A few days ago I was at VPD to run a practice POPAT test. Now, I have no interest of applying to VPD, or any police agency for that matter. I just really enjoy training applicants for the tests and preparing them for the physical rigours of the academy. I'm just crazy enough to do this for fun. And it's been 3 years since my last (and only) POPAT run.
How did I do? I managed to run 2:52, which is no small feat. Few people
can get sub 3, let alone something in the low 2:50's.
Although I'm running a time few can get, there are a some lessons
you can learn from my performance. In fact, my performance inspired one
applicant that was there to run 10 seconds faster on his second run compared to
his first run of the night. You read right, he ran the POPAT twice within 30
min of each other and he took off another 10 seconds because of a few
lessons learned from my run.
So what are these lessons?
1) Pacing
Kind of obvious, but it still needs to be mentioned. If you watch my run (video is below), you'll see how I pace myself. Yes
it's at a quick pace, but it's not the speed I want you paying attention to. Rather, it's how much I try to keep the lap times consistent. I believe my fastest lap
was 15 seconds, and my slowest was 18. A 3 second differential between fastest
and slowest is what I find ideal.
2) Staying within my abilities
This is related to pacing, but I know what I'm capable of
and I stayed within reason. I wasn't gung ho right off the start. I kept myself
in check and although it got tough by lap 4 (which happens to pretty well
everybody), I dug in deep, kept strong mentally, and didn't allow myself to
give in to the pain (well, not much anyway).
3) Cut into the cones
When you watch the video, pay attention to how I round
the cones. You'll notice some of them I go wide, but I cut right into them.
This is to maintain speed. If you watch any kind of race, you'll see when
people corner they go wide and cut in. Same idea when you round the cones.
Making a direct bee line will force you to slow down as you go around and then
speed up. That's wasted energy. Maintain as consistent a pace as you possibly
can and do so by cutting into the cones rather than running right up to them.
3) Maintain focus
I talk about being aggressive on the push/pull machine
and not to lose focus. Well, even the best have a mental lapse from time to
time. On my 5th rotation of the pull, I relaxed a little and it was enough to
drop the weight to the yellow. I got one quick warning and I got that sucker up
right away. Ain't no way I'm starting back at zero.
4) Give 'er at the end
When you get to the vault, don't think, do. Of course pay
attention to whether you do back falls or front falls, but don't give in to the
pain. Dig deep, push, and keep going til you're done.
5) Positive thinking
Why would I have this here? You'd think someone averaging
16/17 second laps doesn't need to think positive thoughts. To be honest I
started having some doubts by lap 4. Hell, even during my warm up I was having
some doubts. But I soldiered on, pushed them aside, and kept my focus. I can
feel the pain, the burning in the lungs, the burning in the legs, and the
fatigue in the arms. I can feel the struggle on the push and slogging of the
falls. Pushing your limits, no matter what fitness level you are, is always
tough. It's a mental battle from start to finish but you can't allow the pain
to take over. That negativity has to be shoved aside and you need to stay as
positive as possible. I'm not talking happy thoughts here. More of an
encouraging mindset.
Keep these lessons in mind. Not just for testing either.
You can easily apply these lessons to training as well.
And if you're curious what a 2:52 looks like:
And if you're curious what a 2:52 looks like:
This is what a 2:52 POPAT looks like. Thanks Becky for having me come out tonight!
Posted by Marc Locquiao - Redline Conditioning on Tuesday, May 19, 2015
