Week 10- PT Test
PT TEST DAY! It was a chilly morning but the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky on this third day of spring. We arrived early, and discussed how neither of us slept very well the night before. Maybe our nerves were running a little higher than we thought they would. As much as we told ourselves it would be okay if we didn’t pass, we really wanted to do well.
We had the great fortune of having Cpt. Orozco, Deputy State Surgeon, and Sgt. Moten, Texas Army National Guard, administer our test. We also had support from Michelle McBride of the Public Affairs Office, who has been our blogger extraordinaire for the last two months, and Capt. Nigrelle, who has helped tremendously with editing and who was featured in a previous blog demonstrating excellent pushup form.
Cpt. Orozco and Sgt. Moten were all business. She read us the standard test protocol with she and Sgt. Moten demonstrating proper form for sit ups and pushups. As a reminder, less than 3 months ago, we struggled to do 1 proper pushup, and a handful of ugly sit ups.
On PT Test day, however, we exceeded our goal of 60%! We tested on pushups at the same time and were both impressed. Tracy did 15 (needed 9 to pass), and Courtney did 22 (needed 12 to pass).
Our confidence was up! They reminded us to keep moving to stay warm, as she read the sit up protocol. Tracy knocked out 40 sit ups (needed 28 to pass), and Courtney completed 36 (needed 32 to pass).
We were feeling good, and ready for the run! Although our support team encouraged us to compete with each other to get the best score possible, we decided that we would run just as we trained, together and talking. We felt good the entire two miles- finished strong with10 minute miles- and came in three to four minutes under our passing goal.
So, what did we learn in our journey? We learned that our bodies can do much more than we thought they could. We learned that making fitness and exercise part of our regular routine was a big part of improving, and having a partner for encouragement, company, and support was absolutely essential. We learned that over time our moods improved with the routine of running. Not only were our bodies moving, but exercising together allowed us time to talk, laugh, and share, and go home feeling ‘lighter’. We learned that we want to keep going! We worked hard to improve and meet our goals and we want to maintain our physical fitness. Lastly, although we had the knowledge that physical and mental fitness were connected, this journey provided an opportunity for us to put this into practice and experience the positive results in both our bodies and our minds.
We would like to sincerely thank all of the service members, co-workers, and our families, who offered support, advice, and encouragement all along the way. It was very helpful in keeping us motivated, and in steering us in the right direction, and thank you to the Public Affairs Office (PAO) for giving us the opportunity to document our ‘Journey to Becoming Army Fit.’
Commentary by Courtney J. Lynch and Tracy K. Ward, Psychological Health Coordinators