Aye Brothers,

Now that we have another #CSAUP under our tightening belts, a few quick words on the aftermath. Two years ago, we did the Spring MudRun in what was then (then I say) record time. Afterwards, I was physically and (weird) emotionally drained. I acknowledged the physical part a little, but ignored the emotional part completely. I took a couple of days off and climbed right back on the horse.

For some reason I could not quite get back the swerve I had going into the race. The workouts felt harder, I was slower/weaker and I was not getting the joy out of it. Then I got injured. Not bad, just a nagger. I should have let it heal, but I didn’t. Then I got injured again–another nagger that I did not let heal. By the summer I was really struggling and I couldn’t figure it out.

Finally I broke my toe training for the BRR and had to wear a skirt and drive the darn van. After that, I took two weeks off to let my toe mend and finally got recharged from the drain-out I had put on my system way back at the MudRun.

LESSON LEARNED: A good #CSAUP takes a physical AND emotional toll on a man. In the Army we always scheduled-in a recovery period after every field exercise, so that we could clean our gear and kick it back for awhile. I believe a man needs the same thing post-#CSAUP. GORUCK 421 was a six-kicker. Make sure you take some recovery time before you swing back in the saddle for some more hard riding. Aye.