My first Ruck woes
 

I just started my pre-training for my 18x enlistment and did my first ruck today. I went on a 4 mile ruck over some pretty rough terrain that contained sand, rock and grass at different points plus some hills (im in Florida, hills are hard to come by :p) I completed this in about an hour and 10 minutes with 30lb pack. I recently bought some Altama jungle boots as well and this was their first time out. Before the ruck march I treated them over night (twice actually) with mink oil and I also prepared my feet with arid XXX and foot powder right before I went out. At the end I felt pumped out knowing I was on my way to attaining my goal and logging my first miles. My dilemma is that I did attain 1 blister (dime sized) on my left heel. I dunno if maybe I bought the wrong size boots (which then im screwed since altama doesnt take returns after use) or am I gonna attain blisters no matter what I do to prevent them. Looking for the BTDT thoughts... Should I just suck it up and keep rucking or revaluate what Im doing?

p.s. I made sure I was using army issue socks. (Believe all my t's are crossed and i's dotted). Also thanks to the professionals on this forum and Warrior mentor for all the valuable info made available. :lifter

You think you can run a marathon with no prep and not suffer?

Your feet are soft and weak.

Search all of the ruck threads here, do what we told everyone else, and suck it up while you lay down some more miles.

My kids can do four miles without blistering. That is nothing. You have a lot of work ahead of you, stud.

TR

I still have callouses on my feet that can protect me from 16d nails (well, almost) it took lots of miles to turn them into APCs inside the LPCs. Keep working on it, remember where the hotspots are and protect them for the next few outings... moleskin, tincture of benzoin (or nuskin) and mind over matter - that's what'll get them dogs into shape.

My Daughter..
 

Son, my daughter does sub 55 minute 4 miles with hand weights and a fanny pack. And she's still in high school and don't break a sweat at that pace. She does sub 50s if it's getting close to Gray's Anatomy time.

Get the book and get with the program.

Pete

Sir I know 4 miles is nothing...By the time I leave my goal is to do 18 miles with a 55-60 lb rack. Anything more is excess and cause for injury (that's your advice). I was merely doing the 4 miles today in order to "break in" the boots since they are new and according to "the book" by warrior mentor your intial ruck should be no longer than 4 miles. If it was up to me I would of walked myself into unconsciousness. Gradually I will increase distance and weight (crawl, walk, run). I was merely stating my situation and technique to make sure I had no flaws and could starting logging in miles and toughing my feet. Thank you.

-John :lifter

casket or tab.

Jrome - Hush. We've all been where you're going, we don't need the "blow by blow" account of your journey. Next time you have a problem, ask a question - succinctly - and somebody will be along shortly with an answer. Don't forget the search button - blisters are a common problem and we've devoted a lot of bandwidth to the subject. FWIW, I would recommend doing your initial conditioning (feet and boots) marches on a uniform surface. Try to stay off of concrete and asphalt. My personal favorites are developed running trails, firebreaks, or the grassy shoulder of a secondary road. It reduces the risk of training injuries and encourages development of a uniform pace. When the boots are broken in and the feet/body are toughened up then you can push the envelope. Doing it right - even with limited time before your report date - is much more efficient than doing it wrong, getting injured, and having to start all over AFTER you've healed. Now go work on your pushups. My .02 - Peregrino

You're whining to the wrong crowd.

I once ran 18 miles, in full combat gear in a thunderstorm in under 2.5 hours hours. Jungle boots and Army socks. When I was finished I rang my socks out in blood, yes blood, I did complete the mission.

My LBE alone weighed 30 lbs.

You are soft. Time to get hard.

If you think that is a bullshit story I know others that have completed the Q-Course 20 mile ruck-run with broken legs.

Don't post again on this board again until you can run 10 miles in the same time it took you to "ruck" 4 miles.

That's not a request.

Team Sergeant

Read only young man
 

JUST READ AND MOVE OUT

1. Altimas are NOT ALLOWED in SFAS. Trust me..I wrote the packing list. Any boot with ANY type of RUNNING SHOE TYPE SOLE or DESIGN is UNAUTHORIZED

2. Dime sized blister? Don't panic until you have no more room for blisters..that means the entire sole of your foot is ONE BIG BLISTER..until then, drain them and keep moving. Everyone is SFAS gets blisters!

3. Consider this your opportunity to develop "Thick Skin"...without it, you will never develop into a true SF dude!

Good luck...

Daver sends

Thanks Peregrino info noted.
Team sergeant I will get harder.
Daver I bough the altimas becuase they advertised being the official manufacturer of the DOD, guess I bought the boots that arent useable at SFAS :confused: , know of anyplace to by the jungle boots I will be issued online ? Im going down to Army Navy surplus tomorrow see what info I get.

You will not be issued jungle boots. Either buy yourself a pair of the plain black combat boots or even better, buy yourself a pair of plain desert tan boots.

And a suggestion, start paying closer attention to the posts by the QPs....

EDIT: Spelling

If you keep getting blisters on the heel of your foot you might want to think about getting the heel cup removed. I've done it with all my field boots and haven't had any problems since.

That's a qualifying pace for the Boston marathon !! :eek:

One suggestion I can make is buy knee high women's nylons, put them under your socks. This helps with friction, it is an old trick, a very old friend in SF told me about before I ever went into the army. I also still have calluses on the top sides and bottom of my feet and even though I am retired I cover between 5 and 10 miles 5 days a week. I was not in Special Forces but I did complete and train for an annual march conducted in the Netherlands. I also caught the flu by the second day and finished the last three days of 25 miles a day, with 103 degree temperature. The first 15 miles is your body after that it is the mind that keeps you going. It is my opinion that being physically fit and able to complete missions should be a lifetime goal and not a temporary or short term goal.

you seem surprised...

One ruck doesn't justify cutting out your heel cups....time to toughen the feet while breaking in the boots first.

Cutting out the heel cups is an extreme fix IMHO. Wouldn't recommend doing that until you've rucked mre than once in them...