearts. We serve other men who are trying to right their path at Star Gospel Mission every second Sunday by bringing them breakfast and showing them that others care. But most importantly these men push me to be a better husband and father.
And it is always by example.
F3 may be the best thing that has ever happened to me, after my family. I have said many times that I didn’t know I needed it until I had it. I have a friend that I finally got out to boot camp on August 6th. Toby (F3 name) texted me that weekend and said he should have done it a long time ago. I had been EHing him for over a year. He realizes he needed it now that he has it. Don’t keep the joy of F3 to yourself! Share it with all those Sad Clowns out there that need it, but just don’t know it yet.
SYITG,
-The Boo
My story is similar to so many around F3 Nation. I thought I was doing alright; I had a good job, wife and a couple of kids. I hung out with friends and neighbors, which was really just drinking and talking about superficial stuff and complaining about parts of our lives. But we never talked about how to really change it. I worked out sporadically and was always on the pogo 20. But at that time the Sad Clown life was the way it was. In fact, I was pretty content to live that life and just cruise along the Sad Clown highway.
All that changed when Osceola, who I worked within the engineering world, invited me to a workout group in the neighborhood (Carolina Bay) in May 2016. I accepted without much hesitation; I needed to lose a few pounds and get in better shape, right? I did not realize until later that this workout was the launch of a new F3 AO or that my life was about to change, a lot. I remember how I felt after that first workout. I had not felt that way since I was an out of shape Knob starting at The Citadel. I was BEAT DOWN! But I decided to come back because I needed the exercise. Boy! Did I get more than that.
I think about how my life has changed since that first boot camp. I am in better shape. I have run a half marathon and actually enjoy things like the P70, the Tour de Charleston and the Greenway Giddy-Up. But as we all know F3 changes so much more than just our bodies. I have met men in the gloom that are now my brothers. We push each other to be better physically, mentally and spiritually. My faith has grown stronger with weekly bible study and having others of strong faith to walk with, and sometimes carried by, along the path. I have men in my life that when we get together for a drink we still talk about our favorite sports teams, but we also talk about the parts of life that really matter and share what is in our hearts. We serve other men who are trying to right their path at Star Gospel Mission every second Sunday by bringing them breakfast and showing them that others care. But most importantly these men push me to be a better husband and father.
And it is always by example.
F3 may be the best thing that has ever happened to me, after my family. I have said many times that I didn’t know I needed it until I had it. I have a friend that I finally got out to boot camp on August 6th. Toby (F3 name) texted me that weekend and said he should have done it a long time ago. I had been EHing him for over a year. He realizes he needed it now that he has it. Don’t keep the joy of F3 to yourself! Share it with all those Sad Clowns out there that need it, but just don’t know it yet.
SYITG,
-The Boo
A Need to Lead
What do we need as men? I know what you are thinking, and no I am not referring to our basic elemental needs: water, food & sex for survival. As men, we need to lead and be led at times. For thousands of years, men have led and been led in whatever endeavor, whether it be survival, war, building, family, you name it. It’s in our nature and I believe it to be endowed by our Creator.
YHC was approached at the end of last year and asked to consider serving in the Nantan role for the new term. I wanted to consider it first, not to decline it, but to ponder what F3 meant to me and how serving in this position would allow me to grow as well as serving the F3 community I have been a part of since 2015. When I found F3, I was looking for it. I wanted to be part of a fitness-oriented community in order to maintain and improve my physical fitness while being accountable in that endeavor. I have found more success over the years when having a training partner. That person helps motivate, lifts me when I’m down, makes sure I get out of bed and meet for training. After my brother in law told me about this group of men that meet early in the morning, I thought that was great. But then I purveyed the website, watched the videos and immediately wondered if this is for me. I built up preconceived notions, found excuses not to go. He was far away in Myrtle Beach while the AO was less than a mile away from me. So if I was going, I would have to go alone. I went one day, and with the leadership of LFD, Bobber, Dirtybird, Marco and others, what after what seemed like an intense and almost impossible exercise session, I became part of the community, just like that. I felt the sincerity of these men and actually wanted to come back for more.
So what we have in F3 is a body of leadership, whether it be in an official position or not, you can see why it’s important to be a leader. You do have an effect on others around you. You can lead one person, you can lead a group, whichever the number, it is important for us to do. Having considered to serve in this role, I felt that I should step up, be accountable, lead where I can. Not out of debt, but out of the sake of sharing with these men and continuing to build our F3 community.
Leadership is the art of influencing or directing others in the accomplishment of a mission. The good news is we have a solid mission. If you are not sure what it is, take a look on our website. Make it part of your mission. Anytime I have taught a class, coached a team or led a project, I have become more knowledgeable and more engaged with the subject matter. So that is my expectation through this endeavor, to share and grow with you.
It is my honor to humbly serve you guys. Let’s have a great and engaging year together.
SYITG,
Daisy
What do we need as men? I know what you are thinking, and no I am not referring to our basic elemental needs: water, food & sex for survival. As men, we need to lead and be led at times. For thousands of years, men have led and been led in whatever endeavor, whether it be survival, war, building, family, you name it. It’s in our nature and I believe it to be endowed by our Creator.
YHC was approached at the end of last year and asked to consider serving in the Nantan role for the new term. I wanted to consider it first, not to decline it, but to ponder what F3 meant to me and how serving in this position would allow me to grow as well as serving the F3 community I have been a part of since 2015. When I found F3, I was looking for it. I wanted to be part of a fitness-oriented community in order to maintain and improve my physical fitness while being accountable in that endeavor. I have found more success over the years when having a training partner. That person helps motivate, lifts me when I’m down, makes sure I get out of bed and meet for training. After my brother in law told me about this group of men that meet early in the morning, I thought that was great. But then I purveyed the website, watched the videos and immediately wondered if this is for me. I built up preconceived notions, found excuses not to go. He was far away in Myrtle Beach while the AO was less than a mile away from me. So if I was going, I would have to go alone. I went one day, and with the leadership of LFD, Bobber, Dirtybird, Marco and others, what after what seemed like an intense and almost impossible exercise session, I became part of the community, just like that. I felt the sincerity of these men and actually wanted to come back for more.
So what we have in F3 is a body of leadership, whether it be in an official position or not, you can see why it’s important to be a leader. You do have an effect on others around you. You can lead one person, you can lead a group, whichever the number, it is important for us to do. Having considered to serve in this role, I felt that I should step up, be accountable, lead where I can. Not out of debt, but out of the sake of sharing with these men and continuing to build our F3 community.
Leadership is the art of influencing or directing others in the accomplishment of a mission. The good news is we have a solid mission. If you are not sure what it is, take a look on our website. Make it part of your mission. Anytime I have taught a class, coached a team or led a project, I have become more knowledgeable and more engaged with the subject matter. So that is my expectation through this endeavor, to share and grow with you.
It is my honor to humbly serve you guys. Let’s have a great and engaging year together.
SYITG,
Daisy
Swiper, No Swiping
My F3 journey started when I was out of town and went to my first F3 workout by an invitation from my brother in law, Bret Hammons “Swiper”. He explained that it was a free workout that met at a local park. Sounded good to me. It was here I got my nickname, Big DIF (the Digital Integration Facility or DIF is where I work). I was pretty much hooked after the first workout. A great workout, good guys and free!
Bret explained that F3 was all over the U.S. and got me entered into the F3 app. When I got back in my town, I showed up for my first local F3 workout. Daisy served up the workout and Mustang was my partner for the day. By the end of the workout, I knew I had plenty of work to do to get back in shape and had to learn the new names of familiar exercises.
Not sure what was harder at first, the workout or the alarm clock. The morning wake up was tough at first, but I set a goal to go 3 times a week. Thanks to the comradery of my F3 brothers it quickly became my favorite part of the day and an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
I grew up running and started joining some of the pre-runs for some extra credit before the workouts. Even though I was waking up earlier, my energy during the day was better. My attitude at home and work improved as well. I found it was worth losing that extra few minutes of sleep.
My story is probably similar to yours in that life gets busy with work and family responsibilities. I often put myself and my health last trying to juggle everything else. I began to ignore the need to work out, which at one time was a big part of my life.
Being former military, the boot camp format of F3 was familiar to me. I enjoy meeting with a great group of guys in a group led workout. Accountability and relationships are something not found in a gym. I quickly realized this was not just a regular workout group.
In addition to the daily workouts, I’ve enjoyed the different events F3 gets involved in. I highly recommend getting involved in the Mud Run, P200 or other group events and races F3 is part of.
I am so glad my Brother in Law introduced me to this great organization a few years ago. It’s improved my life in more ways than I can count. I hope to be bringing the pain well past my Respect years!
SYITG,
-Big Diff
My F3 journey started when I was out of town and went to my first F3 workout by an invitation from my brother in law, Bret Hammons “Swiper”. He explained that it was a free workout that met at a local park. Sounded good to me. It was here I got my nickname, Big DIF (the Digital Integration Facility or DIF is where I work). I was pretty much hooked after the first workout. A great workout, good guys and free!
Bret explained that F3 was all over the U.S. and got me entered into the F3 app. When I got back in my town, I showed up for my first local F3 workout. Daisy served up the workout and Mustang was my partner for the day. By the end of the workout, I knew I had plenty of work to do to get back in shape and had to learn the new names of familiar exercises.
Not sure what was harder at first, the workout or the alarm clock. The morning wake up was tough at first, but I set a goal to go 3 times a week. Thanks to the comradery of my F3 brothers it quickly became my favorite part of the day and an opportunity I couldn’t miss.
I grew up running and started joining some of the pre-runs for some extra credit before the workouts. Even though I was waking up earlier, my energy during the day was better. My attitude at home and work improved as well. I found it was worth losing that extra few minutes of sleep.
My story is probably similar to yours in that life gets busy with work and family responsibilities. I often put myself and my health last trying to juggle everything else. I began to ignore the need to work out, which at one time was a big part of my life.
Being former military, the boot camp format of F3 was familiar to me. I enjoy meeting with a great group of guys in a group led workout. Accountability and relationships are something not found in a gym. I quickly realized this was not just a regular workout group.
In addition to the daily workouts, I’ve enjoyed the different events F3 gets involved in. I highly recommend getting involved in the Mud Run, P200 or other group events and races F3 is part of.
I am so glad my Brother in Law introduced me to this great organization a few years ago. It’s improved my life in more ways than I can count. I hope to be bringing the pain well past my Respect years!
SYITG,
-Big Diff