I was clueless a few months ago when my son, Chris, asked me if I wanted to ruck. He and his family were quarantining with us at the lake during the early days of COVID-19 and he had decided to take advantage of his new work-from-home arrangement to adopt a healthier lifestyle. He was starting to see results from his improved diet and wanted to focus more on his workouts. That’s where this rucking idea surfaced.
Chris explained that rucking was a cardio workout with military roots: you simply load up a backpack (aka rucksack) with weight and walk. It’s active resistance training so it builds both endurance and strength. How heavy, how far and how fast you go depends on your fitness level and goals. My first thought as I listened to him describe it was: is this really something a 64-year-old woman should be doing. His logic was that I had always been a walker and rucking was just taking it a step further; and he added that it might just be the perfect exercise to combat my declining bone density. The more research he did, the more he seemed eager to get going. I agreed it made sense for him. He’s a giant of a man and all his life he’s been into slinging heavy things around.
But for me…quite honestly, it sounded ridiculous. I hadn’t worked out with any consistency since 2017 and I had just started walking again. My stamina was still low and even more pitiful was my strength, especially my upper body. Once he started rucking, I shied away from talking about it because I didn’t want him to misinterpret my curiosity for interest. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What bothered me most was that my son had asked me to do something with him, something that could be good for both of us, something I wasn’t willing to try just because it seemed too hard. That wasn’t like me. And if that was who I had become over these last few years, I didn’t like her very much.
Then he did a really smart thing – he sent me a link to goruck.com. The first image I saw was a bunch of happy ruckers with a caption that read: “Cardio for People Who Think Running Sucks.” Wow…these were my people! It went on to say that if you wanted to burn up to 3X as many calories as walking, all you had to do was ruck. Now they had my attention. There was testimonial after testimonial about how rucking had changed people’s lives. I was a bit apprehensive that none of these people seemed to be even close to my age, but I was definitely intrigued by their stories. I felt the gutsier me emerging as I began to imagine how cool it would be for my grandsons to see their grandmother out there rucking with their dad.
That was three months and 200 miles ago. I started rucking with Chris on May 24, which was not coincidentally my daughter Stephanie’s birthday. I couldn’t ask for better inspiration than my girl who never let her limitations stop her from trying anything. Starting was easy … I just tossed a ten-pound weight in my hiking backpack and off we went. That first ruck was short – it was hot outside and I didn’t even make it two miles – but I couldn’t believe the difference a measly ten pounds made in my workout. I was a sweaty mess and my heart rate and calorie burn were up significantly from my normal walks. I was humbled for sure but in that moment, I was also hooked. As the weeks progressed, it felt great to have a pastime that went beyond eating or shopping on Amazon which was how I had amused myself in the early days of the coronavirus.
It’s been far from a linear rise; I’ve had plenty of starts and stops this summer. Successive injuries and persistent soreness seem to be standard for ruckers – especially new, out-of-shape, and dare I say, old ones. Don’t mistake this for a leisurely hobby. I’m always icing or wrapping something. But my condition has improved these last few weeks; either I’m starting to get into shape, or I’m just getting used to the pain. But along with the pain there has been some gain; I’m beginning to see a bit of muscle definition and I’m having a lot less trouble keeping up with my grandsons as we pursue our summer adventures. Chris and I have invested in better rucksacks and weight plates since those early days and now I consistently carry 20 pounds, while his load is anywhere from 30-55 pounds depending on the day.
Needless to say, what I love most is that I’m doing this with my son. We’re on our own during the week but text our stats to each other when we’re done. Did I mention we’re usually on the road by 6:30 each morning? I’ve always been an early riser, but never did I imagine I’d be one of those crack-of-dawn workout people. But to my surprise, on ruck mornings I routinely roll out of bed and hit the pavement before the sun rises. I ruck three days during the week, 3-4 miles each outing; Chris is usually out there four days. Then on Saturdays, we’ve been rucking 5-7 miles together – rain or shine – and those torturous early morning treks with my son have been the highlights of my summer!
I still consider myself a novice at this most peculiar choice for a golden-years hobby, and maybe that’s all I’ll ever be. I marvel daily at the Insta stories about rucking competitions shared by seriously bad ass ruckers where they carry mega loads for miles and miles while performing intermittent calisthenics and other strenuous challenges along the route. These events are grueling, but when you consider how many ruckers are former military, I imagine many of them consider it a walk in the park compared to their active duty experiences. I was initially a little intimidated to post about my own easy by comparison rucks, but oddly, they’re a pretty inclusive bunch and this gMa has appreciated their support and encouragement. Looking back, I was crazy to have resisted it. I count my blessings I don’t have a son that’s willing to let me grow old gracefully.
P.S. If you’re interested in more snippets from my rucking life, follow along on Instagram @gMaRucks.
