Day 40

Day 35 of BCT

     Today was a good day for the most part, but it ended rather disappointing. We had wake up at 0430 to get the PT test started by 0500. My goal for the PT test was 5 pushups, 60 sit-ups, and 2 miles in less than 20 minutes.
     It was plenty cold waiting in line for the pushups and sit-ups. Our new commander was watching, and our Brigade Commander also showed up for awhile. I ended up with one of the newer DS's for a scorer. He gave me 6 pushups. I'm still short of the 11 I need to pass, but it  was definitely a confidence boost when I only got 1 last test. I did well on the sit-ups though, with 63 sit-ups. I had hoped to run with the pacer on the run, but she ended up too far ahead of me so I just had to figure out my own pace. But I hung in there and with help on the last half of a lap from a girl in my platoon. I sprinted to the end with a time of 19:05. That's my best 2 mile time yet! So, overall, I showed a lot of improvement and our DS's said they were really pleased with how well our platoon did. We only had 11 out of 54 fail, and most of us just barely missed passing.
      Afterwards, I could definitely feel that I had pushed myself, as my knees were very stiff and sore the rest of the day. We then changed for combatives, ate Hot-A breakfast, and did some bay maintenance before heading to the PT field for combatives. Of course, we got to do the fun exercises again: Shrimping, the Eel, Superman, and Spiderman. I'm really not a fan of the exercises, but I'm starting to get better at them. Then they crammed a lot instruction in a short amount of time. We didn't get much time to practice either, so I'm hoping we won't be tested on our ability to execute these moves!
     We then had a Hot-A lunch and placed orders for a pizza party we're supposed to be having next Saturday. Some people in our platoon went a little crazy and ordered like 3 or 4 pizzas each. Our DS wasn't too pleased. The afternoon was then spent cleaning weapons. We also got our PT scores. I had a 187, so even though I failed my pushups, I had a higher score than most females.  Our female DS had me do dips off the bleacher since I failed my pushups. She said if I do 50-80 of these a day,  I'll see improvement. Hopefully, I'll get a DS on the final test that isn't too struck on form or I still might not make it! But I know I can if I work hard the next two weeks.
     We went to the DFAC for chow and then spent the evening cleaning the M-4's again and the company van and truck. We thought we were doing pretty goos as a platoon for the day, but everyone started getting loud and some of our males decided to start cleaning their lockers which can only be done on  personal time. Our female DS flipped out and made us stand in formation for 15-20 minutes instead of going on personal time. We were supposed to get a phone call today or tomorrow but it doesn't look like we will now. I would love to talk with my Mom and Dad right now.
     It was raining, so Hydration Formation was quick. We ended up with about 20 minutes before lights out and I spent some time talking and getting to know one of the girls in my platoon. Thankfully, I don't have Fireguard, so I can enjoy 9 hours of sleep. I know my body needs it!