After a brief warm spell, temps. dipped back down to (windchill) single digits where nine gathered in the dark of the early morning – the Gloom. Men arrived expecting a coupon workout. This was a day I wanted to acknowledge and give respect, so we did something a ‘lil different. This is what it looked like:

Warm-o-Rama:

• Side Straddle Hops
• Imperial Walkers
• Mosey

Thang: 2.23 Run for Maud

• We set out on a mosey and ended up a mile (+) out, somewhere North of Holmes school as #TheNunnery AO pax were also arriving for a joint message.
• Excitement was palpable and understandable, but I had a message to deliver and wanted to get going.

Mid-workout COT : 

I wanted to address Privilege and Implicit Bias, all in the context of Ahmaud Arbery who was murdered two years ago this day. We are men of privilege in this upper-class/upper-middle-class community. We can run through the streets as a large group and no one notices. Ahmaud was not. Some guys made assumptions on him and decisions simply based on the color of his skin.

We all have biases. It’s how our mind categorizes people, places and things. I’m tall – I’ve been asked 1k times if I play basketball.

How we use those biases in moments of decision making is what matters. As I closed my message to both AO’s, I encouraged the men to recognize their own biases and be more thoughtful on how they interact with people. When they make quick judgements, not only is the person missing out on an opportunity, but so are you.

When Ahmaud set out to run, he had no idea  that it would be his last. So on this day, we were running for him. “Thanks for listening, now we gotta get back to Donut Shop. There’s still some work to do.”

Mosey back to AO; Farmer’s Carry to catch breath.

Thang 2 : Coupon Workout

• 3 exercises
  • Thruster
  • Man-maker Merkin
  • Front Squat
• 3 Rounds (15-10-5 reps; Farmers Carry in-between)

6MoM

• Flutter Kicks
• BBSU

COT : Echoed what I previously said. Puck volunteered a local group that mediates race-related conversations and offered to facilitate a group discussion. A few remained for Coffeeteria.

Nakedman Moleskin : Tough topic to discuss, but important. I’ve relied on this podcast hosted by F3 CSPANN on ‘Implicit Associations”. The first Action Item is to recognize how our brains process information and make quick decisions. The second step is knowing when to slow down when making decisions that matter whether it’s leading a job interview or when someone is asking for help on the street. Give a listen : https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/6zpeHTReszDZsmaX8

I’m grateful for the “Break The Mold” discussions happening on F3 National Slack that inspired the idea and I’m grateful for the other Workout Q’s around the Chicago region who jumped onboard to lead a similar workout.

/Kodak Out!!