GORUCK Canada Day HTL AAR 2017 - Part 3 (The Light & aftermath)

Recap: Friday at 5pm, myself and 9 other crazy weird people started the 24 hour GORUCK Heavy, then 4 hours after that ended, got through the 12 hour Tough.

First few thoughts that go through my mind: ruck off, change out of sandy clothes..

...THE CHAFING!

I've never chafed before, maybe a bit after a Spartan Beast, but with sand mixed in there, it's really not fun. Vaseline literally saves my bum.

Myself and another GRT make our way to Chez Cora for some much-needed calories. Too bad no one's really around to watch us hobble, wobble and stagger about. The feet and legs are pretty stiff and sore. But bacon! Mmm, bacon.

Another thing that I've learned about myself is when I need shut-eye, I can't stop the impeding nap attack, even though I've had 2 coffees at breakfast.

(Scroll down to the end for gear list and final thoughts)

Canada Day Light - Sunday, July 2 2pm
Cadre Nick, Cadre Jake
Rucksack weight: 15 lbs (estimated)

Sun is shining, a few new faces meet us in the parking lot, and some people from the Tough are back as well, including my Smurf crew. (You ladies rock!) With the feeling that the end is close, we head back out to the start point for the final time this weekend.

Mike, myself, Dave, John and Josh staying cool. I think Josh is the example of RULE #1

Admin and gear check after introductions, and Cadre Nick voices holding a seminar for proper ruck packing. (Basically, the weight should sit at the top of the rucksack so the load is on the shoulders and upper back.) Some first-timers are warmly welcomed and their brand new, shiny rucksacks are also highlighted.

We're told to bear crawl to where Cadre Nick is (near our previous day's crawl zone, which I'm surprised still has grass), but I didn't hear we had to bring our ID and $20 cab fare; I have to make my way back to my ruck and finally come bear crawling in last.

Yup, I almost ran into that rock

 Cadre both have a little laugh at us 10 that will complete the HTL, since we've all shown up in shorts (not the notoriously short silkies, though), which may prove to be a questionable life decision. We get into low crawling again, and Cadre Jake adds more Good Livin' which involves diving like a soccer goalkeeper to the ground then crawling. He has called this "Superman", and with our already tender and scraped elbows with fresh scabbing, this makes for some very bad dive attempts.

We head out to a park, stop for some PT, and draw many a curious stare along the way. We simply wish passersby a happy Canada Day, tell them we're going to play hockey and we move on. Turns out we get to play on a baseball diamond, and set the rucks up as nets.

Stony: "FLYING V!"

We get another timehack and this time it's to another beer stop (gee, I could get used to this). The stiff legs, the chafing, the blisters on the feet are showing up as an array of strange walking patterns but we continue. Once we stop, Cadre Nick informs us that we didn't make time but hey, let's have some A.C.R.T (Advanced Cellular Regeneration Technology, aka beer). It's pretty much beer now, pain later. I'm also still surprised how that beer feels...revitalizing? Cellular regeneration via hops, malt and barley!

Exiting the pub, we now get a casualty carry.

"Hm, can we use him as one of the nets?"

Our previous experience switching out in the Tough pays off as the Light class members quickly pick up on the process and we head back to the park. Thankfully, we didn't drop our stretcher!

We're going to play hockey, honestly! Ignore the guy on the stretcher

Back in the crawl zone, there's PT we have to complete as a formation ie no one gets ahead or behind. We link arms or hold hands during sprints and walking lunges. The part that destroys everyone's elbows once again is the low crawl as single line formation.

More fun on the stretcher follows (and sometimes it isn't always a Smurf being carried) This was maybe the hardest part, as running with an extra load in the form of a body is hard, not to mention there's some beer sloshing in my stomach. I really hope I don't hurl! (I didn't.)

Cadre Jake hurrying things along

The Light class gets patched and while the mood is celebratory, the 10 of us HTLers brace ourselves for more mayhem. We are told to line up facing the rest of the Light class, and while waiting I sip on my water and hear the familiar kr-kkkkhhhh of the water running low. (Seriously, 3 liters disappeared that quickly?) Russell next to me says he's got me covered.

But then we get a little surprise as Cadre Nick highlights us 10 who've just completed the HTL, after 42 hours and over 60 miles. The feeling gets a little surreal as he pulls out the HTL patches. I'm not sure how to react but figure I'll do like an Olympian and bow my head to receive my award; Cadre Nick places the patch on my Tac hat. For the photo, the guys insist on putting me in the middle.

(l-r) Lino, John, Josh, Dave, Stony, myself, George, Travis B, Russell, Travis H

How many people can say after that moment they got 9 new brothers, a couple of which have spectacular beards? Everyone had their ups and downs and had to throat punch some demons to get through the weekend. At times individuals dug deep, and other instances the team helped out. Much respect to Cadres Jake and Nick for pushing us out of our comfort zones and for helping us come together as a team. A new hashtag is born soon after: #HTeLbow

Did I just earn these?! Really?

(photo credits: Katie Toomsalu, Dave Merriott, Mike Chan, Dustin Chang, Adam Hajnik, Phil Owen, David Friederich, Mike Andrusiek, and of course both Cadre)

--

After it's all said and done:

Travis B told me even though we drink a lot of water at these events, it's still surprising at how dry-mouthed everyone feels a couple of days after the events. Muscles need a lot of water to recover.

Small note on training and prep - no, I don't do CrossFit. Go ahead and show up on my doorstep with pitchforks and angry chants, haha. I did a lot of circuit training in the winter that involved cardio (like stair runs, sled pushes, burpees, treadmill sprints), lifting, body weight exercises. I got lucky that my coach is super creative with the group workouts and my programs as well. Work in different planes (not just going forward), use different types of resistance, be it weights, or elastics, or the good old rucksack. Also, when it came to banging out 1 or 2 more reps, or holding that loaded barbell overhead for just a few more seconds, I pictured a Cadre's voice in my head threatening not to stop or put the weight down. You can push a lot more than you think.

For the speed ruck miles, I trained for and did the Tough Ruck back in April, which is a marathon distance with minimum 15 pound rucksack. Muscle memory kicked in when it came to the time hacks.

Train to ruck uphill...a lot. (Stairs count.) Sometimes it helps when you're motivated by breakfast after.

For Christmas, I was gifted "Ready to Run" by Kelly Starrett (same guy who wrote "Becoming a Supple Leopard") One of the take-home messages I got out of this book was using hip biomechanics to power running, and in turn I applied it to rucking. Work on those glutes and quads, folks. Also, I do mix a bit of running on off-rucking days, so that helped reinforce the pattern.

It helps living Montreal where there's 4 seasons (5 if you count construction season), so all winter I rucked in the snow. Want to know where the hotspots form, or how you'll ruck for time on wet feet that are getting cold? (The only thing I still have to figure out is how not to let my bladder hose or valve freeze)

Next, the gear and packing list..

In the GORUCK 21L GR1:
- 10lb/20lb plate cinched at the top, piece of pool noodle at the bottom end of the 20lb plate, half a yoga block underneath
- 3L Source hydration bladder, with an extra empty bladder
- Seal Line drybag with headlamp, snacks, socks, small footcare kit, Buff (I didn't need this finally)
- Mecanix gloves (I switched to a 2nd pair after the Heavy)
**Less is more when packing for GORUCK.

I use Trail Toes as my go-to foot lube, and pre-cut Hypafix strips in case I needed to tape Band-Aids down, or pieces of 2nd Skin as blister prevention.

I wore MudGear 1/4 crew socks (4 pairs over the weekend), and extra changes of socks were Darn Tough cushioned hike/trek socks. Footwear was Salomon XA Pro 3D.

Snacks: Gummi Bears, Fruit2 and Fruit3 bars by Xact Nutrition, orange Shot Bloks (because they're caffeinated!), Salt Sticks, chocolate covered coffee beans (lesson learned at Fort Bragg Heavy), Pure Strength protein bars. I also intercepted a bag of Swedish Berries while ruck marching during the Tough. Yum! It's still surprising on how far you can go with just water.

Other thoughts:

- wear quick-drying pants because they will come in handy especially during overnight, when it's cool and you're soaking wet.

- not a great idea to wear a thick cotton t-shirt during said overnight hours (hey, I was trying to represent my coach's organization). It never completely dried.

- I suck at overhead squats. Don't believe me? Look closely at the photo in the Heavy AAR, when we're in front of the inukshuk. I've barely lowered myself. (I'm wearing the orange t-shirt)

- you can never have too many changes of socks.

- one thing I forgot, but would have been great to have - 1 change of clothes and footwear once the events are done, just to look a bit more presentable at dinner & drinks after.

- it helps to have Vaseline as backup lube just in case..

- always have lots of baby wipes in the gear drop bag.

- be organized. For example, I had separated all my changes of clothes in a drybag and a packing cube respectively, and those were two different colours so I knew which set to grab first. Food was divided in Ziploc bags: one of in-between event food, the other with food going in the ruck.

- deodorant will never win in the battle of ruck funk.

- it's always good to have sunscreen, zipties, and a Sharpie.

- food should go into double bags (mine was in a small drybag, then in my Seal Line drybag) in case of full submersion with the ruck. Someone's snacks in a Ziploc in the outer ruck pocket didn't fare so well...soaked candies anyone?

- you know you've impressed Cadre when on the way to endex beers, he asks how many blisters you had to pop and you reply, "Zero..." However, I did get a blood-filled blister on my elbow from the low crawls.

- I love my coffee, but didn't want to leave some stale drip coffee in a travel mug. Thankfully, there's cold brew. Even if it's at room temp, it still tastes pretty good.

- I need to work on maintaining ruck shuffle speed with something heavy in my hands. Any coupon slowed me down a tad too much

- GORUCK is a team-based event. It's not about you, the individual person, it's about setting the ego aside to help the collective succeed.. At times my team helped me out and I hope I did the same for them. I know I can be a better team member by stepping up with no hesitation when called, or being a little more vocal with encouragement. Hey, I'm still learning.

Missed something? You can re-read if you'd like

GORUCK Canada Day HTL AAR 2017 - Part 1 (The Heavy)

Ok ok let's backtrack a bit and explain what all those letters mean in the subject heading.

HTL = Heavy/Tough/Light, basically 3 of GORUCK's events done back-to-back-to-back: 24 hour Heavy, 12 hour Tough, 6 hour Light. (Duration is approximate)

AAR is an after action review, it's pretty much like a race recap.

Briefly, GORUCK is an American organization that puts on events based on Special Forces training. They are team events (ie no finish lines or fixed distances) led by current or ex-members of the Special Forces (Green Berets, Recon Marines, Army Rangers..)

**Definition of rucking as per GORUCK

I decided to attempt the HTL on a holiday weekend, after surviving the Fort Bragg Heavy back in February. Most of the time, HTL's land on a Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule, but for Canada Day, the Heavy started on Friday at 5pm which was favourable for me.

Leading up to the time I had to leave for the event - some jitters and doubts naturally creep up. I didn't ruck that many miles in June! I took the month of May off rucking, will that undo all of my previous training? Are those squats I did over the past couple of weeks really going to help?

Come whatever may.

Canada Day Heavy - Friday, June 30 5pm
Cadre Nick, Cadre Jake
Rucksack weight: 25+ lbs

The start point had changed a couple of times leading up to the event, finally the same location was decided for all 3, given the massive traffic expected for the long weekend. A small crowd of familiar faces is gathered around Stony Smith's green pickup truck. One GRT, John Barduhn, is giddy like a kid who's eaten too much sugar. I guess that's not a bad thing, being super positive.

We put our rucks on, grab the flags and head to the start point. We've given ourselves plenty of time for last-minute bathroom breaks, cooling off in the shade, greeting other GRT's...The Cadre show up and we get called over for admin.

Cadre Nick already isn't too pleased with us because we've arrived empty-handed (who does that?!) There's about 5 minutes left before the start and a couple of guys hurry off back to pick up the team weights (2 street hockey nets whose posts are filled with sand and rocks; 18 hockey sticks; and a military-looking stretcher aka The Litter) Five 20kg sandbags are also added by Cadre, and look to have been purchased at a gardening centre.

Admin and gear check done, we start off with some PT. Cadre Nick flashes us a crocodile grin that guarantees punishment for: initially showing up with no team weights; 1 guy leaving his epilepsy meds in his car (they are daily dosages but Cadre still want to take no chances);  Stony literally having signed up the night before, hence why he doesn't appear on the printout list of names.

Canucks, meet Cadre Jake

Not far away is a large grassy area with lots of trees, next to a marina where leisure boats are docked. Plenty of traveling PT between trees (that aren't exactly close together) like duck walks and buddy carries. Being a Smurf means being automatically targeted to be carried.

Cadre Jake unleashes a real doozy that will haunt us for days to come - low crawls, belly touching the ground. It's doable with our rucks on, but it's never just one version..

"First formation: on your faces! Second formation: on top of the first formation!"

...say what?!

Embracing a lot of suck

After taking turns being the crawler and the one on top, we move onto the PT test. Two minutes each of push-ups and sit-ups are counted. I bang out the minimum 55 for the push-ups, but fall way short of the 65 sit-ups. Those things have been my nemesis since elementary school.

Cadre Nick wondering when the crazy Canadians are going to get their act together
(great photo taken by Katie Toomsalu)

Cadre Nick dunks our rucks in the waters of the marina before we march out - it's kind of refreshing...except for the part that runs down the backs of our legs.

We head out and find time to play a bit of ball hockey, Canada vs. USA, on a quieter stretch of access road. Cadre Jake (he's British) looks on with amusement as the game is typically punctuated with "CAR!" followed by a scramble to move the nets. A police car pulls up close by and tells us to continue playing.

Canada wins 5-0 and we continue marching onward. The night has set in and we figure out how to carry the nets in a more effective manner.

The initial enthusiasm and energy of swapping out coupons finally dies down to focused silence as we navigate bike paths and trails, some of which have sizeable puddles and some mud to cross.

Want to add a bit more *ahem* fun to this ruck march with hands full of heavy things? Bring on the mosquitos.

We ditch the nets, refill our water and begin the next part, the 12-mile ruck march. Cadre Jake gives us 3 hours to complete it (insert horrified look) while carrying the hockey sticks and the empty stretcher. A little drizzle has fallen but the humidity hasn't changed despite it being almost 2am. We set off at a good pace initially, swapping out regularly to carry The Litter. Along the way we have a few places and details to identify, including the 3 bus numbers at a bus stop.

The pace gradually slows and the quiet struggle begins. Hockey sticks double as good canes, by the way, especially for the uphills. One guy quietly drops out and we find this out while doing a head count at a red light. We are not even close to making our time hack, but still we plod on. The humidity has multiplied our collective ruck funk by at least tenfold, and it would probably put Febreze out of business.

The sun has come up by the time a defeated-looking, very damp and funky-smelling Heavy class trudges up to the end point of the 12 miles. Cadre Nick has likely seen the flashes of despair in our eyes and allows us to refuel and take care of our feet. We also see our second drop of the event.

A new component has been added to each GORUCK class - community service. Our initial project was helping a shelter build a soup kitchen, hence why we have sent bags of tools along with the shadows. Cadre Nick tells us we are behind due to our ruck march that was finally 4 hours long, and we need to continue. He gives us a time hack to cover the 7 or so miles to arrive at the community center for 9am, otherwise serious punishment will follow.

Perhaps the biggest test so far of this Heavy was this speed ruck that pretty much needed to be performed at GORUCK's standard minimum pace of 15 minutes/mile. We push and push, Cadre Nick trying to keep us on pace by occasionally tossing in, "You're off by 30 seconds...you have to pick up the pace!" "You're about 5 seconds off...you're so close!" Someone breaks out into O Canada as we're hustling and it's a very choppy-sounding one as everyone is breathing hard.

(For the speed ruck, I found I was able to keep pace with the rest of the class, however that all changed once I was on stretcher carry and had to shuffle...it kept me off my pace just enough to get me frustrated and use some choice words once we went stopped shuffling.)

I could see my vision tunneling as we kept pressing onward for what felt like forever. Long strides, shuffle, jog to close the gaps - I've never rucked so fast. I chose to focus on the ruck in front of me (Stony's, thank goodness) and tried not to let it get away.

"Keep going!"
"Shuffle!"
"Long strides!"
"SHUFFLE!"

Again, I can't remember seeing much during this part. 2 class members are struggling so their rucks have been passed off amongst the team.

The demons in my head are battling it out and gleefully whispering stuff like:
- do I really want to do the Tough after this? No, maybe I'll HZL it (Heavy, sleep, Light)
- Wait, this means we have to speed ruck back right?
- Think about that bed waiting for you at your AirBnB...you want it don't you?

To try and shut up the demons, I pretty much lock a song in my head and play the snot out of it - this helped me get through my first Tough/Light last year. For long stretches, I'm repeating How Far I'll Go from Moana (don't laugh! I'd watched on Netflix the weekend prior), and it alternates with King of Pain by Sting, because I'd recently heard it on the radio.

Other songs that come up:
Something Just Like This - Coldplay & the Chainsmokers ("doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo..." hey that is fun and distracting)
Waiting for Love - Avicii (how? I haven't heard this in months!)
Victory - Two Steps From Hell (ah, the song that got me through Tough Ruck)
Everybody Hurts - R.E.M (a good reminder to stop feeling sorry for myself, but seriously brain...stop.)

We make our time hack and everyone pretty much collapses like a house of cards. Someone is audibly dry heaving; others go horizontal trying to catch their breath and regain themselves. My muscles seem to have seized up and turned off and I can barely get my rucksack off, or walk for that matter. My traps feel like someone's pounding them with a meat tenderizing hammer.

No surprise, Stony is the last man standing

Turns out the soup kitchen project was a no-go at the last minute, so Cadre are trying to figure something out while having us get a bathroom break at a nearby park. Most everyone seems to be in a dazed, catatonic state, myself included. It's just past 9am and the effects of the speed ruck still linger.

More demons that are playing tricks with me:
- My upper body feels like a power outage, how the hell am I going to get my ruck overhead later on?
- Can I still ruck back on these dead legs?
- Your Achilles hates you...now! "OW!" You like that, punk? "OW! OW!"
- You want that bed...(which I counter with picturing the HTL patch)

We play a bit of hockey in the nearby rink; puddles make the playing surface extremely slippery. One guy, Dave, has two spectacular wipeouts but he's saved by his ruck and an audible klunk thanks to the weights inside. Canada wins a close one 5-4 but victory is achieved when we make Cadre Nick slip and fall in a puddle.

Never assume that an out-of-towner is a newbie at ball hockey. Cadre Nick had played when he was in Germany (I heard) so there were quite a few surprised looks when he jumped in and didn't look out of place.

Nearby is a kiosk (Soup Bar by Feed it Forward) that serves meals paid forward by customers. Jagger the owner is in need of a bit of landscaping as foot traffic has more or less destroyed the grass.

Did I mention Stony Smith is legendary? First of all, besides being a GORUCK Selection finisher (and the only Canadian one), he is a fantastic team member and seems to run on a superhuman set of batteries. While I'm trying to muster energy to just walk around during community service, Stony is fully into it, using a pitchfork to break up the dirt, seemingly as fresh as a daisy. I tell myself to just follow this guy.

Jagger has brought us some Tim Horton's coffee and it is the best-tasting cup of coffee of the weekend. Re-energized, we shovel dirt, wash dishes (the whole kiosk needed cleaning and reorganizing), lay down some new grass and tiles, and eat ice cream from the booth next door.

Cadre Nick likes his ice cream (& check out the Smurf crew in the back!)

The soup bar is operational and Jagger happily brings out pastrami sandwiches, and coconut and melon soup.  With some proper calories in our bellies, we march back towards the start point, but not before Cadre Nick proposes a beer stop to have some "Canadian beer". We exchange slightly stunned looks as I'm fairly certain hopping into a bar isn't what usually happens during a Heavy.

Being a small Asian person does mean I'm not completely immune to the red-faced Asian glow, especially since I haven't had a proper meal since Friday afternoon. I'm just hoping not to hurl when we get back to start point. Somehow, the liquid beer calories are quite refreshing. And no, I didn't turn fire hydrant red.

We make our way back to the spot with the trees and grass, get into formation and are informed by Cadre Nick to wait for Cadre Jake to arrive (he's parking the car). It starts to rain on us, and we hear thunder in the distance. Should we be standing in a grassy field holding metal flagpoles? We brace ourselves for the ensuing shark attack of endex PT...

"CRAWL!!!!!"

Cadre Jake comes sprinting out of nowhere barking out "CRAWL! NOW!" It feels a bit different in the soaking wet grass. At this point we're pretty smoked and grabbing handfuls of grass to help propel ourselves along - hey, it works. The elbows are not happy. (More on those later).

The class gets split into two and more PT follows - bear crawls, walking lunges..My team gets Cadre Jake and we get a different spin on PT. It's quite draining trying to run and push past the rest of the team when they're all bunched together pushing back at a 110%. I channel a couple of rugby memories from my college days to get through.

At one point a grappling match ensues between Stony (still wearing his rucksack) and Cadre Jake - Cadre goes for an arm bar but since it's raining, the arm slips out. Stony is on the verge of executing a scarf hold for a count but with two well-timed hip thrusts, Cadre Jake breaks the hold. We get yelled at for stopping and watching (how could we not?), then continue with another exercise, which involves running full tilt at each other but not dodging. I get caught not looking, get bowled over and skid on all fours.

We blink, get into formation and we're done. The rain has let up and 16 out of 18 signed up get patched. Cadre ask who's returning for the Tough and at least 10 hands go up. We'll see in 4 hours...

Endex - wet, tired but still smiling

Part two of HTL weekend - here's my AAR on the Tough

GORUCK Canada Day HTL AAR 2017 - Part 2 (The Tough)

Recap: First attempt at GORUCK Heavy/Tough/Light weekend at the Canada Day events. So far, 24 hour Heavy completed, with 4 hours' rest before the Tough.

I catch about an hour nap before grabbing a coffee. It's strange to be sipping a cuppa joe at 7:30pm.

Some fresh faces have added themselves to our parking lot crew, and before we know it, it's time to head out again. Right now, my legs actually don't feel too tired or sore. I may actually do this!

Canada Day Tough - Saturday, July 1 9pm
Cadre Nick, Cadre Jake
Rucksack weight: 25+ lbs

Besides myself, there are 9 others that have returned from the Heavy. We know the feet are starting to get hotspots and blisters, and there's been some chafing going on as well.

During admin and gear check (hockey sticks and The Litter have returned), Cadre Jake is making rounds for the line I'm in. He doesn't bother looking at the stuff I've laid out (because it hasn't changed since the Heavy), instead lifting up my cap a bit and making eye contact, a smile curling up the corners of his mouth.

Another bit that Cadre couldn't have scripted presents itself...

The grins on Cadres' faces spells bad news for this guy

A GRT (he's wearing the Fire Rescue shirt in the pic above) tells us he had packed his ruck and was all ready to go...and locked his keys and ruck in his car. He was ready to do the event without a ruck, and as a temporary solution is given two 15-pound dumbbells. (He later got his ruck out of his car and caught up with us)

We set off and make our way through the crowds milling around the harbourfront. We draw curious stares and a few comments (mostly about the American flag), and we have a time hack to get to a beach. From the few GORUCK events I've done, nothing good ever happens at the beach...

We do not make our time hack and all I hear is Cadre Nick's angry voice yelling at us to get in the water. The class is a bit disorganized here, randomly wandering in the water when it's supposed to be in 2 lines.

Just to get everyone to pay attention, we have to dunk ourselves completely in the water (Lake Ontario, I'm told) It's frigid - less than 68 degrees, I'd gather - and there are many yells of shock as we surface.

Good Livin' in Lake Ontario

I've lost my headlamp, but by retracing my steps I found it in the water, good thing it was still on. (Fact: a Black Diamond headlamp shines on while under water for a spell, and still works fine after submersion.) Next we are low crawling in the sand, but not to Cadre's liking so back in the water we go. This goes back and forth several times until the class starts listening to instructions.

A length of fishing line catches my feet as I'm getting out of the water and it feels like my ankles are caught in those plastic 6-can soda holders. (Folks, please cut those up when you dispose of them). As we are emerging as a formation with linked arms, I can't take steps like the rest of them because I'm kind of stuck. Untangled, we continue on crawling but Cadre Nick is not impressed. More water.

Somehow, I get caught in the same fishing line again. I feel bad making the class stop to get it off (an angry "Why did you guys stop??" sounds from the back of the formation), but otherwise I'll faceplant in the sand.

We find some logs and proceed to go back to where we left the hockey sticks and The Litter (the stretcher). We attempt a head count but the numbers aren't the same - we're supposed to be 29.

You know someone's messed up badly when Cadre drops an F-bomb in their face with enough force to peel their eyebrows off (no it wasn't my face, honestly; however I was next to Cadre when this happened. Myself and the 3-4 others nearby flinch when he yells)

We now have logs added to our stuff to be carried; wet, cold and caked with sand, we head out. I'm glad to get my legs moving to start getting warm. I've got another Smurf crew and we swap out for one of the logs a few times.

We make our way to a park and Cadre is nothing but a headlamp dot in the darkness. First, we bargain to get rid of the logs by hustling/shuffling to the beach nearby, getting in the water and hustling back. (Fact: it's really hard shuffling in the sand.) We find our way back to Cadre Nick and he's on a gentle slope - we have to bear crawl first, then crab crawl up the slope without knees or butts touching the ground.

Normally crab crawls are ok for me, but wearing the rucksack in front makes it difficult, simply because no matter how I try to adjust it on my short Smurf self, the top part with the weight is cutting off my airway. I'm so frustrated it's taking me that long to get up the slope, but my teammates help me out. (Argh!) We see our first drop of the evening.

We head out again at a decent pace but none of the speed-ruck-for-your-life pace we did earlier. So far my feet are holding up ok, no hot spots, just foot bones and soft tissue that are complaining.

During these times when everyone's marching, Cadre are walking alongside and mingling with the class. There's some interesting stories being told. They're also probably checking for people who are zoning out, or are getting pulled into dark spaces ("going internal"). Cadre Jake comes up next to me, points and says, "I haven't heard you say anything during this whole event so far...you don't whine, you just go ahead and do things". Given that these Cadre are not in the habit of easily dishing out compliments - they've said so - I'll take that as a huge boost.

We make our way to a check point, where we can fill our water, grab a bite to eat and most of all, change our socks as they're crusted with sand.

I'll repeat what I read in a guide (by Mettle Forger) for HTL completion, and it's take care of your feet. Air them out when it's possible, change socks, apply lube if needed. Most of us have feet that are a shade of white due to the damp, but just putting on dry socks makes a big difference. Also, don't stay sitting for too long - get up, move around, wiggle those toes and keep the muscles going because chances are there's going to be action to follow. (Also, sitting on the pavement makes The Buttocks numb)

We are divided into 2 teams and are given another time hack to a park. We are also informed that bad things will happen if we do not arrive first.

A push-up competition between someone from each team determines who gets the hockey sticks and stretcher; unfortunately, it's my team. We are capable, I just know it. It also helped we had two guys (Stony and Josh) who knew the surrounding area very well, so we were able to make our way to the park effectively, without any back alley shortcuts. Again, more song playing in my head (How Far I'll Go, Waiting for Love) to chase the early morning demons that are threatening to shut my eyelids, among other things. Ruck to the next street corner...ok, we're there. Shuffle to the 2nd lamppost...got it. Keep rucking until the stoplight. I break things down at times to keep focused.

Valiant push-up effort

We finish just ahead of the other team and are granted a break. PT follows for the losing team, and we brace ourselves to do the same. The sun is starting to come up and people are beginning to awaken; someone else is regaining herself and saying, "I want to curl up in a ball and cry..." Yep, we know the feeling. That time hack was no picnic.

Next up is our community service, which is picking up the trash around the harbourfront area after the Canada Day festivities.  On our way there, we pass by a pile of logs, and a very angry Canada goose that hisses as we go by (they hiss??)

We cover several blocks and gather up quite a bit of junk; the sand that's now dry and caked on our skin creates friction whenever we crouch down. Stony finds $20 and it goes towards beer funds.

This duck was part of the festivities

We get a casualty carry (not any of the small people, obviously) on our stretcher, and it's mayhem as people try to switch out without running off the sidewalk and into the bicycle lane. Cadre Jake sets us straight by implementing an effective system that has a constant flow of swap-outs. We go on for a mile back to the start point. The final challenge is for the four people to overhead press and hold the casualty in the stretcher; this takes several attempts.

Back into formation and we are done. Both Cadre remark how we came together as a team during the casualty carry, and using that same switch-out method it allows sprinting with the stretcher. Not sure if I'm going to attempt that, especially going downhill.

Patched and some crossed hockey sticks to complete the picture

We got through the Tough! All that's left now is the Light, but need some breakfast first.

Check out the conclusion to this HTL weekend with the Light