Spartans1991
Active Member
99% sure this is true. If you don't pass the run the first two attempts you're done. Other ones you can roll to H class.
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Ultimate Fitness Thread
- Thread starter Seniuram
- Start date
abctotheabc
Well-Known Member
My projected OCS date is either October/November so I still have a lot of time to improve, I just feel like I'm doing something wrong and should have been there by now. A month ago I was at like 20 minutes so definitely gotten better but not good enough. My legs aren't really the issue I feel it's more my breathing. I always run out of breath.
I was just talking to @LadyAsh about this, and yeah, there’s a memo out there that says that. However there’s also anecdotal evidence that they’ve still rolled people to H for failing the run instead of packing their bags, so who knows how serious they’re being with it. Either way, treat it like you need to pass the run on arrival, since it says that in writing.
I found what I was researching. So, the anecdotal evidence passed on to me from a recent graduate from a Chief of classes that is there, was that selectees must not exceed respective maximum allowable run times for their sex. He said that it is "the same as they use at boot camp" so I found this tidbit to help:
"Beginning January 1, 2018, all recruits arriving at the Navy's boot-camp will complete an initial 1.5 mile run. Male recruits must complete the run in 16 minutes 10 seconds or less, the female recruits in 18 minutes seven seconds or less. If a recruit fails the first attempt, then they must retest within 48 hours. If a recruit fails the retest, the recruit will be discharged with an entry level separation."
To expand on that, I think that is also under the reasoning that your run is still very much salvageable at those times, than if you were to run it slower. So nobody need panic. Anthony, please allow yourself the rest you need and don't overtrain. There will be plenty of overtraining at OCS. Haha.
x2 Edit: typo
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abctotheabc
Well-Known Member
Thanks for this! I'm sure I'll be able to hit it eventually, I have another ~two months. I've gotten to 14:30 before too, which is pretty fast to me considering I've never run before in my life. I just want to be faster already.
I totally understand; I've been running for a year and it still sucks. I don't know what my run is at sea level, because I live in the mountains, so I have to go by the time I am able to achieve up here. I fluctuate between right at and just above a passing run time on the high altitude PFA used in the Fleet. But my situation a sliver more urgent as I leave here in 2 weeks /mild panic
Seniuram
Well-Known Member
I’m sitting just under 10 and improving because the advice I was given. I was given advice by a friend of mine who’s been running marathons for like 7 years. She said pick the time you really want to hit on the PFA. Now run a .25 mile at that pace not slower not faster. Rest for about 50-75% of the time it took you, then Do it again until you hit 1.5 miles. As you go keep combining the quarter miles until you reach running the 1.5mi without stopping at the pace you want.
Anthony, stick to the running plan I'm about to write out and your times will plummet. Also if you were really at 20 minutes and already lost 4 you're on the right track.
Day 1: 3-4 miles easy pace. For me this is around 8min but adjust to what you feel you can do without stopping. When you're done this day you want to feel like you could've kept going.
Day 2: 1-2 mile warm up (don't skip warm ups) then 1/4 mile sprint at your goal speed, so if you want a 10 min 1.5 mile aim for ~1:30. Obviously adjust times as needed. Repeat the sprints 4 times with 1/8 mile jog in between each sprint for recovery. Then a mile cooldown real slow.
Day 3: repeat day 1, slow easy run for at least 3 miles
Day 4: rest
Day 5: Running pyramid- 1 mile warm up, then 1 min hard running, 30 sec jog. 2 min hard, 1 min jog, 3 min hard, 1:30 jog. Then do this in reverse and go back down the pyramid, and don't forget to run a mile slowly when you're done
Day 6: Another long slow run preferably 4+ miles
This plan helped me get from barely being able to run 3 miles at all to now being able to get it done in less than 20 min, and it only took about 4ish months to get there so you can absolutely get way below the minimums in the time you have. Don't forget to stretch before and after and adjust the distances if you think this is too much to start off with!
Day 1: 3-4 miles easy pace. For me this is around 8min but adjust to what you feel you can do without stopping. When you're done this day you want to feel like you could've kept going.
Day 2: 1-2 mile warm up (don't skip warm ups) then 1/4 mile sprint at your goal speed, so if you want a 10 min 1.5 mile aim for ~1:30. Obviously adjust times as needed. Repeat the sprints 4 times with 1/8 mile jog in between each sprint for recovery. Then a mile cooldown real slow.
Day 3: repeat day 1, slow easy run for at least 3 miles
Day 4: rest
Day 5: Running pyramid- 1 mile warm up, then 1 min hard running, 30 sec jog. 2 min hard, 1 min jog, 3 min hard, 1:30 jog. Then do this in reverse and go back down the pyramid, and don't forget to run a mile slowly when you're done
Day 6: Another long slow run preferably 4+ miles
This plan helped me get from barely being able to run 3 miles at all to now being able to get it done in less than 20 min, and it only took about 4ish months to get there so you can absolutely get way below the minimums in the time you have. Don't forget to stretch before and after and adjust the distances if you think this is too much to start off with!
Are you guys cross training on your cardio? I mean in addition to intervals (which is solid advice). Like ride a bike (hills are even better), swim at the local Y or your college gym, calisthenics like burpees or jumping rope, rollerblading (if that's still a thing with the young generation). I know cross training has been covered in this thread but if you're trying to improve your run time starting from "I've never been a runner" and you only run every single day and you don't mix it up, while you'll make gains you'll probably plateau pretty early. Worse, you might give yourself a stress injury and probably in your knees, ankles, or feet. I know it's not as simple as that and some cities are very bike-unfriendly when it comes to going for a two hour ride, but try to mix it up.
Seniuram
Well-Known Member
Yes, if I wrote all that out though it’d be a novel that looked like it was written by an ADHD kindergartener. But I’ll do a TLDR. My week consists of
Monday: Gym 2 hours, Run/Swim
Tuesday: Gym 2 Hours, fruit boot(roller blade)or ride a bike
Wednesday: Gym 1hour, Run/Swim, Beer league hockey
Thursday: Gym 2 hours, Run/Swim
Friday: Gym, debauchery cus it’s the weekend finally
Saturday: Run, probably ride a bike
Sunday: beer league hockey/ Soccer
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Yeah, gotta faster man... and not just for the PFA. If you are well behind the rest of the regiment on those 3-mile run days you'll attract the attention of the DI's and that's never a good thing. Anyone who's been to OCS can tell you that the staff pay attention to the under performers and if they take a disliking to you, they'll figure out a way to set you back whether or not you passed the PFA. I saw it happen plenty of times to the same people over and over again. They'll just keep rolling you until you decide to DOR. So regardless of what the sea lawyers on here find in the regs, you'll find out at OCS that they make their own rules.
People on here seem to have some pretty good advice on how to improve your run times. Take that advice to heart, show some heart, and get your ass in gear. You can do it brother.
abctotheabc
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the advice. I'm well aware of what could happen if I fall behind and I definitely don't want that haha. I've definitely taken a lot of what was said earlier on in the thread to heart and hope to improve by end of next month.
In addition to my running 2 miles in the morning and 2 in the evening, I do 20 minutes of HIIT everyday split in 10 minute sessions morning and evening. Those usually consist of flutterkicks, squats, lunges, high-knees, jumping jacks, pushups, burpees, monkey f*ckers, etc. I have seen about a 30 second improvement within a week after starting those HIIT sessions. I do sprints too uphill, which feels like death haha. I wish I had a bike! I'm going to keep at it for sure, but it is comforting knowing that having come so far you won't just be sent home because you aren't some PT stud like some people that like to chime in on here, belittling sincere concerns that people have. I appreciate you commenting on here, I really value seasoned people from the fleet giving advice.
BlueDacnis
IP Officer - Graduated OCS 20JUL18
There's some interesting stuff being said here, and I'd like to chime in with a bit of a different perspective.
I started OCS with Class 13-18 and rolled to H Class for the IST. I failed push-ups, because my form was trash and I got sharked pretty hard (on the retake Thursday morning I actually failed push-ups AND curl-ups.) I was, of course, not the only person to fail. I and several other people rolled to H for the IST. H Class was an interesting experience and it's not something I regret. I met amazing people there, who were all there for different reasons. Many failed push-ups, some curl-ups, and a fair few failed the run. By a lot, some of them. No one who failed the run was ever kicked out. They were rolled to H Class and given second.. and third.. chances. When they failed the third time, after six weeks in H Class, that is when they were attrited. Someone from H Class who failed the run with a run time of over 18 minutes rolled up to 14-18 with me after the IST retake.
Despite push-ups being my weakness, I was one of the slowest people in Class 14-18. Crazy, seeing as how my 1.5 mile time was/is 13:15, which is between an Excellent Low and Excellent Medium for my age group, but it's true. I WAS that person Aulani is talking about, who fell behind the group on the 3 mile road run. I was the person CAPT Nicholson, my class officer, or my class chief ended up running beside and cheering on. I was the slow person at PT not getting done with sets as quickly as everyone else. I wasn't alone, of course. There were a few other people, but eventually those people rolled or were kicked out (the two who were kicked out were kicked out for other reasons, too, unrelated to PT.) There was one major difference between myself and those who were rolled or kicked out: I tried. I never went to sick call on run days, like the ones who were kicked out or rolled, because I thought I was clever and could just skip PT whenever I wanted because I didn't want to try. I NEVER fell out of a run, I only ever fell behind. I never stopped. I never quit. I never said "I can't." I never went to sick call or SMART instead of regimental PT. I volunteered to do demerit work offs with my classmates, even though I never got one. I accepted advice, criticism, and encouragement from my class team. I put my heart and soul into every RPT session, every morning's PT, and in every physical evolution at OCS. I never let staff doubt that I WANTED to be there and that I WANTED to get better. And I did.
I and those other slow people, in the beginning, were all counseled several times. Meaning we were called into an office by someone in our class team and formally counseled about how we were failing to lead from the front at PT. I am the only one out of those people who graduated with Class 14-18, but I was no better off than any of them physically. Why? Because I tried and I showed every staff member at OCS that I was willing to do whatever it took to get better and to earn my commission. I showed improvement with every PT test, and eventually they stopped saying anything to me. This isn't me being arrogant or patting myself on the back. This is what I know following offline conversations with my class team.
There's a caveat to this, of course. I owed it to myself, to OCS staff, and to the American taxpayer to show up at the physical standard required, so that I didn't add 3 weeks to my time. I should not have had to roll to H Class. That's not the point of OCS, and that is a failure on my part. I should have prepared better, and my lack of physical fitness was no one's fault by my own. No one should read this and take "Oh I can show up to OCS as hot garbage and be totally fine" as the point. You owe it to yourself, OCS staff, and taxpayers to show up in the best physical shape you possibly can. But if you aren't a PT stud, you are not automatically doomed. I saw many candidates spend 6 weeks in H Class improving their run, push-ups, or curl-ups even, and they are, in my opinion, some of the greatest leaders to graduate OCS. Class 14-18's president spent 6 weeks in H Class and is, to this day, one of the strongest females I've ever had the privilege to know. She is a massive asset to the United States Navy. They will kick you out if you fail to meet standards, yes. They won't hesitate. I've seen good people get kicked out as well. But they also know when people are trying, or when they can be helped. You have chances.
I asked my chief what exactly the standard is for kicking people out for the IST. He said, if the command can look at your PT score and reasonably believe that you can pass a PT test after spending time in H, they will roll you. I have never heard of someone showing up to OCS and being attrited after failing the IST.
Don't test that theory. Be as fit as you possibly can be when you get there. Things DO change.
But know that if you're not leading the pack at morning PT, that does not mean you automatically fail. That means you must work your ass off and show everyone there, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can and will do better, you will improve, and you have the heart to keep trying even when your class has left you behind.
I started OCS with Class 13-18 and rolled to H Class for the IST. I failed push-ups, because my form was trash and I got sharked pretty hard (on the retake Thursday morning I actually failed push-ups AND curl-ups.) I was, of course, not the only person to fail. I and several other people rolled to H for the IST. H Class was an interesting experience and it's not something I regret. I met amazing people there, who were all there for different reasons. Many failed push-ups, some curl-ups, and a fair few failed the run. By a lot, some of them. No one who failed the run was ever kicked out. They were rolled to H Class and given second.. and third.. chances. When they failed the third time, after six weeks in H Class, that is when they were attrited. Someone from H Class who failed the run with a run time of over 18 minutes rolled up to 14-18 with me after the IST retake.
Despite push-ups being my weakness, I was one of the slowest people in Class 14-18. Crazy, seeing as how my 1.5 mile time was/is 13:15, which is between an Excellent Low and Excellent Medium for my age group, but it's true. I WAS that person Aulani is talking about, who fell behind the group on the 3 mile road run. I was the person CAPT Nicholson, my class officer, or my class chief ended up running beside and cheering on. I was the slow person at PT not getting done with sets as quickly as everyone else. I wasn't alone, of course. There were a few other people, but eventually those people rolled or were kicked out (the two who were kicked out were kicked out for other reasons, too, unrelated to PT.) There was one major difference between myself and those who were rolled or kicked out: I tried. I never went to sick call on run days, like the ones who were kicked out or rolled, because I thought I was clever and could just skip PT whenever I wanted because I didn't want to try. I NEVER fell out of a run, I only ever fell behind. I never stopped. I never quit. I never said "I can't." I never went to sick call or SMART instead of regimental PT. I volunteered to do demerit work offs with my classmates, even though I never got one. I accepted advice, criticism, and encouragement from my class team. I put my heart and soul into every RPT session, every morning's PT, and in every physical evolution at OCS. I never let staff doubt that I WANTED to be there and that I WANTED to get better. And I did.
I and those other slow people, in the beginning, were all counseled several times. Meaning we were called into an office by someone in our class team and formally counseled about how we were failing to lead from the front at PT. I am the only one out of those people who graduated with Class 14-18, but I was no better off than any of them physically. Why? Because I tried and I showed every staff member at OCS that I was willing to do whatever it took to get better and to earn my commission. I showed improvement with every PT test, and eventually they stopped saying anything to me. This isn't me being arrogant or patting myself on the back. This is what I know following offline conversations with my class team.
There's a caveat to this, of course. I owed it to myself, to OCS staff, and to the American taxpayer to show up at the physical standard required, so that I didn't add 3 weeks to my time. I should not have had to roll to H Class. That's not the point of OCS, and that is a failure on my part. I should have prepared better, and my lack of physical fitness was no one's fault by my own. No one should read this and take "Oh I can show up to OCS as hot garbage and be totally fine" as the point. You owe it to yourself, OCS staff, and taxpayers to show up in the best physical shape you possibly can. But if you aren't a PT stud, you are not automatically doomed. I saw many candidates spend 6 weeks in H Class improving their run, push-ups, or curl-ups even, and they are, in my opinion, some of the greatest leaders to graduate OCS. Class 14-18's president spent 6 weeks in H Class and is, to this day, one of the strongest females I've ever had the privilege to know. She is a massive asset to the United States Navy. They will kick you out if you fail to meet standards, yes. They won't hesitate. I've seen good people get kicked out as well. But they also know when people are trying, or when they can be helped. You have chances.
I asked my chief what exactly the standard is for kicking people out for the IST. He said, if the command can look at your PT score and reasonably believe that you can pass a PT test after spending time in H, they will roll you. I have never heard of someone showing up to OCS and being attrited after failing the IST.
Don't test that theory. Be as fit as you possibly can be when you get there. Things DO change.
But know that if you're not leading the pack at morning PT, that does not mean you automatically fail. That means you must work your ass off and show everyone there, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can and will do better, you will improve, and you have the heart to keep trying even when your class has left you behind.
I haven't seen anyone belittling people on this thread (maybe you were directing that at me, maybe not since I'm prior enlisted). People are all trying to give solid advice. Dacnis was in my class and she hit the nail on the head with her post. Maybe I seem I little overzealous with my advice but that's because I hated to see people roll at OCS. It sucked when she rolled along with the others after the IST. Everyone in our class was sad to see her and the others go to H-class. Nobody wants to spend one more minute at OCS than is absolutely necessary.
I'm on OHARP right now and the one thing I say to all the people getting ready to head to OCS is "do not underestimate the physical aspect of OCS.." That's not because I think I'm some PT stud, I'm not (I'm a 39 year old, father of 3) it's because I saw that from a ton of 24 year old's that showed up unprepared and they paid the price for it. You have a ton of crap to worry about at OCS and if you can eliminate one of those things before you show up, it's the physical portion (unless of course you already know how to chart and do MOBOARDS).