Went for another run with my ruck today. I made some modifications before I set out though. The past couple times I went out with my 50lb rock in the ruck I realized I needed to add some padding to avoid hurting my back from the jagged edges of the rock. I picked up some bubble wrap from the Meijer’s store and this awesome neon green duct tape, I had to get it…favorite color and all. I wrapped my rock in bubble wrap and green duct tape and then I lined my ruck with a few old towels that I also duct taped to the back and the bottom. What a difference that made!
Tonight’s run was a nice challenge for me. It was cold, there is some snow on the ground, and I had my ruck secured better than ever on my back. I ran down this one road by my house that is a bit hilly, at least for our area its prolly the best spot you’ll find. I ran the entire first 1.75 miles and it felt real good. Around that point I slowed it down, don’t want to injure myself ya know. So I continued to run until I got to the part just before the road hits a major intersection. I tried to stay off the asphalt as much as possible. When I got to the end I went down a trench that leads to a large pond. There are a bunch of nice sized rocks, and this is where I got my original rock, who I’ve named Tessa btw, and I found myself a nice 30lb rock give or take. I picked that rock up and set out on my way back home.
Holy mother of the titans, that rock was a whore! She kicked my ass in ways I was not expecting. I had on a pair of Under Armor gloves that I just recently got, they’re pretty cool gloves and they work with the touch screen on my iPhone, bonus! Well they aren’t very good for holding cold objects apparently. My hands didn’t bother me the entire first half of the run but within a quarter mile of running with the rock and throwing it whenever there was somewhere soft I could throw (so it wouldn’t break or fall apart) my fingers started to feel the cold more and more. By the time I reached the peak of the largest hill my fingers were freezing. I had to stop two or three times to put the rock down and warm my hands, primarily my fingers though. Let’s just say by time I finally made it back I was thrilled to put that rock down and go inside to the warmth of my home. It took a little bit for my hands to thaw but it wasn’t really as bad as it felt at the time. I completed a total of 3.47 miles at a avg pace of 15:47. I’m satisfied with this pace given how much extra weight I had especially that second half of the “hike.”