Hi everyone,
I'm 23 and about to graduate in December 2019 with B.S. in Civil Engineering and on the path to a REP63 contract with the FL ARNG. I've spoken with and met my recruiter to begin the process and got my packet and application done and preparing to take the ASVAB in a month, as well as taking a physical just in case anything pops up i can get it corrected before MEPs. Will be trying out for the contract in July and going to MEPs in mid-August. I made this decision to fully commit to this path a year ago as its been a burning desire I've had for a couple years now. The idea has always been in my mind and was thinking of many different ideas until i had two of my friends (an 18D & a CCT) point me towards either Army SF or Airforce PJ. After doing a lot of research/reading (a friend suggested i read Chosen Soldier and that helped a lot) and spending hours talking with both i decided to commit fully to Army SF as i love their role as teachers to people around the world.
Since 2010 I've been doing weightlifting with the idea of just getting bigger, nothing more, and as a result i heavily neglected cardio as all i heard was "it kills gains bro". However, to achieve my goal I needed to improve my cardio immensely. From football I had explosive bursts of speed, but my aerobic level was terrible - I could sprint a 400m and be just as tired as jogging a mile. 4 years ago in ROTC I took a PT test and failed miserably, i believe only mustered a measly 37 pushups, 40 something situps, and a slow as shit 18:xx 2 mile (first time i ever ran past a mile).
Fast forward a couple years to when i got serious on this route, i started running almost every day (I'd have lapses with shin splints, school, and myself) with the days i didn't i would do bike assaults or long distance biking. It helped, but progress has been slow, my fastest mile is 6:20 which isn't too impressive, and my 2 mile is 14:30 now. I can max my pushups, but it takes a lot of effort to do so, and it takes me the full 2 minutes to reach it. My situps i can max in a 1:30 and feel good afterwards. About a month ago i ran a 5 mile in over 50 minutes, and it felt like the worst thing i ever did, and i did that when i felt really good, not tired/cold/hungry. I've also began rucking at least once every other week, starting last week, with around 35lbs-45lbs for about 5-6 miles, and a LSD run at around 4 miles and going to be adding an extra half mile to that every two weeks. Also have been hardening my shoulders for about a year now by adding weight to my backpack (35lbs) and walking everywhere that i can (walking to school is around 2 miles).
I got a lot to improve and I'm happy to keep doing so. I start and end every day completely obsessed about all this and it gives me purpose to give it 100% and more when i safely can whenever i workout. I've been following a lot of SOF tiered workouts (a couple on instagram that i like are @sofwods & @sof_prep) and have made plans for myself by following them and altering/adding stuff to make it more challenging. Recently picked up "Get Selected!", the Ranger Handbook, and the S.U.S.T. Handbook with the former I'm currently reading and adding the workouts to mine as well as studying the rest of the book thoroughly. The latter two I'm studying to better prepare myself and see what I'd be weak at and to improve it before i ship out. I've also been practicing foreign languages such as Spanish and Farci, with the former I've taken 6 years of classes and Farci being taught to me by my Father.
I appreciate being able to be here and this site has been a tremendous help in filling in the gaps. Also, it really helps writing all this down as it serves as a reminder of how far I've come and how far i still need to go.
