"Do you suppose they will choose to make war against lean, solid dogs rather than against fat and tender sheep?"
What my training was supposed to look like... This year I was forced to train much differently for the Heavy than planned. I suffered an injury to one shoulder and both hands that ruled out some of the very training that I intended to rely on, namely pushups, heavy kettlebells (32 to 40kg), and carrying... Continue Reading →
The D-Day Heavy Challenge is in the record books. Before I publish my AAR, this is what I packed. Feet: Rocky S2V boots. I got these on Sgt. Šileika’s advice, and they were champs.Originally I was planning on wearing my GORUCK MACV-1s, figuring “what could be better for an event than a boot made specifically for that... Continue Reading →
The GORUCK Heavy Challenge is 10 days away. For the last month I've trained at extra-high volume, never very intensely but with all the miles and reps I can get in. It's been a stretch, and I'm now definitely in a state of "overreaching," where I've purposely trained a little more than I could recover... Continue Reading →
I am 20 days out from the “GORUCK Heavy” event. Normally I reserve this blog for content that I think will have general interest, not “training log” entries. But this month will be a little different, as I leave a sort of memo for my future self, and this post is a snapshot of my... Continue Reading →
We’ve all had friends who exerted unhealthy influence over us. They were charismatic and had qualities we wanted to emulate, but in the exuberance of growth we also idealized them for a time and didn’t want to accept that they too were just fragile, finite people with foibles, not all-purpose role models. And so we... Continue Reading →
I have lots of surplus packs, but there are two that I love and cherish. For big jobs, I have a version of the legendary Swedish LK-35. For everything else, I carry the nimble, gorgeous Swedish M39, the "Moose Sack." Like in Switzerland, Sweden's neutrality is very much an armed neutrality. Even though Sweden did... Continue Reading →
Today's game was to sew straps onto both ends of the Steel Snake and take it out for a slither. Over 4 miles (6.4km), the Snake and I agreed on a few things: With straps added on, it slips and flops around less. That way it's much easier to carry.Since it's pretty slender, you can... Continue Reading →
The problem here isn't so much the weight as the SHAPE of the weight. Good luck resting this above your center of gravity. In the real world, when we need to lift or haul something challenging, it's less often because it's terribly heavy and usually because it's awkwardly shaped. Stones are bad. A half-filled keg... Continue Reading →
Julien, a lean, solid dog in Canada, asks: I've been thinking of buying a used rucksack (something like https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/british-patrol-backpack-30-litres-black-surplus/3779). Any advice you'd have for someone starting? Also, I saw that you seem to endorse the original RKC book for kettlebells. I got a 16 kg bell, and some extra money, was thinking of buying a... Continue Reading →