6/14/2008 9:19:55 AM by (KReeve)

Fellow OPT students,

Kevin provided me an opportunity to write a quick blog for the new site, based on some postings that I recently made. I hope that you can benefit from a few of my thoughts presented below.



Radishfarmer



Running for Resources

General physical fitness is really (really) important! Being in good shape physically (strength, endurance, agility, mental clarity, etc.) enables us to be effective at our given task -- be that as a military scout, a law enforcement tracker, or as someone who overcomes and succeeds in an extended survival situation. Setting up and following a consistent and well-designed exercise routine, combined with appropriate diet and sleep, is as important to mission success as effective training and high quality equipment. And there are as many different exercise programs, systems, and routines as there are people. Pick (or develop) a program that works for you, given your time, ability, starting point, and available resources. Also, frequency and long-term mental commitment to your fitness goals are just as important as the actual design of your specific routine. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is improved health achieved with one work out. Becoming and staying physically fit is a lifestyle change and this change demands new efforts, new food, and new priorities.

Having said this, I would like to focus on one small element of an overall physical fitness and health regime – that of the “long run”. As I stated previously in OPT discussion forums:

“The ability to run long distances for hours may be THE most important survival skill from a physical fitness point of view. Here's my logic: humans exist in teams/tribes/communities. And physical strength can typically be a summation of all members of the tribe. Let's lift this rock, let's build this barn, let's push this cart, etc. However, when escaping or evading attackers or predators, you can't really combine the endurance of many people. You have your own endurance and that's it -- and then the wolves catch up to you. I could conceivably help a child escape at the same speed (for a while), but I couldn't carry a full-grown adult and still evade at top speed.”

The more I research this, the more I realize that the ability to cover very long distances, either walking or running (or marching) has been critical to human survival and success in previous generations of human history. For example, ninja in feudal Japan were supposedly able to run 40+ miles a day (and then complete a mission). U.S. Civil War soldiers on both sides of the conflict frequently marched 20+ miles a day, fully loaded (wearing wool!), for many days to quickly relocate to a new front (see Stonewall Jackson, etc.). The Apache, from which Kevin draws much of his training, could evade on foot for weeks when pursued by mounted U.S. cavalry in the American Southwest. In our past, rapid mobility over long distances has meant the difference between winning and losing battles, rescuing stranded victims, and ultimately between life and death for the runners themselves.

There are libraries full of books on how to improve your ability to run really long distances. Perhaps most important is to actually go out and start running. Don’t sit and read about running – go do it. And list to your body. It will teach you as you slowly increase your running distances. Be prudent, be wise, and progress slowly – but make sure that you progress! Whatever your age or level of health, you can improve your ability to move long distances. Crawl. Then walk. Then run. Then run faster and farther. Make the effort while there is still time...

There is another skill set you can hone and sharpen WHILE you are practicing at running these longer distances. I run 5 mile loops starting at my house and then return after a wide circle over various routes. I constantly work at expanding my awareness and mental catalog o