"Do you suppose they will choose to make war against lean, solid dogs rather than against fat and tender sheep?"
Elements of the Thursday Freedom Squad fly our freak flag at Pride to support a gun buddy (not depicted here) who is cautiously emerging from the closet. We are with you, Mysterious, Unnamed Gay Sharpshooter! Shoot straight, be queer! Until you are ready to be fully and publicly Fabulous, we will be fab for you!
Following an idea from the Manly Monk of Vilnius, I declared this weekend the Great Buddhist Backpack & Beads Pilgrimage. The idea was, one step, one mantra, and in 27 miles that would make fifty-five thousand mantra reps. That’s got to be enough to make you a buddha in this very lifetime (即身成佛), right? But... Continue Reading →
1. Things That Worked The Goofy Yoga Shorts. Never mind what the smart-alecks say [looking sideways at Lee], these were SOOOOO practical. They didn’t bind my legs and, when wet, they drip-dried in no time. Caffeine and Sugar. I drank the equivalent of six or seven cups of coffee. I only regret not drinking twice... Continue Reading →
The infamous “surf torture” was really fun for a short while. It was neat to find out firsthand why it’s so hard. (The answer is that when the waves recede, they pull the sand out from beneath you. Everyone starts tumbling and getting sucked out of line, so when the next wave hits, it’s not... Continue Reading →
We all made it! The all-night ruck confirmed some clichés that are cliché for good reason: 1) People metamorphose in shocking ways. A bantamweight guy who struggled with sand bags early in the night turned into the Incredible Hulk around 5am. Either he was free-basing something or he’s really, really a morning person. 2) When... Continue Reading →
"ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς" --Spartan moms in a time before enlightened parenting I am ready to ruck! I’ve trained for weeks, obsessed minutely over man-toys Vitally Important Equipment Choices,™ and I just managed to give myself a second-degree burn with a piece of paracord that caught on fire. (Don’t ask.) But now I’m ready!... Continue Reading →
I had my first encounter with one of the hill dwellers who, I'd been cautioned euphemistically, "isn't real social." As it turned out, we just ignored each other. I was taking a break at the side of the road, he was watering Some Kind of Plant Life 100 yards away, and neither of us acknowledged... Continue Reading →
By the week before a competition, you’ve accumulated fatigue and it’s time to refill your tank with a week’s layoff. That means going easy and limiting yourself to foam rolling and active recovery (spelled “yoga”). Everyone I know tries to screw this up. You’re resting and supercompensating from training stress and your body is gathering... Continue Reading →
Maybe I'll just never wear pants again. That's how awesome it is to ditch hiking in 2-lb. pants and a pinchy belt for the sublime freedom of the Silly Yoga Shorts. I took advantage of cold weather today to simulate the much lower temperatures at GoRuck (55-60°F), and I learned a couple things. First, nothing... Continue Reading →
