On St. Patrick's Day, (while most people in the city of Chicago were watching the river dyed green and drinking green beer) two of my clients, Brett and Maureen, and myself participated in our very first GORUCK Light Challenge along with 25 others. For those that aren't familiar with what a ruck challenge is...the Light is a 4-5 hour, 7-10 mile challenge, led by a Special Forces Cadre, where you are required to wear a rucksack with a minimum of a 10lb - 20lb ruck plate the whole time while carrying heavy stuff and performing exercises focused on working together and team building.
This challenge requires it's participants to be physically fit and strong but the mental part was where I learned the most. It definitely required me to get out of my comfort zone and trust my teammates. Being a personal trainer, I'm usually the one in charge and directing others but having to follow the direction of others was an enlightening experience (now I know how my clients feel). Learning to work together, push through, help each other, motivate each other and be observant and alert at all times...but most importantly to trust your teammates when you have to be in Lake Michigan at 35 degrees for 15-20 minutes and submerge your entire body (aka "embracing the suck")...I truly took so much away from it all. Even though we were freezing our butts off, our Cadre taught us to understand our bodies and keep warm, work together as a team and complete the challenge successfully. In the beginning, we really had no idea what type of journey we were embarking on as every challenge is different but in the end, we were so glad we did it. It was an accomplishment that we were all so proud of! Who knew being uncomfortable could be so much FUN! Until the next GORUCK challenge...(yup...I would do it again!!!). Do you think you would you ever do this?
2 Comments
Maureen
3/19/2018 06:48:09 pm
Hell Yeah! Hated you while we were submerged in that freezing water, but love telling the story of what we did! Our hot Cadre didn't hurt either! It was a hard but rewarding day with you and Brett!
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10/25/2019 12:57:15 pm
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Janet ZattoMy true passion is health and wellness and helping others achieve and maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle through strength training, cardio training and optimal nutritional choices. Everyone has what it takes to achieve their goals - all you need is the right motivation, guidance, and education to help get you there. Archives
October 2018
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