Reflecting back on my middle-age man fitness journey is an enjoyable act of nothingness. There have been so many different fitness things I’ve chased at one time or another. It seems like they all have one thing in common in that they kept me out of mischief and trouble. Some were centered on accomplishing something by an upcoming birthday.
One such birthday-theme fitness goal of mine several years ago was when I wanted to score at least 250 points on the U.S. Marine Physical Fitness Test on my 50th birthday. The test consists of 3 events – a single set maximum effort of pull-ups, a 2-minute timed set of Marine abdominal crunches, and a 3-mile run. A perfect score of 300 points requires 20 pullups, 120 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 18:00.
The first time taking this test on my 50th birthday, I scored 237 points by performing 17 pullups, 73 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 21:30. The following year I took the test on my 51st birthday and improved only slightly by scoring 239 points, performing 16 pullups, 73 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 20:16.
They say that the third times is the charm and that was the case on my 52nd birthday when I finally achieved my 250 point goal by scoring 257 points, performing 18 pullups, 77 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 19:32.
That was the last time I took that test! I moved on to new fitness goals to chase in my search and thirst for something new, like a restless teenager constantly shouting out about how bored they are. Was I chasing wind?
So the question for me today, as I stare my current fitness goals in the eyes, is what am I going to do when I get there?
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
One such birthday-theme fitness goal of mine several years ago was when I wanted to score at least 250 points on the U.S. Marine Physical Fitness Test on my 50th birthday. The test consists of 3 events – a single set maximum effort of pull-ups, a 2-minute timed set of Marine abdominal crunches, and a 3-mile run. A perfect score of 300 points requires 20 pullups, 120 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 18:00.
The first time taking this test on my 50th birthday, I scored 237 points by performing 17 pullups, 73 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 21:30. The following year I took the test on my 51st birthday and improved only slightly by scoring 239 points, performing 16 pullups, 73 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 20:16.
They say that the third times is the charm and that was the case on my 52nd birthday when I finally achieved my 250 point goal by scoring 257 points, performing 18 pullups, 77 Marine abdominal crunches and running the 3 miles in 19:32.
That was the last time I took that test! I moved on to new fitness goals to chase in my search and thirst for something new, like a restless teenager constantly shouting out about how bored they are. Was I chasing wind?
So the question for me today, as I stare my current fitness goals in the eyes, is what am I going to do when I get there?
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
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