Running 10 Miles without any training runs

Running 10 Miles Without Any Training Runs?

I recently had the great idea of signing up for the Tough Mudder. It looked like lots of fun, lots of obstacles to climb on, crawl under and swing from. I had completed a Warrior Dash without any running to prepare for it. I felt that that the Tough Mudder was the next test to take, if only testing my lack of sense if nothing else. One problem I faced was that the TOUGH Mudder was 10 miles long, whereas the Warrior Dash was 3.5 miles. I completed the Warrior Dash within a reasonable time, so figured what the heck; I can do bigger with just a little more effort. I want to point out that I have never run 10 miles in my life, and I really hate running. I would rather go shopping for furniture with my wife and kids, then run around the block. So here was a quandary that I had to solve… How can I do this without actually running beforehand?

I decided that the solution would be kettlebells. Why kettlebells? I have been using them since 2005 and have been an RKC since 2005, so it was the hammer for my nail. It really did not take a lot to drive me to this point. After seeing the results of VO2 Max, the RKC Snatch Test and the transformation that the swing has made in people, I felt that it was a no brainer. I fully believed that I would be able to train for the run without actually running.

There are so many different training thoughts and programs with the kettlebell and within the RKC. The funny thing is that they all boil down to two exercises…swings and Get Ups. I decided that it would be a great testament to Pavel, Hard Style and the RKC if I could actually pull off a 10 mile run without any running beforehand.

I signed up for the Tough Mudder on November 27th giving me 62 days to prepare for the run. I looked at several different ways to make it work. I had looked at VO2 Max, Secret Service Snatch Test and some swing programs and it came down to a variation of the program minimum. The Program Minimum is awesome in its simplicity and ease of use. I also liked the facts that while it is not injury proof, swings are pretty safe to do for lots of reps and sets. I also felt that the general template of time under load was exactly what I would need. While great for most people, I did not feel that the PM’s time of 12 minutes of swings and 5 minutes of GU were going to be sufficient for 10 miles of running. The organizers advised that the course would take at least 2:30 minutes to complete so I needed a lot more swing time. I decided that I would also need to use heavier kettlebells and maybe even double kettlebells to be able to develop the strength and stamina to last the distance.

I began the program swinging double 32’s for 30sec on/30 Sec off for 15 minutes. The next day was 15 Minutes of Get Ups, but not straight from prone to standing. Instead, I worked each piece of the Get Up for at least two reps. I was able to make it to the Windmill position in the 15 minute time frame. It was my goal to add 5 minutes a week to Swings and Get Ups. The plan was to hit 45 minutes of each exercise. I trained 4 days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

I reevaluated the program after the first 4 weeks, three actually as I had a 7 day break due to the flu, and looked at where I was and where I still needed to be. I was up to 35 minutes of double swings with the 32’s and 30 minutes of Get Ups with a single 32kg. I felt really good, but decided that I needed to really push even harder. I still had not run at all and I was at 4 weeks out, so I was a little worried. I felt that I was pretty close, but not quite sure where I stood. I was not going to do any training runs, since the goal was not to run before the race. In looking at the obstacles, distance and what people were saying about the race, I decided to increase my swing weights to the 40kgs. . I felt that it would add some needed strength and power that would be needed on some of the obstacles. It was a big jump and at the time was actually heavier than my body weight at the time. After making the weight jump, I realized that it would also help with mental toughness; because swinging two heavy kettlebells is hard! The first day of the double 40’s lasted about 20 minutes. I only lasted that long because I refused to quit.


At the same time I made the decision to increase the weight, RKCTL Dustin Rippetoe came up with the 10,000 Swings in 21 Days Challenge. I talked to him about it and decided that it fit within my training program/thought process. I still had not run at all to prepare for the race and wanted to make sure that I had good strength and endurance. We decided that more swings would fit the bill. In looking at the numbers, it would take 500 swings a day to reach the 10,000 in 21 days. I knew that I wanted to keep the heavy double swings in the mix and wanted to get as many swings in the 21 Days as possible. I knew from the outset that doubles at the weight I wanted to hit would probably keep me from 10,000 in 21 days, but I had 25 days of training left in my programming. I decided to try and get all of the swings in, but would not sweat it if I didn’t.

The modifications had me swinging almost every day for up to 45 minutes a session. I knew I could not keep up the heavy doubles for 21 days so I decided to have a medium, light and play weight during the week. The play weight was whatever I felt like messing with on that day for lots of reps. My training week was typically: heavy double swings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and either two hand swings with the Beast or double 32 swings on the other days. The “play” day was exactly that, no real plan of action. Some days it was running the bells, other days it was swings with the 24kgs’s. One thing I did find from practicing every day was that my swings got better, a lot better. Like Dan John says, “If it is worth doing, do it every day.” I ended up with 8200 swings on the 21st day and 10,000 by the 24th.

How did it work out for me? I completed the run in 2:45. It was a hard race, but the running was actually the easy part. I did not realize how much swimming we would have to do and the massive amounts of swings dropped my body fat to under 8% and I added 10lbs to my bodyweight. It made it hard to float and the cold water really sucked the heat out of me. It was interesting in that I read the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris RKCII the week of the race and found it interesting that his section on running a marathon advocated interval training. It made me realize that I was on the right path with this training program.

What would I do differently? I would continue with the swings, but keep the Get Ups in there to improve core and rotational strength. I had no issues with the posterior chain after the race. My frontal core however, was pretty sore for a few days afterward. I think that if I had kept the Get Ups in the mix, I would not have hurt so badly. It stemmed from climbing, monkey bars and helping boost others over obstacles. The grind power derived from the Get Ups would have helped in all of those activities.


The training program:

Month 1

Monday/Thursday

FMS Correctives

Double Swings started out 15 min a session and increased to 35 min a session over the month

Relax Into Stretch

Tuesday/Friday

FMS Correctives

Get Ups 15 min a session increased to 30 min a session over the month

Relax into Stretch



Month 2

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

FMS Correctives

2 Handed or double swings 300-500

Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set

Relax Into Stretch

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday

FMS Correctives

Heavy Double swings 200-500

Indian Clubs as active recovery between each set

Pull ups and Pistols for 3-4 sets of 3-5.

Relax Into Stretch