Two days before Thanksgiving I decided to sign up for a 10k (6.2 mile) Turkey trot held not far from my house. I decided I would load my assault pack with 30lbs, run to the race, do the race, and run home, all the time wearing the ruck. In all it would be over 11 miles of running plus all the standing around pre/post race.

I planned on a pace of 11 minute miles for the 10k wearing the ruck or about 70 minutes. My goal was not stop running at all and that seemed reasonable.

The first mile marker race clock showed 10:50, right on pace. Then I didn't see anymore markers for a while. I felt fine running with the pack but it seemed I was losing ground to the runners around me, so I figured my pace slowed. I then saw a mile marker ahead and figured based on my stopwatch it was Mile 3. When I got close it read, Mile 4, time 38:08. I wasn't running 11 min. miles, I was running 9:30 miles.

I decided to slowly open up the pace and I finished the 10k in 57 minutes. A pace of 9:14 per mile. I was pretty thrilled I was running that pace w/o pushing it carrying the load. Then I got to run home with it, too.

The moral of the story; it's important to create opportunities to test your get home plan with a pack on your back.