Pounds Equal Pain

When people hear I do Run n Guns and they ask what they are, I tell them that it’s like a biathlon where you run a 5-7 mile course and shoot 7 stages along the way, both are unknown distances, and course of fire.

So you’re thinking about doing a Run N Gun, are you ready? Probably not but that shouldn’t hold you back, sign up now and do it. 

Do you have the gear to do it? Are your shooting skills up to it? What should your load out be? As they say:

Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.

This post will be about strategy but not about the lightest gear to run or proper load out or even shooting techniques. Instead, I will hit one thing that first comes to mind or holds folks back from doing a Run n Gun or most competitive events…. fitness.

When people hear I do Run n Guns and they ask what they are, I tell them that it’s like a biathlon where you run a 5-7 mile course and shoot 7 stages along the way, both are unknown distances, unknown round counts, and course of fire. The response is immediate, “I can’t run.” or “I’m in no shape to do that” or “Love to shoot but I haven’t run 5 miles since Ranger Assessment and Selection (RASP)”.

I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter what fitness level you are in, you can do an event like a Run N Gun. You don’t have to run, though it’s encouraged so you can get a better score, but part of the reason you should be doing a Run N Gun event is to test yourself. That’s how you will know your limits and potentially find your weaknesses. The only way you can be prepared for any reason is to know your deficiencies. 

I had always been athletic, healthy enough, and in ok shape where I felt I could shoot and move. Life happens though and now in my 40’s I was not in the same shape as in my 20s. After finishing my first Run N Gun, just happy to survive, I discovered one of my biggest weaknesses. While I tried to stay still long enough to aim and pull the trigger at the stages, the buzzer would go off as I tried to catch my breath. I never had an issue getting on target or shooting at the flat range. It was my weight that was making it hard to run and breathe. My weight plus the gear was a lot to carry and something I wasn’t used to doing. I had been doing some running before the event around my property to just get used to things and not to be totally surprised. But this was so different.

Analyzing what I had just accomplished, I realized that even though I had the guns and gear, I was not prepared physically if I needed to defend myself or others. The weight of the gear was one thing that I really noticed. I was carrying a rifle, pistol, a bunch of mags and ammo, a chest rig, and of course water. All of thise weighed at least 25 lbs. Since competing without a rifle or ammo was not an option I realized the only thing I could do would be to lose some weight. It would have the greatest overall impact on performing better, making it easier to run, and be healthier (as I was overweight at the time) and my body might not hurt or ache as much. If I could lose 25 lbs then I would break even when I added the gear. 

I continued to sign up for Run N Guns to keep me motivated and give me a reward/goal to shoot for and also use as a way to judge my results. So, that year I started on that journey of running more and training with my rifle and pistol more. I was seeing small improvements over the year, it was not immediate and I was not consistent.

Continuing to do the events was pushing me to get more comfortable in uncomfortable positions and deal with being under stress. It wasn’t till the second year that I really saw the big gains though and it didn’t have anything to do with running or working out. My magic bullet was changing my diet and what I ate. In January 2022 I changed my lifestyle and went full No Sugars No Grains (NSNG) and lost 50 lbs in 5 months. That was all without running or working out! I felt amazing, my BMI was on point, and that April I started running again and really haven’t stopped since. It’s been almost 3 years now and it’s a lifestyle change. Losing weight has made the Run N Gun events a lot more fun to compete in and allows me to focus on new challenges.

The result of feeling great while training and I’ve especially enjoyed running which has increased my aerobic and anaerobic health. I’ve started a new challenge which is to complete my first Ultra Marathon at the beginning of 2025. All the training has been paying off and I feel it lead to my best performance this season which was taking 10th place overall at the OED Deadcat Endurance Run n Gun in October! This was a 12 hour endurance event where I ended up running over 27 miles and shot 22 stages. If you want to see what it’s like check out some stage videos of the team event which happened the next day.

Diving into Run N Guns helped me realize that my fitness level was not adequate and more of a detriment in a real-life self-defense situation. My health and fitness not only have the biggest impact on my performance in competition, but also overall in the game of life. It took me getting out there and doing my first Run N Gun to realize that I needed to start making my health a priority. If I wanted to perform well, I was going to have to do something about it. This is why I say just sign up for a Run N Gun today and use it to find your weaknesses and motivate you to be that better version of yourself.

Now that my fitness is less of a weakness or excuse I can start focusing on other parts of my training like running and shooting. If you have any questions about my journey on NSNG please leave a comment or give me a follow on instagram.