If I could only choose one minimalist shoe, it would be the Merrell Road Glove. It’s not the ultimate minimalist shoe (if that exists), and it might not even be my favorite, but I think it’s the most versatile and functional minimalist or “barefoot” shoe out there. They are quite light weight at 13.2 ounces per pair … More Go-to Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Road Glove
The guys at GORUCK added a post detailing how to wrap your bricks and some of the reasons why. As is always appreciated, they included some wry humor and plenty of references to beer. One thing I’d still love to see is their take on selecting bricks. http://www.gorucknews.com/challenge/wrapping-bricks-explained/
This is the continuing saga of my questionable choice to sign up for the Minneapolis GORUCK Challenge. Brick Selection: As a participant in the GORUCK Challenge, I will have to carry 6 bricks in a backpack, while completing various tasks, for 12 hours, in a row, starting at 10:00pm. I make good choices. The … More GORUCK Challenge Training, Pack Experiment 1: Bricks and More
Ah, the interwebs. Thanks to that Google thing, I was able to find a couple of video-photo-collages of the Minneapolis GORUCK Challenge from May of 2012. The music makes it feel like some mirror-clad-techno-health-club-workout, but you can turn your sound off. The one thing the videos don’t capture is that this is about 12 hours … More GORUCK Minneapolis: In pictures/video
Probably one of the biggest choices I have to make in preparing for the GORUCK Challenge is which backpack to use. One of the conditions of the event is that you must carry 4 bricks with you for the entire challenge, among other requisite and recommended gear. Oh wait, make that 6 bricks if you … More Pick a Pack
Good livin’. That’s apparently what they call it. No matter what you call it, it looks interesting to a bonehead like me. The GORUCK Challenge is either a ‘team building’, ‘leadership training’, or ‘gear test gone haywire’ event. Possibly, all of the above. I’m pee-my-pants excited. And the preparation for it is all part of the … More Fresh Endeavor: GORUCK Challenge
Originally, a couple of friends and I had planned to meet up in central Iowa and do some light winter camping. Unfortunately, the forecast for Saturday night was for the weather to turn very cold, very quickly. The temperature was to drop to the low single digits and not warm up on Sunday. I wasn’t … More Blizzard Camp 2010
This winter has been a good one. We’re barely getting started and it’s been the snowiest in recent years. And just for fun, last week it warmed up enough to rain for a day, followed by a quick, hard freeze. If footing on the roads and sidewalks was rough before, it’s downright craptastic now. I … More Icy Roads, Meet Screw Shoes
In case you haven’t picked up on this yet, I’m kind of a gear-whore. I like gear. It’s fun, and hopefully useful. While I like quality equipment, I usually shop around for a deal and will sacrifice a little of my requirements for a good price (except for when I don’t). I also wish I could … More Walmart Gear for Backpacking?
A few years ago, I purchased a set of Yaktrax Pro traction devices. It was after a painful bounce on an ice cover sidewalk that I decided to break down and do something about my lack of friction on frozen running surfaces. I’m no noob to running on ice and snow. I had run year-round … More Yaktrax, for Runners?
Monkey with Chainsaw 