Another step done.

First of, WTF am I doing up at 3:30 in the morning? I cannot sleep at all tonight, so I figured I'd come on here and let everybody know how my PARE went.

I had a little bit of a fuck-up getting to the test... Not like I got lost on the way there, I managed to forget my medical clearnce form at home when I left for the college (where they do the testing) Fortunately, I realized my mistake in plenty of time, but by the time I drove all the way across the city and got it, then drove back, I only had about 10 minutes to spare. No wonder my heart rate was a little elevated when they did my pre test "is he gonna have a heart attack" check of pulse and blood pressure.

There were about 10 or 12 people taking the test, so they walked everybody through it to explain everything and where the penalties were etc. Five of us had run it before, so they let all of us go first so we could get out of there a little faster. I went first. I had a pretty good run, I made the jumps with a lot less problems than when I did my practice run. I made a few changes to my strategy this time: I took the stairs 2 and 3 at a time, at the far pylon after the stairs, instead of running in around it, I just made a quick sort of shuffle reverse.... I got to the pylon and threw the binders on like stopping on skates, sort of sideways, then take off the other way. THe most important strategy change I made was taking it a little easier on the first two laps, then opening up towards the end. I saw a few people just given'er hell, but by the fourth lap, they were having a hell of a time. Going hard at the beginning is not bright: you might pick up 3 or 4 seconds a lap on the first two, but on the last 4 laps you are loosing 5 or 10 seconds a lap because you are so damn tired.

The minimum standard to pass and go to Regina is 4:45, to graduate is 4:00. I have been training to exceed the standards (who the hell wants to be just barely good enough, anyways?) so my goal has always been 3:45 - a full minute faster than I have to be.

My time was 3:44.

Needless to say, I have to give some serious thanks to my trainer, Tasha. She is kick ass! Without her setting me up, helping me along with some advice, setting me up for a practice run, and everything else she has done for me, I would never have done so well. Experience and knowledge are so critically important in getting ready for this test. I see my stats every week from my blog, and what search terms are bringing people here, and it is almost always some variation of PARE, getting ready for the PARE, etc. all I can say to you is get a good trainer, preferably someone who knows what the pare is all about: Tasha ocasionally helps administer the test. Knowledge is power, so spend the money on getting a program set up right! Cardio is king getting ready for this thing, so be able to do full power sprints in at least two and a half minute intervals, run a lot of stairs, and train a lot! I have been getting ready for this thing since february, and I have gone from pudgy wannabe to well, slightly less pudgy wannabe with a sweet time in my pocket!

Cardio preparation is critically important to this test. That being said, if you don't have a balanced resistance program going at the same time, you'll never make it through either; because the controlled falls that you have to do (10 in total) will take a lot longer to get up off the mat and get moving again. The fight stage where you do the push/pull on the weights to simulate physically controlling a suspect takes a lot of upper body strength - you need to have a deep reserve of power to hold the push in and get though all six arcs. The pull is not so bad, you can step back from the machine with the weights and go, but pushing is a lot harder, especially the way the push handle is set up, it will flop back and forth, left to right. In order for the arc to count, the handle has to stay in the middle, in control. You can't "steer" the handle into the side of the track - that would brake the handle from releasing, making it easier, so they don't let you do that any more.

So that being all said... I have been coughing all night tonight - my lungs were full of fluid before I started, now it feels like I am drowning on dry land. I think I was getting a little bit sick to start with. I used a breathe-right strip to keep my air flow up during the test - I am surprised how I had to be reminded to breathe as I was running. I popped an extra strength Halls as soon as I was done too, to open up my airway a little more. I was so short on air about 8 o'clock that I got into a major hiccup fit. You just wouldn't imagine that less than 4 minutes of exertion would fuck you this hard, but there it is. I guess that's why they make you see a doctor before you run it and even then they check your blood pressure and pulse before and after - and then they won't let you start or won't let you leave until you are within safe limits.

So what's next for me? I have a lot of paperwork to finish in the next couple of days, then I can send it off. One of the guys I did the test with today said it took him 7 months from the time he got his package to get to where he is, waiting to be slotted into a troop at Regina. That should be a pretty good indicator for me, too. If all goes well, I could be heading to Depot by about May or so. Then, 5 and a half months of training, and by this time next year, I could be a sworn member of the RCMP. I think that has a lot to do with why I can't sleep tonight - doing that test today not only took a lot out of me physically, but it kinda highlights that this is real, not just a paper exercise anymore.