🚶♀️Let's go for a quick ruck... you'll love it 🎒
Entry#84 on starting new things in a motherrucking explosive manner....
#84
Come for a ruck with me. I’ve just started rucking and now I want to do it with you - heaps of you in fact. I am organising a group ruck!
Hopefully you’re picking up the LOLs I’m putting down and sensing the innuendo has a second layer of meaning. Hopefully that is a huge relief and you are not rapidly scrolling to find the unsubscribe button, wondering how you will ever make eye contact with me again in the streets of Hamilton…
Yes, I’m playing with words. Let me explain what’s going on. It’s another spaghetti story, in a way. Here’s the spaghetti-esque timeline, in shorthand:
Friday 19 May - saw a post on LinkedIn from a guy who added weight to a backpack as a form of cross-training for running. He landed the word ‘rucking’ into my consciousness. Got busy celebrating Willis’ birthday for the rest of the day.
Saturday 20 May - Googled rucking. It’s basically a weighted walk, also known as a pack march, or loaded march. Its origins are military - the loaded march being a universal activity in basic training for pretty much every army in the world…and known as a ruck march in Canada. Read about some amazing benefits and great tips on DIY rucking for all levels and abilities. Got excited, felt the yeasty fermentation of an idea.
Sunday 21 May - rummaged in the shed for one of the steel plates Shawn made for his weight vest. Slid the 7kg plate into the laptop sleeve built into one of our rucksacks. Went for a ruck. Had to feel it for myself. Walked about 3.5km and liked it a lot.
Monday 22 May - Googled rucking in NZ. Found one lonely Reddit thread asking about rucking groups in Auckland…in 2021. Imagined myself at the forefront of a rucking tidal wave, bringing one simple change to thousands of walkers across the country. Googled and read and googled and read some more. Learning curve on a steep incline. Was in heaven.
Thursday 25 May - rucked Willis to rugby training, then rucked on to the shops and bought a 12-pack of beer. Rucked home with the extra weight feeling like a motherrucking badass, fulfilling exercise and function SO EFFICIENTLY! And the thinking time, just glorious. Here’s a photo from that evening.
Friday 26 May - had a quick ruck after school drop off. Started a big section in my A3 notebook - wrote copious notes and questions, drew designs and sketches.
Wednesday 31 May - bought a domain name, started a Humanitix account, doodled a logo and planned out seven local rucking events.
Friday 2 June - today. Sending this out to the most supportive audience I can think of, my Friday Flow subscribers. Many of you are local, many of you ‘get me’ - I figured you might trust me enough to give this a try.
This spaghetti-head extraordinaire has taken an idea out of the realms of scribbles in notebooks and into the world. I’m practicing follow-through, baby!
Counting backwards, that’s 14 days from zero clue to execution. Chuffed.
Here’s how you can get involved, if you’re nearby.
Check out the events on Humanitix and register if you want to come and try a ruck. All the where/when/what/why/how and who questions are answered there.
I want to get waaaaaay more input and do real-life research before I go further into the ideas filling my notebook. No better way than to ruck with others and ask them how they like it.
Maybe it’s a flop, I’d like to know sooner rather than later. Maybe it’s not and maybe you were there, right from the start! Either way I will go for seven rucks, hopefully not alone 🤣
Seven events in three different locations through June and July. Surely one will work for you? And help me spread the word please! Forward this email or share the event page with a friend (or five…). Thanks 🙏
That is all for today. As always, I look forward to hearing what you heard, saw and motherruckin’ felt when reading this.
With love,
Motherruckin’ Michelle xx
This sounds cool Michele, great idea. I've only known about this watching firefighters and the like do it on the Hakarimata track, this sounds way more doable 🤣 Would love to give it a go with you, but evenings = witching hour(s) round here 😅. Hit me up if you do something on a weekend? X
Good job Michelle! I wish you all the best in your rucking adventure 😆😆