You know the rest:  “I get by with a little help from my friends….yeh, I get by with a little help from my friends….”

Right now, I’m sitting in New York’s LaGuardia airport, waiting to fly back to Charlotte from this past weekend’s 25 year college reunion at West Point.  And the words to that song rang through my head earlier today.  The “West Point experience” (as some call it) is a continual case of leadership development and teamwork.  I think the most amazing part of the weekend was seeing classmates who I haven’t seen since we graduated, but picking up as if we had just seen each other yesterday.  Some of the funnier moments were when classmates who are very high in military rank today, revert back to 19 year old kids when we rehashed some old memories!  Those bonds are timeless and after 25 years, we all realized how important it was to get through the “experience” by helping each other out!  The old West Point saying is “cooperate and graduate!”

So, in honor of my reunion, I am calling this week’s workout “Getting by with a little help”.  Participants will be paired with a “buddy” who will go through all the exercises and run route as a “team”.  Remember…..assume nothing because I always have a little twist to what might be otherwise considered obvious!  The focus for this week is primarily on running.

Meeting Location:  Parking lot of Myers Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC), Oxford Place

Gathering Time:  5:25 am, ready to start at 5:30 am

The Workout:

I’ll assign you with your respective buddies for the morning.  We’ll divide into two running groups:  3.5 mile route and 5.0 mile route.  (Both distances are approximate….but I’ll keep them fairly close.)  Similar to the Scavenger Hunt Run, you’ll have a “map” that will take you to different locations for the morning.  This time, I’ll give you the directions ahead of time.  You just have to go to each “point” choosing your own route but staying as a team!  The only rule is that you have to stick to the roads and sidewalks.  No cheating by cutting across Queens College or Myers Park Traditional campuses!  Each group will have 4-5 checkpoints along their respective routes.  You’ll do specific exercises at each checkpoint.

The Cool-Down and Devotion:

Finish back at the MPPC parking lot.  Remember, you and your buddy have to return TOGETHER!  Once both groups are back, we’ll do our cool-down and devotion.