Land Nav, Double O, End of Phase I

Motivation

"The general who wins battles makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand."

- Sun Tzu

My Path

It's only been about a month and a half of training and we're done with Phase I. It's kind of crazy to think about. Quarter of the way through! Time has been flying, to be honest. I don't know if it's from having a blast, getting to know new people, or just always being busy. Just a short recap of what we've done: MCMAP, Rifle and Pistol Qual, Endurance Course, Double Obstacle Course, Land Navigation, Classes that run the gamete from USMC Organization and Customs and Courtesies to Law of War/Rules of Engagement and Tactical Fundamentals. Phase I is meant to teach and build the individual skills and organizational understandings an Officer must have in order to be competent, but a very bare-bones competency. Just like anywhere else in the Marine Corps, TBS adheres to the crawl-walk-run training mentality. While I have no doubt that the majority of the Marines here could perform well with a quicker training regiment, the tempo allows the student to become confident as they become more competent in each skill.

This last week we were introduced to Land Navigation and the Double Obstacle Course. I've run the O-Course before, only at OCS, but never back to back. I'll go into that later in the WODs section. I was also introduced to Land Nav at OCS, but not like this. At OCS we started at a point, typically an ammo can on a stick, given an azimuth for direction, and a distance which we converted to a pace count. Pace count wasn't a big deal as long as you could walk in a straight line because the points were on opposite sides of the training area. At TBS we were actually given a map. This made it much easier for me as I was able to hone my skills in terrain association. It's a pretty cool feeling being able to look at a map and have a good idea where you are based on elevation and terrain features. I hope I can perform just as well during the night course this coming week and in final Land Nav, which is in a training area about six times larger than this week.

So far my plan of coming into TBS at the peak of my physical condition has paid off. My thought was that if I came in physically prepared it would be one less thing to worry about when I was here and I could utilize my time to focus on studies and mentally preparing for billet responsibilities. I can say it's worked so far as I have been able to max each of the graded/evaluated physical events so far, but that's not to say that everything has come easily because that has not been the case whatsoever. I don't say this to boast as I am very grateful for my abilities, especially after sustaining a pretty serious injury a couple months prior to reporting, and I hope that my performance is able to motivate others in my platoon. I know I'm in a competitive environment, but I honestly want everyone here to do well and I'm here to give whatever assistance I can to whoever wants it. I know I'll need help in certain areas and hope there will be someone there willing to assist me.

This weekend has been kind of dead as far as activities. With the extra day of Labor Day most of the Marines have gone home or are out visiting friends. Many made a trip back to the Naval Academy. I opted to stay here in hopes of PTing and working on belting up in MCMAP. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to train with either of our platoon's Martial Arts Instructors (MAIs), but the weekend is still young. Something tells me I'll be doing more running for PT or maybe another fartlek as the gym is closed, but it's nice to switch it up a bit. And the time to unwind and take my mind off of TBS training is nice. Maybe I'll finish On Infantry and start another book for my personal professional development reading.

I don't know what it is, whether it's the end of Phase I or maybe receiving some feedback from my peers, but I am very thankful for being here and having the opportunity of working with the staff and students. I think I'm realizing what an amazing chapter of my life I'm in currently. And all of the support I've received from my friends and family has made it that much more of a blessing. Thank you to everyone for reading my posts and following me through this awesome journey I'm embarking in. I hope that I can repay each of you in some way. It means the world to me.

WODs

20120827

Uniform: Boots and Utes

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Bench Press: 100#, 125#, 145# (Extra Set: 225# x 8 Reps)

2 Rounds for Reps (Max Effort for 1 Minute/Exercise) - 169 Reps

135# Power Clean - 15/9

20# Wallball Shots - 20/15

Pullups - 30/25

Ring Dips - 30/20

20120828

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Back Squat: 125#, 155#, 185#

Overhead Squat and Flexibility/Range of Motion Work

20120831
USMC Double-O Course - 2:38 (3:00 is Maxing)
The link above shows the TBS O-Course being run once. We would run to the end of the second O-Course on the other side of the ropes and do it all over again. Techniques to negotiate obstacles varied.

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Military Press: 60#, 80#, 95#

Wendler 5-3-1 Strength: Week 4 Deload (40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5)

Deadlift: 160#, 200#, 240#

7 Rounds for Time - 5:34
10 95# Sumo Deadlift High Pull
10 Ring Dips

20120901
(Gym Closed)
Functional Fitness Full Body Work in "Strong Man" Area