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…GORUCK: HCLS Veteran’s Day Event…

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What is GORUCK?

To me… GORUCK is a family.  It is the reason I keep pushing to be better and stronger.  I do this not just for me but also for my team.  When you show up to an event your new family is your team.  Each person will get to a point where they will want to quit.  Their mind will realize that they could be comfortable at home, dry, sleeping, and not enduring the grueling miles of exercises that you are enduring while doing a GORUCK event.

I have been apart of the GORUCK family since late 2013.  I signed up not knowing what to expect.  The only thing that I was told was that I needed a backpack/rucksack that weighted at least 25lbs without water in it. So I trained with a backpack I found on ebay and bricks I had borrowed from a friend.

Two years later I have done countless events, traveled to dozens of cities, created a new family that I lean on for encouragement and support.

I was somewhat worried about this event because lets face it.  I HATE WATER and I HATE COLD! I knew that there would be two elements that I would have to face while in San Francisco.  To what extent I was unsure, but I wanted to mentally get prepared for the worse and I am glad that I did that.  I train hard….365 days a year…5-6 days a week.  People always ask me what I am training for, and I would honestly have to say I am training for life. There are so many different events that I would like to do.  So instead of focuses on just one event I focus on getting stronger and faster.  I focus on building myself up so I can tackle and obstacles that I encounter.  I want to be able to carry more weight for a longer period of time.  I want to be able to do PT without questioning if I had trained well enough for the workout I am pushing through.  I want to be a strong contributor to the team in a physical and mental way. The best way for me to do that is to be on my “A” game and to be prepared for whatever is thrown at me.

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Smile when faced with being uncomfortable and uncertain as to what is to come. Something that I thought when I saw this picture that was taken.  The cold surf crashing against our bodies as we endure PT as the sun is just coming up. To my left and right I have my team mates, in front of me I have the world.  I have spent a lot of time “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” and in this moment it showed.

Finishing this event meant so much to me and I had an amazing team and amazing cadre that lead the event. GORUCK is my addiction and I could not find a better way to spend my weekends. 60+ miles, 40+ hours, and countless memories make a HCLS.  If you are looking for a good challenge I suggest a GORUCK event.  It will test both your physical and mental strength.  And, you will walk away a wiser, stronger, and more humble person.

One of my favorite quotes:

“Never above, never below you, always beside you” … Something I tell myself before my events start.  Team first, my needs are always 2nd.