Saturday was a perfect day to visit Lake Calhoun, take in the sites, and carry 60 to 70 pounds of extra weight. In preparation for the GORUCK Challege, a buddy and I met for a couple of laps around Minneapolis’ best known lake. Josh has put together a flag that we’ll likely use for the challenge, and we took it for the first 3 mile lap around the lake with our loaded rucks (bricks and bladders, equal about 40 lbs). For some reason, you get a lot of comments and looks when you run with a 3′ X 5′ American Flag.
In the Challenge, the team has to provide and carry a 25 pound team weight as well as other coupons deemed necessary. So, it’s not just enough to prepare to carry you loaded pack, but also be prepared to carry additional items, and sometimes people.
For the second lap Josh had a couple of coupons: an extra pack with another six bricks in it and a stone of similar weight. We each took one coupon and traded back and forth throughout the second 3 miles. We weren’t allowed to use the straps to hold the extra pack, and the stone is an obvious pain in the ass to carry. As Josh warned me, the first mile wasn’t difficult; the second mile started to wear on me; the third mile pretty much sucked.
It was an afternoon of good livin’, and I’m excited for more.
Monkey with Chainsaw 