"However, the champ often 'took ill' with a pathogen transmitted in oak barrels known to disparately afflict the Irish community."
“Attention, Walmart Shoppers: You Already Have a Prize-Winning Physique For 1900”
The Sound of Sirens
For the looted, stripped minivan on my favorite backwoods hike, sung to the tune of "The Sound of Silence": "Hello Honda, my old friend.I've stopped to gawk at you again.Some tweakers brought you up here joyriding,Jacked you from the the Skyway Burger King,With a 308 they put you down when you ground out here,Like a... Continue Reading →
Anabasis: A High-Altitude Backpacking AAR (Pt. 1)
Xenophon of Athens was a philosopher but no soft-handed coffeehouse bloviator. A student of Socrates, in 401 BC Xenophon enlisted in a mercenary army setting out to topple the sovereign of the Persian Empire. After their commander was killed, the fighting philosopher held the routed army together and led them into the Caucusus Mountains on... Continue Reading →
Reset
What I've been busy with Lean, solid dogs, it's been entirely too long. I've missed you! Since I last posted, I went "operational" on the county Search & Rescue team and started climbing a steep learning curve in any number of training courses--K9 search operations, swift water rescue, rope rescue, emergency medical response--and a handful... Continue Reading →
Heartbreak Hill: Gripping Climax of the Star Course AAR!
Find parts 1 and 2 here and here. I only thought about quitting once, when I fell down a storm sewer. I’d climbed a truly evil hill of densely packed million-dollar crackerbox houses, past homeowners leaving to go to the beach. One of them actually wore a t-shirt saying something like “Rucking is fun!” I... Continue Reading →
Forty-Mile Ruck: Lessons Learned
To prep for the (in)famous Star Course, I tried a 42-mile ruck march. I'd read one man's AAR suggesting that in training you aim for 40 miles (64km) in something close to 10 hours, and on paper that sounded almost reasonable. It's only 15 minutes per mile, right? Heck, I've motored along at that speed... Continue Reading →
“A Mere Tourist on Planet Ultra”: D-Day Goruck Heavy AAR, Pt. 1
Goruck Heavy (May 31 - June 1) commemorating D-Day. San Francisco. Thirteen entered (eight men, five women), ten finished. These are the lessons I learned, first about individual performance (part 1), then about us as a team (part 2), then about my gear choices (part 3). Absolute Strength and Strength-Endurance Absolute strength is essentially one-rep... Continue Reading →
D-Day
Today's the day, friends. 24 hours, 40+ miles, with logs, sandbags, PT beatdowns, and surf torture along the way. Wherever you are today, get after it! Hammer along with me and (I'm completely serious about this), please remember my team and me in your thoughts and prayers. I may be Buddhist, but I'm not choosy... Continue Reading →
