PRT Progress Report

So all my months of lackluster training compounded by illness certainly set me back in regards to my PRT training. (I wrote about my Physical Readiness Training Challenge (PRT) here).   I am not giving up by any means but I am going to have to work very hard to hit my goals.  They are ambitious goals for someone who needs to drop about 60 pounds, but I do believe they are reachable.  I will push hard until my July 31 deadline and then I will know if I need to push the deadline out few months.  It's the way of the warrior, right? Seven times down,  8 times up.

Today, I ran a half mile in 8.25.  It gets worse as I go farther.  I need to go 38% faster. That is a lot faster. Today I ate breakfast too close to my workout. I'm sure that did not help! I'm not sure if I can run that much faster but I am working toward that perfection in the half mile. Hence forth, I will finish running my goal distance later in my workout at an easier speed for me. Once I get my half-mile time under control, I'll step up to 3/4 mile.

I am up to 3 sets of 10 high incline wall push-ups. Tomorrow I graduate to the arm of the sofa. It's an intimidating prospect because last time I tried it I could not -- do -- it--at -- all.

My goal for my curl-ups was 17 by now, but I can do 12. I am happy to celebrate that progress because imagine my shock (and disgust) when I started all this and realized I could not do any of them in the way the Navy prescribes.

Finally, the swimming. I can fairly easily swim half the distance required but I have not had anyone officially time me. That's "on the list" for next week.  The younger children have been really good about entertaining themselves in the shallow end while I swim my laps which has made this less painful then I thought it would be. Next week I'll be ready for a time check.

So how about you? Are you PRT ready?  

PRT - Am I Ready? Are YOU?

I'm from a military ancestry. I grew up patriotic, disciplined and yes, obedient. That's not a bad thing, people!

I harbor a natural fascination for all things military. Some time back, I coached a young woman in the Navy Reserves who was worried about passing her annual PRT - Physical Readiness Test. We set up a plan for her to incrementally work toward her goals and face her test with confidence.

I have been thinking about the test ever since. It is "stuck in my craw" as my Grandma would say. It's not because I think the Physical Readiness Test is wrong, not at all. If someone is defending my country, it's nice to know they're physically ready to do so!  No, what bothers me about the test is that I know I couldn't pass it and not just because of my girth. I am not fit, no matter how much the label "fat but fit" is pasted on me.

I am not joining the Armed Forces, fear not. Even they are not ready for the likes of me! But it occurs to me that I have 3 very active [read "normal"] young children at a stage in my life where my friends have grown grandchildren. I want to be "physically ready" to defend them, or at least knock them out of harm's way. So . . . I have decided to prepare for the test.

Yes, this is a little nutty, but it is also a quite revealing.  Today I discovered that while I certainly can run 1.5 miles, I need to run them almost twice as fast as I did today. Twice as fast. That has quite a ring, doesn't it? The Navy expects a woman my age to run 1.5 miles in 16 minutes or faster. Today I ran a mile in 16. Oops.

There are push-ups and curl-ups too. Oh, yes. Guess what? I actually can't do either of these. Yikes. I can do a curl up, but I have to use my arms to get the momentum to leave the floor and I was able to do 26 of these modified curl-ups in 2 minutes, but the Navy says 26-81 regular ones would qualify me. Push-ups? 2 to 30.  I can't do even one, but I did manage a 30 second plank 3 times, so that's where I'm starting. I think if I can build enough strength to plank for 2 minutes, then I will be able to do at least one push up.

There is also a swimming component but I am a fair-weather-friend to swimming, so I am putting that off until June. In case you care, though, I'll need to be able to swim 500 yds in 15:50 or less.  I built up some good swimming skills a couple of years ago so I think this will be my easiest component, followed by running, then sit-ups, and finally push-ups.

I know this sounds a little kooky but it seems like a practical, coach-myself, fitness goal to work toward, don't you think? What do you think, actually? I have quite a few readers on Feedspot and a handful on Facebook and elsewhere but it's so quiet here.

Therefore, I'm issuing a challenge. Below are the links to the tables for the main US Armed Forces Branches. Pick one and join me. Let's set a date, say July 31. Who will be ready to join me in  a PRT on 7/31?  I can't HEAR YOU!  Step up, recruit, and be counted! (In the comments, if you please!)

United States Army Physical Fitness Test

United States Navy Physical Readiness Test for females and for males

United States Air Force Physical Fitness Test

Thoughts on a New Year

It's almost a New Year!  I can't believe it!

 I am a resolution-ist -- my own word for people who make resolutions at the start of each year.  Unlike most of the folks I will meet at the gym, however, I actually keep most of mine.  I wrote about my six-word resolutions in my coaching blog; click those green "coaching blog" words if you'd like to read it!  I am going to get to goal in 2011.  My 2012 resolution will not need to include losing weight!

Speaking of New Year's -- I read some pretty interesting advice on holiday eating; I think it works pretty well with my earlier post about maintaining on the weekends.   This author has a radical suggestion -- indulge!  Check it out! 

Here's shocking good news in case you are planning your summer vacation:  Disney World is changing their food image,  introducing more healthful and vegetarian choices, including a gluten-free cupcakeria!  If they stick with it long enough for their consumers to make the shift, it could make a real difference in the world of "family" entertainment!     

Since I am limiting my "screen time" over the holidays,  I do want to take advantage of the opportunity to say, Happy New Year.  I hope 2011 is your best year yet!

Old dog learns new tricks!

Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks! On Wednesday, I had my first swimming session with my coach, Terri. It was amazing. I kid you not! That said, I haven't taken in that much water since the time the Sunfish capsized and I got my foot caught in the rigging!

After being racked with self-doubt about my swimming ability for the last 40 years, I finally got some instruction! It was a good workout which had my heart pumping hard for the whole hour. I learned some cool drills, too: 10-3-10, and Catch-up. There was one more drill but I can't remember the name of it. A couple of times I cracked myself up. I felt like such a klutz.

Here's the value of a coach: I absolutely could not have done any of those drills without her eyes on me! She was able to make subtle adjustments that I was blind to. "Push your hip toward the ceiling. Rest your arm on your head. Keep your whole body in a straight line. Your pointing your arm down" I was completely unaware of any of these things and was able to quickly correct them once pointed out. Near the end, I swam a lap that was amazing; I felt as if I was flying! I have never simply glided through the water like that!

Terri's technical expertise aside, coaching works for me because I work for it. These days when I work out, I have something to reach for. I kept pushing myself today because on Wednesday, I want my kick to look noticeably better. I want to be able to breathe on my right side and not only my left. It's a stretch and I'm stretching!

In the infamous words of Martha Stewart. It's a good thing. My gluts hurt!