Physical Training and Leadership Labs

In the winter, I was trying everything out... I went to almost every Physical Training (PT) session, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 6:00-7:00. I had to wake up at 5am and catch the 257 from the Park & Ride in Kingsgate to make it on time (this made Wednesdays extremely long days... 5am to 10pm... no wonder I fell asleep in Political Theory class sometimes... lowest grade ever in that class - 2.7 - and I had to drop Fish Biology that quarter for my only drop as well).

I remember the first Wednesday night well... had to bring all my equipment home on the bus... ruck sack, duffle, backpack, as well as my French horn. lol! Got a couple strange looks.

My first PT day happened to be the initial PT test... full situps, pushups and a 2 mile run. And I got there late. Overslept on the bus ride and ended up in downtown Seattle instead of getting off at Montlake Blvd, and walking the 1/2 mile to the Dempsey Indoor Football Facility next to Husky Stadium. Ended up in Pioneer Square... and soon caught a returning bus, making it in time to participate. Only did 20+ sit-ups, no correct push-ups... lol... and I was a couple minutes behind on the run. Captain Pirak ran with me the last five laps, telling me to sprint the long straight parts. "you better not quit...", and I, red in the face and a little distraught, replied "I never quit, Ma'm." :) It was very painful, but in a good way, I suppose.

I was very out of shape. It was 10 and a half laps on that little track to make 2 miles. I think there was a PT test every four weeks (or once a month). They'd calculate our BMI, weight and test scores.

Every workout started in the Indoor Facility... we'd do stretches and exercises in formation (ten counts of everything... "IN-CADENCE... EXERCISE!"), then do a mass run for 30 minutes. Eeuuu, those were hard for me. Sometimes they were outside on the Burke Gilman trail, and at 6am in the winter, it was slightly icy. I remember the first run outside, before I was issued the official PT uniform, I wore black sweatpants and my grey university sweatshirt and I was envied by some of the other cadets in their uncomfortable windbreakers. :) I only made it to University Ave. before it was time to return. Later on, I almost made it to the I-5 underpass. Fifteen minutes out and fifteen minutes in.

My favorite thing about workouts was how I felt afterwords. I'd hike up the hill to main campus and have a grand breakfast at McHahon Hall, the main dorm building. Sometimes I'd go hang out at Hansee Hall (a little further up the street where my friends lived) and catch a quick nap.

Leadership Labs, or LLabs, were something of a mystery to me. We were learning how set up parameters and attack positions, I think. Usually these were held in Husky Stadium, but later on we moved to the grass fields on the other side of the parking lot from the stadium. We'd lay on the grass in the wet dew with our fake M-16s (either a plywood cut out painted black, or a "rubber duck" solid rubber model... they were a lot heavier, but looked real, and therefore were much cooler). I remember several times I'd get up from my position and find an outline of myself on the ground... a dry, warm spot in the surrounding cold wetness. The front of my uniform was not dry, however. :) When we were told to get up and charge a position, we'd run and yell "bang, bang, ba-ba-bang". This reminded me of playing army in the backyard as a kid, and I enjoyed it a bunch.

My first LLab I showed up in my newly acquired PT uniform, not knowing it was supposed to be in battle dress with LCE (load carrying equipment)... LOL. It was freezing cold out and we were supposed to lie down and stay still. Lindley gave me her BDU coat to wear; that was very nice of her. Peek was the squad leader, and may have gotten in trouble for my not knowing what was going on. Hope not.