Week 16 - The Mt Afton Challenge (F3)

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Concord, NC - This weekend was a 14 mile/day ruck for 3 days in a row.  But the Afton F3 guys were hosting the Mt Afton Challenge on Saturday, and I wanted to do well, so I saved Friday for a Coach Jeff workout and jumped into the fray early Saturday for the race.  It was an awesome event, well organized and benefiting a local family who is challenged by their son's medical condition.  The event was a 2 hour "run as far as you can" on a 1 mile loop, with the loop circling up to the top of road winding through the neighborhood and local shops.  Its a whopping 70 foot climb, so the "Mt Afton" is somewhat tongue-in-cheek.


The race started early and temps were in the low 30's, maybe even high 20's, but with the right layering, it was fine.  I ran with my friend and competitor "Kojak" for the first hour (he's in the blue cap) but actually felt stronger the second hour, especially as it was warming up.







There were runner and rucker divisions for the race, and my friend Java decided on running (because he is so damn fast).   Since I skipped Friday for the race, my strategy was to push as hard as I could and hit my limit the second hour.  Feeling strong, my mile times dropped to sub-9:00, which I had not done before over an extended period.   I finished first in the rucking division with an overall mile pace of 9:13.  I rucked home for a total of 15 miles, but I was spent.
The F3 Guys Post Race - Raised almost $3k for the family.   Organized by Hop Hunter.

I stayed to the schedule and got in 14 today (Sunday) at a much slower pace, but still got in the miles and caught up on some podcasts.   I'm working on new strapping for my rucksack as well, something that really cinches me in but has a fast release.   Next weekend is 3 15-mile rucking days, whew.


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