In preparation for today’s Q, YHC had been perusing the list of Hero WODs to make sure that the week didn’t slip by without the pax of The Wood remembering one of our nation’s heroes on or about the anniversary of the day the ultimate sacrifice was paid.
After scoring the list and resisting the strong temptation to go after one of the real #Snotwogler WODs, YHC settled on “Blake.”
United States Navy Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician (SEAL) David “Blake” McLendon was killed September 21, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.
McLendon, 30, of Thomasville, Ga.; was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit; died Sept. 21 in Ayatalah Village, Afghanistan, in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash during combat operations. Also killed in the crash were: Army Lt. Col. Robert F. Baldwin, Army Sgt. Marvin R. Calhoun Jr., Lt. (SEAL) Brendan J. Looney, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonah D. McClellan, Navy Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class (SEAL) Denis C. Miranda, Army Staff Sgt. Joshua D. Powell, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Adam O. Smith, and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew G. Wagstaff.
With three of the faithful ready to roll, we moseyed to the coupon cage to retrieve a coupon and then to the center of the complex to get down to business.
BLAKE
4 RFT:
- 100’ OH Walking Lunge
- 30 Box Jumps
- 20 Thrusters
- 10 Decline Merkins
Results:
- Juggernaut – 19:22
- Sour – 20:27
- MeterMaid – 20:41
YHC knew there would be plenty of time left to get after another short WOD and was waffling between two of the shorter ones. YHC had planned on calling Coe, but with time winding down on the workout, YHC audibled to Brenton. That being said, YHC called it Coe up until MeterMaid sent YHC a text noting the discrepancy. Nothing quite like the haze following a Hero WOD. Aye.
BRENTON
3 RFT:
- 100’ bear crawl
- 100’ broad jump stopping every 5 jumps to perform 3 burpees
Results:
- MeterMaid – 7:33
- Sour – 9:13
- Juggernaut – 9:14
Great work, men!
The murder of Timothy Brenton occurred on October 31, 2009, in the Central District of Seattle, Washington, United States.Timothy Q. Brenton (February 9, 1970 – October 31, 2009), an officer with the Seattle Police Department, was seated in a parked patrol car with another officer discussing a traffic stop when a gunman stopped his vehicle alongside the patrol car, opened fire on the two officers, and fled the scene. Brenton died at the scene and his partner sustained minor injuries. One week later, as a public memorial service for Brenton was being held at KeyArena, the suspected gunman was apprehended and seriously wounded after being shot by police officers in Tukwila.
The shooting is believed to have been a targeted attack against police officers in general, not against either officer individually. The suspect arrested in connection with the murder has also been charged in connection with the October 22, 2009, firebombing of Seattle police vehicles at a city maintenance facility. No clear motive was established but he had left fliers discussing police brutality, and had expressed opinions against wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was accused of being a terrorist who waged a “one man war” against the police by authorities.
Count, name, BoM
Moleskin:
It is always an honor to lead the men at RED Friday, a workout that continues to be very special to me. It seems I have this cycle every week where I slip into more and more self-centeredness as Friday approaches. RED Friday (and my weekly meeting with my Stone every Friday morning) always puts me back on center. There is just something about remembering these heroes and their sacrifice combined with balls-to-the-wall red-line intensity next to my brothers that cleanses the soul.
Speaking of red-lining, the consensus was that the red-line was found early and often during Blake and rediscovered in Brenton.
After all was said and done and YHC was lying flat on his back near death, Sour said, “Man, it seems like every Friday there is the point where I think ‘What am I doing here? This is terrible.’ And no matter how much work we put it, it never gets any easier.”
MeterMaid and I whole-heartedly agreed with that assessment. We also agreed that if you aren’t reaching that point during almost every workout then you probably aren’t pushing hard enough. Aye.
MeterMaid tried to explain this phenomenon, telling us that the nature of REDFriday WODs are such that the intensity is ratcheted far beyond normal workouts. As we get better and stronger, MeterMaid explained, we simply keep pushing harder during the workouts. It was here that MeterMaid revealed that thing that moves men forward when the going gets tough.
“Even as you get better, you just want to keep going faster. I mean, I guess doing all the reps would be easier over time if you stretched them out across the entire workout. But who cares about over time?” Aye.
What I heard being described was what runners refer to as the “runner’s high.” The endorphin kick one gets after blasting through a workout at maximum intensity is unlike any other I have ever personally felt. If you haven’t given it a shot, you should.
Aye!