GORUCK St Paddy's HTL - Savannah, GA

Oh hi there! Apologies if you read the posting date and the actual date of the event in question and wondered what kind of a procrastinator I am (decent enough, right?). Admittedly I was also waiting for the photos to be posted by the shadows.

Like I said in a previous post, GORUCK is bad for me: going off of coffee for a week leading up to an HTL; signing up for other events to fill my calendar, and dropping even more dollars on GORUCK branded gear and patches.

...but hey, it's better than doing drugs, right? Also, people wonder why I don't take a week's vacation, probably because I chose to buy another t-shirt. "Wait, I don't have the grey version of this one..."

I read a great blog post by blogger extraordinaire, Solo, and how pretty much all the race recaps are the same. That being said, I'm going to write a different AAR here while trying to maintain somewhat of a recap.

I will start off by quoting the Almighty Christopher Acord and his Sacred Bearded Wisdom:

"I showed up at ....... parking was ....... registration was .....
Start was....... obstacle 1 was........ obstacle 2-xxx was........ festival was......... Merch was ........ finished medals were........ swag was......... I rate it a ....... out of ten."

So if I were to fill in the blanks with the HTL kicking off on Thursday, March 15 -

- I showed up at... 5:30pm on Thursday
- Parking was...in a grassy flat area
- Registration was...months ago using a discount code, because who doesn't love a discount?
- Start was...6:00pm
- Obstacle 1 was...lining up in formation - two ranks - by last name alphabetically. Laugh all you want, Cadre still roast people for not lining up properly. Back to kindergarten we go.
- Obstacle 2-xxx was...carrying heavy things like each other, bear crawls, imagining a box of sand was a pot of gold, dealing with dropped bags of dog food..
(*GORUCK has made every event class do community service, so for the Heavy everyone donated a bag of pet food to be brought to the local Meals on Wheels. Of course, we spent 12 hours doing other things before community service, including dropping the pet food)

- Festival was...what festival? There's no festival during a 24 hour Heavy, except multiple suckfests.
- Merch was...nonexistent.
- Finished medals were...none, because there are no medals at GORUCK events
- Swag was...GORUCK makes nice swag. Can't you see us all wearing the same pants? And rucksacks? It's not a cult, I swear!
- I rate it a....9 out of ten

Gee, Solo's right. That's pretty boring.

My first After Action Report written after my Toronto HTL events was something of a bullet list of thoughts and/or realizations that occurred during the whole ordeal, so let's try that.

A nor'easter had made it snow enough to delay my flight leaving Montreal, meaning I got re-routed a couple of times.

Getting delayed, re-routed and last-minute flight switched earns me a voucher for food either in Toronto-Pearson airport, or on-flight.

Opting for a quick bite in the form of a sandwich, the offering from the place called Upper Crust feels like I'm eating a flip-flop with Dijon mustard on it.

No human should be put on 3 small flights in the same day; I felt my feet and lower legs swelling up. Also, be absolutely insistent on tracking your luggage. (Thanks Mom for the tip!) I got mine the next day, maybe 2 hours before the start of the whole HTL weekend.

The most noticeable items on the luggage pickup conveyer belt in Savannah? Bags of golf clubs.

The baggage service counter for the airline hands out small toiletry kits for those whose luggage did not arrive with them. It's got some nice Kiehl's products, none of which include shower gel or soap, interestingly enough. I'm guessing I'm supposed to seal up all of my sweat and B.O under a layer of the provided tiny stick anti-perspirant until I get to a proper shower.

The nice lady working said service counter shoots me a slightly horrified look when I tell her I woke up to 4 inches of snow.

I find that I have 1 green t-shirt that I can wear for the St Paddy's theme. The other green shirt says, "Yes my ass is fat enough" - it's a finisher shirt from the Fat Ass Trail Run - so I do not need to be cannon fodder for Cadre, no thank you. I'll keep my fat ass to myself.

** GORUCK 24 hour Heavy - March 15 6:00pm start
Cadre JC, Cadre Heath, Cadre Josh Roony, special guest Cadre Joel

Nothing quite like the horrible realization when putting on socks for the event, and I see I haven't cut my toenails.

Besides Solo - GRT's are perhaps the best huggers.

Not far from the start point, we get introduced to the heavy things we get to carry, some for the next two days: 2 metal pipes called tie-bars; empty wooden supply crates that will be filled with "gold"; concrete parking curbs (just carrying one slowed the class down too much...hey those things weigh 245 pounds). Oh, and what looks to be a large chain for an anchor, or a boat towing chain. Cadre Heath will eventually baptize it "The Chain of Death".

Why are they called 'coupons', anyway? They don't save anything!

Welcome party started off with a team pull-up challenge, followed by PT that seemed to have been inspired by National Geographic. Bear crawls, crab crawls - standard enough, but when Cadre calls out 'Walrus', you sort of wonder if they've been watching too many nature documentaries.

No, it wasn't the happy "Goo goo g'joob" Beatles' walrus, although I did yell it out once. Hey, it's fun! Imagine if Leonidas had not said "This is Sparta!" but "GOO GOO G'JOOB!" instead? (Ok there may be copyright infringement here)

Fact: doing the walrus hurts the face and the whole front end, especially because I keep landing on my hydration valve that's mounted on the right rucksack strap. I think I dented a pectoral muscle!

If you thought inchworms were bad enough, Cadre omit the "inch" part and we're left with the worm. A couple of friends who are shadowing are laughing hysterically as we thrash and flail on the ground.

"Mmmm, dirt..." "We paid for this?!?"

Cadre also think it's fun to run with a chain and pretend it's a pet.

In my case, it looks like I'm pooping the chain out

I am appointed the first team leader, and fail miserably at times because everyone is putting in their 2 cents and not listening. Cadre JC swiftly puts an end to this and orders everyone to shut up  and do push-ups - it works. Friends with boisterous kids that I'll visit in the future, you have been warned.

We do the standard PT test in a park, and I suck at the sit-up part again (last time being in July 2017). While we do the 12-mile ruck march as a team, we end up beaver-watching because there is nothing else for our minds to do to stay awake.

Two metallic bangs sound out somewhere in the distance and a class member casually remarks, "That was probably a murder right there.." Wait, what? I'm in Georgia for the peach cobbler!

Lesson from Toronto HTL 2017 - pack Vaseline, because chafing sneaks up really quickly when you least expect it. Also, something in the Savannah air was seriously making my lips chapped, so another reason to bring some along.

We also find out that in Savannah, we can be considered sex offenders for exposing ourselves in public! This makes us a bit wary when it comes to pit stops because we rarely have the luxury of using public bathrooms.

Savannah is also an open container city, like Las Vegas - it's ok to stroll downtown with a drink in hand.

The supply crates that we have to imagine are pots of gold are filled at times with rocks, sand, and/or the Chain of Death. They also bash into our lower legs as we move along, so I'm looking forward to the bruising that will make my legs look like camo print.

Do not catch this leprechaun...you do not want his pot of gold

Sun is up and we drop off the pet food at Meals on Wheels, refill on water and snacks the volunteers hand out, then go to another park for a second PT test, that involves at least 100 burpees, and a 1 mile loop to run, more than once.

Buck Furpees

I'm not going to tell you all that was involved, except Zombieland Rule #1: cardio. I'll take this moment to pat myself on the back, as I finish 5th out of 36 participants. Props to a well-timed caffeinated snack, and a salt pill washed down with a couple of gulps of water.

Pack a lot of salt pills, more than you think, because someone else probably needs one. Electrolytes are necessary, especially because it's getting warmer and the sun's out. (I'm not a fan of mixing powdered electrolytes in my hydration bladder mainly because I find the taste lingers; the last time I tried tossing my Skratch Labs mix in my bladder while on the move, somehow I didn't close it properly and it leaked on me as I was doing bear crawls.)

**I also remember now why I wanted to get through those 100 burpees without looking too pathetic - I was being watched by a young child, sitting with either her mother, or perhaps her aunt. This also meant no rabid cursing as they were well within earshot.

I'm hoping maybe I inspired that little girl to be physically fit.

Or maybe I convinced her that people do stupid things, like burpees, in the morning for no real reason.

Me with my short hair, cap on, and dressed for GORUCK (see burpee picture) = someone mistakenly thinks I'm a male going into the ladies' room.

Cadre then send us out on a scavenger hunt to find 36 St. Patrick's Day beads and associated items near downtown Savannah. While most of us return with beads, others have scored shamrock-shaped glasses; shamrock headbands; reusable green plastic beer cups, and a green crayon. (Cadre Heath laughs when I tell him this later on)

What honestly goes through my mind during a Heavy:

"Am I hydrated enough?"
"What colour am I peeing?"

Jokes aside, I've heard stories of colleagues having to med drop due to dehydration, or rhabdo in one case. Nope, don't want to go there.

Actual conversation between Cadre JC and the class:
Cadre: "Ok, you have a choice: you can either choose to re-do the sit-up test here, and everybody has to meet the standard, or you can go and submerge-"
Everyone: "SUBMERGE! SUBMERGE!"

I gather everyone dreaded the sit-up test so much that we were just about willing to submerge ourselves in molten lava, or perhaps jellyfish-infested water.

Earlier, I'd ditched the idea of packing a windbreaker for the cooler overnight temps, because it's another thing that takes up space and hey, I live in Canada! I can deal with cold!

...except after we get wet and the afternoon is winding down. Now I'm a wet, cold Canadian, shivering like everyone else.

Even if everything else is soaking wet, just changing into dry socks is an awesome feeling. Always have multiple changes of socks.

Guest Cadre Joel gets the class into high gear to earn another pot of "gold" by doing tunnel of love as fast as we can. At least there's no dog poop hidden in the grass this time.

Endex PT has us running all together in a two line formation (aka the GRT Stampede). Just when we thought we had nothing left in the tank, well clearly we could still run. And run. Good lesson there from Cadre, the weakest muscle is between your ears.

Bracing for mayhem...& we look great!

&&& I still have all of my toenails.

Also, not a great idea to test a new setup for ruck plates on EVENT DAY...when I myself have said to people, don't try anything new on event day. Yup, I'm a hypocrite. Basically, I had two different sized plates that I thought I'd secured well enough, but with all the movement and bumping along, they eventually wound up at the bottom of the rucksack, or halfway down.

3 hours later, it's time for...
**GORUCK Tough - 12 hours, Friday March 16 9pm start

My first Tough was with Cadre JC and I know it won't be easy because he seems to turn up the heat on the PT part. Yelling while running full tilt is surprisingly draining.

Also, Cadre always have eyes and ears on everything that's going on. JC picks up on too many of us HTLers trying to sandbag the event - PT follows and oh hey call 911, it's a 3 alarm fire! See those 20 people on the ground with smoke coming off of them? And guess what, they happen to have plopped themselves down on burr seeds, or "stickers", and now they have stickers all on their clothes. (Ouch!)

Surprise! Let's add a log that needs 6 people to carry it!

There was 1 point during the overnight where I was in a fuzzy, borderline sleep mode, barely aware that someone was talking to me. Carrying something in my hands wakes me up a bit. Strangely enough, I didn't hallucinate...the only time I saw things was when I did the Fort Bragg Heavy and I imagined little figures wearing black hooded robes standing next to Cadre.

To quote my buddy Randy (who is a two-time Boston Marathon finisher!), what I learned during this second overnight: next time, maybe don't sign up for an HTL in mid-March when it's literally right after daylight savings time.

Keep awake by being a chatterbox. Talk to people. It can sound meaningless but it gives your brain something to do. The first person I tried talking to gives 1 word answers and is completely out of it, basically sleepwalking and I hope he doesn't fall on his face.
I found out during the Heavy that 1 of the class members likes hamburgers. You also bond with people when you're both motivated by food - doughnuts. Panda Express. Fried chicken.

I've said before that I DJ songs in my head to keep going. Some past songs have been questionable (54-40, perhaps - but it's whatever song pops up and stays), thankfully for this weekend it's a snippet of my current playlist:
House on Fire - Rise Against
Lost Cause - Black Pistol Fire
Can We Hang On - Cold War Kids

Holding heavy and awkward (read: not balanced) items overhead is awful, and even worse when it's probably after 11:30pm; the whole time Cadre are reading us a very long riot act, which makes it feel like eons.

Do NOT ask Cadre to use a shopping cart...after 1 short-sighted class member saw one and asked, sure we were allowed to put some heavy things in there but we're then informed that the wheels didn't work, so we got stuck carrying it.

NOT. COOL.

(And if in a future event I catch you even mentioning a shopping cart I'll kick you between the legs so hard your gonads will be in the back of your throat, followed by a throat punch so you swallow them again. Then I'll run you over with the shopping cart. 38 times.)

Baseball adapted for a GORUCK event is not "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", except rooting for the home team. Too bad we can't bat flip.

A class member who didn't eat enough after the Heavy is bonking. It is a slightly scary scenario because it looks like she could fall over at any given second. Thankfully, the significant other keeps feeding her Snickers throughout the night. "You're not you when you're hungry..."

Some St Paddy's trivia Cadre quizzed us on:
- Saint Patrick died on March 17 at the age of 40.
- First brewery in Ireland: Smithwick's, 1710.
- Guinness was the second brewery in Ireland, 1759, and its founder eventually signed a 9,000 year lease.
- drinking on St Patrick's Day was not a tradition, however the Americans started it.

Someone answers wrong and guess what - whatever's in our hands or on our backs has to go back up overhead. It feels a little less sucktastic, maybe because it's daylight now.
Myself and my HTL buddy, Alicia, happen to be carrying one of the 25+lb metal tie-bars. Moaning and groaning is aplenty; my friend Suzanne (who can hold weight overhead like a boss) is shouting out encouragement.

I try to be helpful too, by sharing a bit of wisdom gleaned from a body weight workshop:

"SQUEEZE YOUR ASS!"

Of course I yell it out when everyone else is quiet. Cadre Heath helps out a bit by adding, "It supports the core, right?"

We shuffle back to start point, where more running awaits us.

Always look cool

I'm not sure exactly what's happening with me, but maybe due to all the yelling and/or exertion, I can't gulp water as much as I'd like to and have to slowly sip it. I feel like a boa constrictor that's just eaten a bus.

After we get patched, count 'em - 10 toenails, no blisters!

Another closing thought after the Tough - if layering, make sure the first layer is long enough to tuck in your pants. (I do this to avoid ruck chafing) I grabbed the wrong tech longsleeve and any movement untucks the shirt, which gets distracting at times.

My friends who are pit crewing show up with coffee and doughnuts!!! BOOYAH!

 **GORUCK Light - approx. 4 hours, March 17 2pm

Cadre want to test the laws of gravity with the 4 sandboxes by having us 20 HTLers overhead press and squat them repeatedly, while the Light class is undergoing admin and gear inspection. Unless we're on the moon, I think gravity is still the same, but don't tell Cadre that.

Cadre, true to form, have played leprechauns by scattering gold coins (chocolate ones) in a select area and have us bear crawling to hunt for them. This could also be a great idea for Easter egg hunts.

We end up back at the park where the Heavy class did the 12-miler; it is very different in the daylight. No beavers spotted this time around, though.

The class gets divided into 4 teams and are seeded much like NCAA March Madness. Cadre have 2 teams face off against each other and we're wondering if it's basketball, or baseball...

Out come two boxes of Lucky Charms.

The rules of the Lucky Charms team chowdown: 1 - no drinking during; 2 - we cannot eat out of our own hands. Also, avoid spilling cereal all over the ground.

I get kind of excited as I've never been part of an eating contest in a GORUCK event - I've seen a couple on Facebook live - plus I still eat sugary cereal (on rare occasions) with no milk. (Soggy Froot Loops? Hell no!)

How to break down social barriers in an instant? Eat dry cereal out of someone else's hands, and greedily lick up all the bits that remain - we're friends now!

My team does not win and the remaining two teams duel it out by eating more Lucky Charms. I'm kind of glad Cadre didn't pull out the family-sized boxes because I'm sure we'd still be eating it by now.

Cue: attack of the sandflies. No amount of bug spray saves us.

Anyone who is elected to be team leader and assistant team leader is asked to speak with an Irish accent. However, an Alabama accent overrides all of this. Someone else tries her very best but all that successfully comes out with a hint of an accent is "Cheerio!"

The ammo boxes overflowing with sand are heavy, but make for a good way to figure out teamwork in a hurry - even if it's carrying it for 20 steps to give some others a rest, so be it.

Eventually, we end up back at start point and the HTLers are taken on a bonus loop to drop off the sandboxes. I get casualty carried again, on the way back,  because being a small person almost automatically means being the first designated casualty carry. Story of my HTL weekend.

Then 20-strong HTL class gets some extra Good Livin' while the Light class gets patched. It's very encouraging when chants of "H-T-L! H-T-L!" are heard during push-ups.

Smiles for miles (l-r Cadre JC, myself, Cadre Heath, Cadre Roony)

After this HTL, I've completed just about half of my GORUCK events with Cadre JC, including my very first event. I always learn a few things from him; when he is not laying the PT on thick, he is an all-around great guy. Cadre Heath says he's the nice Cadre...except when he's wielding a megaphone.

So why did I rate this a 9 on 10 earlier? I'm not sure if I'll ever give a 10/10 because that could mean "BEST EVENT EVERRR!!!" I know myself: I'm still learning how to be a good GRT and how to contribute to my team's success, so I may never be completely satisfied with myself afterwards.

Perfect ending to this Savannah experience - I get my fried chicken fix at the airport before I leave for home. But, I know I have to come back, because I need to try some peach cobbler, and Vidalia onions. Until then!

No coffee for a week

GORUCK is bad for me.

Ok time to explain after two phrases that probably made you do a double-take and say, "Huh?" For those who know me, GORUCK, and coffee are two passions of mine.

Just to clarify, GORUCK is a military-inspired endurance event, focusing on teambuilding mixed in with physical training (burpees, bear crawls, squats, push-ups..), wearing a rucksack weighing 10-30 pounds minimum, and carrying cumbersome heavy things for long distances. Sometimes there's beer involved; once, a spicy sauce-laden burrito-eating contest. They are led by current or retired Special Forces service members.

(^^ How is THAT a passion of mine? You meet great people, and learn a great deal about yourself. Also, the guys who lead the group aren't going to go Full Metal Jacket on you...most of the time.)

I'm getting ready to do 3 GORUCK events back-to-back-to-back next week, 2 of them being overnight ones so a strategy that I've used in the week leading up is getting off of coffee (and mostly caffeine), until it's almost time to start the event. Ingest coffee and wham! Prolonged caffeine buzz, or so we hope.

How am I dealing with no coffee? I think I'm ok. Mind you it's only been about a day and a half, but it feels like a bit longer. Also, I haven't gone into a caffeine-withdrawal killing spree yet so that's a plus.

This morning it was the perfect moment - post easy 5K run, making breakfast which would call for a nice cuppa joe...

NOPE.

There were times yesterday when I told myself, "A coffee would be nice right about now..." And then I walked by a Second Cup where I could smell coffee being roasted.

There are suggestions out there on how to deal with this, like peppermint herbal tea first thing in the morning, apples, ginger infusions in hot water, sticking a fork in an electrical outlet...

It doesn't replace coffee!

This is only a temporary arrangement, I tell myself. I think most of us just want to sip on a warm beverage in the morning and in the afternoons after lunch. Japanese Genmaicha (green tea with toasted rice) isn't a bad option - still it's not coffee. Coffee pu'erh tea by David's Tea is maybe the closest thing I can sip and trick my body enough (thanks to sis' boyfriend for introducing me to that)

I think I'm ok.

Coffee would be good right now.

It's temporary.

*Decaf is not coffee*

Athletic therapy chronicles

Some of you know that I studied in athletic therapy (athletic training for those of you living south of the border) and although I don't do that many hours working sidelines anymore, there are the odd occasions I still do.

Earlier this week I managed a last-minute meet-up with a kindred spirit and fellow (see: better and more frequent) blogger, and the bestest, huggiest ass-kicker Solo. We got to chat and I also got around to reading some of her blog posts. She likes to observe people and life as it happens, which leads me to this write this.

I might grumble a bit at working a soccer tournament as there's waaaay too much drama that goes on for the players that are still at such a young age - the diving, the yelling at the referee, the coach practically having an aneurysm yelling on the sidelines..

But I'm caught by surprise.

Today's venue has games on small surfaces - a regular soccer turf field is divided into 4 smaller ones for teams of 7 or 8 year-olds. They are in a discovery of the sport so the parents and the coaches aren't putting that much pressure on them. While getting ready for warm-ups, there's an innocent, doe-eyed detachment like they aren't sure how to act or look, only that they are there because they're enrolled on a team in a tournament.

These kids are not running full tilt into each other battling for the ball, but whenever collisions or accidental bumps happen, there's quite a few tears shed. Sure, it hurts when an opponent steps on your toe with his cleats, or falls on your arm. There's a bit more TLC than diagnosing boo-boos.

There's also no screams about plays being offside because there are no line judges, which is fantastic because many tempers flare due to these calls.

I watch with much fascination and some contained joy at how the 7 and 8 year-olds simply play soccer. Not compete, but run and kick a ball, simply put.

Other moments that happened as the afternoon went on:

- one team clearly losing to their superior opponent, and when the 3rd goal is scored the losing team's goalkeeper is wiping away some tears...in response, his coach calls out, "I'm still proud of you, NO MATTER WHAT the result is!!!"

- a teenaged volunteer, probably no older than 15, patiently explaining to a child why one of her Thunderstix (those blow-up balloons you bang together) won't inflate

- Thunderstix attract kids like honey attracts ants

- an 8 year-old is guiding his younger brother along the sidelines, hand on his back, and telling him not to cross the yellow line (onto the playing fields). This same little brother gives his bigger brother a huge hug before warm-ups

- I've learned to accept that sometimes athletic therapy is a thankless job, but today a coach came up to me and thanked me for helping his team out. Law of averages?

- I end up comforting a player after she gets a ball accidentally kicked in her face. While I'm asking her how it happened, she tells me between sobs, "...she kicked the ball at me...she kicked it hard." Yup, emphasis on that last word.

Sometimes, life has a few surprises for us. Can I work 7 and 8 year-olds' soccer from now on?

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

The Scandic Adventure - Bergen, Norway (Day 2): The fridge rules

I have quickly learned the rules of the common fridge at the hostel, thanks to a blunder.

The previous evening I'd found a grocery store and picked up a few things for my breakfast - yogurt, a muesli bread roll, butter, apples, orange juice, and - perhaps thinking of saving a few labels - stick one with my pertinent information on the shopping bag and fridge it. Perhaps my lack of sleep has also affected my common sense, as this morning I find my bag balled up, completely empty.

In order to prevent crowding in the fridge, admin regularly empties it and removes unlabeled items. The box of orange juice is on a countertop and someone else is slicing the apple, having found it next to the juice. Darn, I was supposed to label every single item - duly noted!

I don't really need an excuse to check out an organic bakery nearby, Gødt Brød (I found it on Google Maps). I find out that upon purchase of one of their fresh-baked rolls - white, wheat, muesli, what appears to be dark rye and others - there is an option to make it into a sandwich! (It comes to NOK 74 which is close to $12 Cdn. In comparison, a restaurant lunch plate can be from say NOK 100 upwards; or a varied seafood plate with salad at the fish market goes for NOK 249) They also have excellent filter coffee which I quickly finish, considering my brain thinks it's 3am Eastern time.

Today, I have a short day cruise around some of the fjords. There are longer excursions, some of which last several days and involve scenic train rides to other towns (https://www.norwaynutshell.com/) Hoping that I'll return in the near future to experience a longer tour, I settled for the 3.5 hour excursion.

*A fjord is typically formed by a glacier and creates a narrow inlet surrounded by steep cliffs and/or rock formations.

It is overcast and drizzling, which I learn is almost typical Bergen weather. We depart and already lots of pictures are being taken of the surroundings, be it the harbour, the mountains, or the cruise ships that have docked. Picturesque and we haven't actually seen the fjords yet!

Raindrop-covered route map (I took the green one)

A few things to note if there is a fjord cruise in your plans:

- pictures do not do them justice, even if pictures are worth a thousand words, the sights are majestic. The fall colours are starting to show, which makes it all the more amazing.

- fjords create wicked wind tunnels. Dress for windy fall weather which means a good windbreaker, a warm layer like a hoodie. I also had a cap, Buff (that I didn't need to wear) and light running gloves.

- since fjords are narrow, smaller boats are the rides of choice. Smaller boat means less space = leave your selfie sticks at home!

One of the highlights of the cruise was drinking some fjord water. No, no purifying tablets needed. Small cascades of water can be seen on many a rock face, starting at the top and usually trickling through rocks.

We tasted the water from that cascade!

I should also point out that occasionally, there would be an audio clip with a person describing a fact or information tidbit that would play ('The Golden Compass' was filmed in one of the fjords we visited, for one) along with 'Peer Gynt' as a soundtrack. The composer, Edvard Grieg, was Norwegian and the city of Bergen still bears his legacy with a concert hall, a music academy and a museum for starters. 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' plays as we near the water cascade.

(**Everyone and I mean everyone recognizes the iconic passage of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'; if not, brush up on your classical music.)

The captain taste tests the water

The water is hands down the best tasting H20 I've ever had! If water had no taste and was crisp and cold, not to mention clear. I could easily down that after a workout.

Back on shore, lunch is on my mind. Bergen being known for seafood, and I'd read fish cakes, I head off to an institution that was founded and still run by 2 sisters, Söstrene Hagelin. Earlier that day, I think I see two fishermen head in there - good sign!

Fish soup, and fish cakes with brown sauce

There are inexpensive and hearty, filling offerings at Söstrene Hagelin. The fish soup is not quite a chowder but pretty much tastes like one (and I'm fairly certain there is nothing dairy or gluten-free about it), and the fish cakes are delightful. Meaty, slightly sweet and with a nice sear. I was skeptical about the cranberry sauce but it works; the potatoes at first felt slightly underdone, but then realized that is a different variety of spud. Not super starchy or waxy, it held up nicely. Oh, and everything had a generous amount of white pepper and sliced green onion as topping.

The hostel had a small list of food and drink suggestions, so I choose the coffee spot called Dromedar Kaffebar because there is also a recommendation to try their brownies.

Besides ordering up an excellent espresso-based drink, the brownie is...how should I put it? AMAZEBALLS. The right moisture content and texture, fudgey-tasting, quality chocolate. Worth the extra calories.

I head to Bergen's hiking mountain, Mount Ulriken. It is a short bus ride from the city centre and very easy to find. I locate a trail map and of course there are routes that are easy, intermediate, and hard. Since I'm at the beginning of my trip and do have a race later on, I set off to find the easy route.

...which is NOT easy! While the elevations are not demanding, the trail is trickier than I'd imagined, as there are zero wide, packed trails. Instead, the terrain goes from mud, to grass, to technical rocks, to narrow gravel trail, and then mixes everything. I barely manage 3km in the time I've allotted myself. Meanwhile, I've spotted seasoned trail runners leisurely navigate the terrain sporting X-Talon 212's.

My last supper in Bergen is at a resto-pub called Pingvinen which I've seen in many lists for dining out. A native Bergen GRT (aka fellow GORUCK enthusiast) that I manage to catch on messenger notes that someone's done their marketing right. We may actually end up doing the same event in February! Besides having a list of local beers on tap, I try the stew called "Lapskaus".

Did I order soup or stew? I'm not complaining! It's a good main course on the smaller side, but full of hearty ingredients like smoked pork sausage, root vegetables, and what seems to be lamb. At NOK 129, it's a good option without breaking the bank.

Unfortunately, I am still running on Eastern standard time and cannot fall asleep. I'm not sure when exactly I manage to lightly doze off, but at least I can nap on the train en route to Oslo.

Links (most sites in Norwegian)

- Gødt Brød (I've linked what they have in-store; basically, an organic bakery that has gluten-free options)
- Söstrene Hagelin
- Dromedar Kaffebar (I visited the Galleriet location) Yes, eat the brownies!