SGPT: Tell us about yourself?
EGR: I was born in Chile and have lived in multiple Chilean cities. I also lived in Ontario, Canada, for 6 years from age 8 to 14. In 2016, I moved to Santiago, Chile, to get my engineering degree and have lived here since.
SGPT: Did you have an athletic background growing up?
EGR: I tried many sports recreationally since I was young, but had multiple long periods where I wasn’t exercising at all. For about the last 12 years, I’ve dreamt of being highly fit and have practiced calisthenics, running, and swimming. But honestly, I’ve had long periods (years sometimes) where I didn’t train. I’d never managed to be consistent until about 7 months ago, when I committed completely to making a lifestyle change.
SGPT: How did you train for the Unbeatable Warrior 20X?
EGR: About 7 months ago, after over a year of no exercise, I committed to training every day, even if that meant only walking some days. I started with Stew Smith’s book called “Tactical Fitness (40+) Foundation Rebuilding”. I’m not over 40, but this was the only book he had that was for beginners. It’s a 12-week program in which I eased into exercising again and did a lot of strength and strength-endurance work (especially shoulder work) and some non-impact cardio (bike and swimming). Also, this book instilled in me the importance of doing mobility work, a practice which I’ve kept up.
After finishing that program, I started building up my running from scratch. I progressed from run-walking to running 30 minutes, 3 times a week over the course of about 14 weeks, following a 12-week Couch-to-5K program. I also kept up biking, swimming, and strength work throughout, which let me run a Super Sprint Triathlon at about week 10.
Over the years, I’ve invested a lot of time reading books on exercise and watching informational and tutorial videos. Over the last 7 months, I used this information + listening to my own body, to continuously improve my training approach.
SGPT: Tell us a little about the event? Where was it?
EGR: Vancouver, Canada. On Day 1, we did the 20X event in the Jericho Beach area. Day 2 was an Unbeatable Mind Training at the Arbutus Club.
SGPT: What was the hardest part of the event?
EGR: Carrying the litter (rescue stretcher) for many miles. It was very painful on my hands/grip.
SGPT: How did you train for this event?
EGR: So I didn’t know about the Unbeatable Warriors event until you told me about it about a month before. After the last Sealfit Kokoro Camp was announced, the future of 20X was unknown, so the news came as a pleasant surprise.
With limited time to prepare for the specifics of the event, beyond the training I was already doing, I did two specific training sessions:
1) A depletion workout to test my body with fueling under sustained stress. For this, I rucked a tiny mountain (500 m ascent), did a half Murph (w/o the running part), and then ran for 30 minutes. This took about 3.5 hours total.
2) A short high-intensity workout I designed to test my mind against the uncertainty of time while under physical stress and discomfort. I performed this to make sure I could take things moment to moment instead of thinking of how much time is left.
I’ve playfully dubbed this workout “Murky Minutes”. It goes like this: Choose a set of 6-8 exercises (e.g., pushups, squats, burpees, 4-count flutter kicks, squat hold, jumping jacks). You’ll be working out continuously, doing one of these exercises every minute without rest. Get a timer and someone who will act as a trainer. The trainer will randomly choose between 15 and 30 minutes.
Whatever time you get is how long you’ll work out for. Here’s the catch: You won’t know the total time, and have to work out till the end without looking at a clock. Every minute, the trainer will tell you what exercise to switch to. The trainer can also push you on exercises you’re weaker at and keep you on an exercise for up to 2 minutes for more discomfort. Wear the clothes you expect to wear at the event. Finally, the trainer can hose you with water at any point. Wet clothes and water make everything harder.
After doing this workout, I felt a lot more confident about the Sealfit event.
SGPT: What is one thing you wish you would have done to get ready for a 20X event?
EGR: With more time to prepare, I would have worked more on my grip and pullups.
SGPT: Any tips for up and coming athletes that want to do a 20X event?
EGR: Train your mind. Beyond the physical challenge, 20X is a mental challenge. Do a variety of uncomfortable things, and not just physical ones, but mental or emotional ones too. These can’t really be prescribed in detail as they’ll depend on you specifically. The most transformative thing for me has been practicing acceptance (sitting with uncomfortable emotions) and then immediately taking positive action. It’s a really powerful combination, which has strengthened my mind and given me the confidence that I can do difficult things.
SGPT: Did you use compression socks or body glide on your feet to prevent blisters?
EGR: I used Salomon Speedcross ankle socks, which did well even while completely wet. As for body glide, I applied some on my sides near the lats just in case, because I’ve gotten chafing there from swimming before, but I probably didn’t need it for this event.
SGPT: What boots did you use for the event? Did you use your own backpack/ruck?
EGR: I used Lowa Innox Pro Mid TF boots (Not the GTX/Gore-Tex version!). This boot feels like wearing a shoe. As for a backpack, we did not have to bring one to the event, and didn’t spend any time rucking.
SGPT: What good book are you reading now?
EGR: I just finished reading Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine, and I’ve started reading Killing Comfort by Jerrea Moon.
SGPT: Many thanks for the interview Eduardo, you are an inspiration to all of the athletes at Team SGPT.
EGR: Thank you!
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