14 Mile Ruck

I started out at 7 pm. I knew it was going to be cold so I upped my gear from normal. It was a good trial run for the GORUCK Tough challenge I'll be doing in a couple of weeks in Milwaukee. The weather for that looks to be down into the 40s. That's going to change, of course, but it's good to have an idea to prepare.

Anyway, my gear consisted of an upper and lower body base layer (32 Degrees Heat brand base layers from Costco), my normal gear (expedition pants, Darn Tough socks, Injinni sock liners, MACV-1 boots, Mechanix gloves, baseball hat), REI windbreaker, and ear warmers.

It was pretty windy and I saw flurries of snowflakes at multiple points during the ruck. I was very glad to have the windbreaker to cut the wind and the ruck on my back to keep me heated up. I would take a mid-layer in the future if the temperature was the same or colder. I might also take a little bit more insulated gloves if it was colder.

I took a wrong turn by one of the lakes in town so instead of being a 13-mile ruck, it turned into a 14-mile ruck. It was a little tough mentally, especially as I got to the end because of the mistake and toll on my body. My feet were getting really sore and my shoulders were smoked. I was warm enough, but I knew if I stopped moving I'd get cold. In the end, I was in good enough spirits to smile for the Endex picture.

The Great Pumpkin Ruck, Club Ruck Callout, and more UWVC Miles

Yesterday I did a couple of miles with these fine fellows and our pumpkins.

When I was rucking with the club, we went a mile down the trail and came back. I forgot to turn my Fitbit on for my walk until I got back to the mile marker, mile 3 for me. These are the splits for my miles from then on. I wanted to get done as fast as possible because it was getting colder, I wanted to push myself, and so I could get home to help Serena with stuff. Not bad if I do say so myself.

So in one night I finished the ruck club callout (2 miles with friends and pumpkins), 5 miles with a pumpkin (The Great Pumpkin Ruck), and got 10 more miles for the UWVC challenge. so I'm at 19.5 miles so far.

Another Short Ruck

2.5 miles this morning with 50 "get up, get downs." Think of them as a slow and not explosive burpee. They still get the heart rate up. Especially with 35 pounds on your back. This morning there weren't a lot of clouds so I had a pretty good view of stars from the field where I did the PT. My old friends, the dippers, Orion, Cassiopeia, Cancer, and Taurus were out to say hi. I'm at 9.5 miles in total. Got some big miles coming at the end of the week.

Quick 2 Miles with a Water Jug

As part of my preparation for my GORUCK Tough challenge on the 25th, I did a couple of miles today, one of which I was carrying a 20L water jug, aka jerry can. I took a picture at the end with my ruck and the jerry can. If you're looking for a great grip strength exercise, walk around with a jerry can full of water.

Also, on Saturday Serena and I did a 5k obstacle course race. It's not really a race since it took us about an hour, but it was a blast. It was between 45-50 F, windy at parts and the ground was super muddy as it had been raining all morning. Serena and I both attempted all the obstacles and we crushed it! I'm most proud that I made it through the rope swings without taking a break or falling to the ground. Go us!

UWVC Ruck 1 - Marching for Veterans

This October I'm doing the official GORUCK challenge and pledging 75 miles (which translates to $75) for their collaboration with the United War Veterans Council (https://www.goruck.com/marching-for-veterans). Along with other ruckers across the globe, I'll be rucking in support of this great organization that helps veterans in a variety of ways. Today was the first ruck of the month. Stats below.