Goruck Tough Class 057 - Training and Prep

I did something a little crazy to prepare for this GRC. In order to get ready for a 15-20 mile 12 hour endurance event, I decided not to do any running at all. To prepare for my last Goruck Challege in May, I noticed that my major limiting factor during the runs were pains in my feet and shins.

nuffsaid6.blogspot.com/2011/05/goruck-tough.html

This was further proved during the Down-N-Dirty Half Dozen where I completed 18.6 miles in 6 hours with a 30 lb. pack. After about 15 miles, my feet far more than my endurance were holding me back.

nuffsaid6.blogspot.com/2011/07/goruck-echo-mods-and-setup-field.html

Therefore for the upcoming GRC in New York I decided to once again follow the "5k to 50k in 12 weeks" program in the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris, but this time around I substituted biking and jump roping for the running portions. If I had continued to run despite the aches and pains, there was the potential to develop an awkward and unnatural gait. This had the potential to lead to long term injuries and problems that would far outweigh any short term gains I would have made. My livelihood as a firefighter depends on my mental and physical fitness and health. Therefore my goal is for all of these events - Gorucks, Tough Mudders, and whatever else comes my way - to make me stronger and fitter rather than tear me down in the process.

Before altering the workout program in this way I knew that I had a solid background both in strength and operating while under load. As a wildland firefighter I spent several seasons hiking and working with packs weighing from 25-40 lbs.

nuffsaid6.blogspot.com/2010/07/dan-johns-pressing-tips-on-b2d.html"

In my current job as a structural firefighter my personal gear weighs around 75 lbs. before I add on tools, hose or whatever I else I might need to get the job done. Both of these jobs have done a great deal to help develop useable fitness which works great for things like GRCs.

Given this background and knowledge of how to move while under load, I focused my training on building muscular endurance and strength through biking, and training my shock absorption through jump roping.

I also incorporated the tips from this video into my workouts after finding it in Riff's (Mark Reifkind) blog.



I added the calf stretches in to the GTG (Grease the Groove) portion of my workouts. Overall this plan worked out pretty good. My feet definitely felt better than the last GRC, with no pains in my shins. I still had some cramping in my arch and a little bit of pain under the ball of my foot. My plan for the next GRC will be to add in runs on soft sand to further strengthen my feet.

While foot strength was my perceived limiting factor, proper hydration turned out to big my biggest challenge this time. I began hydrating with a minimum of 4 quarts of water a day 4 days before the challenge. I knew the 9 hours of travel time out to NY from California would be pretty dehydrating and wanted to counteract that. In the day before and the hours leading up to the challenge I added in pedialyte to maintain proper electrolyte balance.

Starting the challenge and for several hours into it I felt great. My pack had the sweet set up this time and felt great throughout the challenge.

Pictured are petzl e+ headlamp, windbreaker, road ID, mechanix work gloves, protec knee straps, wright running socks, GR Tac cap with GRT patch, 2xu compression top and shorts, board shorts, solomon xa 3d shoes, radio ruck with cinch straps, bricks wrapped in bubble wrap and duct tape, yoga brick, 5.11 tactical 9.11 tribute patch, fog rugby ball, fire engine key chain, arnica cream, mole skin, assorted snacks, NS6 t-shirt, platypus big zip 1.8 L hydration bladder, camera in pelican case, extra socks, cash, 5.11 tactical watch cap, and dry bag. Not pictured is a sternum strap taken off of a camelbak and attached to the MOLLE webbing on the shoulder straps.

The temps were warm through the night, generally around mid to upper 70s. This was fine by because I like and tend to operate well in the heat.

What I didn't count on was the humidity. I had been doing a decent job of keeping up with my water intake until the humidity dropped late in the night. Once that happened I suddenly felt as though I had to pee every 5 minutes. As a woman during one of these challenges that can be a bit problematic. Places to pee for us can at times be few and far between. By this time we had started carrying our log and railroad tie around. I of course wanted to take my turn under the log and support my team as much as possible, but after a while it felt as though the log was sitting directly on my bladder.

So again I further reduced my water intake. Mistake. Shortly before dawn when the night was stretching out into its wee hours, the temp raised back up to 75 degrees with 75% humidity. I began sweating profusely without increasing my water intake. My mood took a sharp turn for the worse resulting in one of the biggest internal hissy fits I've had in a long time. Not until I got back to my usual cheerful self after a few sips of water did I realize that I had been significantly dehydrated.

A bit later when we took a refreshing cooling dip in a fountain I realized just how hot my core had become.

Normally I'm a big fan of compression tops, but in the humidity it wasn't able to wick away moisture and sweat like it normally would. In this case it turned into more of a wetsuit adding to the heat stress and dehydration. As a testament to the power of teamwork, through it all my feet kept moving buoyed by the spirit and momentum of the team. While I was downright miserable for a bit there, my awesome battle buddy Brie, the rest of the women in the group (there were 5 of us) and of course all my boys kept me motivated and going strong throughout. Within hours of finishing I was already looking forward to the next one. Thank you all for an incredible experience 057.

The 5 women of Goruck New York Class 057

Goruck Tough New York Class 057 - With You

June 10, 2001 I spent my first day on the line as a city firefighter. A mere three months later I awoke in shocked disbelief to find out terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I along with the rest of the world watched in uncomprehending horror as the towers and then building 7 fell. We listened as the first estimates of firefighter fatalities came in at an estimated 250, a figure which was later revealed to be much greater than that at 343 of my brothers lost that day. Firefighters make up an extremely tight knit community throughout the world. It doesn't matter that we may not know each other personally, we all know that if there is ever truly a need, we will be there for each other without hesitation. Recently in the blog post "June 10, 2010" I wrote of the amazing outpouring of support given to the members of the San Francisco Fire Department for their two fallen brothers.

http://nuffsaid6.blogspot.com/2011/06/june10-2011.html

If this was for two, imagine what it was for 343. There were over 60,000 uniformed personnel from all over the country, all over the world, lined up in the rain for the procession. This was by far one of the most moving, humbling and awe inspiring things of which I have ever been a part.

Last year I gained another connection to September 11 when I joined the family that is the San Francisco Fog Rugby team. One of the Fog's founders was Mark Bingham. Mark was aboard Flight 93 and believed to be one of the passengers that led the attack on the hijackers, causing it to crash in a field before hitting its intended target. His spirit still and always will burn strong among the Fog.



As the 10th anniversary of September 11 was fast approaching, I knew that I needed to do something to commemorate this event. GORUCK provided me with the perfect opportunity when the announced they were holding several GORUCK challenges over the September 11 weekend with a special one time only commemorative patch.

As the news began to surface that first responders were not invited to the memorial, this GRC turned out to be one of the best ways for me to honor the fallen. I packed a small fire engine key chain that I got when attending the FDNY memorial in 2002, and strapped a Fog rugby ball to the outside of my Radio Ruck as a tribute to Mark and the 343.

I later learned that for our team weight we would be carrying pieces of the world trade center recovered from the pile. These were provided by Laura Cross who lost her father FDNY Battalion Chief Dennis Cross, when the towers fell. Pictured below are part of our team weight - two elevator floor plates and a desk ornament.

As we got under way all of us were nervous, but we jelled into a team almost immediately. The last Goruck challenge was to prove something to myself. This one was about something much greater, about honoring the courage and sacrifice of all those involved that day ten years ago. I believe this was a strong undercurrent that ran through us all during the challenge and was a major reason we all bonded so quickly.

During the long hours the significance of this challenge continually deepened. One of the first stops we made was to the field of the Flags of the Fallen. These flags are printed with the names of all those lost that day. One flag was posted for each person lost.

During a bathroom break, Laura showed me the necklace that she wore which was found on her father when he was recovered from the pile. She also mentioned that it was an incredible coincidence that we were class 057, because her father was Battalion 57.

As a class we all came together and supported each other through all of our rough spots until all 28 of us that started this challenge together ended it together at our final challenge destination, firehouse 20. Laura's father was acting deputy chief that day and due to report to this station, but couldn't get over the Brooklyn bridge to the station, so he called in orders as he crossed the Manhattan bridge, the same bridge we carried our log across.

I'm getting a little misty eyed at the writing of all of this, the memories of September 11, the memorial 9 years ago, and countless other firefighter memorials I've attended over the years. I will carry the memories of this challenge and all of the members of GORUCK tough class 057 with me always.


Thanks to Evan and Laura for use of the pics.

NS6 T-Shirts are In!

The NS6 Original T-shirts have arrived. The NS6 Logo is screen printed on a dark heather grey American Apparel 50/50 tee available in both men's and women's styles. It's a cotton poly blend for both comfort and to help wick away the sweat during those hard charging workouts.

So, how do you get this awesome t-shirt?

Step 1
They're $20 each, but in order to get one you've got to come out and play or train with me.

Step 2
Once you have your shirt, go out and play. Go do something that fosters and encourages your mental and or physical health and growth, or benefits your community. Some great examples of this would be
Get in a good workout
Learn a new skill
Play an instrument
Cook a healthy meal
Draw, paint or sculpt
Go to school
Go back to school
Do your homework
Read a book
Have a good time hanging out with friends
Serve your community
Volunteer
Travel
Set a goal for yourself and accomplish it
Run, jump, play, climb and frolic

You get the idea. Be creative with this.

Step 3
If you're so inclined and want to help inspire others to do something positive for themselves and their communities, post a pic to the NS6 Athletic Facebook page.

Step 4
Hurry though, this first batch is a limited run.

Step 5
Let's go play.

The Turkish Get Up

As the Two Hand Swing is at the core of the ballistic kettlebell exercises, the Turkish Get Up is the foundational kettlebell strength exercise or "grind." Here is video that gives a great in depth overview of the Get Up.




Some key points and to keep in mind when learning and performing Get Ups are

Start by practicing these movements unweighted or with a light object that won't hurt you if it falls such as shoe or plastic water bottle balanced on the fist.

Even when working with light weights, treat them with the same respect and attention to form and detail as you would with a maximal effort. The foundations you lay now in learning this exercise will stay with you through the heavier lifts. This exercise is as much if not more about moving correctly than simply lifting something heavy.

Keep the elbow locked and the shoulder packed in the socket throughout the movement

Make this exercise as smooth as possible with extra adjustments as possible.

For one of the most in depth resources around on the Turkish Get Up check out Kettlebells From the Ground Up by Gray Cook, RKC and Brett Jones Master RKC

www.dragondoor.com/dvs017/

Radio Ruck 6 Brick Field Test

My GR Echo has served me well through a Tough Mudder and a GORUCK Challenge and is by far the best laptop bag I've ever owned. Still though, with possibly 3 GRCs coming up in the next two months I wanted something with just a tad more room. During the last GRC I barely had enough room for everything that I needed and had to clip my windbreaker to the outside. Everything fit, but it was a tight fit.

When my Radio Ruck arrived two days ago I couldn't wait to try it out. What better way to test it out than with a 6 brick hike through the East Bay hills, because 6 seemed like a good round number. I posted in the GORUCK Tough group on facebook that I was going for a weighted ruck and within minutes my 036 classmate Bob Nugmanov stepped up and said he was in.

Initial impressions of the Radio Ruck were that it looked like a slightly larger version of my echo. This is true, but the deceptive part about it is that it is slightly larger in all dimensions, giving it much more useable space. I was initially thinking of attaching MOLLE pouches on the outside same as my Echo, but since the front zip pocket is bigger and easier to access, it'll be the perfect spot for snacks. The pack is also wider than the Echo, allowing the bricks to be secured horizontally instead of vertically. This helps to more evenly distribute the weight across my upper back. This time I used 4 cinch straps instead of three like last time, in order to split the load more evenly among the MOLLE. This held the bricks, but with 6 bricks still did stress the webbing. I've since added the yoga brick underneath to support the bricks even more. Another possible tip brought up in my class was to use empty water bottles duct taped together.

Another mod I made to the pack before this hike was to cut to fit a gardening knee pad and put it in the hydration bladder compartment. Bob commented that it felt like I had a tempurpedic in my pack. This felt a lot better and more even than having the bladder rolling back and forth across my shoulders. I put the hydration bladder in the main compartment with the bricks.

During the hike overall the pack felt pretty good. We went for a little over 5 1/2 miles on dirt trails and asphaly roads. With 6 bricks and a total weight of 33 lbs my shoulders and traps definitely got a little sore during the hike. A sternum strap would've have helped to draw some of the weight off of my shoulders. The Radio Ruck does have MOLLE webbing along the shoulder straps unlike the Echo, which will make attaching a sternum strap easier. Other differences are the Radio Ruck is full zip which will make accessing gear at the bottom of the bag easier (especially if the bag has bricks attached up top) and it has MOLLE webbing on the sides.

Later that evening I walked to the grocery store with my 3 brick pack attached in the ruck. If I had've removed the hydration bladder and bricks before hand the bag would've easily held all 2 1/2 bags of groceries. With 3 bricks instead of 6 the bag felt super comfy and ridiculously light. I plan on playing around with brick configurations to see if this affects the weight distribution across the shoulders. After hiking with the Echo, Radio Ruck and GR1 the Radio Ruck stands strong as my favorite for hikes and challenges.

One of the great things about the bay area is that you can go from a major city to views like this within about 5-10 minutes

On the way back down the hill we passed by the Lawrence Hall of Science. You've gotta love a place that has a whale as a play structure. This was one of my favorite field trips in pre-school.

Here are a few comparison shots with Bob's GR1 and then with my GR Echo

The MOLLE pouches on the Echo are 5.11 tactical gps/strobe pouches and a medium drop pouch.

Here's a side view showing the differences in depth between the two bags

Finally here's the strapping method that's working the best for me so far. The yoga brick seems to help reduce the strain on my shoulders by keeping the bricks from pulling down and away from the MOLLE webbing. The straps with the orange buckles are shorter than the blue ones, but still plenty long enough for this application. Bob noted that his bricks fit well in the mesh pouch of his GR1. He thought having the bricks low like this might also reduce some of the strain on his neck during bear crawls.

The Kettlebell Clean Applied

This morning before getting off of work I performed

7 rounds of
7 Double Bottoms Up Cleans w/ 12 kg kettlebells
7 Bottoms Up Presses ea side w/ an 8 kg bell

I like the bottoms up variations of kettlebell exercises because they further work the grip and reinforce proper body mechanics.



Use lighter bells than your normal pressing weight when performing bottoms up variations, especially when learning to ensure that you can properly control the weight throughout the motion. Nobody wants to take a kettlebell to the head. If you are at all unsure use a spotter.

Right after I finished this we got a call for a lift assist. Part of my duties on a truck company involve helping people up when the fall and can't get up themselves. The patient was in a very tight space with barely room for two of us in there with him. Initially I thought it was going to a challenging lift with awkward positioning. As we began the lift, I noticed my body naturally shifted bringing my arm into my body with my elbow over my hip and hand under the patient's arm. My legs and hips shifted underneath me to lift the majority of the patient's weight. I realized that I had basically performed a "clean" with this patient and now had him in the kettlebell rack position. Even though I was lifting off center in an awkward position, this lift felt suprisingly easy with good body mechanics.

The Kettlebell Clean

The kettlebell clean has a variety of uses and benefits. It can be used as quick and efficient method of getting the kettlebell into to the rack position in order to perform other exercises, or it can give a good workout in it's own right. The clean can further reinforce good body mechanics and can help the body learn how to handle heavier weights for presses. This video gives a good overview of the clean.



Another tip that will help your clean technique is to turn your thumb towards your body on the downswing. This will facilitate the bell rotating around the arm on the upswing. This video covers that and a few other tips for the downswing of the clean.



Key points to remember with the clean are
- the lower body and core have the same body mechanics as swings and all of the other kettlebell ballistic movements
- imagine pinching a magazine under your arm to keep your arm tight to your torso
- the bell rotates around the elbow instead of around the shoulder as in the swing
- the motion is similar to zipping up a jacket.
- use the legs to lift the weight. It should feel as though the bell is floating into the rack position. This movement is NOT an arm curl.
- suck the arm into the body and flare the lat at the top of this movement. This will teach the body to use the large muscles of the body to support the weight and will give you a better platform for pressing movements.