Girls With Sole Challenge - GORUCK Style

 At the beginning of the year I posted my tentative schedule for 2012.  I have managed to stick to the schedule and used two events to raise money for Girls With Sole (GWS). 

In May I finally signed up for my fall event to support GWS and it involves a backpack, six bricks and duct tape.

SAY WHAT!?!?!

Yep.  The GORUCK Challenge like to throw in some extra difficulty during the challenge.  I find it hard to explain the challenge completely so you need to read one leaders explanation.

So what's the deal with the backpack and bricks.  This is a military style challenge.  Our American soldiers "train" with full packs that contain lifesaving items they will use in battle.  For the challenge we won't need equipment to handle life threatening situations, so we have to supplement our packs with bricks.  It also presents a challenge of how to pack the bricks to make the extra weight as comfortable as possible.

I found my bricks behind Coca Crossfit which I thought was appropriate since the GORUCK Challenge tends to draw a lot of people from the Crossfit community.

Once reason I like the GORUCK Challenge is the unknown.  The event is 21 days away and we don't know our starting spot yet.  I figure it will be somewhere in downtown Cleveland.  We don't know what the Cadre, the group leader, will have us do and for how long.  The group will be active for 8 - 10 hours and cover 15 - 20 miles. And I have to mention that we start at 10PM and go all night. 

At least with an Ironman triathlon the basics are the same......swim 2.4 miles...bike 112 miles....run 26.2 miles.   But with GORUCK you need to be ready for anything.  On-line videos offer a glimpse into what classes have done in the past, but each class event is different. 

So I have been trying to get ready by hiking with my pack for various lengths of time.  Also different exercises; push-ups, bear crawls, squats, lunges.

I have to be honest and say that the unknown has me nervous but I'm ready to embrace the "good livin" as advertised and make ti to the end with the entire group.

And this is where the fund raising and Girls With Sole come in. 

First the Finish Line Feeling.  This will be a finish line like no other and working as a team to reach the end will make it fun and rewarding.

The six bricks I will be carrying represents the girls in the GWS programs.  My rucksack will be a constant reminder of why I am out there. 

I'm "selling" advertising space on my bricks.  The contributions raised will help push me through to the end.  A constant reminder that I can't let down the people who support me and also support Girls With Sole.

I just created my donation page and already I have a donation.  Frank "No Neck" Ferro, Liz's husband, didn't even know what event I was planning on.  Regardless, he is the first name I have put on my bricks. 

Frank has my back. 

Looking back my rowing netted $525.  My swimming brought in  $320. 

For Goruck I'd like to raise at least $600.  That is $100 per brick.  

So now it's your turn to buy a brick. 

$100 gets your own brick.

All donations will get their name on my bricks.

All money goes to Girls With Sole programming.

Check out my donation page and if possible place your name on the list of contributors. Let's put as many names as possible on my bricks.