APRIL APFT

For those of us on Fort Sam Houston, Texas (and most everyone else in the Army), April is the month for taking your semi-annual Army Physical Fitness Test. I am putting my results here as motivation for October (our other month of the year) and as the beginning of my tracking my workouts and fitness levels online for others to benefit from (hopefully).

Despite the fact that the standards for the pushups is falling drastically, and no more so that in the Army Medical Department (AMEDD), I chose to stick with some perfect form pushups despite the chance to cheat the eek out a few more ugly reps.

My goal going in for the pushups was 65 since I wasn't doing them everyday and I was focusing on my 2-mile run time which was dropping every test since I turned 35. Since I had just turned 36 and have 12 months before I hit that beautiful drop off in requirements available to the 37-41 group, I thought I would quell the losses in the run department and focus on all three events in October since I have been nursing some judo, running too much injuries.

So here are my results for the APRIL APFT:
2-min Pushups: 65 (90 points)
2-min Sit ups: 77 (101 points - "Air Assault!!!")
2-mile Run: 13:55 (94 points)
TOTAL: 284 (not too shabby)

Pushup Strategies: I lowered my standards because I knew I wasn't focusing on them enough, but I still wanted to get 90 points so I would still be eliglble for the "coveted" PT badge which is awarded for those who score 270 or above with 90 points in EACH event. I wanted to get 45 pushups in the first minute and 15 more in the 2nd. Sounds easy but when you don't work on it, it is a challenge, especially that second 60-seconds worth. I knew going in I wouldn't get 45 straight pushups without compromising my strength in the second minute so I did 30 good ones, felt pretty easy so I rested for a second and knocked out 10 more, rested again and since I still had time left, did 5 more at the 1-minute mark. Then I was determined to alternating sets of 2 then 1 then 2 then 1 pushup til the last ten seconds. So I did two, rested, did one, rested, did two, rested, did one, etc... got to ten seconds and was sitting at 62 so I did one more set of each 2, then 1, and I made it to 65 right at 2 minutes. I will use a similar strategy in October but I will try to get to 60+ pushups the first minute and 20 more the second minute. OCTOBER GOAL: 82 pushups which was the standard when I first joined the Army back in 1989.

Situp Strategies: Don't have any really. Never had trouble with sit ups except when I ended up with an umbilical hernia and could only manage 30 some sit ups in two minutes. I try to do 20-23 sit ups every 30 seconds and I usually coast into 2-minutes with 80+ sit ups. My goal this time was 77 because that is one more than I needed to max the sit ups and I wanted to save my legs for the run. I got 23 the first 30 seconds, 22 more at one minutes so I coasted into 77 sit ups with 5 or 6 seconds left. It's the first time I finished an event early. Won't happen again but I think you'll see with the run, it was for a good cause. OCTOBER GOAL: 92

Run Strategies: Don't go out too fast. Pick it up up the hill at the 1-mile turn around point. My goal was again 90 points to finish up with at least a 280 overall. I needed to get under a 14:20. So my goal was 2 7-min miles. Each quarter mile would have to be 1:45. Took it easy first quarter and still came in too fast at 1:35, slowed it down a little bit the second quarter and was just a hair over the 3:30 half mile goal. Spotted some coworkers right ahead of me so I picked it up a little bit the 3rd quarter but I still wasn't running all out. The final quarter of the 1st mile is a slight downhill that people hate to run back up when they turn around so I chose a different strategy. I chose to stride it out and pick up some time on the downhill and reel everyone in who I wanted to pass before the 2-mile mark. I was right behind one of them at the turn around and we coasted into a 7:00 mile exactly. Then I slid right and poured it on up the hill and passed him without him even knowing (sorry Chris) and a 1:35 first quarter (WOW FAST), then I tried to relax without dropping out of my lead for the second quarter. Couldn't see the watch very well at the 1/2 mile mark but I knew I was in good shape and tried to pour it on. Came in right on for the last 1/4 mile mark and tried to go even faster the last 400 meters. I was pretty suprised that I held onto my pace for the last half mile but I did it to come in under an astonishing 13:55 (and 93 points). 25 seconds faster than my goal of 14:20 and only 27 seconds from maxing the run for 100 points with a 13:18. Once I turn 37 I will only need a 13:45 or something like that so that is good. OCTOBER GOAL: 11:54 (fastest I've ever run is 12:10 back in College -- should be interesting).