Motivation...Marine style

Yesterday, I went to the Marine Officer Poolee event. Starting off with a quick talk about Officer Candidate School and The Basic School, we started off with a "fahrtlehk" run. This consists of a short sprint (in this case, an 1/8th of a mile) followed by an exercise...then repeat. We did this for 6 exercises. I have to say that was the most physically intense 11 minutes I have ever experianced. By the end, the lung burn was pretty intense. Good stuff.

After that, we went on a short formation run (about 2 miles). Since most of those present had graduated from PLC Juniors or PLC Seniors, we quickly began singing cadences. Having 13 guys running in formation singing cadences through a college campus was probably one of the most motivating experiances of my life. People's reactions were probably the best part. Some of those driving by honked their horns in support. Most students stood, mouth agape as we ran by. Some older individuals stopped walking and smiled. Pride in all I was doing welled up in me.

One definate benefit was talking to those who have already gone to OCS/PLC. With their advice, I hope my stint (if I an accepted) goes smoothly...at least as smoothly as the physical challenges of OCS will allow.