The Results of the APFT

I took a PT test today. PT stands for Physical Training. In the army, they test your physical endurance and abilities by making you do as many push-ups as you can in two minutes, as many sit-ups as you can in two minutes, and then run as fast as you can and complete a two mile run in as short a time as possible.

Each age group gets graded on a certain scale with how well they can do in each event. 60 points is the lowest you can score while still passing. 100 is the highest. If you do even better in each event then 100, you can get more points. The max is a 300+, minimum is a 180.

I think I broke 200. Pushups weren't a problem, I'm usually pretty good at them and can get by at better then the minimum on all of my PT tests. My problem area is, and has always been, the sit-up. So I wanted to make sure I was ready for this PT test and not squeaking by and missing it by one. That has happened to me more then once and it is one of those things that makes me irate. Grr. Missing my sit-up score by a measly point.

Well, today I passed it by six. I promised the Sergeant Major (who was holding my feet) that I would do the minimum and as many as I could past that. And I did just that, squeaking past with 6 extra sit-ups. The load was lightened severely when I discovered I had passed my weakest event.

But there was still this run we had to do. I used to always do really well on the run when I was younger, however lately I've been kind of weak in this area as well. But as long as I keep running, I usually do fine, if not great. So I kept a steady pace on our uneven track (you go slightly downhill on one side, slightly uphill on the other, which kind of sucks but you take what you can get in a combat zone) and squeezed that out with 30 seconds to spare, sprinting at the end. It was a bit foggy during the run, my hair was absorbing the condensation of the air and sticking to my face and I was taking in deep breaths of cool air, but overall conditions were fine for the run.

That was a load off, just finishing my PT test, passing it (though not smoking it, which is what i would have liked to have done) and knowing that this hurdle was over.

Then the weigh in began. Apparently, the army once again has informed me I'm fat as I failed the weight for my height and age by one pound. The irony kills me. Time to go on a diet. Which is hard when all you have to eat is DFAC food.