Can you say Physical Readiness Test??

Today was the bi-annual 1 and 1/2 mile run of the sailors in Norfolk, Virginia. This involuntary event ensures that your tax dollars are being used only to support military members that stay below a specific bodyfat percentage (somewhere around 22-25%). In addition to meeting the bodyfat requirements, sailors are required to do push-ups, sit-ups, and a 1 and 1/2 mile run, a 12 minute bike or a 12 minute elliptical. The bike and elliptical are new ways of testing in the Navy and have only been around for a year or so.

For the first time in my naval career I decided to do something besides the run to test my physical readiness. I normally run the mile and a half in 10 minutes or so. I've always enjoyed cycling and, as some of you know, I've been known to ride 10-20 miles a day on my trusty R600 Cannondale Road Bike. When we moved to Virginia and were forced to rent a townhouse, due to nominal military pay and high home prices, so I ended up storing my Cannondale outside and let nature take over. Nature essentially destroyed my trusty bicycle. This means that it has been over a year since I've gone on a good, long ride and I miss it more than you can imagine. I've wanted to start running and get into shape again, but I ran into a road block. In August I cut off half of the top part of my thumb (pictures coming soon) with a miter saw. It took a while to mostly heal, and now I'm able to work out once again. Who knows when it will be completely healed? Okay, back to my story..... I decided to try the bike test and in 12 minutes I burned 135 calories, which equates to running the mile and a half in approximately 12 minutes and change. Choosing the bike kept me out of the cold, but I was disappointed with my test overall. In the end it really doesn't matter as long as I passed. It did renew my passion for cycling, so I guess it is time to suck it up, buy a new bike, and hit the road with my newly shaved legs.....