GORUCK D-Day Tough 2020 - Sanford, NC

TRAINING LEAD-UP

Tuesday, June 2:

I did the HDT Week 5 Core workout with 55 min for PT, along with a 1 mi coupon ruck at the beginning with a 45# SB and 25# ruck.  I skipped the "plus" work so that I could taper for the upcoming Tough.  My legs (glutes, hammies, and feet) were still feeling strained from the hard 12 miler on Sunday, but this was good active recovery.

Thursday, June 4:

I pulled out some stops to help with recovery, beginning with an ice bucket for my lower legs in the morning.  I did the 25 min BW "Jump Release" AMRAP, followed by a 2 mi medium effort run.  Ideally, I wouldn't be doing these the day before the Tough, but I had to get work done for HDT.  My left foot was a bit flared up this week after the hard 12, and my middle back was a bit sore from the plyometric pushups that I did for a video compilation for Singelyn's B-day gift.  I did a 25 min epsom salt bath afterwards.

HOW I FOUND MYSELF AT MY FIRST COVID-ERA EVENT

The D-Day Tough wasn't originally in my plans.  It was actually a re-scheduled Memorial Day event, and I had thought that Sanford was kind of far away, so I hadn't been signed up for the original Memorial Day event.  With the new D-Day date, this was going to be the first weekend of GORUCK's return to events during the COVID era, though.  

Everyone was curious how this was going to go.  Masks and hand sanitizer were now on the packing list.  Participants would be asked to stay 6 feet apart during the event.  Coupons wouldn't be mandatory, but if used, there would be wipe-down procedures.  No team weight required.  It would be up to each person whether or not they wanted to wear a mask, as long as it was in compliance with local laws.  

Since we had been in COVID mode since March, everyone was missing events, but you don't necessarily want to be the guinea pig, either.  You kind of want to see how the first one goes, before you decide how safe it is.  I was signed up for a couple of shorter Star Courses, but those, I'd be able to do alone if I wanted to, so there was less concern there.

One of my friends from Myrtle Beach was going, and was wishing that I was going, too.  Cadre Dan was so excited to get back out, as much as the GRTs were.  That wore me down, and inside my head, I had decided that if I happened upon a free event code, that I'd do it.  Well, on May 9th, my fellow Ruck Club Leader offered a code up to me.  I guess that was my sign.  I didn't think it would happen, but it did.  I guess I'd be one of the guinea pigs now.

Another factor to consider was civil unrest, with increased protest activity against racial injustice.  This was more of a risk in larger cities.  Fortunately, Sanford is a quiet little town.

Packing for that event on Friday felt so weird.  It felt like I hadn't done it in forever, yet it felt so familiar.

I drove out to Sanford, which wasn't actually too far away... a little over 2 hours.  The start point was in front of a Nutrishop in a strip mall with a Walmart.  I went into Walmart to use the restroom before the event.  It was my first time going into a Walmart since the start of COVID.  It was pretty packed and a bit chaotic-feeling in there.  They only had one set of doors for people to go through.  I didn't even go past that first main post check-out aisle, but I was glad to get out of there.  The opening hours were shortened, too, to allow the employees to restock and clean the store.  I got in right before they stopped allowing new people in.  

I stayed in my car at the start point for a while, observing.  I'm always kind of surprised by the number of people at events that I don't know, since I do a fair number of them.  When the time got closer, I moved the ice-filled water containers from the cooler to my ruck, and I went to say hello to people, with my mask.  

THE TOUGH

Cadre Dan let us keep our phones and watches.  We could even take pictures, if we wanted to.  Just don't browse the internet or social media and stuff.  When we were in formation at the start, I felt better keeping my mask on.  I decided to keep my mask on during all of the rucking portions of the event, although I was the only one doing it.  I felt OK enough to not use it during PT, since we'd have our own designated socially distanced spots then.  

One cool thing that Cadre Dan had arranged was for us to virtually link up with European GRTs at some point during the event, to do a workout together.  That's awesome, since this was a D-Day event.  It was also great because that was a good quarantine-era way of connecting with people.  

At the start, we all got 10# Sandbabies to add to our rucks - a good reason to have a 25L Rucker.  I'm writing this in October, so I don't remember everything anymore, but I think another reason I used the 25L Rucker was that it was potentially going to be my Team Assessment Ruck, and I wanted to make sure I was used to it.  I've used it before, like at the 2019 Veterans Day Tough, and didn't have any major issues with it, other than the fact that it would graze the ground during ruck swings.  It's slightly bigger and therefore a tiny bit heavier and a little more bulk to maneuver during PT, but not too noticeably so.  We didn't have any coupons, but we had a flag and a medic bag.  There were wipes if people wanted to wipe them down before swapping.

Our first movement was a 2.2 mi ruck to Lee County Ingram Center, which has a couple of baseball fields.  We put our rucks down and sat down on some bleachers, while Cadre Dan drew a sand table and talked through the map of what happened on D-Day.  Nobody explains history like he can.  It's always special to watch.  After that first "lesson," I was so hyped up, and seriously thought about signing up for the Light right after the Tough was over, just so that I could get more of this.

We didn't do any PT there, and kept rucking.  As usual, people out in the town wondered what we were doing, but nobody gave us any trouble.  We were a big group.  While we were rucking, formations weren't enforced like they normally would be at a challenge, because we wanted to be able to stay 6 feet apart.  I kind of liked it.

We rucked to another park (maybe O.T. Sloan Park, which is 1.7 miles away), where we took a little break before it was time to connect with Europe.  We had a socially distanced Higgins Boat workout, where we did exercises to mimic different phases of what soldiers had to go through to storm the beach.  We just repeated the reps at our own pace, until told to switch to the next exercise.  It was kind of a nice change from the usual sets of PT that we do at challenges, where we have to do a certain number of reps, in cadence.  We did have one person puke from the effort, though.

Normandy Workout:

1. Choppy surf in the Higgins Boat on the English Channel (squats)

2. Calmer waves as you approach the shore (pause)

3. Ramp drops, and chaos ensues as round enter the "fatal funnel".  You start trying to climb into the ocean from the sides of the boat (strict press)

4. Help your buddies, too (ruck thrusters)

5. Wade to the shore (high step with ruck front)

6. Run to the first hedgehog obstacle for some cover (ruck run in place)

7. Take a knee behind the obstacle

8. Hand over a radio to someone else (Russian twists on both knees with ruck going overhead in the middle)

9. Sweep for landmines (ruck swings)

10. Run to the next obstacle (ruck run in place)

11. Crawl through barbed wire (rock back and forth with ruck on chest, then roll three times left and three times right with ruck on chest, then yell "bangalore" to get a mortar to fire on the barbed wire to clear the way for you, then repeat the roll)

12. Climb the cliff using ladders (lunges)

13. Kick down the door

14. Throw in grenades

15. Shoot flamethrowers

We did combinations of these and repeated them a few times.  Cadre Dan put the phone up front, so that the Europeans could see us, though it was too far away for us to really see or hear them.  There was at least a group from the UK, a guy from France, and maybe some from Germany.  That was a neat experience, and something I've never done at an event before.

We made a special and unexpected stop at a podiatrist's clinic, too, to commemorate the good work that those people did and the remarkable recovery that Cadre Dan was able to make through sheer will and determination.  We took a class picture there, for him to send to the doctors there.

On the way to the next park, I think we stopped by a gas station, so that people could top off on water if they wanted, since we weren't carrying jerry cans to share.  

Our next destination was Depot Park (2 miles from the previous park), a nice little green area with a covered stage for performances, and an old train.  We sat down to learn more.  I tried to sit with a good gap between me and other people, with all of the heavy breathing.  While we were there, a guy approached us, saying that he was having difficulty breathing - a bit concerning in the time of COVID.  The medics talked to him and called for an ambulance.  We waited for the ambulance, and they checked him out.  I don't remember whether we did any PT there.

We then rucked 0.8 miles to a memorial in front of the Sanford PD, where we learned some more history.  

We returned to Depot Park, where we did more PT.  We repeated the Normandy Workout a couple of times, and we also did some movements back and forth across the field.  We did some of the exercises individually and with good form.  We kept going until daylight broke, and we started seeing people waiting for busses.  

We were told that it was time to ruck back to the start point.  We took one picture in front of a cool mural, though we weren't going to get to see it on social media until after 2 weeks after the event, when we'd know for sure that nobody got COVID.

It was probably the easiest Tough that I've done, since we didn't have coupons.  It was mostly just rucking with some PT thrown in there, though I didn't mind.  I liked being back out and exercising with friends.  The sandbaby did give us a little extra challenge, but I didn't notice it much, which was good.

It was kind of a long walk back, at 4 miles.  One guy needed help carrying his ruck.  It was getting hot, and there were mosquitos at one little lot where we paused.  We made it back to Nutrishop, though.  It was supposed to be fully sunny later that day, and it was hot, so I decided not to do a last-minute signup for the Light.  It was a good first event back, though.  We covered about 14 miles.

Cadre Dan told us that there were many firsts at this event...

1) First time he hasn't had enough patches, because so many additional people ended up signing up near the end.  He had 4 of us long-time GRTs stay back, to let us know that he'd get our patches to us later on, so that the newbies could go home with theirs after the event.  

2) No beer allowed post-event, per HQ, to reduce COVID risk.  

3) First time we had to actually apply the good Samaritan principle and help a person that we encountered

4) Not 100% sure on this one, but maybe the person puking during the workout, too.