Lessons Learned from GORUCK Training

Now that I've completed a GORUCK Challenge, I want to update my previous post about the training program I (more or less) followed with some reflections and refinements that future GORUCKers might find helpful. If you haven't read the first post - "How to Train for the GORUCK?" - I'd suggest you do that before delving into this one. I've also modified the injury prevention component of the workout, which I'll discuss in another post.

12 hours, 20 miles, 27 degrees, and 21 hardy souls: GORUCK Challenge Class 116

Ladies and gentlemen, I am GORUCK Tough! This past weekend I completed the GORUCK Challenge in Raleigh, NC as part of Class 116. This was the culmination of a journey that began five months ago when I decided to sign up, got me into the best shape of my life, and taught me valuable lessons about myself along the way.

Possibility.

Training is over.

Five hours from now, I'll step off into the unknown with the fifteen or so other GORUCKers in Class 116. My gear is ready, my bricks are dressed for the occasion, and there's no more time to work out. I have to trust that the last four months of work have made my body and mind strong enough to get through this.

I'm a long way from where I'd hoped to be back when I planned out my training program, but I'm also stronger than I've ever been before. My knee has been holding up OK, but not great. My final training run on Tuesday was a 1-hour long ruck run with the full six-brick load. It was hands down one of the toughest workouts of my life, but I made it through despite some knee pain. It was aggravated for several days afterwards, but I've calmed it down with ice and stretching, and spent the week praying that that last workout made it stronger rather than set it back.

Meet the bricks

With the GORUCK Challenge looming, it's time to introduce you to my training partners: the bricks!

Every participant in the GRC carries either four or six bricks in their rucksack for the entire challenge. Don't ask why; it's just what we do. Now, it's highly recommended that the bricks be wrapped in something soft to keep them from rubbing holes in your backpack and to save your lower back a lot of grief. Standard practice among GORUCKers seems to be wrapping the bricks in bubble wrap and covering them in duct tape.

My bricks lined up for duty a couple of months ago, when I found them under my house. (It's either coincidence or Providence that there happened to be exactly six random bricks left under my deck by the previous owner). I dutifully wrapped them in bubble wrap and duct tape and started carrying them on some of my workouts. We've logged many miles together at this point, and they've never failed in their job of making workouts harder!

With less than a week to go until my Challenge, I decided to dress up my loyal workout buddies for the occasion.

Ruckin’ and Rollin’

Done freaking out. I got that out of my system in the last post. In the days after writing it, I went on a 1.5 mile swim, did 2 hours of intense fitness classes at the gym, and hiked 7 miles up a mountain with my pack in snowy, below-freezing weather, helping me realize that despite the hiccup in my training program, I am still fit. At the same time, I ran everyday and have continued to build up my mileage. I've made my way from the treadmill to the "wild," and from there to running with my pack again - first two bricks, then three, and yesterday, four.  With such short time before the Challenge, I've been running as much as  my body could possibly take without pushing the knee back into inflammation, which has meant lots of shorter runs, sometimes multiple times a day.

Square Zero

The GORUCK challenge is less than three weeks away, and I'm starting to freak out.

Despite my best efforts to work through the IT band problems that derailed my training plan five weeks ago, I'm only now returning to running. I had an encouraging appointment with the PT yesterday, which confirmed that I've pretty much resolved the biomechanical issues that caused the problem, but the knee still keeps getting inflamed whenever I try to run. It's critical that I not let that happen. I left with some new exercises to do and clear instructions to run ONLY as much as I can without causing pain afterwards.

Today, that was half a mile. No weight, no dog, no hills, on the treadmill.

GRC Training: on finding inspiration and muddling through

If you've read any of my recent posts about training for the GORUCK Challenge, you know that for the last month I've been struggling with a knee injury and feeling pretty low about my progress. Not too much has changed in the last couple of weeks, but I finally got in to see a physical therapist on Monday, who identified some biomechanical problems with my stride and got me started on a regimen of exercises and stretches to correct them. That's given me a more constructive outlet for my frustration -- I can at least focus on doing these exercises that someone knowledgeable thinks will help.

This morning I managed to do back-to-back 2-mile run/walks with 4 bricks in my pack by limiting my running to 2 minutes at a time. Even in short spurts, running on the slightest, slightest downhill grade would start to make the knee hurt. Not a lot, but enough that if I were to continue beyond 2 minutes it would probably get worse. Now that it's over, I can't descend stairs without pain, despite three rounds of ice. I'm just not making progress nearly as fast as I want to.

Thrice Denied, Feeling Dark.

It's a dark time in my GORUCK Challenge training. It's been two weeks since a knee problem cut my long run short, and I'm frustrated beyond words. I've done everything I know how to do to help the knee recover. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatory meds, stretching, exercises for my glutes and stabilizer muscles, but I don't feel like I'm making any progress. I've gone through three cycles now where I rest and pamper the knee for 4-5 days then go on a short run with no weight to try to work back into running. Every time, I've started out feeling good, but had to stop after 1.5 - 2 miles due to the pain coming back. Each time that happens, it flares up for a few days and puts me into another cycle of rest and attempted recovery.

I had no idea that I would miss running this much! I've done more running in last couple of months than any other point in my life, and to suddenly have to cut it out of my routine, even for a week or two, is driving me crazy. I've tried to substitute other cardio workouts -- I had no problems doing a spin class and a stairmaster workout with my pack on -- but they just aren't the same. And I can tell Lola is missing it too. She's gotten noticeably more rambunctious in the house. Sometimes when I'm putting my shoes on she gives me this look that says "why aren't you taking me running?"

But by far the worst part of all this is the psychological blow it's dealt to my training. Up until that fateful run, I felt strong, resilient, tough, and fundamentally prepared to confront all sorts of physical challenges. I trusted my body. That's all come crashing down. Now I feel fragile. Every time I push myself in training (even lifting weights), I'm haunted by the prospect that some part of me is going to fail, cause an injury, and destroy my hopes of completing the GORUCK.

In a lot of ways, this is excellent mental preparation for the Challenge. This knee problem was an unexpected setback that has completely wrecked my training schedule. Somehow, someway, I've got to find a way to overcome it in time for the Challenge. I'm sure being able to roll with the punches will help me during the GRC, but getting to that point is proving really difficult. I think in my mind, ruck runs have become synonymous with preparation for the Challenge. Every day that I can't do them feels wasted. Never mind that I'm still lifting weights, doing stability and other cardio exercises, and bear crawling and crab walking across the backyard.

Accepting the fact that I have to scale back the running for a while is forcing me to reassess my training program. Maybe this knee problem is God's way of telling me that I need to focus more on my strength training; that in fact I'm well-prepared for the running bits. I'm trying to take comfort in that thought, and maybe if I can re-vamp my training plan I'll feel more like I'm still making progress.

But Lola's still looking at me, wanting to run.

Note: this post was written in mid-January 2012 (when I launched my blog), but is back-dated to reflect the journey I've been on as I train for the GORUCK Challenge.