Go Time

2:30 hours till kickoff. GORUCK Heavy Boston is hear. Adrenaline is flowing. I'm fueled up. There's not much more I could have done and I feel like I'm ready.  Just 24+ hours and 40+ mis with all kinds of good livin thrown in there. See you on the other side of this. 

The Dreaded Taper.....Grrr

Well after a week of crushing some workouts that included a 20mi ruck with 50lbs, Crossfit open 14.1, 5k Row of time, Overhead squat one rep max for a new PR (235 :) ), over a 100 GHD sit-ups and extensions, some additional Metcon work a TON of mobility work and a 12mi ruck with 65lbs for time, I have to shut it off. I have 5 days until the Event, and thus begins the dreaded "Taper". I hate tapering. I HATE it. I feel like a sedantary peice crap by the end of the week. The thing is, it freakin' works. Like a lot. In fact I think one of the biggest mistakes that people make, who are avid fitness folk, is their rest time. Your body needs time to repair. Working out day after day after day never gives your body time to fully recover. Every once in a while a full week of nothing make a huge difference. I've done it for other events like a half marathon, but I've also felt the difference in strength items like squat. After a long stint of working hard. That week of mobility work and nursing your body without physical distress is a hug game changer. 

Why GORUCK?

Tomorrow is one week till I'm shipping up to Boston (insert Dropkick Murphy Music), my training is at full bore until Sunday when I taper to the event. In the last week with my ramped up training people have been asking me what the hell I'm doing walking around with bricks in the cold, then it gets into what GORUCK is and after doing my best to try they ask, "Why would anyone want to do that?" I'll briefly try to explain and not get into trying to sell anyone on the experience. GORUCK is is a Tactical gear company started by a former special forces individual who used certain well known "mud" endurance races to test his flagship product the GR1 Rucksack. You can learn a lot more by going to http://www.goruck.com.. The company has really become a people company and its premise is to "Build Better Americans". If you get involved with the GORUCK community of people who have completed some of their challenges you'll find that the effect is pretty amazing, but I digress. The event itself is not a race. It is a Team building challenge. You learn very quickly that the event is not about you. It's about your team. That's what makes it different. The Cadre, just like any sadistic trainer, knows how to put you through the physical wringer. The difference is, from their personal experience and training, they also know how to add a very healthy dose of mental stress to that physical scenario, dubbed "Good Livin'", forcing you to go in of two directions. One, let the the stress break you as an individual and you quit, or two, work with your team to overcome it. The degree of that stress depends on the event. The Light (99% Pass rate) is a fun but still physically demanding toe in the water 6-7 hours of "Good Livin'", the signature event , the "Challenge" (94% Pass rate) is a 12+ hour 15-20mi event with more weight and more mental stress, the Heavy (50% Pass rate),which is a very SERIOUS Dose of Good Livin'. 24+ Hours, 40+ Mis. Then there is Selection. Probably as close as you can get to actually Special Forces Training, 3 days of utter hell, of which only a few have passed. So there is is in a nut shell, now why do it? The reasons are many and tough to explain, here are the obvious in my mind. It sounds like an awful thing to go through, but I quote Cadre Mike, "Be Yourself and be open to the idea that you are about to have the best and hardest night of you life." 1.) Like any other physical endeavor, half marathon, marathon, tough mudder, etc, It is very rewarding to complete the physical challenge. 2.) You will be pushed in ways that test your limits mentally and show you what you can accomplish. It really teaches you a lot about yourself. 3.) The Team component is unmatchable. It really makes you forget about yourself and work for others. To Quote Cadre Tom, "The worst thing you will face tonight is not the weight of your ruck, the log, the water, or the cold. The worst thing you will face tonight is yourself. If you can focus on your teammates, and not yourself, you will be able to complete the challenge.” this could not be more true. When you feel your team starting to click it's pretty amazing. 4.) To Quote Cadre Bert, " Thank you for your enthusiasm in trying to learn what we do." This is after all Special forces inspired training taught by Special Forces individuals. These events give a small taste of what these amazing individuals do day in and day out. If nothing else this will give you the utmost respect for these awesome weirdos who do this voluntarily for months and years under the threat of death, not a day at a time in a familiar city and then go home. So Thats,"Why do this?" You can learn a lot about yourself and the cadre, and gain some new perspective on how to accomplish many things in pretty crappy situations. That being said: GORUCK Heavy is definitely on my mind. Especially so after Last Saturday in which two things happened. One The GORUCH Heavy took place at Ft. Bragg. and two I went on my last long training ruck, 20mis with 50lbs. I read the After Action Report from Bragg. They crushed them. Super loads, mental f*cks and freezing temps for 30 hours. That's to be expected and what was signed up for. I've spent the last 10 weeks getting ready physically. Mentally I'm surrounding myself with things I'll need to get through. I'm as ready as I can be. Just have to Remember, DFQ ( Don't F*in Quit), It's not about me it about them, and Remember those who have gone through way more suck for me without ever knowing me and in many a case paid the ultimate price. There is the inspiration....

3 1/2 More Weeks...

Well it's time to kick it into high gear. 3.5 more weeks until the GORUCK Boston Challenge. A 24+ hour 40mi+ Challenge of Special forces inspired training/beat down. Getting tired wet dirty, carrying a ton of weight on your back and shoulders, all kinds of "Good Livin'" It's a team event that requires you to leave yourself and make it about your team. There was a HEAVY this weekend and the reports weren't good. Went way longer then 24 hours and 40mis, underpromise overdeliver is a GORUCK mantra. There were 4 dropout on the PT test thats starts the event (includes a 12mi ruck in under 3.5 hours), and 2 shortly after, however all that left chose to leave. No one was booted. While troubling, I've done all I can do. Been prepping for 6.5 weeks now and went into it in pretty good shape. I'm trying to make myself as uncomfortable as possible with cold during challenging workouts and long rucks. On the GORUCK Challenge (12+ hours, 12-15mis) event I did in November it was the cold that was my demon. The only point I considered dropping. This won't happen again. First stage was bulk up. I put on about 10# throughout the first 5 weeks. I don't know what it is but I make bigger gains in strength and stamina when I'm bulky. It's probably because it's like wearing a 10lb Ruck Sack you can take off. Now I'm trimming back to till the event. Down 4# in the past week and a half. 6 more to go. Not worried. It's time to finish it off with increased weight, distance, cold, pain. Being comfortable is a relative term. If you're used to being uncomfortable that will go along way when the Cadre (Teacher/leader) is trying to put a mental beat down on you because you don't think about how much it sucks. Todays Workout with Soaking Wet and Snow filled Shoes in open air with shorts and a light windbreaker: Strength: 3x15 Squats (205lb) / 3x15 Standing Press (105lb) Condidtioning: 5k Ruck with 30lbs for time: 34:11 (Partially in snow cover and Puddles) Cash out: 45res GHDs both Sit-up and Extension All in all I think I will be physically ready. I need to mentally prepare for a couple weeks out and convince myself I've already finished. Then it's onto Rugby Payoffs the Very next weekend...

Apparel Orders!

Thanks for the tremendous response to the Morning Call article!

To Order Click here for the CFC apparel store. Order period will open until February 7th. I don't carry much inventory because it's not a business or organized charity even though it ultimately gets donated. Orders take 4-6 weeks after the order period closes. I submit it, stuff gets made, I ship it. All proceeds go to heroes in transition. 

Thanks again! 

Not in a million years...

So I wake in after a long night in Vegas to find out my little tounge-in-cheek "creation" that is CF Chickentown has made the paper. Let me start off saying, CFC is not a business, charity or anything else other then my garage. Having started as a joke about a coincidence of my former CrossFit gym closing and a Facebook locator anomaly it's amazing it would actually grow into a website (Cfchickentown.com) Facebook page and be something news worthy.

For me to be able to raise $3k for Heroes in Transition by putting a silly big eyed chicken on some clothing is a thing I'll never really understand, but to those who supported me, especially my wife Sarah, I am extremely grateful. 

I will be using this most unexpected opportunity to raise even more money by having another round of apparel sales in the near future so please stay tuned and thank you again for the support. 

Please search for and "like" CF Chickentown on Facebook for more info. 

The link to the article: 

http://articles.mcall.com/2014-01-24/news/mc-chickentown-crossfit-garage-20140124_1_jacksonville-road-address-brett-biggs 

Embracing the Cold in Chickentown

Cold weather training in full effect for the next few days.  17degrees in the gym today. Probably colder tomorrow. This is all good stuff. Cold is the enemy right now we're trying to make it our friend. Blowing snow in the face while pushing out for the bottom of a heavy squat is a pretty good test of mental toughness. 

Some heavy squats/presses, and a new PR on "Randy". GoRuck Heavy / rugby season training week three has begun!