And as much as it sucked, I just got in from a 3 mile trot with about 40 pounds of extra crap on my body and a nifty little device to restrict my breathing. Why? Honestly, I put more kit on than I'll ever have on in a given situation, threw on some ankle weights to simulate other stressors, and my gas mask to make it harder to breathe so in the event of a dynamic incident my body is used to moving quickly (I'm not very fast at all, and never have been) and dealing with extreme physiological stress. It's not uncommon for me to wear my K-Pot in addition, but last time I did that a local trooper reminded me that wearing a mask in public is illegal here and when I had to unbuckle the brain bucket to lift the pro mask he chose the reminder... No, I didn't get cited because he understood the logic of what I was doing.... I did get a lecture though! Now, I either wear the brain bucket or the pro-mask so there's no delay.
So... Who should run in their gear?
Anyone who may be involved in a physical event that carries any item on their body.
Military personnel run in their kit during pre-deployment training and several grunt units I have friends in use their kit during routine PT periodically. I know no shortage of Special Operations personnel and the vast majority of them work out in their kit on their own time almost as a matter of routine.
I know A LOT of Lawmen (and women)... I only know a handful that don't bitch about the weight of their equipment. Of that handful, the majority of them workout with some form of kit on. To be honest, most of my closest LEO friends workout in kit and the only real complaints they seem to have about on-duty equipment are Class-A uniforms, Neckties, and "They won't let me carry a backup piece."
To be honest, I don't know many armed citizens that aren't or weren't military or LEO that workout with any form of kit on... to include their carry rig. I used to not do that until I started working out really hard again. If you want to take your workout routine to the next level of intensity, even something as simple as concealable armor can up the ante. Overt armor, especially with a pair of plates (don't be a wuss... Front and Back, not Left and Right!) will peg out your suck meter. A gas mask or some of the similar devices available now (training masks) will make you REALLY hate life until you finish, though I will say the runner's high from getting ALL THAT O2 in the big breaths that follow when you finish and take that mask off is AMAZING!
Another added bonus of this practice is if you have any gear poorly placed for such strenuous acts as climbing, lifting, running, sprinting, squatting, dropping prone, manipulating the body behind cover, escaping, evading, using empty hand combatives, or even ingress and egress of vehicles and the like YOU WILL FIND OUT if you workout in your gear... Guaranteed. That goes for guys in full battle rattle, LEO's with the 25 pound Bat Belt or 30 pound SRT Vest, or even the citizen wondering if their holster placement really works for them. Think about it... How many of us have, or know someone who has, been that one dude who rolls up to a class without testing their equipment, namely the placement and fit of said equipment? I'll tell you straight up that I have.... SEVERAL incidents testing new kit for myself when I was in the Marine Corps. We go to the range "I think I'm gonna try this" and how I thought it would work GREAT when doing a little bit of stuff around the house... Get to the range, the rubber meets the road and the brilliant idea didn't always fare so well. Biggest example of this was at Coaches' Course... I don't own a Beretta 92 or 96... Didn't at the time either... EVERY holster I owned was fitted for a Glock. The ones the unit sent were CRAP in every since of the word so I went out in town and bought an Eagle nylon drop holster I could run there on the pistol range then adjust it for the Glock when I got home... Let's just say I'm glad I had a couple days to get the fit and adjustments of that thing right!
So, I'm putting up a picture from last year showing MY running gear...
I had this exact setup on today.
-"Heavy" Armor- USMC Interceptor (I know... I only use it because it's bigger and heavier than my other rigs) with Front and Rear Team Wendy Training Plates... this was bought surplus, TW Plates were bought new.
-Level IIIA Point Blank Concealable Armor with 6x6 Side ESAPI Plates front and rear. Plates are Paraclete, bought new, and vest is one that was retired by a LEO friend and sold to me when I was bouncing.
-Surplus M40 Mask (like what I was issued in the Marine Corps) with one of my old USMC filter I wore through the Gas Chamber 5 times... They didn't want that filter back! Nothing like Sucking in CS when you're running!
-Ankle Weights... I forgot the weight but running in those things REALLY SUCKS!... Weight: Heavy Enough!
Load your kit up, put it on, then hit up your regular workout... I promise you it'll make you a believer!
Train Hard, Train Safe, NEVER FIGHT FAIR!
Watch You 6, Stay Frosty, Stay In The Fight, 1*
V/R
-Kenny Smith
CMI/President, TFTG