Crossfitters and Rucktards!

Me and Kate Foster; post WOD.

On 9 June 2012, several of the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit affiliates came together in Washington D.C. to perform CrossFit for Hope. A fight gone bad type workout with all money raised going to St. Jude's Hospital for Cancer Research.

Three rounds of (1 minute/exercise & 1 minute rest between rounds):
Burpees75 pound Power snatchBox jump, 24" box75 pound ThrusterChest to bar Pull-upsTotal reps!


It was insane how many athletes came together for this event and the awesome buzz it generated. Bob Harper, trainer for NBC's The Biggest Loser and huge CrossFit fan came out and rubbed elbows with athletes, snapped pictures with athletes and his fans and participated in the event himself! As amazing as this was, my biggest sense of excitement came not from meeting a celebrity but from participating in such a great event with my son.

Sam was nervous about his first real WOD on a stage but I knew he would be awesome. As I finished my WOD, scoring 164 reps and raising over $500, I rushed and got Sam prepared. What an amazing performance. He stuck with it despite the obvious fatigue he was experiencing and scored an incredible 213 reps using the 15# bar, 20" box and jumping pull-ups. I couldn't have been prouder!

With the CrossFit for Hope WOD completed, I could finally turn my attention to an event I was a little apprehensive about.

8-10 hours, 15-20 miles and Good Livin'

I had secretly waffled on whether or not to do a GORUCK Challenge. I checked out the site and knew a little about what I thought was going to be in store for me. As luck would have it, a couple of my CrossFit friends were doing the June 15th GRC in Washington D.C. Waffling was abandoned and I signed up. A nighttime ruckmarch through the streets of D.C., sure, who would think that was fun!?

With a borrowed GORUCK GR1 (Thanks Frank) and my six wrapped bricks, I was all set. Having not trained, I was a little concerned but I don't quit on things so I figured I would go out there and do all I could do to make the event and fun as I could. This was an exhausting event. Mentally draining. At times, grueling (barefoot microderm abrasion care of David and the means D.C. streets). But I found that I loved every minute of it. Seriously. Cramped legs and all. My only regret was not properly hydrating; although I thought I was hydrated. After being broken up into our classes, we were assigned the class number 187. Hell yes. The murder class! With a class number like 187, we were bound the be the baddest of the bad......or so we thought. We were instantly dubbed the Short Bus crew. Rucktards (A play on words from my favorite Army term of endearment; Fuck-tard). One rule of GORUCK, at least it seems to be an unwritten rule, is that you do not talk too much about what exactly you do during a Challenge or GORUCK event. That just takes the fun out of it! (For any of you looking to gain insight into what a GRC is all about, you're not going to get it here) What I can tell you is that it's 95% mental, 5% physical and 25% ACRT (rucktard math). I loved it so much I have signed up for my next event, the GORUCK D.C. Scavenger in October, and plan to shadow the July 4th GRC in D.C.

Now considered a Short Bus GRT Rucktard, I proudly wear my GORUCK Tough and Suffer In Silence patches. I have found that, not unlike the CrossFit community, GORUCK Tough individuals are a part of a sort of deranged extended family. A family that suffers together, parties together and helps each other out. As with CrossFit for Hope, I have seen the desire to put your physical limitations aside in order to support a cause much higher than you as an individual. This is evident in the multiple Mini-GRCs taking place in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia in order to raise money for fellow GRT Jason Alexander's daughter who is going through Bone Marrow Transplant Treatment. The support and outreach through attendees of these events and the purchase of Kick Ass Katie patches is truly incredible!

I am so unbelievably proud to be a part of two wonderfully dysfunctional families.