In 3Q 2019, GORUCK announced that they would be changing up the format of HTLs and reducing the number of HTLs offered, after the end of this year. In 2020, they only plan to offer 2 HTLs, to make them more special with higher numbers, and people who go for it can only go for the HTL, and not some subset of the events. That means that there will be no fresh bodies in the Tough or the Light for the HTL candidates to rely on.
I had already signed up for 1 or maybe 2 HTLs towards the end of the year before that announcement, if I remember correctly. I was at a point in my training early in 2019 where I felt like I could do a T/L reasonably well (I had done 2 by then), as long as I took care of myself between the T and the L. A Heavy involves a lot more weight and a lot more miles, though, so I knew that I still had some training to do, but I had a year to do it.
The first HTL on the schedule for me was the Mog Mile in CLT on Oct 4-6. Based on my experience with my first T/L in Charleston, I knew that being able to reset your body between events was important. You might be roughed up after the Tough, so you want to at least make yourself fresh again, to not only physically be ready for the Light, but also mentally be ready for the Light. In Charleston, I waited out the time between the T and the L in a hot car. It wasn't until I took a hobo shower in a public fountain and changed clothes that I felt like a new woman. Before that, I was chafing and feeling sandy and dirty and sweaty. After I put on new clothes, I was still stiff, but at least I didn't feel dirty and chafing everywhere. After some mental battles, I moved out to go to the Light. Once the welcome party started and I got my body moving again, even my muscles felt normal. Lessons learned: 1) Changing into clean clothes makes a big difference after an event. 2) Even if you feel stiff, just go to the event, and you'll find that you'll loosen up.
About a month prior to the HTL, right after I had to drop the Vietnam Tough, I inquired with GORUCK whether I'd be able to transfer the Heavy to an event next year like Bragg. The answer was no because of their new no transfer policy, though, so that made the decision to keep the HTL on the calendar easy. I wouldn't necessarily end up doing all three, but I'd lose nothing by keeping the option open.
TRAINING LEAD-UP
Between the Asheville Horse Soldier Tough and the HTL, I had 2 weeks to recover. Between more training and recovery, I needed recovery the most. I needed some training, because I haven't really been able to train. More than training, I needed experience. Belman and Cleve were the cadres assigned to the event. Cleve had recently run an HTL in NYC, where he brought out his deck out cards. I hadn't done that workout yet, so that was something I wanted to practice. I had planned on doing it by now, but with everything else, I hadn't gotten around to it yet until the 2 weeks before the event.
Monday, Sept 23:
I was still kind of on a high from being able to finish the Tough, and I felt decent 2 days after the event, so I went for the deck of cards. Cleve's choice of exercises per suit will vary from workout to workout, but I did what he prescribed in NYC.
- Hearts: 8-ct Body Builders (kick out and in before the pushup, hands in the air but no jump at the end)
- Spades: Brickyard Manmakers (clean-squat-press, OH hold while lunging left then right, down)
- Clubs: 4-ct Flutter Kicks
- Diamonds: Ruck Swings
- Jokers: Simulated a 100m run with 25s of Jogging in place (I was in my garage)
I did 12 reps for face cards and 20 reps for Aces. The other cards were whatever the number was.
I took the time to get my waist belt on each time I did Body Builders. I kept the cards going, otherwise, one at a time. The first half wasn't bad. I started getting tired halfway through. The last fourth, I had to mentally grind through.
I normally do ruck workouts with a 20# plate and nothing else (no water, no gear). I did this workout with my full challenge load-out this time (20# plate, couple of Nalgenes of water, windbreaker, food, other gear), to truly simulate what it would feel like during the event.
The workout took me 1:00:25. It is a pretty good workout, if you're looking for something to do.
Wednesday, Sept 25:
I have not been running much at all since the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February, which hadn't been the race that I had hoped for. I gladly decided to shift my focus towards the HTL after that. I've been running maybe once per week since then, and only a few miles each time.
Even though the HTL is a slow endurance thing, I really wanted to get one solid run in, to try to boost my cardio and give me every physical advantage I could get going in.
Amaaaazingly, this interval session tied the best ones I've done in the past, and felt easier than all the other times I've done the same workout. I couldn't believe it. If I could do this after not running much, whaaat? I wonder how it is. I've heard that heavy strength training like squats help people like 5K racers drop their times a lot. Maybe HDT had the same effect.
Workout: 1 mi warmup, 4x [0.75 mi @ 9mph, 0.25 mi @ 7.5mph].
5.0 mi in 36:04, 7:13 ave, 2 degrees of incline.
My foot had been feeling a little better on this day. I was psyched to do an interval session at all, let alone a record-tying one. No one system became a limiting factor, either (between cardio vs. muscles). I didn't grunt as much as I normally do during intervals.
Oh, after my non-smart watch finally died (after being cracked by a ruck plate during an event, and then having water... fresh, chlorinated, then salt water... leak through the crack later on), I finally got a Garmin Fenix 5s Plus. I used the old one as long as I could, though, duct tape, rice container, and all. Anyway, I used the new watch for the treadmill run. It has some neat features, but it'll take a while to explore and learn them all.
Oh, after my non-smart watch finally died (after being cracked by a ruck plate during an event, and then having water... fresh, chlorinated, then salt water... leak through the crack later on), I finally got a Garmin Fenix 5s Plus. I used the old one as long as I could, though, duct tape, rice container, and all. Anyway, I used the new watch for the treadmill run. It has some neat features, but it'll take a while to explore and learn them all.
Saturday, Sept 28:
Apart from the Deck of Cards, something else I needed to practice for experience's sake was the Robbie Miller WOD. That workout replaces the old PT test at Heavies, as of this year. My area ruck club was hosting a weekend workout which would consist of half of the full Robbie Miller WOD (which is not the same as the half Robbie Miller WOD), replacing the rucks with a single 3 mile coupon ruck, followed by half of the Deck of Cards. Since the HTL was in our city, it was good prep for anyone who was signed up for any of the events. It was just what I needed. Maybe a little close to the actual event from a timing and recovery standpoint, but that's OK... I didn't have to push everything 100%, and could focus on gaining the experience.
5 of us showed up at 6:30am on Saturday morning at some church in the north. It was still dark then. None of the locals ended up being able to make it, but we heard rumors of some pull-up bars somewhere around the compound. We walked the perimeter of the giant parking lot to a little hideaway behind some fenced-in utilities, and discovered a little workout zone that the boys (the F3 men or maybe the men from that ruck club) had built. It was kind of funny, because it reminded me of a grown-up version of what little boys would've built as their fort. Except these were grown men, so they had stuff like pull-up bars and piles of heavy things to carry, instead.
We started with half of the Robbie Miller WOD, meaning 6/12 sets of
- 6 pull-ups
- 6 burpees
- 6 4-ct mountain climbers
- 6 ruck getups
I only used the ruck for the getups, since that's what we should typically see at Heavies. Also, I didn't want to push it. For pull-ups, I can do 6 strict ones maybe once, and then it probably goes down 1 rep each set from there, so I just did the best that I could for the gap, either kipping or only going halfway up or taking a break.
After that, we went back to our cars to pick up coupons. We each brought one or two options. We went what looked like a lighter set, but it ended up feeling plenty heavy once we began. We organized a rotation, where we'd swap every 0.3 mi. I originally suggested 0.5 mi, but the leader was right that 0.3 mi worked out better, since there were 5 of us. Each person could take each coupon twice (and get 2 rounds with a break). Also, that ended up being much better, because the water jug was terrible to carry, and I can't imagine going much more than 0.3 mi.
- 20# ammo can
- 30# Brute Force sandbag
- 25# bag with ammo
- Break
- 40# water jug (this was the worst)
After a little segment along the main road, we were able to go onto a greenway, so that made for easy rucking. This really is a nice place to do workouts! We turned around after 1.5 mi and made our way back.
During the coupon ruck, the soles of my running shoes actually came off. It was only a thin outer layer on the heel section, so it wasn't too bad. I started wearing retired 10 year old shoes, since I needed extra arch support, and I didn't want to use non-retired running shoes for rucking purposes. I guess the glue has deteriorated over time, though. I always have lots of shoes in my car, so I swapped it out for another pair. It ended up being kind of good that this happened to me during this workout, for reasons you'll find out later in this post.
After the shoe change, it was time for the half deck of cards. I eyeballed half of the deck, explained the suits and reps, and then started flipping. We did the reps at our own pace. I'd wait until everyone looked done before flipping the next card.
We finished, and I happily drove home to shower and eat.
15 min for the half of a full Robbie Miller WOD, 70 min for the 3 mi coupon ruck (23:16 ave), 25 min for the randomly selected half deck of cards.
Later on, I re-discovered Cadre Cleve's podcast on All Day Ruckoff. In it, he described the Deck of Cards workout, and explained how he changes up the reps to scale to the difficulty of the event, how classes need to really turn and burn to make the time hack and therefore not have to repeat the workout again later, how he uses jokers as a little break from the PT, and how he changes up the exercises but always likes 8-cts for Hearts. That was also good to listen to... not only that portion, but the rest of the podcast where I got to learn more about why he likes to lead the events, and to get to know him as a Cadre better.
Later on, I re-discovered Cadre Cleve's podcast on All Day Ruckoff. In it, he described the Deck of Cards workout, and explained how he changes up the reps to scale to the difficulty of the event, how classes need to really turn and burn to make the time hack and therefore not have to repeat the workout again later, how he uses jokers as a little break from the PT, and how he changes up the exercises but always likes 8-cts for Hearts. That was also good to listen to... not only that portion, but the rest of the podcast where I got to learn more about why he likes to lead the events, and to get to know him as a Cadre better.
THE WEEK BEFORE
Mental Prep
Mental Prep
The week before the event, I decided to completely rest. My upper body was sore from what was probably the pull-ups, for a number of days. It did finally start to feel normal again maybe Wednesday night. My feet needed to rest, too. I was limping around at work all week.
My mind was ready for the event, though. Wednesday or Thursday night, I opened up the GORUCK Show podcast's Episode 36 - One Long Weekend, which talks about HTLs. Various HTL finishers at HQ talked about how they got through their HTLs. Lee McCarthy thought of it as one long weekend, which made it manageable. Don't make any decisions to quit before daylight even breaks. That's a good point, because before daylight hits, you haven't even finished a Tough's worth yet, and you can always do a Tough. And once daylight hits, then the rest is mentally a lot easier to tackle.
I don't remember where the rest of these mental strategies came from, but other ones I considered were:
1) Admin, the Robbie Miller WOD, and the Timed 12 alone will take up maybe 7 hours already, plus story time and bathrooms and stuff, and you're already much of the way through a Tough. Plus, that portion would be much easier than a normal Tough, because there are zero coupons for all of that. You might have only like 5 hours of actual rucking with coupons and PT and stuff. And by then, it's daylight, and then you just have to survive the rest.
2) Take it one chunk at a time. Don't psych yourself out by thinking that you have 24 + 12 + 6 hours and 60 or so miles to do. Set smaller milestones. I told myself that the first goal would be to get through the Heavy. If I did that, I could at least say that I've done a Heavy. After that, if I did the Tough, too, then I'd earn Belman's Cadre patch, since I had done a previous Tough with him in Charleston for Baghdad. After that, I'd just have to get through the Light, and I'd have my HTL. Take it one evolution at a time, too, if things get that bad.
I don't remember if this was all I was thinking in the week leading up, but between these ways of approaching the weekend, and feeling good about my practice with the Deck of Cards and the Robbie Miller WOD, and seeing good times in my interval session and my recent Timed 12, I was feeling pretty good. Just like when I had prepped for the DC Star Course, reviewed Road Warrior and the potential route and my gear, it felt like the HTL was a done deal. When I prepare, know what to do, and feel like I can do it, it's like it's as good as done. I felt that way going into the weekend.
My foot was iffy even walking up until the day of the event, but mentally, I was ready.
Gear Prep
I have lots of rucks, so I pampered myself with fresh rucks for each event. I packed each one with the food and windbreaker that I wanted. I did shift weight, a dry bag, tissue, ID/cash, reflectors (because I forgot to put different sets on each ruck), first aid, Nalgenes, and my headlamp from ruck to ruck as the weekend progressed.
My mind was ready for the event, though. Wednesday or Thursday night, I opened up the GORUCK Show podcast's Episode 36 - One Long Weekend, which talks about HTLs. Various HTL finishers at HQ talked about how they got through their HTLs. Lee McCarthy thought of it as one long weekend, which made it manageable. Don't make any decisions to quit before daylight even breaks. That's a good point, because before daylight hits, you haven't even finished a Tough's worth yet, and you can always do a Tough. And once daylight hits, then the rest is mentally a lot easier to tackle.
I don't remember where the rest of these mental strategies came from, but other ones I considered were:
1) Admin, the Robbie Miller WOD, and the Timed 12 alone will take up maybe 7 hours already, plus story time and bathrooms and stuff, and you're already much of the way through a Tough. Plus, that portion would be much easier than a normal Tough, because there are zero coupons for all of that. You might have only like 5 hours of actual rucking with coupons and PT and stuff. And by then, it's daylight, and then you just have to survive the rest.
2) Take it one chunk at a time. Don't psych yourself out by thinking that you have 24 + 12 + 6 hours and 60 or so miles to do. Set smaller milestones. I told myself that the first goal would be to get through the Heavy. If I did that, I could at least say that I've done a Heavy. After that, if I did the Tough, too, then I'd earn Belman's Cadre patch, since I had done a previous Tough with him in Charleston for Baghdad. After that, I'd just have to get through the Light, and I'd have my HTL. Take it one evolution at a time, too, if things get that bad.
I don't remember if this was all I was thinking in the week leading up, but between these ways of approaching the weekend, and feeling good about my practice with the Deck of Cards and the Robbie Miller WOD, and seeing good times in my interval session and my recent Timed 12, I was feeling pretty good. Just like when I had prepped for the DC Star Course, reviewed Road Warrior and the potential route and my gear, it felt like the HTL was a done deal. When I prepare, know what to do, and feel like I can do it, it's like it's as good as done. I felt that way going into the weekend.
My foot was iffy even walking up until the day of the event, but mentally, I was ready.
Gear Prep
I have lots of rucks, so I pampered myself with fresh rucks for each event. I packed each one with the food and windbreaker that I wanted. I did shift weight, a dry bag, tissue, ID/cash, reflectors (because I forgot to put different sets on each ruck), first aid, Nalgenes, and my headlamp from ruck to ruck as the weekend progressed.
For the Heavy, I planned on using a nearly new Wolf Grey 21L Rucker v2.1. No events yet - just training so far. For the Tough, I planned on using my Steel 21L Rucker v2.1. I planned on using a Wolf Grey 21L Rucker v1.0 for the Light, but ended up switching back to the Wold Grey 21L Rucker v2.1, so that I could take advantage of the side and bottom handles. Plus, I wouldn't have a third ruck to have to worry about washing afterwards. I did end up switching up the patches that I used. I went with "FOR YOU I WILL NOT QUIT" for the Heavy, because that was going to be the big one, and I wanted that extra motivation. During the Tough and the Light, I wore my Heavy patch.
Within each ruck, I did my typical setup. Food in the front slant pocket. ID/cash and first aid in the top inner pocket. Tissue in a plastic bag in the lower mesh pocket. Dry bag attached to the D-ring for gear that I don't want to get wet (extra socks, plus a wind breaker this weekend because it might be in the low 60s, and we might get wet, buff). 2 Nalgenes and another bottle for cherry juice or more water as my water source, just sitting on the bottom of the ruck.
I also packed a tough bag of clothes for each event, so that I could grab and change in between events. There was also a kit bag with extra clothes and gear, in case anything broke or needed swapping out. The patches had significance again... HDT for the Heavy, because it has the word "Heavy" in it. The T/L patch for the Tough. And then "Failures happen. Quitting, however, is a choice." for the Light, because there's no point in quitting at that point. I didn't seek out that last patch, but I got it in a bundle, and it works ok for the theme. I heard from AARs that you don't want to have to think much between events. Make it easy for yourself, because you'll be really tired and short on time.
Next, a cooler for cold drinks (flavored seltzer which I started getting into so that I didn't do so much of the slightly caffeinated recovery drinks, slightly caffeinated recovery drinks, cherry juice, tomato juice, preworkout, bottles of water) plus food (turkey sandwich, chocolate, oranges and carrots). A bag of extra bottled water. A big box that was sub-divided into sections for food (not sure that I ended up using any of this, since awesome support people ended up bringing real cooked food), supplements, and personal care (toothbrush/toothpaste for between events, sunscreen,... that's what I actually used, but I also had muscle rub, KT tape, etc).
Lastly, a 5-gallon bucket that I used to hold an 80# water bag as a water supply for a hobo shower, which also included a towel and another container to help pour water. Plus another 5-gallon bucket to hold all my dirty clothes from each event. I always keep some camping chairs in my trunk, too. I also brought a bag with many different shoe options. My feet may feel like they need different levels of cushioning, stability, and arch support, so I brought choices.
BEFORE THE HEAVY
I took Friday off of work, so that I could sleep in, take extra naps, not worry about work, and do what I needed to do with final preparations. I didn't actually really sleep as much as I had envisioned. Maybe an hour or two of a nap?
In terms of fueling, I'm pretty in tune with what my body needs, and am comfortable listening to it and giving it what it wants. I usually eat lots of fruits and vegetables, so during the daytime, I did this, especially because it might be a while before I get my usual quantities. There might be more that I've forgotten, but here's what I recorded.
- Skim Milk with Dark Chocolate melted in
- Tortilla Chips and Salsa
- Orange
- Carrot
- Apple
- 4 pieces of Turkey Bacon
- Cheerios
- Gelato
- Half of a Turkey and Mozerella Sandwich
My left shin (on the same leg as the one with the foot issue) was tender, so I iced my lower legs in my 5 gallon bucket. I got in my last shower. I did all my day-of gear prep with filling Nalgenes with ice (which Cleve would ask me about later during the Deck of Cards, when he heard it sloshing around during each movement in the 8-count Body Builders). I filled the cooler with the cold drinks and perishable food. I moved all my gear into my car.
I got to the starting point about an hour early. The group looked solid... lots of tough-looking guys, plus my battle buddy. We got a "before' picture. I decided to go with Simple Pants for the Heavy. I've worn them at 2-3 Lights, and maybe a Tough before. The BDUs give me chafing issues that I normally don't notice until after the event when I shower. I didn't want to have to deal with chafing, even though it would've been nice to have big pockets.
When everyone was gathering a bit, I first realized that I didn't have reflectors on my Heavy ruck, so I went to my car to grab those from the other ruck and put them on. Then, I realized that I still had my watch on, so I went back to my car to stash that. The car was only like 30 feet away, so NBD, but I guess there was just a lot going on, and a lot to keep track of.
When everyone was gathering a bit, I first realized that I didn't have reflectors on my Heavy ruck, so I went to my car to grab those from the other ruck and put them on. Then, I realized that I still had my watch on, so I went back to my car to stash that. The car was only like 30 feet away, so NBD, but I guess there was just a lot going on, and a lot to keep track of.
THE HEAVY
We formed up, and was introduced to not only our two Cadres but also a special guest, Aaron Hand, who was in the convoy in Mog. We had the honor of having not only one but two people who had been there, joining us for the event, and teaching us along the way. There were 25 who started. All had done at least 1 GORUCK event before. There was a fair number for whom this would be their first Heavy and HTL attempt. 25 is a good number... the more the better... better than 9, like some Heavies have had.
Then, it began in a flash bang.... overhead holds with lunge walks to another field. It wasn't too far, but it was far enough.
In that field, we were introduced to the Deck of Cards. The suits were the same as the ones that I had practiced, but the rep counts would be Heavy-style... 30 for aces, 20 for faces. Our time hack was 1:15. Doing the reps as a class would take longer than doing it alone. I knew that I had done it in 1 hour, with Tough-style rep counts. 1:15 seemed challenging. A really fit-looking teammate from the Horse Soldier Tough in Asheville led the workout. The first few cards took a while. We found our groove, though. One of our teammates had a water bladder issue. And then there was one who was struggling with the PT and the heat. Oh yeah, it was literally 100 degrees as I was driving in. Not one of those "at first, the car is really hot and says 100 degrees but then cools down once you start driving"... it stayed 100 degrees. It wasn't so bad by the time the event started, though, and we knew that it would continue to cool down the whole 24 hours. We were lucky that the forecast had a remarkably cool Saturday planned, with clouds.
One thing that Cleve emphasized was that we were allowed to arrange the deck how we wanted, so there must be some optimal or more optimal way to do this. But I'm not sure what that strategy is yet. I've since heard that faces first was a good idea. I suppose it could be.
One thing that Cleve emphasized was that we were allowed to arrange the deck how we wanted, so there must be some optimal or more optimal way to do this. But I'm not sure what that strategy is yet. I've since heard that faces first was a good idea. I suppose it could be.
Anyways, we ended up being 8 minutes over. I'm surprised it was only 8 minutes. I would've thought like 30 minutes, or something. That guy stuck through it, though. The team was really encouraging, and we got through it together.
It was dark by the time we were done with that. The event had started at 6pm. Sunset was at 6:55pm. We went to a different part of the park to fill up on water, and then we made our way to the start of our Timed 12 miler. I didn't know where our course would be, but it turned out that we'd be making 20 laps around the 0.6 mi pond in Freedom Park. I did ruck shuffling/walking there for about 9.7 miles in 2.5 hours once before to play Pokemon (yes, I'm that cool), so I knew the lay of the land. At least one other HTL Timed 12 had been done here, too. The benefit of a looped course is that Cadres and teammates can keep an eye on each other more easily. There's no chance of getting lost or messing up directions. It's also a little less lonely, since you'll run into people more.
As I mentioned before, this was supposed to be the easy part. No coupons... just challenge weight. The flat course helps, too. I went on the outside grass for extra cushioning for my poor feet when I could. From Star Course training and events, I knew that any extra cushioning you could give yourself, even early in the event before you feet hurt, would save you later. I shuffled from the start. It's a shuffling motion, mostly because I have short legs, so I need fast turnover, especially because I like short steps to lessen the impact of each step. I started maybe 1/3 of the way through the pack. People caught up to me over time, though, and I was more mid-pack, and then dropped to maybe 2/3 down the pack. I was starting to feel the effort.
At this point, I remembered that when I would run long distances, it helped when I changed up my gait a bit. That would give certain muscles a break, while I could continue making forward progress. I tried taking longer steps, and that did help. I stayed about as fast, if not faster. I think I might've made up ground.
I was on my own for most of it, which I was perfectly content with. I chatted with a few groups along the way for a bit, especially at the beginning, but most of the time, I was just grinding away at the miles at my own pace.
At one point, I felt like I could puke. I hadn't eaten food yet. I was drinking cherry juice. Maybe the sugars fermented in my stomach or something. I got over the feeling, so all was good. Even when it wasn't comfortable, the rest of me apart from that feeling was fine, so I figured that worst case, I'd puke, feel better immediately, and then go on. I don't normally have stomach issues, so that was odd.
We as a team had to bring the flag with us the whole time. The guys in the front took it and swapped it around at the beginning. There was one guy who finished first, who was running with that thing at the end. He was so fast.
20 is a lot of laps to keep track of. I wished that I had had ranger beads. But, I came up with an alternative. I had put an extra hairband on my wrist, so I ended up using that. For odd number lap completions, I had the band on my right wrist. For even number completions, I had the band on my left wrist. That made it easy to track.
Towards the end, I came across a guy who suddenly cramped up. He was with his buddies at the time, so they also helped him. I gave him a couple of mustard packets. It's kind of hard to know what to do in situations like that. You're being tested individually, but you also want to help teammates. I felt I was going fast enough that I had enough of a time buffer to help for a while. I didn't stay for more than a minute or two, though. It's the same feeling that I had during the Spartan Hurricane Heats. I'm not sure what happened to him, if he ended up making it. Maybe, because I think before we set off after the Timed 12, we had lost two... one was the guy who had been struggling with the PT in the heat, who did complete the 12 but called it after that. Another was a guy who had a medical issue and dropped himself after the PT.
After I finished the 12, there were a few people who had 1 lap to go, but everyone else had finished or just finished. I started stretching immediately. I might've eaten a stick of jerky, too. There was a porta potty nearby, which was handy. I don't know my time, but I'd guess 3:10 or something. The people who had one more 0.6 mi lap to go were supposedly cutting it close. I don't know how close.
Before we left that area, Cleve went off for his rest break, and we filled up 4 5-gallon pillows of water. We went back to the start point, where it was time to break out the coupons. I think there were 4x120s and 3x100s, or something to that effect. Plus the 50# team weight (which was one part of the Heavy's a little scary, but a little less so when you think of it as a sandbag, even though it's not a sandbag). Speaking of the team weight, ours was a custom-built one that had an outline of a Black Hawk on it, along with the names of the 18 who were lost on that day. That was really meaningful, but it was not comfortable to carry. Front carrying was terrible, because the straps were long, so the weight was all the way down my front and would impact my steps since the bottom of it was mid-way between my knees and my hips. The back carry was a little more tolerable, but it was 50#, so despite it being terrible posture, I'd lean way forward to try to get that thing more towards my center of mass as I rucked.
Before we were leaving, I looked down and noticed that there were gaps forming between the soles of my shoes and the main part of my shoe. I was alarmed, having had my shoes fail during the 3 mile coupon ruck the previous weekend. Very fortunately, our cars were 75m away. I told the Cadre that my shoes were about to come apart, and that I could either just deal with it, or go to my car really quick to swap out for a different pair. Fortunately, he let me go switch shoes. That would've been terrible, to have the shoes fall apart somewhere far from my car, in the middle of the 36-ish more miles we'd end up doing before the 24 hours were over. I am so fortunate.
So... 4 water pillows, maybe 7 sandbags that were all probably heavier than I was at that point, team weight, 2 extra sandbags that contained other empty sandbags, flag. 23 people. I've never been at an event where the sandbags were that heavy before, and the Cadres were pretty excited about how extreme it was, too. The most I've carried is 80#. Since that was doable, I figured that 100# would also be doable, albeit for shorter distances. I mostly stayed on the water pillows during the event. I wouldn't be able to take the sandbags as effectively as the others, even with the sharing strategy. Nobody was my height in this class. I'd try to help by taking the water pillows as long as I could, instead.
I have no idea where we went, but we rucked somewhere, stopped at a little field for a much-needed break at one point, then rucked some more. Belman told us the background of Mog in a couple of chunks. I do remember stopping at an amphitheater in South Park - Symphony Park. I hadn't been there in everyday life before. We broke up into 3 teams, where each team had a 120# linked to a 100#, to simulate a 220# casualty. We did drills where we had to carry, lift, lunge, rush, low crawl the casualty around and around. I ate a packet of almond butter.
I volunteered as the next TL (he was nearly going to give us some PT), and we rucked to Harris YMCA. There, we did the Mog Mile Memorial WOD.
- 1 mi run
- 50 pull-ups (assisted or on low bars if needed)
- 4x [25 squats, 25 lunges]
- 4x [25 dips or pushups, 50m sprint]
- 100 ruck thrusters
- 50 pull-ups
- 1 mi run
It felt good to not be rucking. With my foot issues, PT felt the best, so I was happy to be doing PT, especially mostly body weight PT. It was a nice break. Not that the pull-ups and thrusters weren't hard (even the modified pullups), but at least it wasn't carrying heavy things.
The record for that workout from all the people who had tried it before was a little over an hour. By the time we wrapped it up, the sun had started to rise, and people were coming to the YMCA to play soccer and run. The bathroom there opened, too, which was nice. I might've eaten a fruit leather there, and maybe something else.
The record for that workout from all the people who had tried it before was a little over an hour. By the time we wrapped it up, the sun had started to rise, and people were coming to the YMCA to play soccer and run. The bathroom there opened, too, which was nice. I might've eaten a fruit leather there, and maybe something else.
We got a lot of history on the day of the event packed into a talk, because Belman wanted us to get a chance to hear as many of his experiences as he could, and we wanted that opportunity to hear from him. At that point, normally, we'd switch TL's again, but Belman asked if I wanted to continue, and the team seemed to be up for me continuing, so I did. I was kind of afraid of having the responsibility of running the team while Cleve was around. I hadn't had a Tough with him yet - only a Light and a Constellation. I went with it, though.
I don't know exactly why I stayed TL. Maybe since I wasn't much help on the sandbags at that time, it was better for the team if I helped keep everyone together, instead, to keep another body available for coupons. Maybe it was because people were nice and wanted to help when I asked them to do things, vs. some other people asked them to do things? I don't know.
I don't know exactly why I stayed TL. Maybe since I wasn't much help on the sandbags at that time, it was better for the team if I helped keep everyone together, instead, to keep another body available for coupons. Maybe it was because people were nice and wanted to help when I asked them to do things, vs. some other people asked them to do things? I don't know.
Even though I was TL, I tried carrying a less full water pillow when I could, so that I could free up another body to help on the sandbags. I didn't always have one, because the team was looking out for me and took it back anyways sometimes. Towards the end of my tenure, I did trip a couple of times while carrying the water pillow on some uneven ground. I think I was tired and therefore more prone to being clumsy by that time of day.
We rucked to Quail Hollow Middle School, and settled at a nearby church field for Cleve's readings of the Medal of Honor citations for Shughart and Gordon. Those guys' story amazes me. They repeatedly volunteered themselves for what they probably knew would be their final act, in order to not leave a man behind and on his own. I ate a granola bar, I think, before we left.
A new TL volunteered, and I'm pretty sure he ended up being the TL until the end. I took the team weight for the first time. We tried a different method of coupon swaps, after getting some best practices from Cleve. We tried switching after a certain number of paces, but that didn't work so well because not everyone needed to switch at the same time. We eventually settled on more of a pairing system, and that seemed to work the best.
We rucked a long time to get to Carolina Pavillion Shopping Center in Sterling. I decided to give the 100# sandbag a try at that time. I traded back and forth with another guy for a little while. As we approached, Cleve said that he had some motivation waiting for us. I thought he had arranged for us to get donuts or something. Turns out that the motivation was a talk from Aaron Hand. Not the donuts I was hoping for, but it was certainly a privilege to get to hear him talk about his experience in Mog. It must be challenging to talk about such a difficult experience, so I appreciate his willingness to share. He was very engaging, asking the class questions. He would make a good Cadre one day, if he wanted to join GORUCK.
After the talk, it was time to go home, which was the good news. The bad news was that it was 8+ miles away. But at least we knew how far we needed to go now. I ate some all-natural cheese puffs before we left. Maybe some chocolate, too.
We would be on the greenway most of the time now. We had to watch for cyclists. We had some time hacks and incentives to go fast (the incentives were breaks). That helped to break the 8 miles down into 2 mile chunks. Because we had set a baseline pace of 35 min/mi during the first evolution with Cleve, he used that as the time hack benchmark for the rest of the ruck.
One thing that bothered me about my Wolf Grey Rucker v2.1 was that the right shoulder strap seemed to be at an angle against my shoulder, instead of flat, which dug into my shoulder and sports bra strap a bit. I'd adjust it periodically, to try to make it better. I wondered whether it was a small manufacturing misalignment, though. I couldn't wait to swap back to my usual Steel Rucker v2.1.
One thing that bothered me about my Wolf Grey Rucker v2.1 was that the right shoulder strap seemed to be at an angle against my shoulder, instead of flat, which dug into my shoulder and sports bra strap a bit. I'd adjust it periodically, to try to make it better. I wondered whether it was a small manufacturing misalignment, though. I couldn't wait to swap back to my usual Steel Rucker v2.1.
Cleve broke out his drone and took some cool video while we were on the greenway.
The last stretch was hard. We were exhausted. The end was not in sight. We weren't sure if we were even rucking in the right direction.
Later on, we came across Cadre, and I guess we were behind schedule, because some sandbags magically disappeared.
We only had a little ways left to go before we were back at Freedom Park, but the greenway path that takes you there defies the rules of space and time. You feel like you're going in circles and continuing to make left turns, yet you continue to see no signs of the park. The signs just keep saying ever longer distances until you reach the park, but there's no park.
About a mile from the end, one of the guys who had been a major workhorse for the team rolled his ankle on the drop-off from the sidewalk to the grass next to it. It was a bad roll, and he was in major pain. We were close, so we decided to 3-man carry him to the end. This was like a real "leave no man behind" scenario.
We got to the end. I could've cried at that time if I had let myself, but I held it in. I think it was just from finally getting there after a long day. We were already at 24 hours, so at the end, we repeated the names of the 18 who were lost in Mog, doing maybe 10 reps of some exercise that Belman picked after each individual was honored. Then, we got patched, including the ankle casualty who got patched lying down.
Stats: 38 rucking miles, 2 running miles, 24 hours.
POST HEAVY INTERLUDE
After the Heavy, some quick congratulations were shared all
around. We didn’t linger too long,,
though, because we had 3 hours between the end of the Heavy and the start of
the Tough. You needed to be at the Tough
early to form up, so you didn’t have a full 3 hours, either. I debated whether I wanted to go home to
shower. Showering would be a bit more
comfortable. I wasn’t really sandy or
anything like that, though. I decided to
use the hour that I would’ve spent driving to stay in place and rest, instead. It would also reduce the risk of me either
running into issues getting back in time or deciding to not go back for the
Tough. I’d be onsite, so that others
could wake me up if they happened to see me in the parking lot fast
asleep.
One of my GRT friends came out to support throughout the
event. She brought the most amazing BBQ
with Mac and Cheese and other sides. BBQ
is perhaps my favorite food, so it was awesome.
I ate up, with a windbreaker on for some warmth. Then, I changed into my Tough clothes to get
some clean clothes on, and washed up a bit with a wet towel. I didn’t do anything more than that, because
it was cold, and I wasn’t that dirty.
I wore BDUs, since I didn't bring a second pair of Simple Pants, and by this time, there was only the Tough and the Light left, even if I did end up chafing. I had to re-use gloves because I left my other pair at home.
I rested in the car, next. My plan was to sleep for about an hour. I had messaged one of my friends who was
coming to the Tough (who had also offered to bring food), to ask him to wake me
up at a certain time if I wasn’t already up.
While I was resting, I heard some commotion. Cops had come around, saying that they
planned to tow anyone who parked in the lot overnight. That ended the nap plans, and I moved my car
to a gravel lot outside of the park gates.
It was alright, because I needed to start prepping my gear for the
Tough.
I was happy to switch to my older Rucker v2.1, because I
knew that those shoulder straps wouldn’t cause me any issues. I shifted my weight, reflectors, dry bag,
water, ID/cash, first aid, and tissue over.
Food was already in place. I was
slow moving. I’m glad I already had some
sort of a plan, because even thinking through moving that handful of things
took some time. While I was getting
ready, the couple that runs PATHFINDER came over to say hi. I didn’t expect to see them at the event, so
that was a nice surprise. I shared a few
quick insights about how the Heavy went, hopefully at least somewhat
coherently. I said that I was able to
use a number of learnings from Star Course training to help me get through the
Heavy, and that I wished that I had been able to contribute more on the
sandbags during the event. After the
quick chat, I continued with the prep.
Because I was now parked outside the gates, I had a little
walk to get back into the park, but it wasn’t too bad. I grabbed another can of pre-workout to sip
while I made my way back to the start.
At the start, I ran into others.
They also had to move their cars.
Someone had put out a post to warn everyone else about moving cars. Some support people helped to shuttle
participants back inside the gate to the start.
THE TOUGH
There were 36? who showed up for the Tough. It was good to have a bunch of fresh, strong
bodies join us. There were 2 other girls
who joined in for the fun with my SoS battle buddy and I. We swapped out team weights for the tough,
from the 50# Mog beast, to a perhaps 30# anchor-themed one. It had come from a Pearl Harbor event. We did the usual admin, and then kicked
things off with some PT in place. Some
standard stuff. Nothing too crazy, in
terms of rep counts. After that, while
some used the restroom, others broke out the empty sandbags to get them and the
water pillows filled back up.
A newbie TL was picked, and he came up to me to ask if I
could be ATL. I was kind of surprised,
and probably unenthusiastically told him “I can”. Turns out he had heard me sounding like I
knew what I was doing earlier at the start (not knowing that I had done the
Heavy already). We got people lined up
to go out to the gravel parking lot, where the sandbags from the Heavy were
waiting for us.
While we walked to the lot, I started giving some pointers
to everyone in the line. I explained
that the flag should always be in the front, I explained the meaning of “half
step”, and I explained the importance of not breaking contact. I did this because there were new people, and
there are a lot of GORUCK-specific terms and unspoken rules that they may not
understand. At that point, I was tired,
and not in the mood to have to suffer through mistakes that could be avoided,
so I tried to lay that all out there. At
the time, I worried a little bit that I wasn’t really coaching the newbie TL as
much as I should. Looking back, though,
I don’t think there’s any harm in sharing those basics.
Once we got to the sandbags, I did try giving him advice and
having him share a little bit more. We
actually had 2 ATLs (he had a choice on how many ATLs to pick). There was double the number of sandbags now,
but the new ones were lighter than the original set (with 60s and 80s,
maybe). The Tough crowd was good about
embracing it, though.
We started along the greenway. It’s a little narrow, with enough for 3
across. It was a little storming at the
beginning, trying to find swaps for people on the sandbags while on the
move. One of the Heavy guys proposed a
great idea along the way – have one of the ATLs step down to be an extra man on
the coupons, which was an awesome idea, so I shared that with the TL, who
arranged it. I stayed as ATL, and we
made our way to the fountain that many Charlotte GORUCK classes find themselves
at.
We put our coupons down, then crowded around Belman to hear
what was next. He started by sharing
some background on Mog. We were all
still standing at the time. I had
expected to go right into getting some instructions about the work that we had
to do next, otherwise I would’ve asked whether we could ground rucks and/or sit
for a bit. Since he was telling his
story, though, despite the extra load it meant for the tired Heavy people, I
didn’t interrupt. After the story, he
explained the WOD that we were about to do, split into teams of 5.
For the WOD, we started with a run to and from the fountain,
from the area where we had started.
Maybe some ruck swings? Then, 4x
[25 squats, 25 lunges], 4x [25 pushups, 25 flutter]. Maybe something else? Then a run to the fountain, where we did 18
hydro burpees, to honor the 18 lost in Mog.
My ruck got inundated with water and was really heavy during the hydro
burpees. The fountain ground was
slippery with a medium thick layer of algae on the floor. The algae easily got stirred up as we
agitated the water.
After we got back out, people recovered any stuff they had
stashed for safekeeping outside of the rucks and water. Then, we re-assembled and counted up. A new TL didn’t volunteer immediately, so we
did an undetermined number of overhead squats.
The sound of Belman’s sharp “up”, “down” will not be one that I soon
forget. Someone volunteered the second
time around.
Our next movement was to the Vietnam Memorial in Thompson
Park. We were all wet from the fountain,
so during story time, we got cold. Belman let us grab jackets from our rucks that were on the other side of the park, albeit with a time hack. I was kind of looking forward to getting moving again, in order to warm up, not that I didn't appreciate the rest.
Our next stop was Independence Park (not to be confused with Freedom Park). We did what felt like ea lot of walking to get there. We missed the turn at one point, while Belman was already waiting at the park, which wasn't good. Rucking there, I was doing all I could just to help with the water pillow and a little sandbag when I could get my hands on one of the smaller ones. I often rucked with my eyes closed half the time, opening them long enough periodically to make sure I was still going straight and not about to run into anyone. My vision also got to the point where I kind of only saw a few sketched outlines of people and things, with not much in the way of depth perception, because I was in a sleepy place.
When we finally found the park, we were slow to form up at one point, and things took a turn. We weren't taking the event seriously enough, so we did 20 rounds of reverse bear crawls up the side of a small but steep hill. Even a few rounds will make you feel it, let alone 20. I kept thinking he'd let us stop early at some point, after we gained an appreciation for the seriousness of the event, but no. Afterwards, Belman pointed out that someone didn't do all of their reps and was disappointed. We linked up the sandbags and did some log PT with the chain of sandbags. At that point, Belman and Cleve switched out.
Cleve took us to the other side of the park, where we filled up a few more sandbags, I'm pretty sure. After that, I think we rucked back to Freedom Park. It's possible that we went somewhere else, but I don't remember any other stops right now. It was still pretty early in the event, or at least it felt pretty early in the event. I didn't feel like we had rucked that many miles yet, so I thought this was some kind of mind game, where they were going to take us by the start point and our cars, and then have us move onwards again, to see if anyone was tempted to quit.
We stayed in the park, though, for a game of cards... the Deck of Cards. Hearts were still 8-count Body Builders. Spades were still Brickyard Manmakers. Clubs were still Flutter Kicks. Diamonds, however, were now overhead squats to start with. The run for Jokers was longer this time... we had been on the island in the middle of the pond at Freedom Park, and we had to run off the island and up a hill.
We started it out. We had to stay together with the movements, as usual. Not everyone was doing the movements to Cleve's standards, so he called on one person and had them lead the exercises. That person struggled with self-doubt, but this trial by fire pushed him past what he thought his limits were. Because the team was counting on him (sometimes doing static holds until the movement was done right), he pushed himself harder than he ever had before. He came close to quitting (one person had quit during the deck earlier) multiple times, I'm sure, but the team encouraged him. It was hard to see him struggle like that, but it was really powerful to see him fight through those demons, and to see the team come around him like that. There really are some stellar people on the team, who wouldn't let their teammate quit. We worked on that deck for a long time. The sun was rising when we were still doing the deck. I was surprised that the sun was already rising.
When we finally finished the deck, we had a mission - take casualties and coupons up to the hill we used for the Jokers earlier. We had a time hack. We were allowed to do bounding, as long as we pulled security. Along the way, we got more casualties. The team worked together to make it up the hill, though. After that, we brought the coupons back to the start point, where we formed up again.
We did 18 reps of various exercises this time, to honor the 18. Then, the patching ceremony. Well-earned especially by that one guy in the Deck of Cards, for whom this was Tough #1.
Stats: If you had asked me, I would've guessed that we went like 6 miles during the event. It turns out we did double that, though. It really felt short, distance-wise. But I suppose I wouldn't have guessed that the Heavy was 38 miles, either.
THE TOUGH/LIGHT INTERLUDE
Things were a little more relaxed after the Tough. I was still feeling pretty decent. There was more time between the Tough and the Light, since the Light started 5 hours later. I rucked back to the gravel parking lot where my car had been parked overnight. I almost went home to shower, but for some of the same reasons that I stayed in the parking lot instead of going home between the Heavy and the Tough, I ended up staying between the Tough and Light. It wasn't too hot in the car, so I could stay there comfortably. I changed and did another hobo shower and brushed my teeth again.
For the Light, I'd be wearing a GORUCK Mog Commemorative t-shirt, plus shorts and long socks and arm sleeves. I ended up wearing the same pair of shoes for all three events... Salmon XR Mission... the same shoes that I wore in both Star Courses, too. I knew that the combination of those shoes plus the off-the-shelf arch support insoles that I put in them were good enough for the Heavy, so I didn't want to risk changing anything up with that for the other two events. They were damp, but not bad.
I thought about using the Rucker v1.0 as originally planned, but I decided to go back to the Rucker v2.1 that I used during the Heavy. The one from the Tough was wet and had dirt in parts that would've potentially chafed me, so I used the drier one from the Heavy, even though the right shoulder strap had been uncomfortable before. I figured that the Light was going to be too short to give me much trouble with the strap anyways. I wanted the side and top and bottom handles for PT, too. I'd rather have that extra convenience than have a perfectly clean ruck to use.
I thought about using the Rucker v1.0 as originally planned, but I decided to go back to the Rucker v2.1 that I used during the Heavy. The one from the Tough was wet and had dirt in parts that would've potentially chafed me, so I used the drier one from the Heavy, even though the right shoulder strap had been uncomfortable before. I figured that the Light was going to be too short to give me much trouble with the strap anyways. I wanted the side and top and bottom handles for PT, too. I'd rather have that extra convenience than have a perfectly clean ruck to use.
I ate the other half of the turkey sandwich that I had started before the Heavy. I ate the rest of the BBQ and Mac and Cheese that I had had before the Tough. I drank a can of Seltzer water as I waited around for the start of the Light. I didn't want to have a third caffeinated beverage, because after the Light, I wanted to be able to sleep. I wasn't really tired, either.
I might've slept for an hour, before I drove back to the park to use the restroom and get my gear ready. I was happy to see some additional friends who came out for the Light.
THE LIGHT
We had a big class of 61 people. It felt big. We had Aaron Hand join us as a participant. Cadre Fagan also came to watch. As usual, there was a decent number of newbies at the Light.
It was sunny and hot at the start. I don't think we did any PT right there, because of the heat. I think we probably went straight to another field in the park, where we did a modified Mog WOD in groups of 61/5. My group had 5 HTL candidates in it, plus some other solid guys, so we worked our way through the WOD pretty smoothly.
- 1/4 mi run
- 25 high pulls
- 4 x [10 squats, 10 lunges]
- 4 x [10 pushups, 100m sprint]
- 50 ruck thrusters
- 25 high pulls
- 1/4 mi run
Rucks for everything except the runs. I'm not sure if I have the number of reps right. One tough BAB's daughter was doing the runs with us, and I think some of the exercises with us, which was cute. Her kids are going to be incredible GRTs one day, if they're as tough as their mom.
We learned about Mog after that. It was less sunny now, which was good, since it was hot.
Sitting there, since I was still kind of responsible for making sure the rest of the HTLers stayed awake, I looked around at them a lot. Looked into their tired eyes. Having gone through all that stuff together, I got this feeling that I don't get at Toughs or Lights (but I do at Star Course), where you care for them not only like they're your brother or sister, but that they're an extension of yourself. It was just a notable feeling.
We went back to the start area for restrooms (since you can't go in the woods in the daylight very easily). We stayed organized in our 5 "chalks", with designated chalk leaders helping to keep each group in line. Each chalk had 3 sandbags, and a water pillow. There was a high ratio of participants to coupons.
We rucked to the famous fountain again, where we did more hydro-burpees.
We then went to nearby Midtown Park, to hear some of Belman and Aaron Hand's personal stories.
It was getting a little chilly again. It's crazy how you could go between hot and shivering so many times during a weekend. With being chilly, it was also easier for my body to get tight. We were on our way back home now, though. Back on the greenway, to the endex.
At the endex, we did sets of 30 reps, per group who had lost people during Gothic Serpent. Patches for the Light class. We had covered about 4.5 miles.
Smiles all around. Belman's son was there. The HTL patches were given out. I was readying myself for a final set of PT before getting it, but there was none of that. Little Commander gave out the patches.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Long weekend. It was hard keeping track of what day it was. Just took it one step at a time.
The hardest part... the preparation leading up to the event. Putting in the training. Mentally preparing and readying yourself for it. Once that's done, the rest is a matter of execution.
It's kind of crazy to think that I DNSed a Tough, Limped through a Light, briefly and somewhat exasperatedly jokingly thinking about selling all my rucks, giving up rucking, and going back to running, surviving a Tough, and then finishing this, all in the matter of about 6 weeks. I'm still limping, but at least exercise makes it feel normal, and coupons are no longer impossible for my foot to bear.
I have a lot of good friends, and this is a very kind community of people. The team building goes beyond what just happens during events. People support each other outside of the events, too.
People are a very powerful "why". By the end of this, the patch really didn't mean so much.
Fortunately, I have plans for some more goals to reach in the future. Otherwise, coming off of something like this could be hard. I don't take it for granted for a second that I'll make it to the starting line of those events healthy. I was crazy fortunate that I started this HTL weekend at all, and probably have many prayer warriors to thank for that. But it's good to have the next thing to look forward to, and people to look forward to doing it with.
