TRAINING LEAD-UP
Not that this training was specific to the Gun Run... this is just what I did for physical training leading up to the event.
Monday, Jul 5:
- Repeated the HDT 2020 March Madness "The Vitale" 15 min BW AMRAP as a warmup, because my ruck felt heavy.
- Afterwards, I did the HDT "Hell's Sandfire" 25 min AMRAP with a 40#SB.
- After that, I did a 2.5 min 30# ruck OH hold, then 2.5 min of 6 inch leg holding as workout fillers.
- After that, I did a a 1 mile coupon ruck with a 30# ruck and 40#SB, in MACV1s. I didn't go farther than that because I'm still letting the beach sandal blister heal. I napped a lot today, since I only got a few hours of sleep the previous night.
Tuesday, Jul 6:
Did Slow Flow Yoga at the USNWC with an instructor named Ashley. We were on our feet a lot, so it wasn't as relaxing as some other practices that I've done.
I did the South Main trail afterwards, covering 3 miles in 54:39. I shuffled to get it over with faster, since I've done this route 2x already, and the days are getting shorter again. I wore the Salomon Speedcross and rucked 30# plus the yoga mat. I think I was sore the next day from the faster trail ruck with the bit of extra mat weight. To my delight, I saw a rabbit and a deer, who made a funny noise when I accidentally scared it and made it run off.
Thursday, Jul 8:
To prepare for the "Force Multiplier" GORUCK sandbag and ruck training class, I did the "DT" workout, since that would be part of the qualifications. I used a 40#SB and 30# ruck. I completed it in 7 minutes, fresh. This is notable, since at Force Multiplier, you do it after you complete a Timed 12 miler.
After DT, I did the May 13, 2021 ruck WOD, which consisted of swings, situps, and burpees, and which took 17 minutes.
After that, I did the SRT JED workout in 35 min, alternating between the 40# and 60# SB's.
I did 4 miles wearing a 40# weight vest afterwards, in Ballistic Trainers. My shoulders felt the last mile due to the fixed width of the shoulder straps from each other, the lack of hip belt help, and the extra 10# that I'm not used to carrying.
Friday, Jul 9:
Did an 11 mile run in 1:45:30 (9:35/mi) at the USNWC, on Parkway->Panda->Smokey->Bandit on Ultratrac GPS mode (less accurate because fewer pings, but with longer battery life as a result), wearing Innov-8 X-Talons. It was hot, especially with the humidity from the earlier rain getting burned up. Shade was much better. I wanted this run in before the GunRun the following weekend.
Saturday, Jul 10:
On my way up to visit my sister for a quick trip, I joined Statesville Ruck Club for their weekly 7am Saturday workout. It started with a 1 mile warmup ruck in 16:25, then 35 min of the Greenville F3 Custom Basic gym workout (3x25 SB OTS, 25 burpee over ruck, 100m SB carry) with an added 30# ruck, with me adding bonus slick burpees at the end while everyone finished. We ended with a 1 mile cooldown ruck in 20:13.
Hung out with my sister the rest of the day.
Sunday, Jul 11:
I joined Ugly Ducklings Ruck club at Hanging Rock State Park for their ruck, but I chose to go unweighted, because I've been to that park before, and knew that the terrain wasn't ruck-friendly, with how steep and technical it was. My 30# ruck had felt heavy even without walking. It was an excellent decision, because I needed the recovery, anyways, after what I had done leading up to this.
I got there early, and did some waterfall recon, and discovered a side trail that led to parts of the waterfall that I had not seen before from the main trail.
We started off by going not to that waterfall (which made me glad that I saw it on my own beforehand), but on the main Hanging Rock trail.
After that, we went on another trail that I didn't even know existed, on the opposite side of the long parking lot. It took us to two waterfalls, which some of the ruckers enjoyed cooling off in.
Afterwards, Jonathan and Sun brought out watermelon, which they cut up and shared with everyone. It was a nice way to end the ruck.
Monday, Jul 12:
Open Flow Yoga at the USNWC, followed by 3 miles on South Main in the Salomon Speedcross. The Norths joined in for this one, which was awesome. They're part of my PATHFINDER group. It felt like a brisk pace, and time flew by because it was fun.
Tuesday, Jul 13:
Did the SRT "Zodiac" workout in 8:45 with a 30#SB and 20#WV. The SB felt light for deadlifts and hang cleans, but it was at my limit for shoulder-to-shoulders.
Afterwards, I did SRT "Sight Picture," a 16-min AMRAP in which I did 5 rounds with a 60#SB for dead lifts and a 30# ruck.
After that, I ddi the Jul 9, 2021 ruck WOD, a 16 min AMRAP, with a 30# ruck, which really got my HR up.
INDIVIDUAL GUN RUN MATCH
On July 17, 2021, I competed in my first Gun Run event. SB and I first heard about it from a GRT friend, and it sounded like a fun thing to try. It's basically a 5K run, but with 6 rifle and/or pistol shooting stages interspersed.
They tell you ahead of time how many rounds of center-fired pistol and rifle ammo you'd need to clear all of the stages if you never missed. Because we miss, though, it's recommended that we bring 2-3x the amount. 3x is the right amount for me at this point.
I played around with my belt, and experimented with different packs, to determine what setup I'd need to carry all of the rounds. It would've been nice to be able to use the GORUCK Bullet, but it was so long that it clashed with the battle belt. I therefore settled on the Haley Strategic Flatpack, which I had originally bought to be attached to the back of my plate carrier. It works well as a stand-alone pack, though, which is nice. I used it to carry mags that didn't fit on the belt.
I weighed the belt in at 11# with the pistol and ammo, and the pack was 5# with a bottle of water that I ended up not using. At the safety brief, we learned that there would be randomly distributed opportunities to carry a brick throughout the event and earn a Microtech knife in the process. I had the pack, and I'm used to rucking, so it was a no-brainer for me. SB and I had different run times, so there was one when it was time for her to run, too, and she had a Camelback to use. Some people ended up carrying their brick by hand. The brick added another 5#, so total, I was carrying about 20# of weight at the start. As the event goes on, though, you use up ammo, so your weight gets lighter.
Scoring is based 50% on your total course time minus wait time (if you come up to a stage that is currently being run by someone else), and 50% based on your shooting score, which is based on your ranking, where from among the successful finishers of the stage, ranks are awarded based on completion times. Everyone else who didn't make all the hits within the 90-120s par time got the same rank.
For the first stage, we carried a 70# sandbag up to the third floor of a connex structure. We had to shoot out of a balcony 3x at a 150yd 12x20 torso, and then move onto a VTAC wall to do 1 shot each out of 3 ports, then 3 more hits from a window. I wasn't used to shooting such long distances, and I was using a red dot, and I failed. 59/99 people passed. For the most part, people who failed had trouble with the cant adjustments from the non-vertical ports, and from people putting their barrels on the ports.
Stage 2 was the "ambush" stage. 4 hits each on 4 different 12x20 torso targets, at 80-120 yd. The scenario is that you're suddenly ambushed, because they start the stage off with blanks getting fired. The idea is to go to cover, but you weren't penalized if you didn't, at least this time around. Prone or trees work as cover. 59/99 pass.
At stage 3, we were at the long range. Unlock a bag, read a brief, do a precise 5 inch pistol target at 12 yards (hard for people)... you need to take your time and get it, first. Then, onto rifle. There were props that we could've used, but I totally forgot about them when it was time for me to start shooting. 180 and 280yd targets, 2 hits each. 48/99 passed. There was also a bonus option to make a hard hit in exchange for time off the run, and I went for it, but I missed.
At stage 4, you're in the forest bay. 5 shots at 45 yards, close in, 5 more shots, close in, 5 more shots, all on a single 12x18 torso. It was challenging because you started at the farthest distance, and you couldn't move in until you got your five shots at that distance. I made it up to the second spot, but didn't get to the closest spot. I'd try resetting when I wasn't getting hits. 60/99 pass.
At stage 5, you're at the school bus. 84/99 pass. I almost passed but ran out of time, going 1 second over. You start behind a car, shoot a full-size and 12x20, and using rifle, 3 hits each. Put the rifle down next, so that you can move up close to the school bus and shoot targets in there (2 to 10" chest and 1 to 8" head).
At stage 6, you start in a car. Draw your pistol, shoot at a close target, then 2x 8"ers. Jump out, grab rifle and a dummy that you have to save. Take it back behind another car, use the car as cover. Hit those same targets with pistol again, but from farther away now. Then, move the dummy back way farther (25+ yards) to another car, then use rifle to do 4 shots on 10" target. Many people run out of time. I never got to moving the dummy to the farthest car.
I finished before SB's run time started, so I got to see her off.
It was fun to compare notes afterwards. It's fun being on the learning journey with someone else, since you can talk through and process your experiences together.
I didn't end up passing any stages, but I was excited to come close in 1 stage. SB passed one stage. We have nowhere to go but up! And we decided to invest in LPVOs to help with longer range rifle work.
The Microtech knives were awesome, by the way. They're fun to play with, cool, and collectible, with different styles and features. Now I want more!
Although we didn't partake in it, Sawmill has onsite lodging. It was fun to explore their lodge and common areas. It's nicely decorated with SOF paraphernalia, and it has a gym area, too.
I finished the day with a 45 min swim, doing 4x [200m free, 200m breast] in about 40 minutes, and then doing 5 minutes of little challenges.
