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USMC 2016's API Lead Ensign is the CAOC Marine Liason Officer

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
2016's version of the API Lead Ensign is the CAOC Senior Marine. Below is a real email that this person sent. Background: he decided it made sense to institute mandatory PFTs each month, even though everyone is PFT and CFT complete, and nobody is out of bodyweight standards. Also, nobody here actually works for him, they are all OPCON and TACON to different Air Force divisions within the CAOC.

____________________________________
From: *********, ******* Maj USMC 609 aoc
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2016 7:42 PM
To: Recipients (1 LCpl, 1 Sgt, 6 Captains, 2 Majors)
Subject: the road to a 300 PFT

Marines:

Great effort on the PFT yesterday! As soon as the stragglers complete theirs you'll see scores. The scores themselves are not important. What is important is knowing where we are so we know how to train smart... because it's not where you start - it's where you finish.

If you need to work on pull ups, prioritize that first, but do not neglect the other events. Losing a few pounds as a result of running faster will certainly not hurt you on pull ups. If you are like me when I first arrived here, I didn't think that a 300 PFT was possible, so I was just aiming for a 285. A funny thing happened on my way to a 285 though... I was getting there faster than I expected, and realized that there's really no reason not to blow past that and reach the summit of 300.

For most of us, the run is the event that is keeping us from a 300 PFT. That means we need to prioritize that training, without neglecting the others, of course. I've shared with all of you already the plan that I've been using since I got here because it works and I would like for you to consider trying it. It's an 8-week plan, and I'm now on my second iteration of it. Unless you are already consistently running 18-20 miles/week, do NOT begin with the advanced plan. I made that mistake last year... just trust me... don't do it. If you don't run consistently, there's no shame in starting with the beginner plan. You'll still see similar improvement rates, but more importantly, you'll be building a strong, injury-free base to build upon. Again, it's not where you start... it's where you finish. Using the intermediate version of this plan, I've improved my run time by an average of 1:20 per month since I got here. I calculate about another 8-10 weeks and I will be in the 18:00 range. THIS IS POSSIBLE. YOU CAN DO THIS: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50934 ... ng-Program

This plan has a race pace 3 mile test every 4 weeks. Here's a little secret for you: my monthly progress check just happens to coincide with our monthly inventory PFT. Convenient for me. Maybe not for you. Unless you give this plan a try... then it's nothing more than just one 3 mile run amongst many... piece of cake. Since we're going to be running a PFT every four weeks anyway, why not give this plan a try and see how far you can progress now that you have a baseline to measure from?

There are other effective plans out there that you can find via Google, but you'll notice that they deviate very little from this one. They all have the same concept: run SLOW, and build capacity very GRADUALLY. I know from my own bad experience and poor judgment that trying to run this plan faster than instructed 1. doesn't speed up progress and 2. leads to injury, which means you can't keep training, which means you start over again, throwing weeks of work down the drain. I know that it seems counter-intuitive to train SLOW in order to race FAST, but professionals and Olympians have the run times to prove that it's true. Running slow is how they train. They understand that training is about building muscle strength, energy storage capacity, biomechanical efficiency, and endurance. Put that all together consistently over time (which you can't do if you are injured because you trained too fast), and you'll get faster with very little physical effort.

The reason that I like this plan is because most other plans have a race pace test every 8-12 weeks. This one has a test every 4 weeks. I prefer to see how I'm doing on a monthly basis. Seeing my progress more frequently makes it much more motivating to keep at it. This plan is not physically taxing. It is mentally taxing... and mentally transformative. The hardest part is just getting up to do the work out. Then doing the next workout. Then the next one. In other words, the key to running a fast 3 miler is not speed and hard work - it's consistency. That's why Meb Keflezighi, 2016 Olympian and one of the strongest distance runners in generations says “I don’t have any big training secrets. Just consistency.” Consistency is just another form of DISCIPLINE. Conquer the demon inside you that hunts you and wants to keep you chained to your bed watching Netflix, and pretty soon it gets easier to do the next workout. Then when you see your progress, it becomes exciting to do the next workout to push that progress even further. Then you have mentally transformed from being the hunted to being the hunter.

What you will need if you want to try this:
1. The right pair of shoes. This is the most critical piece of gear. Wear the wrong ones and you are asking for injury. It's not as simple as choosing ones that are comfortable with a color you like. And they don't last forever. Generally, most shoes will stop giving you the support you need after 250-300 miles. Do the intermediate version of the training plan above and you'll need a new pair of shoes after the second iteration (16 weeks = roughly 260 miles). To find the right shoe type, you need to know your foot type by doing the wet test: take your wet foot, place it naturally on a piece of paper, and see what the outline looks like. Then buy the right kind of shoe. Try a few different pairs to find the right one if you need to. Trust me, your feet, knees, hips and back will thank you. Or curse you if you get the wrong shoe type. This will explain: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/shoes/cho ... s/481.html
2. Supplements. You don't really need these, but if you use them correctly, they may help optimize your training. But they will never be a substitute for consistent training. I only use creatine, amino acids before I run and before I sleep, and fish oil. No multivitamins. If you're eating food then you don't need them and you're just buying expensive pee. Caffeine has it's place with JUDICIOUS use. I used to use it just to get out of bed and get my ass out the door to run. Now I don't need it anymore. Like any other substance, when you become dependent on it, then it takes increasingly larger amounts to get the same effect, and eventually you just build a tolerance. Then you're screwed when you don't have it.
4. Measured distances. You have measured courses on the CC/BPC that provide you with everything you need to do the training plan above. For the 400 meter speed work, there is a track. I don't know if it's exactly 400 meters, but it's close enough:https://portal.afcent.af.mil/cfacc/dire ... ItemOpen=1
5. Motivational tools. Personally I find jogging 3-7 miles slowly very boring. If I wasn't listening to music I probably wouldn't do it. Find the right music and something to play it while you run and it may actually be enjoyable. Find the right music for speed workouts and you'll be foaming at the mouth. I listen to Two Steps From Hell and the Batman, Rocky, and Terminator soundtracks when I sprint. May sound silly to you, but it makes me sprint like a stallion. Works way better than a pre-workout supplement. Cheaper too.

What you don't need: GPS tracker, heart rate monitor, Fitbit, flamboyant Crossfit socks. These things will give you data, but if you already have the required distance mapped out, the only data you need is how you feel when running.

If you follow this plan consistently and change nothing else, I can pretty much guarantee that you will improve your time by at least 1 minute every month. You WILL hit 18:00 if you just stay at it for enough months. I've accelerated that improvement rate by optimizing other factors: improving my form, sleeping (a LOT), eating (carbs - my old friends... how I missed you...), lifting, swimming, and massage rolling. Study how to incorporate these smartly into your training, and you'll boost your improvement rate, feel better, and find that beach body that's been hiding underneath your baby fat.

You can start this plan tomorrow (Tuesday) with an easy 3 miles. Or wait until Wednesday and start with the first 400 meter workout. Or start with the first weekend runs. It doesn't matter where you start - just start. As long as you stay consistent from that point forward, you WILL see improvement. All of you are within range of scoring 285 before you leave here. Some of you are less than two months of easy work away from a 300. I fully believe that all of you can reach the summit of a 300 PFT in 2017 if you keep up with this training consistently starting this week. I can give you this tool but I can't make that choice for you. Think it over, give it a shot, and I'll see you in four weeks.

S/F,
Major ************, USMC
Marine Liaison Officer
CAOC, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
Just when I was disappointed he wasn't going to put what his workout playlist included, he did. Classic. Sprint like a stallion, baby!
 

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
So I have to ask, what is this fine gentleman's background?
 
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