JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- “When they came down and wrote up my score [9:11], they said, ‘you beat the record, you’re the fastest!’ I was just over the moon excited and really proud of myself.
Preparing for the PT [physical training] test, I would do interval runs, distance runs up to three and a half miles, and sprints. I broke down the laps to see the time I would need to get around each to get the best score. I would also try to eat clean and drink lots of water. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! The night before each run, I would eat two tuna fish sandwiches. I ate them every single time before each run!
I really enjoy what I do. I love where I work, and I love who I work with. I kind of always knew I wanted to join either the Air National Guard or Army National Guard. But I had heard great things about the Air Guard, especially here. They really care about their members.
My supervisor, Senior Master Sgt. [Roberto] Mercado has definitely pushed me a lot. Especially when it comes to PT. He’s an inspirational great leader and role model. He helped me prepare for my most recent PT test and would do mock tests every two weeks to see where I was. I wanted to score 100 percent. That was the goal. Having him come out there pushing me was a really big motivator.
I tested a couple weeks ago, and as I was on my last lap of the mile and a half run, people were yelling, ‘one more lap!’ I just remember sprinting it, and when I was done, Sgt. Mercado was like, ‘You’re done, you did it, you made your time!’ I couldn’t feel my legs, and I was surprised it was already over.
My next goal is to get into some weight lifting, nothing crazy, but just to add that into my routine. I want to always strive for 100. I’ll keep pushing for that!.”
-Senior Airman Shenandoah Long, 192nd Wing command support staff