SNAKE-EATER'S DELIGHT
Day 1
10KM Ruck March + 50lbs
10KM Run
For Time
PM - Sleep Deprivation.
Day 2
10KM Ruck March + 50lbs
10KM Run
For Time
So if you really want a little taste of what some high speed military selections are like, this might be for you. Everyone comes to selection with prior skills and training. Private Jones might be an extremely fit runner, used to doing marathon and such in his off time. Private Smith might be able to pump out push-ups for days because he spends a lot of time in the gym. So just because Jones can run or Smith can do hundreds of push-ups with ease, does that mean they're unit material? Not necessarily. An important quality is how a candidate performs when he's brought to his
personal breaking point, or past it. If it were as simple as using the best runners or strongest athletes, there would be very little need for selection.
Now here's the thing. I can run Jones all day and he won't reach that breaking point. I can give Smith pull-ups and push-ups sunrise to sunset, it won't tell me much about him. On a run, Smith will probably tire out faster than Jones. But Smith can do more pull-ups than Jones. Physical tests of endurance are one way to bring people around to that breaking point, but what if you have a candidate like Jones who was a marathon runner or triathlete in the past? For Jones, physical endurance may not really bring him there all the way. The military wants to compare what Jones and Smith are both like, when they both hit that same breaking point. So how do you get Smith, Jones, the course superstar, and the other 30 guys on selection to the same breaking point in a given amount of time despite varying physical abilities?
The application of mental and physiological stress in addition to physical work. One tried, true, and very effective stressor, is sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the great equalizer. Doesn't matter how much you can bench press, how many hundreds of push-ups you can do, or how good of a swimmer you are, you will be brought to a level of weakness the same as everyone else after a few nights of no rack time. You can really see how someone's going to perform under pressure when you deprive them of sleep for a few days. Soldiers that initially looked like superstars turn into slugs, and slugs turn into superstars. Military units around the world have various versions of 'hell week' in which candidates are deprived of sleep for a week or more. Add to that extreme physical exertion, tasks requiring teamwork and some complexity, and you'll start to see pretty quickly who can persevere and who shuts down. Take away a meal or two, add in the elements of cold and discomfort, now we're talking. There's a reason special operations units aren't simply comprised of the military's best runners or strongest athletes.
This session will give you a taste of this kind of discomfort and stress.
On Day 1, perform a 10KM ruck march with a 50lb load. After your hike, drop the ruck and run 10KM as fast as you can. Both events are done for time, complete both as quickly as possible and record your times.
Now you're done for the day. Now we introduce a little stress.
Stay awake for the entire night. No sleep. No catnaps.
Do whatever you like to stay awake. If you were in the military you might be setting up a defensive position, manning a perimeter point, or out on a recce patrol. You, however, can watch TV or play video games instead. Whatever you do, make sure you stay awake.
You can begin Day 2 any time after 5AM. On Day 2, you'll repeat the ruck and run, and attempt to beat or match your previous day's timings.
Basic Version:
Sleep for 2-3 hours the night before Day 2. Go to bed at 2AM, wake up at 5AM, and do the run/ruck any time after 5AM. Sissy.
Advanced/Operators:
Do two nights of sleep deprivation in between your ruck/runs.
There is no benefit to this session beyond testing your personal limits. Sleep deprivation is unhealthy.
This session will appeal to a certain breed. Others will have no idea why any sane person would attempt this. If you have to ask...
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