27 Days Until Bataan...20 Mile Training Ruck Run Completed...

On Sunday, I was able to keep my training on schedule for the Bataan Memorial Death March which I will compete in on March 25th. Jason Mosely and I met up at the course beginning and began the task of driving up to the end point where we dropped my truck off and then drove his back down to the beginning while stashing water and Gatorade along the way. The actual course ended up being only 19.8 miles, because we have simply run out of road. Our training rucks have gotten  so long that we have ended up on the outskirts of Blanco, Texas on a busy farm road. For safety reasons, I decided to cut it 2 tenths of a mile short to keep me from rucking on a busy road with no shoulder.
This was by far the most difficult ruck that I have done yet. The weather was a bit warm, and from the very beginning my pace was fast but I was sweating up a storm in the process. I was drinking 12oz of Gatorade and some water every 2 miles, and I made it up the steep part of our course (miles 10-14) as good as can be expected. From then on though, I began to play a cat and mouse game with some leg cramps.

Football player with leg cramps.

I'm sure most of you have seen a sporting event where an athlete has cramped up, and had to go out of the game. They're not going to kill you, but you will be slowed down until they subside. In a race, the clock continues to run. Cramping will ensure you a slower time. I never completely cramped up, but I did have to walk at times just to make sure that I didn't. The last 6 miles of my ruck were more of a mental game than anything else. Needless to say, a man has a lot of time to think when he's out on a 4 hour run, and not all of your thoughts will necessarily be positive when the adversity hits. I am learning, and will continue to learn to push all negative thoughts away. Pain, both physical and mental is not permanent. It will pass. It's a mind game, plain and simple. I ended up finishing the training with a walk, then fast run tempo. When the cramping sensation went away, I felt good and I ran very fast, or at least as fast as can be expected carrying a 35 pound ruck sack. Sooner or later though, my lower right quad or either hamstring would remind me that I am a 36 year old human after all, and I'd have to slow down to avoid the cramping. It was frustrating because I really didn't feel tired or out of breath. My legs simply wouldn't cooperate completely.

View from the top of the first "big" hill.

When I crossed the Blanco river, I knew there was only about 1/2 mile left so I went as fast as I possibly could and finished the 19.8 mile ruck in 3:56.46. Not bad considering the before mentioned adversity. It felt good to finish. Real good. I drove back to 18 mile mark where I met up with Jason, and we headed back to the start point where his truck was parked. He told me that he too dealt with some cramping issues, but he drove on and finished his training. I appreciate Jason hanging in there with me, because it was definitely one of those days where misery loves company. It was good to have him there to train with. We also stop at our water points along the way back, which are every 2 miles to collect our empty bottles. Jason hung his phone out the window at the top of the first "big" hill and took the picture on the right. The view from the top is something else, and this picture doesn't do it justice but you get the idea. A man doesn't get to look a views like that, or see deer, hawks, birds, wild turkeys, and many other creatures by sitting on his couch in front of the TV.
As the spring approaches, I hope that all of us are able to find the time to get outside and appreciate the gifts God has provided for us. Let's have a good week. Stay in the "Arena" of life, and keep fighting. When you are able to get outside, and you see a bird; remember what he said...
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"