It mercifully cooled overnight to 55 degrees, but it was still a warm, buggy day for a good long walk. Archive arrived home from vacation and Noodles signed up for an epic start to Week #2 of his new F3/rucking life. For YHC, this was the final workout of the “Honoring Service” Goruck Monthly challenge for May. The plan was simple:
- 2min push-up test
- 2min sit-up test
- 12 mi ruck
We met in the early light at AO-Mastodon and did the PT test at the WWI monument. Then it was rucks on and a 5:38 start on our journey.
From there it was fairly even and straight ground. Some good conversation on the trail. A few mosquito valleys, a break at mile 6 for powerbars and blister prevention. It was interesting coming at some familiar landmarks in Winfield and West Chicago from an unfamiliar angle. The second half was more of a straight shot trail with the occasional road crossing between West Chicago and Geneva. We did get in some good Scout Runs to keep the pace up for Mile 9 past the airport.
For the final stretch, shoulders and legs and feet ached, but the end felt near as we headed into downtown. Crossing the river we spotted and were spotted by Mrs. Crunch and the Crunch 2.0s. Despite our ENDEX breakfast location being a longer wait than we felt like waiting, I have never been so glad to see Geneva before!
Kudos to Noodles, putting up with some crazy long-legged folks and Crunch’s urge to never slow down. We made Geneva by 9:12. Definitely a worthy distance and worth repeating some other time with some more compatriots, we’ll see how the recovery goes.
F3 Wheaton 