SGPT Interviews GORUCK Graduate Glen Lecomte

SGPT: Tell us about yourself?

GL: My name is Glen LeComte and I live in Syracuse, New York. I am married with 2 teenage daughters. I have been working with Brad McLeod (SEALgrinderPT.com) for quite a while now in preparation for participating in a GoRuck event.

SGPT: Did you have an athletic background growing up?

GL: No, not really. I had a friend who was training throughout high school to be a SEAL, so I always was training with him. I did not participate in any formal athletics in high school. During college I did a lot of weightlifting and drank my weight in beer on a weekly basis.

SGPT: How did you train for the GoRuck Light event?

GL: I trained by using scaled workouts of the SGPT GoRuck Training Program as well as regular WODs at Crossfit Syracuse. On the weekends I would do long rucks by myself on various types of terrain here in Syracuse. Occasionally I would mix in some PT with the long rucks.

SGPT: Tell us a little about the event? Where was it?

GL: I recently completed a GoRuck Light in Cooperstown, New York at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This was one of the special GoRuck Historical Society series of events that are designed and spearheaded by Cadre Andy.

We ended the event with a tour of the Hall of Fame. I highly recommend the GHS events as they provide both the GoRuck experience as well as a history lesson delivered in a very unique, and occasionally painful, manner.

SGPT: What was hardest part of the event?

GL: The hardest part was the lunge walk and being able to get in and out of my ruck quickly. Cadre Andy had us transitioning from rucks on our backs for squad pushups to holding the ruck overhead for lunge walks within a 10 second time hack. This is not as easy as it sounds. For my next event I will be practicing this regularly.

SGPT: What is one thing you wish you would have done to get ready for GoRuck Light?

GL: There are four things that I wish I had focused on more.

The first is that I should have spent far more time doing PT with the ruck on my back. It is one thing to do 20 pushups in your living room, doing them in a snowstorm on the sidewalk in front of someone’s house with a 30# ruck on your back is a completely different experience.

The second thing that I wish that I had done to get ready was to do longer rucks with heavier weights. My ruck time is basically limited to the weekends; I would have liked to have gotten mu ruck distance up to 20 miles with a 45# sandbag.

The third thing would have been an increased focus on mobility. Being flexible is just as important as being able to execute the PT. This became pretty clear to me as the event got closer. I continue to work on flexibility almost every day.

The fourth item would be less scaling of the SGPT GoRuck Training Plan. I’m still learning the skill of pushing myself, and as I go through the program again I will work to stay as close to the prescribed (Rx) plan as possible.

SGPT: Any tips for up and coming athletes that want to do GORUCK Light?

GL: Just go for it. Don’t over think it. You can watch all of the Youtube videos you can handle but nothing beats the real thing. No matter what you do to prepare, you are going to have to work for the GoRuck patch.

Also keep in mind that it isn’t just you out there, it is your whole team. I found that when I focused on how my teammate next to me was doing, I was able to forget that I was soaking wet from the waist down on a 30 degree day standing in the wind.

SGPT: What kind of boots did you use for the event?

GL: I used the 5.11 Tactical Recon boots, which were great. I really like these boots I think that they fit awesome. The fit is very similar to a hiking boot and they drained very well. Good drainage was key because we spent time doing air squats in the very cold Susquehanna River. It seems that most GoRuck events involve some level of “recreational swimming”.

SGPT: Did you use double socks or body glide on your feet to prevent blisters?

GL: I used double socks to prevent blisters. I wore a Smartwool outer sock with a sock liner for the event. I had absolutely no blisters or irritation. This worked really well for me and I would highly recommend this others.

SGPT: What kind of ruck did you use for training and the event?

GL: I used a Voodoo Tactical Level Iii Assault backpack with a Source hydration bladder. I had no equipment issues whatsoever.

I will continue to use this backpack for training and future events.

SGPT: What book are you reading now?

GL: I have been reading The Way of the SEAL: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed.

This presents a great roadmap for transformance and I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to throttle up and move forward 1% every day.

SGPT: Many thanks for the interview

GL: Roger that Brad, no problem. Thank you for the opportunity.

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