The Road to Mammoth: Plan the Work and Work the Plan, but Be Flexible

I know it’s been a minute since my last “weekly” ROAD TO MAMMOTH (#trainingformammoth) musings. Long story short; fighting off a virus combined with not enough hydration leads to a serious dent in the training program. But it did lead to some valuable lessons learned and some insight on both carefully planning out the road to mammoth but also being flexible enough to adapt to the unexpected, but inevitable, wrench that will be thrown in the works. But as a wise man once said: "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry."It takes a great deal of discipline not only to compete in Mammoth but to prepare for it as well. With about 8 weeks till we ruck out with the Cadre to the first stage, the time crunch is palpable. With real life and the requisite requirement to be an adult sometimes “getting in the way”, I’m sure there are a few that are hearing the same voice I do “ so little time, so much left to do, I’m so underprepared, I need to up be more discipline ”. The self doubt and anxiety tend to rise in the quiet moments when we get to reflect on “what the hell did I get myself into” … or maybe I’m the only one?

I’ve picked the brains of more than a few extreme athletes and just about everyone says that self doubt, fear of failure and the anxiety of not being fully prepared can actually be a good thing. It means your heart and mind are committed to the event, you care about performing at your highest level. It means you’re in a competitive mindset and looking for opportunities to improve your chances of success. The trick, however, is not letting the doubt and anxiety be a distraction; to avoid paralysis by analysisYes, not wanting to suck is good motivation but the drive to eliminate the doubt of preparedness is much stronger. Without exception, the athletes (sports and tactical) I spoke to said the best way to eliminate any doubt is to write down your goal and write down a plan of action. In other words, map your road to achieving that goal. The key to becoming comfortable with your doubt is to move forward with intention. Intentionally plan out every day of the next 8 weeks so that everything you do is moving you forward. Plan the work and work the plan and be ready to adapt and change.

Here are some things to think about over the next couple of months. I know for some, I’m stating the obvious but you’d be surprised at how many people performing at a high level aren’t planning in their approach to skills development and conditioning. With that in mind ask yourself:

• Have you developed a well thought-out, pace lowering rucking plan or are you trying to put as many miles in as fast as possible with as much weight as you can carry? Linearly increasing weight and distance while trying to decrease your time may not be the best way to lower your rucking pace. You might want to look into creating a plan that involves interval training, varying distances, mixing up your pace as well as varying the weight of your ruck. A good launching point: https://thenewsrep.com/80090/rucking-tips-hitting-hills-getting-fit-right/
• What’s your range day plan? What drills are you planning out and what is your intended result? Often we find ourselves immediately getting into drills without starting the day re-establishing and nailing down the fundamentals. You might see marked increases in your performance by starting off your day doing natural point of aim drills and position break down drills at 100 yards, before starting your position training and “speed” drills. Check out the snipershide.com and the SHLowlight youtube channel for good insight on practicing fundamentals. Targets for drills can be found at http://forum.snipershide.com/threads/snipers-hide-dot-drill-targets.6252671/
• Have you developed a systematic approach to gear selection? This will be the topic of my next Road to Mammoth ramblings.

With less than 60 days to finalize gear selection, it’s time to share some of my discoveries and thoughts on Mammoth worthy sundries. Who knows, there may also be a Mammoth stocking stuffers guide.