2018 Tough Ruck Training Guide

Transcription

1 2018 Tough Ruck Training Guide

2 Contents The Basics... 3 How to Pack... 3 Footwear... 4 Clothing, Socks, and Comfort Items... 6 How to Move... 8 Hydration and Fuel... 9 Training for 26.2 Miles Training Resources The Course: Battle Road Trail Appendix A: Packing Your Ruck

3 The Basics Ruck is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it refers to the bag itself or the event. As a verb, it is the act of walking over varied terrain while carrying a backpack containing important items. Rucksack The term rucksack or ruck is borrowed from German and literally translates to back bag. The size and configuration you use will be based on your division, branch of service, and individual requirements. But all rucksacks used in the Tough Ruck are required to have two shoulder straps. Additionally, we recommend using one with both a hip belt and chest strap to better secure your ruck to your body, reduced movement of the ruck as you march, and reduce wear and tear on your body. Rucking It seems like an easy concept: just throw a weighted bag on your back and take off down the road. But ruck marching differs from both walking and running in important ways. The added weight of the rucksack means rucking places significantly more stress on your body than simply walking or even running. And the difference in gaits between walking and running means muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints are stressed in distinct ways. There are techniques that will help minimize the impact of the additional stress, including how the ruck is packed, how you move, and footwear selection. We will cover these techniques later in this guide. How to Pack Packing a ruck can be a challenge, but how it is done is important. Contents in a ruck will shift as you move and can become imbalanced and even cause injury. If the shift causes you to lean to one side you could injure your back, neck, or legs. Additionally, this shift could cause your feet to move or step at angles that create hot spots or blisters on your feet. You can carry whatever items you d like in your rucksack providing your rucksack meets the weight requirements for your division both before and after the event. When packing your ruck you should always place the heaviest items as close to your body as possible. The idea is to place most of the weight as close to your center of gravity as possible to minimize the strain on your back, neck, and shoulders. 3

4 Footwear Note: All military division ruckers must wear boots; civilians may wear footwear of their choosing. The day of the Tough Ruck should not be the first time you wear your footwear on a ruck! Ideally you will wear your footwear for most, if not all, of your training rucks. Choosing the right footwear can make or break your Tough Ruck. Military boots One of the most important questions to ask yourself is, Are my boots good enough for a marathon? This section will explore your options if the answer was no. Military division ruckers should adhere to the uniform standards of your branch. If you are not rucking in a military division but want to wear boots, choose the boot that best meets your needs. Boot styles Issued Sneaker Hiker Bellevue, Danner * Nike, Converse Rocky, Oakley Pros Cons Pros Cons Pros Cons Free Hard to break in Lightweight Expensive Easy to break in Expensive Durable Inconsistent materials High quality Less breathable Durable May be out of regulation Easy to find Easy to break in Ankle Support Can be hard to Find *This table contains a sample list of boot manufacturers. This is not an exhaustive list. Boot styles that are not recommended due to their heavier weight include: - steel-toe, - jump, - cold weather, and - waterproof. 4

5 Breaking in new boots Issued Sneaker Hiker (1) Get the boots wet enough so that water is entering the boot through the leather.** (2) Wear them wet for a few hours then let them dry for a few days. Most sneaker-style boots only need to be worn around for a day or two to break them in. The more you wear them, the more comfortable they will feel. Wear the boots for several days or longer during heavy activity. Because of the heavier materials used in construction they will take longer to break in. **This method is the fastest way to break them in; it may reduce their life or void a warranty Other shoes If you are rucking in a civilian division feel free to select the footwear that best meet your needs. Common choices are lightweight hiking boots, trail runners, or cross trainers. The most important factor is comfort and durability: you don t want uncomfortable shoes or shoes that will fall apart. The running shoes you ve had in your closet for the past ten years are not the best choice for a 26.2 mile ruck. As with boots, you should break your shoes in before the day of the ruck; wearing them during training should do the trick. Buying footwear Try on boots at the end of the day. Your feet normally swell a bit during a day s activities and will be at their largest at the end. This helps you avoid buying footwear that is too small. Remember to trust yourself; if it does not feel comfortable then do not buy it. We do not recommend buying footwear online unless you already know how a manufacturer s footwear feels and fits. Each manufacturer s standard size is a little bit different from that of a competitor. For example, Nike tends to run smaller than other brands. They are meant to fit tight to your foot and support highly active movement. 5

6 Clothing, Socks, and Comfort Items The day of the Tough Ruck should not be the first time you wear your clothing (kit) on a ruck! Ideally you will wear your kit for your last several training rucks. Use early rucks to dial in your setup. Clothing All ruckers in a military division will wear their combat/utility uniform; see the uniform guide on ToughRuck.org for more information. Civilian ruckers have no such restriction. Recommended clothing includes long pants, a top that covers any areas in contact with your ruck, and a hat or visor to reduce your chance of sunburn. Ruckers should consider packing some type of wet weather clothing and something warm. The weather in New England is April is famously variable. Dressing in layers is the key to keeping yourself comfortable it is easy to add or subtract as needed if you ve packed appropriately. Socks Socks are a critical but often overlooked detail when preparing for a long-distance event. This section explores the different materials and fabrics that socks are made of and address some of the pros and cons of each. Cotton Walking Running Hiking Rucking YES Pro Tip If you ve ever run or rucked for an extended time or distance, you probably already know how painful chafing can be. We recommend the use of products like SportShield, BodyGlide, Vaseline, or A&D to reduce or even eliminate the friction on areas of your body where this occurs. YES (short) YES (short) Synthetic Insulating YES YES YES Synthetic Wicking YES YES YES NO YES (cold weather) YES (warm to hot weather) Silk YES NO NO Liner only Wool YES NO YES Extreme cold or short distance 6

7 Sock Liners, Nylons, and Keeping Your Feet Dry Sock liners help keep your feet dry and reduce the opportunity for blisters to form. Foot powder is also an effective tool in keeping your feet dry, but be judicious - too much powder can cause problems and may even create additional friction. A light coating is all you need. The goal is to reduce friction as much as possible. Pro Tip Injinji socks are a great way to protect your feet. These socks separate each toe and have no seams. This prevents them from rubbing together, thus reducing blisters on your toes. Comfort Items The fastest finisher at the 2017 Tough Ruck finished in 4 hours, 12 minutes (or 9:38/mile), which is amazing but faster than most people run a marathon. Although laudable, that is not the experience of most ruckers. You should expect to be on the course 6-8 hours; your training rucks will give you a more accurate estimate. In that amount of time things can and will happen. Here s a list of items you should consider packing: - sunscreen - bug repellent - Moleskin - anti-chafing product - foot powder - hand warming packets - duct tape - waterproof layer - cold weather gear - spare footwear 7

8 How to Move Mechanics of Movement There are three main things to keep in mind when rucking: 1. Shorten your stride to reduce impact force and biomechanical strain. 2. Keep your head level, balanced, and focused in front of you. Look forward, not down! 3. Keep repeating steps 1 and 2; as we get tired we often forget the basics or fall in to bad habits. Examples This is correct. The body should be straight. Movement with your feet should be as fluid as possible. 8

9 Even with the photo cropped you can see how uncomfortable this looks. Leaning back stresses your lower back. As we get tired we all begin to do this; leaning forward adds additional weight to the shoulders, places unnecessary stress on the knees, and forces you to push more with your feet instead of your hips. In short, this leads to more blisters on your feet. Test Yourself 1. Find a flat, known distance of about 100 feet (exact distance isn t important). 2. Walk down and back normally (film yourself, or have a friend film you). 3. Carry your packed ruck (filming yourself once again). 4. Compare the two videos and make any necessary corrections. Hydration and Fuel The Tough Ruck is not an easy event. You will be out on the course performing strenuous physical activity for at least four hours. Your body will run out of its glycogen stores and you will need to refuel. How varies from person to person as everyone has different tastes; what works for someone else might not work for you. This section will run through a few suggestions. The day of the Tough Ruck should not be the first time you try out your hydration and fuel on a ruck, to include supplements! Ideally you will dial in your strategy over the course of your training and your last few training rucks will be trial runs for the big event. Note: The weight of any water you consume or food you eat does not count towards the weight of your ruck there are weigh stations at the beginning and the end of the event. 9

10 Hydration Whether it s hot or cold on the day of the Tough Ruck, you will sweat a significant amount. Hydration is key to restocking the water and enabling you to continue. A good rule of thumb is to take a sip at least once every half mile, increasing your intake as the temperature rises or if you re a heavy sweater. You will lose more time due to muscle cramps and dehydration than you will lose by stopping to drink at every opportunity. Fuel Unless you follow a ketogenic diet and you ll know if you do your body uses glycogen as its main source of fuel. For the purposes of this guide, think of glycogen as carbohydrates. You ll need to replace at least some of carbs you re burning. But how many? According to The Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person burns 511 calories per hour backpacking and a 200-pound person burns 637 calories per hour backpacking. (Backpacking is a good approximation of rucking.) You won t need to replace all those calories to get through the event but we recommend calories per hour over the course of the ruck. If you re unsure of how long it will take you, there is a pace chart in the Training Resources section of this guide. There are multiple sources you can choose from. Some people swear by energy gels or goo, protein bars, fruit, pizza, or even fried chicken. Any liquid calories you ingest count too, including soda or electrolyte drinks like Gatorade. Pro Tip You also lose electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D when you sweat. It s hard to replace them all through nutrition. SaltStick caps are a great way to replace electrolytes quickly and stave off or relieve cramping muscles. 10

11 Training for 26.2 Miles Important: When training, wear the boots or shoes, carry the equipment, and eat the food you intend to use on the day of the Tough Ruck. This is particularly key if participating in one of the heavy divisions. Use your training rucks to dial in your equipment, hydration, and fueling. Practice eating what you re going to eat the day before, the morning before, and during the event. The day of the Tough Ruck is not the day to experiment with new foods or equipment! How to train The Tough Ruck is not an event to take lightly. Walking 26.2 miles is difficult; adding weight in the form of a ruck makes it harder. But it s very doable if you train for it. Below you will find training plan for 4 months (16 weeks), 3 months (12 weeks), and 2 months (8 weeks) of preparation. These plans are meant as guidelines; feel free to adjust as necessary. The more time you have the better, but regardless of your time frame you should focus on training safety, your health, and recovery. Remember to stretch and stay hydrated. If these do not work for you, contact the Tough Ruck Team and we will figure it out together. Training principles Focus on short, even steps. It helps to work on a hydration rhythm take a sip of water every ½ mile. As the distance increases make sure you have a few days in between training events to recover. Stretch and foam roll on off days. Finding time to do this is tough. Remember what and who you re training for. Consider early morning or treadmill sessions. If you are rucking in the dark make sure you are highly visible. Reflective belts, chemical lights, and flashlights are all good tools. Training rucks are as much about preparing yourself mentally as they are about preparing yourself physically. Approach them accordingly. How you train is how you ll perform on the day. As your training rucks get longer you should dial in your equipment, fueling, hydration, and pacing strategies. Your longest ruck before the event is your chance to do a trial run make it count. It helps to write down what works and what doesn t. 11

12 Sample training plans 4-month (16-week) training plan Month/Week Distance Weight Notes 1/1 2 miles (2x) lbs. Concentrate on good movement. 1/2 4 miles (2x) lbs. 1/3 4 miles (2x) 15 lbs. 1/4 8 miles (1x) / 4 miles (1x) 15 lbs. Start working in your fueling plan. 2/5 12 miles (1x) / 8 miles, (1x) 15 lbs. 2/6 2/7 12 miles (1x) / 8 miles, (1x) 14 miles (1x) / 8 miles (1x) 15 lbs. 15 lbs. This may get a little tougher as the weight gets up there. Remember the reason you are doing this. Don t be a hero and throw on 50 lbs. right off the start. You 2/8 14 miles (1x) / 8 miles (1x) 20 lbs. / 15 lbs. will get hurt. Take your time. Do not run. Take short steps. Lengthening your stride makes you think it will 3/9 16 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 20 lbs. / 15 lbs. end sooner but you run increase the load on each leg as you strike the ground with your heel first. 3/10 16 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 20 lbs. / 15 lbs. 3/11 18 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 20 lbs. / 15 lbs. Rucks will start to seem easier. They will feel long, but easier at this point. 3/12 18 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 25 lbs. / 20 lbs. 4/13 22 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 25 lbs. / 20 lbs. 4/14 22 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 25 lbs. / 20 lbs. The trick here is a combination of staying healthy and not losing your hard-won fitness. Find your groove and stick to it. Dial in your nutrition and hydration plan. 4/15 24 miles (1x) / 16 miles (1x) 30 lbs. / 25 lbs. 4/16 24 miles (1x) / 16 miles (1x) 30 lbs. / 25 lbs. This is your final chance to test out your setup, hydration, and nutrition. Goal for this Plan: Prepare for 26.2 mile ruck march with lbs. in the Ruck. (The amount of weight you carry is up to you. Add weight as you feel you are able just do it in small increments.) *The number of rucks per week should have at least 2-3 days in between a ruck. Make sure you stretch before and after; take your time. 12

13 3-month (12-week) training plan Month/Week Distance Weight Notes 1/1 2 miles (2x) 15 lbs. Concentrate on good movement. 1/2 4 miles (2x) 15 lbs. 1/3 8 miles (1x) / 4 miles (1x) 15 lbs. Start working in your fueling plan. 1/4 12 miles (1x) / 8 miles, (1x) 20 lbs. 2/5 14 miles (1x) / 8 miles (1x) 20 lbs. 2/6 2/7 16 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 18 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 25 lbs. / 20 lbs. 25 lbs. This may get a little tougher as the weight gets up there. Remember the reason you are doing this. Don t be a hero and throw on 50 lbs. right off the start. You 2/8 20 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 30 lbs. will get hurt. Take your time. Do not run. Take short steps. Lengthening your stride makes you think it will 3/9 22 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 30 lbs. end sooner but you run increase the load on each leg as you strike the ground with your heel first. 3/10 24 miles (1x) / 16 miles (1x) 35 lbs. Rucks will start to seem easier. They will feel long, but easier at this point. 3/11 18 miles (1x) / 9 miles (1x) 35 lbs. Easy - Enjoy it. 3/12 16 miles (1x) 35 lbs. This is your final chance to test out your setup, hydration, and nutrition. Goal for this Plan: Prepare for 26.2 mile ruck march with lbs. in the Ruck. (The amount of weight you carry is up to you. Add weight as you feel you are able just do it in small increments.) *The number of rucks per week should have at least 2-3 days in between a ruck. Make sure you stretch before and after; take your time. 13

14 2-month (8-week) training plan Month/Week Distance Weight Notes 1/1 2 miles (2x) 15 lbs. Concentrate on good movement. 1/2 4 miles (2x) 15 lbs. 1/3 8 miles (1x) / 4 miles (1x) 15 lbs. Start working in your fueling plan. 1/4 12 miles (1x) / 8 miles, (1x) 20 lbs. 2/5 14 miles (1x) / 8 miles (1x) 20 lbs. 2/6 16 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 25 lbs. / 20 lbs. 2/7 18 miles (1x) / 12 miles (1x) 25 lbs. During these weeks remember that recovery is just as if not more important than your training plan s execution. Make sure you are warm before you start and drink a lot of water. 2/8 20 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 30 lbs. 3/9 22 miles (1x) / 14 miles (1x) 30 lbs. 3/10 16 miles (1x) 30 lbs. Take this nice and easy. This is your final chance to test out your setup, hydration, and nutrition. Goal for this Plan: Prepare for 26.2 mile ruck march with lbs. in the Ruck. (The amount of weight you carry is up to you. Add weight as you feel you are able just do it in small increments.) *The number of rucks per week should have at least 2-3 days in between a ruck. Make sure you stretch before and after; take your time. 14

15 Training Resources Pace Chart As you train you ll get an idea of your pace. Use this chart to determine how long it will take you to cover 26.2 miles. Activity Trackers This section covers a few of the apps that we have found to be useful. Please let us know of any other useful apps or websites. App Platform Cost Description Strava RunKeeper Map My Run Nike+ Running iphone Android iphone Android Blackerry iphone Android iphone Android FREE FREE FREE FREE Track your running, riding, or rucking with GPS, share photos from your activities, and follow friends. Maps, tracks and logs your walk, run or RUCK. Maps, tracks and logs your walk, run or RUCK. Map, track, log and interface with social media with a picture editor. Is compatible with the Nike+ system of GPS trackers. Wearable activity trackers like FitBits are another great tool for tracking and timing your training. Websites Please let us know what websites you ve found useful so we can incorporate them into the next edition of our guide! 15

16 The Course: Battle Road Trail Course Map Click the image to go to view the map on the Tough Ruck website. Note: The actual layout of the course will be distributed to registered Tough Ruck participants approximately two weeks prior to the event. For more information on the National Park Service s Battle Road Trail go to Minute Man National Historical Park. 16

17 Appendix A: Packing Your Ruck Sample packing list (military) Some of the items on the list below are required, some of the items are there to add weight, and other items are of strong utility like the medical kit. Use this as your starting point. Add or take away as you see fit. The approximate weight of this rucksack is 30 pounds. - 1 reflective belt (required) - 1 military ID card (required for all military members) - 3 uniform t-shirts - 1 wet weather top - 1 wet weather bottoms - 1 cold weather jacket - 1 pair gloves - 1 cold weather top - 1 cold weather bottoms - 1 pair boots - 1 pair sneakers - 1 pair slippers/shower shoes/flip-flops quart canteens w/water - 1 cold weather under layer (long underwear) top - 1 uniform top w/ patches - 1 uniform bottom - 1 uniform cap w/ rank - 1 winter cap - 1 medical bag complete w/tourniquet - 1 blister/foot care kit (medicated foot powder, moleskin, SportShield, ice packs) - 1 set patches (unit, flag, name, and rank) - 1 poncho - 1 wet weather bag 17

18 Step-by-step packing instructions First lay out all the gear that is on the packing list. Make notes of items that you need and items you want. If you run out of space you need to be able to prioritize what you have. Grab some resealable plastic bags. This is great for two reasons: 1. It keeps gear dry 2. It makes it easier to both pack and find it if you need it 2 gallon bags work best for larger items and 1 gallon bags are great for smaller items. Place items in a bag and squeeze out as much air as possible just before you zip it closed. This helps create an almost-vacuum seal in the bag and reduce the size of the items. 18

19 Pack items in like groups. For example, uniform top and bottoms in one bag, t- shirts and long underwear in another bag. Use a black marker to write the contents and quantity of each back on the outside. If your rucksack has two compartments, line the upper compartment with the wet weather bag. This helps protect your items from rain and sweat; the bag can be used to carry stuff should the need arise. Place the uniform top and bottoms, cold weather jacket, and long underwear in the lower compartment. Note: females may want to put more weight in the lower compartment. Remember: the bulk of the weight should be close to your center of mass. Place your boots in upper compartment with the soles against the back of the ruck so they are closer to your back. The boots in the picture have duct tape around them to make them more compact; that helps keep everything tight and easier to remove if you need to get to stuff in a hurry. 19

20 Add the sneakers to the top compartment. The cold weather top and bottoms also go here, placed furthest to the outside. Once all the items are in the main body, squeeze the excess air out and close the wet weather bag (if used) and top of the rucksack. The wet weather top, wet weather bottoms, and canteens are placed in the side pouches; 1 top and 1 canteen together in one pouch and 1 bottom and 1 canteen in another pouch. This keeps weight distributed evenly and allows for ease of access. Use that amazing reflective belt to wrap around the ruck. This makes you visible to other ruckers and traffic. Note: Chemical lights/glow sticks are excellent for this as well. If you re training in the dark make yourself as visible as possible! 20

21 Neatly fold and secure all straps on the ruck. Dangling straps look terrible and can be highly irritating. If you don t have the elastic bands on your ruck use electrical tape. Your medical kit is snapped on the frontmiddle of the ruck. In this picture, you can see how duct tape is used on the back bolster and the frame. The back bolster tends to twist and move around quite a bit. Taping this bolster to the frame keeps it from bouncing around as you ruck. This also will keep the ruck tighter to your back while using the waist straps. 21