Ruck

My family went for a hike today so I brought along my rucksack. Loaded it with probably 30 or so pounds. I took a couple pictures of push ups with my siblings on my back. It was a fun day. Relaxing compared to yesterday.

HOOYAH

Steve

Severna Park Spec Ops Triathalon

Woke up early to get there a little before 8. I met Stew, introduced myself from the previous emails we had sent, and began to help him set up. At 8:30 we started with the presentations. The first was a British Commando with 20 years in the service. He talked about mental toughness, determination, you don't "rise to the occasion", and the importance of teamwork/leadership. The second presentation was by 2 army SOF guys, each with over 20 years in the teams. Backing on what the first man said, they talked more about teamwork and leadership. They were hilarious. The final presenter was with Combat Ready Tape (kinesiology tape) and explained how his product works, and is used in the military. Stew then gave a quick explanation of the CSS and we headed over to the pool.

I asked for some critique on the CSS, but with that many people Stew told me it was pretty good and to go swim my mile. Once completed, we were instructed to complete Murph in our free time.

1 mile CSS
100 Push Ups
70 Air Squats
15 Pull Ups

We then went across the road to do the run/ruck combo. I partnered with a girl for the rucksack. It was a little light so I filled it with water so that it was probably around 35 pounds. After the ruck I took a 3/4 minute break and went straight into the run.

4mile Ruck 35# (0:39)
4mile Run (0:30)
1:11

100 Push ups

1mile special event: fireman carry

First half mile I had a partner that was 170#. Every 60yds (two telephone poles) we would switch who was carrying. Second half mile we had a group of 4. 2 people would carry one while the 4th person would jog along side.

I could have finished the Murph at the end but most of the Mids from the Spec Ops Team were hanging out and talking. I decided to talk with them for a while. I also got a chance to really sit down and talk to Stew. He was a great guy.

Really enjoyed the whole event and I hope to go back to another in April.

HOOYAH
Steve

Ruck

1.5 mile Ruck 50#

27:45

Leg was feeling tight so I stopped. 

HOOYAH!

Steve

Peak Experience and New Training Partner

The Past 9 days I have been off the grid in Colorado on a school trip. Some highlights were: Rock Climbing, 3 day backpacking/rucking trip, white water rafting, and ropes courses. It was a great trip and I met a lot of new friends, but it was not a strenuous workout. Most of the people I went with were either out of shape or really young. That said, I fully enjoyed the trip and it was another great experience with camping. 

Today I did my first workout with my training partner Gautam. In the next few months, if I mention a partner WOD, I probably mean him. It was a simple drills and skills day to evaluate his abilities on different exercises.

3x5x155# Deadlift

Death by Pull ups:
8 rounds plus 7

Death by HSPU:
6 rounds

3x50 4 count flutter kicks

2 min plank

Looking forward to another workout at my new gym.
HOOYAH
Steve

Saturday (7/13)

5 Mile trail hike and Ruck. Carried 9L of water and lunch. Not too heavy.

Appalachian Trail Hike

Next on the list of sumer activities was the the Appalachian Trail Hike. We had originally planned on going 100 miles over the course of 8 days but soon after the first day we realized that this goal was unrealistic. Our packs (Kifaru Gear) were filled with supplies and MREs for the hike. When we weighed them they were, on average, 45 pounds.

Kifaru Pack

We started from Sky Meadow Sate Park in Virginia and headed north. 

Us with our Packs on 

Trail Head

The first day was loooong. 15 miles of hiking. We stopped for lunch at Rod Hollow Shelter and eventually for dinner at Sam Moore Shelter. At Rod Hollow we met a troop of boy scouts that were, to put it nicely, out of shape and struggling. Both shelters were great and surprisingly clean. 

Sam Moore Shelter

Day 2 was pretty short. We only hiked 3 miles to Bears Den Hostel. This shelter had all of the conveniences of home: laundry, beds, hot food. It was really a saving grace after the first day. 

Room at Bears Den

Day 3 was another long one. 11 miles to the next shelter. Starting on the first day, we entered the section that was called the Roller Coaster. It is an 18 mile section of straight mountains. The trail goes up and down the whole time (and trust me the down was not easy). On the 3rd day we finally exited the Roller Coaster and walked on a ridge line until we reached David Lesser Memorial Shelter. 

 View from the ridge

David Lesser Shelter

The final day to Harpers Ferry was a little shorter. Only 8.5 miles left. In the morning we continued on the trail to where we had breakfast in Keys Gap, West Virginia.

Breakfast

Restaurant

Later that day we finished the hike. We went shorter than we planned, but there were a number of things that contributed to the decision. My dad had killer blisters and I was starting to get one. Up ahead on the trail there wouldn't be too many places to re-stock on food and water, and there wouldn't be a good definite ending point. Finishing in Harpers Ferry allowed us to complete the trip with a 40 mile total. 40 miles in 4 days isn't bad.

Nearing Harpers Ferry

Posing for the Camera

Crossing the Shenandoah into Harpers Ferry

It was a good long Hike. The weight really didn't get to me. Rather, it was the rash created on my lower back and shoulders because of the sweat and the rubbing. I feel confident in my rucking abilities. I's ready to take on a GORUCK heavy. 

HOOYAH

Steve

Spring Break

I know I said I wouldn't be posting very much in season by I just had to log what I did over break. 

My major accomplishment was a 1.5 mile ruck with a 35-45 pound backpack (not rucksack) to the top of a mountain in West Virginia. Though it was only 1.5 short miles I really felt good about hiking with the weight. I am going to be getting a pack for my birthday(I will talk about it later on) and I am really going to make an effort to add rucking into my routine. I have the trip in june that we decided is going to be on the Appalachian Trail and then the trip in late July that is going to be in Colorado. Both of these trips will require me to ruck for many hours straight and I want to be prepared. In addition, I just felt very calm and relaxed when I was rucking. I enjoyed the hike itself and it became more than just a work out.

A couple of other PRs over break:
Max ring muscle ups: 7
Highest standing box jump: 45"

We also did a lot of log carries (great for SEAL PT!) in West Virginia. We would carry one log at a time about a quarter of a mile down the driveway (6x total) and deposit them by the shed. We then de-barked them and cut/chopped them until they were firewood size. Each log weighed about 150ish pounds so between two people it was pretty heavy. 

I'll post later about the rucksack I am getting for my B-Day and the trips.

HOOYAH!
Steve

First day of Summer

Morning:
12x95# bench press
10x115# bench press
8x135# bench press

I feel that when doing heavy weight I tend to arch my back. I stopped at 8 because when I could feel too much pressure on my lower back.

45# Seven
Seven is:
7curls half way up
7 curls half way down
7 full curls

50# Seven

Was going to go for a swim workout but the pool was overrun with people. Did buy a new pair of goggles though.

Afternoon:

With 16.8# in backpack on back(2x5# weights and a ton of water)

.75 mile run/jog
5x 176yd hill sprints w/70 ft of elevation gain
1.5 mile run/jog

HOOYAH
Steve