So last week’s Week 3 of GORUCK training was a bust. I did one and a half of the workouts. I struggled with muscle soreness and a virus that kept me congested and feeling like I needed to sleep all day.

But, I’m better now, so I’m going to try this week again.

So far the typical workout, the complete six-week plan is available here, contains a variety of strength exercises, sometimes with weights, paired with cardio, usually running as fast as possible. Week 3 also contains three rucks, ranging from 2 miles to 5 miles, while carrying 30 lbs. For me, the rucks are like carrying my kid to downtown again. They’re doable but I’m having issues with shoulder soreness because of the pack and the weight it holds.

The strength training sessions are probably what kick my butt the most, because they work muscles I only workout once a week at my endurance training sessions. Adding the cardio, and the plan works everything to fatigue, so I feel completely drained and awesome at the same time. The thrill comes in knowing I’ve done something hard and it’s something I haven’t done before.

So this week, I have to do pull ups, which I haven’t been able to do since my track days in high school. Back then, I was really proud of the fact that I could do them while most of the other girls in my gym class couldn’t. It is one of my measures of overall fitness, along with doing cartwheels (which I can still do).

If I can do just one pull up, it will be epic. I’ve been working on and off for three years or so, trying to rebuild my upper body strength so I could do a pull up again. And so far, I’ve come close, but have failed.

Now  I get to try again. I will conquer this.