Test Day

Today was the last day of my second bootcamp. On the final day of camp we complete a bunch of fitness tests to compare our fitness level from week one to week 4. It’s great to see the progress you can make in a few short weeks.

The tests we do remind me of gym class. Remember the Presidential Fitness Challenge? When I was in school, Phys Ed would bring my GPA down. In order to ace gym we were required to beat the Presidential Fitness Challenge. That challenge was made of four events and each had a goal. If you reached the goal for all four tests, you would ace PE. If not, the best you could hope for was a B+. I could never get higher than a B in PE because I didn’t stand a chance at reaching the fitness goals set for us.

It’s funny because most people gain weight or lose their active lifestyles as they get older. I’ve done the opposite. Lately, I credit Great Valley Adventure Bootcamp for my weight loss and fitness improvement. And the way I know I’m improving is through these fitness tests.

It’s funny, because I still wouldn’t ace PE based on the president’s fitness goals, but I’d probably manage an A-.

I remember being one of the last kids in my class to complete the mile. I could never finish it without walking. Mile-day was by far the worst day of any semester. Today, we ran the mile and I completed it in eight minutes and 22 seconds. 7 seconds over the presidential goal for a 17-year-old girl. Granted, I’m 26, but 17 is the oldest I can find the standard for.

President’s goals for 85th Percentile:
Mile Run: 8:15
Sit-ups: 44 in a minute
Push-ups: 25

My fitness today:
Mile Run: 8:22
Sit-ups: 89 in 3 minutes (Average 29/minute)
Push-ups: 5 regular, 44 knee

While I’m just below president’s standards I have far exceeded anything I was capable of in my youth. The best part is that I no longer dread the mile. In fact, I looked forward to today as a test of how far I’ve come.

My eventual goal is to break an 8-minute mile. I am realistic and don’t expect that to happen over night. I imagine it will take me another 2-3 bootcamp sessions to break that goal. I’ve despised running for as long as I can remember. I’ve never been capable of it and so I’ve hated it. While running may never be my activity of choice, I no longer dread it as I once did.

Later this week I expect Mike will give me my fitness comparisons. I know I improved since the end of last camp but I will post the specifics later this week. Stay tuned...