This year, we are taking part in a rucking event called Operation BRECON.
This is a big change from our usual rucking aimed at generation-X everymen like ourselves; this is a lot more of an army-style, professional training exercise vs our typical 60 mins with 30kg of weight.
The walk, or the version we are doing, is 13 miles with just under 12kg (25lbs). It is also across an area that includes South Wales’ highest mountain, Pen y Fan (886 metres (2,907 ft)), its twin summit Corn Du (871 metres (2,858 ft)), and Craig Gwaun Taf (826 metres (2,710 ft)), so it is no joke.
This is one of the primary training ranges for the British Military, so this is going to take some training.
This got me thinking about how to put together a training plan for an event like this and how to calculate the difficulty of my current ruck vs. this one. The goal is not to get half the way around this big walk and run out of steam!
A Simple Rucking Difficulty Calculation
My usual ruck is 3 miles at 30kg.
This gives us distance and weight as variables we can use here to calculate a difficulty score.
3 miles x 30kg = 90 ruck difficulty.
If we contrast this with Operation Brecon, we have:
13 miles x 12kg = 156 ruck difficulty.
By looking at [distance] x [weight], we can calculate a simple, difficult score for our programs and use that to help structure our training.
I can train at various distances and weight combinations to hit that circa 150-160 difficulty level.
- 5 miles x 30kg = 150 difficulty
- 6 miles x 25kg = 150 difficulty
- 8 miles x 20kg = 160 difficulty
- 10 miles x 15kg = 150 difficulty
- 13 miles x 12kg = 156 difficulty
We can use this score to put together a training plan that allows me to ramp up the distance whilst decreasing the weight and train at both ends of the spectrum:
- Short & Heavy (30kg highest)
- Long & Light (12kg lowest)
And everything in between.
Terrain Modifier
Yet, for a ruck like this one, we have another variable that we must consider: the terrain.
The Operation BRECON, social media post, described the ruck as “an adventure in a beautiful country with incredible history and spectacular views (and hard as f*** hills)”.
So, to factor this in, we have to apply a terrain modifier here of 1.5 to the difficulty, as this will vary considerably from the kind of rucking and walking we usually do in our local parks and streets.
Adding this modifier to our original calculation gives us a new difficulty score to aim at with our training.
13 miles x 90kg x 1.5 (terrain) = 234 ruck difficulty.
Revising my training plan to aim at a ruck difficulty of 235
I now have a new training difficulty of 235 to aim at, which I can reach in a few different weight and distance combinations.
- 8 miles x 30kg = 240 difficulty
- 9 miles x 25kg = 225 difficulty
- 12 miles x 20kg = 240 difficulty
I think it is unrealistic to go beyond 12 miles in training as we really are getting to the point where we will be walking all day, but – using this tool, I can design a training plan, so I know I am in the right kind of shape to get around operation Brecon.
A rough guide
Obviously, this is not a perfect science. When training for a marathon or long run, whilst the hills do factor, as long as you get the distance in, your training will be good enough to get around.
Training for something like this, in a very different terrain to what I am used to, as a 48-year-old man, I wanted something that allowed me to hit a specific goal, so I know I have at least applied some thinking to the training.
If you have any questions about how to tailor your own rucking programs, drop us a comment below!
Ruck-ON!
