As much as I love to hate the Air Force Physical Fitness Test, it does provide one useful thing, in that I’ve had to do it for the last 12 years. Despite being a terrible measure of actual fitness, and despite a couple of reg changes over that time, it provides a somewhat instructive snapshot of my fitness journey over that time. The last six years are represented in the graph above.
2009 was the year of the wake-up call, for me. I was over 220 lbs, couldn’t run a mile without stopping, and was basically falling apart. And let’s just say that 37 inches was a very gracious measurement of my waist at that time. 75 is the minimum passing score for the Air Force, and I just eeked out a 75.9. That wasn’t good enough at all, and since the Guard had become my full time employer by that time, there were some serious consequences if I started failing.
I’ve had some setbacks and restarts since then, including a knee reconstruction and falling off the fitness wagon for a bit while on extended TDY, but the overall trend has been positive in the four years hence. I’m over 30 pounds lighter, several times stronger, and minutes-per-mile faster than I was then. I’m doing things now that I couldn’t and wouldn’t have dreamed of in 2009, like running half marathons and doing 6 hour bicycle races.
At some point, it clicked in my head that it was no longer acceptable to simply do things. I needed to start doing them well, and that’s when I started training seriously. This year’s test was my best ever, but there’s still room to improve. I was hoping to be into the 9s on my run, having done so well in practice the week prior, but I didn’t rest enough beforehand, and went in with sore legs. I missed my practice time by some 25 seconds, but still managed a 10:30, which is nearly a minute and a half faster than I’ve ever tested before. Can’t be mad at that.
As a data point, I’m happy with this year’s test, and I’m happy with how far I’ve come over the last two years. But I know that the race is long, much longer than any fitness test or individual event. I just have to keep going.