TRAINING LEAD-UP
Back when there used to be a ton of GORUCK events nearby (or maybe there is still a decent number of events, but I have more shooting events on the calendar now), I could get in a lot of training through the events themselves. Since there aren't as many events on the calendar these days, I haven't had that opportunity. At only three weeks before the SERE Double Heavy, this would be a good way to get in some good training, at just about the right time... maybe a tad close to the HH, but with smart recovery, it would be OK. A TT would be good prep for the HH, since you'd get to cover decent mileage with coupons, but you'd also get the mental practice of going into a second event tired, having to resist the temptation to call it after one event.
Monday, Sep 29:
Glute and pec PT v1 in 27:15, then JBF "30s are the Best" in 21:01 with a 30#RPC, getting my HR high. Afterwards, I did a 90s 6in hold. I felt better today after resting yesterday.
Tuesday, Sep 30:
I went to Blackstone to zero my LMT after I had re-attached the QD red dot. As I shot, though, it seemed like it was looseness between the optic and the mount, not the mount and the rail, so I took that apart and re-did the zero.
I also tried the KAC battery cap and struggled with the dot staying on, only to realize later that the cap is made to hold a spare battery, and without the spare battery, you don't get good contact with the actual battery.
I zeroed the SR15 for a friend to use at an upcoming night match, too. There didn't seem to be anything really special about how it shot, despite the hype.
I used up the rest of my shot up target afterwards, doing ball and dummy, cadence, and more ball and dummy drills.
When I got home, I did a 4 mi ruck with a 30#RPC around the neighborhood. My arms and quads were a little sore today. I wore MACV1s and played Pokemon. I came across deer.
Wednesday, Oct 1:
Day 1 - Invite | BREATH yoga with Adriene
(2nd attempt at chia matcha pudding)
Friday, Oct 3:
This would be the second of two busy weekends. SB and I teamed up to lead a ruck for a Madabolic fitness conference.
It's cool to see rucking grow so much recently.
We did a 2-mi route around Uptown, seeing the major sites.
I got some rest afterwards, because I had a Double Tough (maybe my first?) later that night!
GORUCK DAY OF THE RANGER TOUGH #1
I had done a
Horse Soldier Tough with Cadre Igor before. It had been a while since that 2019 event, though! He had done a good job of adding in fun and unique team-building activities, so I was looking forward to doing another event with him.
This event in particular is one that you want to get the opportunity to do with him, since he had been on the ground in Somalia and would share his first-hand accounts of what happened. This event was special to him for all the reasons you can imagine. The TT format meant that there would be a good amount of time to hear and appreciate the stories and the history beyond what you typically get in movies or books.
A big class showed up, with 47 people including 6 newbies! They knew this would be special. Cadre Igor is based in the VA area, too, so to have him come to Raleigh was great and convenient. It felt like a family reunion, since there aren't as many events anymore for me to see everyone regularly.
The first Tough started at 9pm. The class had 3 giant Pelican-style crates to carry... you had to choose between the two smaller ones with small handles that crushed your knuckles (even on my small hands), vs a larger, heavier one with bigger handles. We're still not sure what was in them all. I smoked my grip strength pretty early on, carrying those. There were also sandbags and some of the most awkward team weights I've encountered, like a giant metal star. Sharing and switching the type of suck was the name of the game.
Cadre Igor is about the miles and shared suffering of coupons. We did some BW PT for the welcome party as a bit of a warmup, but it was heavy on miles after that.
During our breaks between movements, we got to hear about the 6 missions that were carried out in Somalia prior to the more well-known Battle of Mogadishu. It helped to put the big one into context. It put you in the shoes of US forces that had just been deployed there. Like in any new situation, you first get your feet wet and get to know the lay of the land. You also establish patterns and SOPs and carry learnings and experiences from one mission to the next, which, in hindsight, can sometimes help or sometimes hurt, depending on what you take away from it.
How often do you end up finding or not finding the guys you're looking for? How good is the intel? How much gear and supplies do you want to carry, based on how long you think you might be out there? Would you rather be light and fast but less protected, or weighed down but more protected? So many decisions can have unclear answers, and it's only in hindsight where you see what choices would work out the best. SOPs can be a good thing, but if you become predictable to the enemy, they can use that against you. Those are what I gleaned from my interpretation of the stories, in whatever tired state I was in.
At one stop, we got to learn a little bit of room clearing, which was fun. I remember wishing we could do that for the rest of the night. There are classes for that!
We also got to share bios of different people that we lost in the operation, too. I spoke about Sgt Dominick Pilla of NJ, who was killed in a convoy that was helping to get a casualty out. He had come from a family where his father and brother both served. He was only 21 but did so much to lift the spirits of those around him, often with the practical jokes he was known for. He had so much to look forward to, including having a Harley one day. He was one of the 19 who we lost, though, giving the ultimate sacrifice for others.
We were all feeling the miles. My co-ruck club leader managed to find and utilize wheels towards the end, as she inevitably does, which we were all very glad for.
We covered 17 miles in 11 hours, I estimate. I had tracking going, but the buttons kept hitting the crate handles and stopping and starting all through the movement, so it didn't catch everything.
After the first Tough, we got to enjoy some Hooten Young Rye Whiskey specially made to commemorate Operation Gothic Serpent.
Cadre Igor did something neat where we got all our patches up-front, and we carried them with us during the events. We'd turn the pack of patches in between events, which was extra incentive to not bail between events and not show up for the next event.
I elected to sleep in my car between events and not go anywhere, to maximize potential sleep time.
GORUCK DAY OF THE RANGER TOUGH #2
The second Tough started at 3pm. I had forced myself to eat as much as I could stand in between events, so recovery was decent. I was able to walk ok, fortunately. Everyone else coming back for #2 seemed OK, too. We'd be doing this! Often, the Mog events end with some "extra" involved, too, so we were mentally prepared for more than 12 hours. With a 3pm start, that could mean anywhere from a 3am finish to something closer to sunrise. Definitely a different kind of Tough end time!
We had 25 for this event, with 23 carrying over from event #1. At first, it seemed like we'd be carrying pretty much as many coupons as we had the night before, but with fewer people. The first evolution had some "storming" as a result. But then we got to band together to earn the ability to drop a coupon, by doing coordinated push-ups.
We'd fight through fatigue and many more miles. Even though we got to drop more coupons along the way as we went, it didn't get any easier, since we were also getting more worn out.
The most memorable coupon drop was for Carl himself... a 120#SB.
During the breaks, we learned about the progression of events on Oct 3/4. Cadre Igor ended up being security with one of the downed helicopters at one point, sans NODS. It's wild to imagine having to fight your way from one building to another with the whole city fighting back.
By the end, we had the best time on wheels again, plus there was a welcomed stop at a Sheet's. In a way, it felt Mog Mile-like, where by the end, we were pushing for speed, eagerly rushing to the freedom and safety of the start point, all working together to get there. We were very excited and worn out by the time we did.
We covered about 21 miles in 13 hours at Tough #2, I estimate, for a total of 38 miles in 24 hours over the weekend.
If you ever get a chance to do a Day of the Ranger / Battle of Mogadishu event with Cadre Igor, I highly recommend it!
