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We all know that running and walking is a great way to burn calories while getting fit. Some people chose to make it even more challenging by adding weight to their workout. This is called rucking, and there is a whole group of walkers that have been adding to their weekly workout by carrying a few extra pounds in a backpack before heading out.
Rucking allows a person to do strength training during which one would normally be in the gym lifting weights, while at the same time doing the endurance training that one normally equates with running and walking.
We have had people rucking in the News and Sentinel races in the past. Normally soldiers who do the races in uniform will carry a backpack with as much as 70 pounds in it for the entire race.
This year we have added rucking as a category to the News and Sentinel Two-Mile Race. When signing up, simply pick rucking as your category instead of running or walking. We will award trophies to the first, second and third place male and female finishers.
If you want to learn more about rucking, goruck.com has a lot of information available on the website. I am going to give you the abbreviated version of what you need to know.
First of all, you can do this. You likely have already rucked at some point. Carrying books to class for instance is rucking. This is simply a little more organized.
Like any sport, people that have been doing this for a while have specialized equipment -- backpacks that hold specialized plates of steel. Just as you don't need $250 running shoes to start running, you can start rucking with a simple backpack loaded with books, sandbags or even barbells. The idea is to get the bag to weigh somewhere between 30 and 50 pounds and to make sure the weight will be comfortable against your back. That's it, you are ready to hit the street.
There is a local group of ruckers who meet at Parkersburg City Park. Step Up MOV and MOV Ruck Club is organized by dedicated rucker Malcolm A. Lanham. The program is a community project of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department where Lanham is the Community Health Director. Join the group by showing up at the park on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Sessions start at 5 p.m. Bring a backpack with you or just walk with them the first time you come.
The group does laps around the park loaded down with the amount of weight that they are comfortable carrying. Come a little early and Lanham will give you advice on using sandbags to weigh down your backpack.
Sand works well because it forms to your back. Others use special steel plates that fit into pockets in rucking backpacks. Start slow and let others help you get the hang of it.
Adding rucking to the two-mile races is meant to encourage people to take part in a growing trend to make a simple walk a little bit more challenging. We thought it would be a good idea to start with the two-mile race and see how the participation level is. That doesn't mean you cannot ruck in the half marathon. If you want to run or walk 13.1 miles carrying an additional weight on your back, more power to you.
Regardless of how you decide to be active by doing the News and Sentinel Two-Mile Race or the News and Sentinel Half Marathon, we look forward to seeing you at the starting line Aug. 19.
Art Smith is online manager of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel and co-director of the News and Sentinel Races. He can be reached at asmith@newsandsentinel.com