Wk 3 Wednesday Challenge

Well I made it back!!!  This one was called "Not in Kansas Anymore" Stairs, Hills, & Bands (resistance).  Section 4 and 5 ran together today.  We started with resistance bands and I will probably not live this one down for a while...It's one of those things where you hope somebody else screws up quickly so yours is forgotten about! 

With the bands, we started out in the field in the middle of the track area.  You partner up with someone, they wear the band around their waist while you run behind them adding resistance.  When you get to the other side of the field you switch out and run back while your partner is holding the band for you.  I partnered up with our section counselor, Marty.  Each of the section counselors carries a small radio with them in case something happens and they can hear when its time to switch objectives.  On our very first run across I was holding the band for Marty as he ran.  About halfway across the field his radio fell off.  I switched the band to my left hand and bent down to grab the radio as we were running (see where this is going yet?).  Anyway, I slipped and fell, Marty kept running (adding yet more resistance) and YES...the band came out of my hand!  Now imagine getting popped with a rubberband that's about 2 inches wide, 4 foot long, and stretched out about ten feet!  Again, Marty I am so sorry!!!  When we got back to the locker room I found out the guys next to me caught the end of the band as it took off...he had a nice big welp on his calf.

That's Marty on the left...BEFORE he got popped!

After 8 minutes of this torture we ran 2 or 300 hundred yards to a parking deck.  The parking deck has a set of stairs on each corner and there were 4 or 5 decks...I was to busy trying to remember to breath rather than count flights of stairs.  We ran up one corner, across and down another corner, across and up another corner, across and down another corner and so on until our 8 minutes were up.  Then back to were we started.

Ok...so there's 4 levels and 6 flights of stairs

The last phase of this tortur...eh...challenge run was the hill.  This hill is situated on the side of the running track.  It's probably about 60 degrees.  We ran up the hill, along the ridge, back to the bottom of the hill and back up again.  And of course our PT instructor, O'Malley was at the bottom of the hill making sure that we ran up as opposed to crawled up...Thanks O'Malley!

The entire Session was supposed to be going to the Law Enforcement Memorial tonight, but because of the bad weather moving in it was canceled.  I'm not too terribly disappointed.  Tom and I went into DC on Sunday.  Spent a little bit of time in the American history museum before it closed.  We went late because I wanted to be in the city after it got dark so that I could get some night time pictures of some of the monuments; part of that included the Law Enforcement Memorial.

(this is a nighttime picture)

Classes are going fine.  I've actually gotten a little ahead on some of my papers that are due.  This is a good thing as I am flying out of here Friday evening to go home for the weekend.  I have to come back on Sunday, but at least I'm not driving!  I can't wait to see my family again!!!!!

Till next time...Be Safe!

Week 3 Wednesday

Good Morning...I'm sitting here waiting for our weekly challenge.  Each week we have a "challenge" on Wednesday morning.  Last week it was the "Tin Man Trot."  Basically it was a 1.8ish mile run around the campus.  It wasn't bad unless you consider the fact it was 12 degrees!  My lungs were screaming.  This week I have heard mention of stairs and hills.  I guess I'll find out in just a bit....

Week Two - Saturday

A couple things I have forgotten to mention...

At the end of the first week, Thursday I believe, there were about 15 people that suddenly became ill.  A couple of them went to the hospital for fluids.  At first they thought it might be food poisoning.  Everyone was glad to hear about that (sarcasm intended).  They sent food for testing and everything came back good so now they are thinking it was just a 24 hour bug.  One of the guys went home over the weekend and came back on Monday.  He started having stomach cramps and went back to the hospital.  They ended up keeping him for about 3 days with a blockage in his colon; he finally made it back to the campus on Friday.

There was something else that had happened....maybe I'll remember it later.

This past Wednesday one of the two elevators went down.  They finally got it back up and running sometime Friday morning...YAY!!!!  then sometime Friday evening it went down again.  We can deal with it, we're used to things happening.  Get up this morning to go to breakfast...BOTH elevators are down...I'm on the 7th floor!!!!  Going down wasn't too bad, coming back up was another story.  I'm ordering room service for lunch!

Week Two - Thursday

Wasn't planning on being back quite so quick, but......

Woke up this morning to this strange covering on the earth.  Everyone say hi to Tom...my roomie.

This is a small 9/11 memorial in a courtyard here between some of the buildings.  Obviously, the two columns represent the twin towers.  If you can see the base that surrounds the towers it is representative of the Pentagon and then etched into the two towers is the state of Pennsylvania where the third plane went down.  The pieces on the ground there in front of memorial are actual pieces from each site.

Classes went fine...there wasn't enough snow to shut anything down so all our instructors were able to get here.  Speaking of classes...today was Labor Law issues, Managing Organizational change and Development, Behavioral Science, and PT!!! 

Behavioral Science will probably be the most interesting class.  Today we had a retired Behavioral Service Unit guy come in (retired in 1993).  He was here when the BSU started and gave us a run down of the history of the unit and discussed some of the cases that got the unit started and how research into serial offenders got started.

Finished up the day with PT and then hit the pool; got another mile in.  I'm up to 10.5 miles only 23.5 to go!

Till next time....Be Safe!

Week One

I left my home in Georgia (sounds like a song, thanks Otis!) at about 4am on Saturday.  I was deadset on that time because I knew it would be hard if I waited until after the kids were awake.  Of course I was planning on being in the bed long before 11pm.  Anyway...everything was packed in the truck and I was pulling out of the driveway at 0352hrs.  Stopped at the QT, filled up with gas and hit the Interstate.  By the time I got into North Carolina it was time for a nap; scared myself a couple times before that.  An hour later I was on the road again.   Overall, not a bad trip.  The traffic was decent and it only took me about 8.5 - 9 hours of drive time.

I arrived at Quantico about 1430hrs.  I found my way to the registration desk and got checked in.  From there I went to have my ID made and then returned to the parking lot to get my stuff.  There were some nice FBI agents-in-training there at the door to help us get everything in and find our way to our rooms.  (And the trainers here must have put the fear of God into these kids...everything was sir this and sir that and it has continued through this first week and half.)  I made it to my room and my roommate had already arrived...dang it...I wanted my choice of beds.  Worked out though, I like my corner of the room. 

After getting settled into our room my roommate and I headed to the PX for uniforms.  Boxes here, Boxes there, clothes racks everywhere!!  I can only imagine the ladies working in there were probably thinking that they thought they had left their children at home.  We had no idea what we needed to get or exactly where it was we were getting it from, but the ladies were great and patient in helping us out.  I think I got what I needed, although a few things they had run out of various sizes.

At 1700hrs there were several of us that met up downstairs for a tour with a counselor.  The counselor then took us around and showed us a large portion of the National Academy complex.  We learned very quickly that it would be easy to get lost, but they assured us that we would be moving around fine after a couple days (a week and half later and we are still getting turned around inside this building).  The counselors are FBI agents from various field offices throughout the States.  Our Section counselor, Marty, is from Detroit.  Has told us that his tour was one of the things on his "bucket list" he wanted to do before he retired.  They come in for one class session and then it's back to the field office.

On day one we had several "Welcome" meetings.  So there wasn't a whole lot accomplished on day one.  Day two, Tuesday, we followed our class schedule for Monday and started attending classes.  There wasn't a whole lot that got accomplished in those classes either.  For the most part the instructors covered the syllabus with us and then it was off to find the next class that was feat in and of itself.

Also on Tuesday was Section 4's first PT class.  This is when they get your height, weight, waist measurment, etc., etc.  Then it was off to do our run.  What I haven't mentioned up this point is the fact that right after we got here the rain and fog rolled in.  Yes...it was still raining when we went to do our run.  The good thing about it was we only had to run a mile.  I think the rain finally quit on Thursday and we saw the sun for the first time on Friday.

On Saturday, Tom and I went to the Marine Corp Museum located right outside the gate of the base.  Just about everything you ever wanted to know about the Marine Corp and its history in the world is located in this one building.  We spent about three hours in there walking and reading.  It was a great site to see.

One other thing that I haven't mentioned is my determination to obtain my blue brick.  Blue brick?  Yes, since as far back as I know the NA has had a challenge called the yellow brick road (I know I was talking about a blue brick and now I'm talking about a yellow brick...I'll get there).  The yellow brick road is the Marine Corps endurance track.  It is somewhere just over 6 miles long and it's littered with various obstacles.  Near the end of the session everyone that completes the course is given a yellow brick with their session number on it.  At some point in the history of the NA the attendees decided that it would be a good idea to start a swimming challenge.  So, those that complete 34 miles in the olympic size swimming pool here over the ten week period earns a blue brick.  Two close friends of mine have returned with their blue brick so I'm kind of stuck.  My first night here I was a 1/2 mile into the challenge.  Since that time I have completed 8.5 miles...I'm getting my blue brick!!! (and the yellow brick).

This past Tuesday (holiday on Monday) everyone started their regular class schedule.  Things have started to calm a bit and folks are trying to get into the routine.  I think things will go fine I'm looking forward to settling into a routine of things myself and getting back home to my babies!

I think I have caught everything up to date, so until next time...Be Safe!

The Beginning

I've decided that I needed to go back to the beginning.  I'm brand new at this blogging and it may take a couple days to get it figured out.  (I said I was new...when you viewed this page I think it does start at the beginning, then this is thrown in the middle...oh well hope you enjoy)

I found out back in July 2012 that I would actually be coming to the FBI National Academy.  This is something I have been trying to do since 2004; for one reason or another I haven't been able to get here until now.  I am very proud to have finally been nominated and selected to attend.

When the kids were told that daddy would be gone for 10 weeks they didn't seem to like it a whole lot, but they were troopers and didn't push the subject a whole lot.  My wife wasn't very happy about it either, but she knew how much this opportunity would mean to me so she put on her happy face.  I am very thankful for my family, they are the best.  I truly appreciate the sacrifices they are having to make so that I can make this goal a reality.

Thank you to those that I work with.  While they made a big fuss about handling business while I was gone, I know they will be truly fine without me; I have trained them well :)

Week two

Well it's Wednesday of week two and we just finished our first challenge run...the Tin Man Trot.  Not sure why it is called that other than maybe it's our first and there may have been a lot of people running a little stiff this morning.  Not to mention that it was 15 degrees!!!!

Our first week went kind of the way I expected...total confusion.  Not on the part of the NA staff, just the 269 people (from 49 states and 27 foreign Countries) that filtered in over a two day period that first weekend trying to find their way around.  This place is like a maze, just trying to figure out how to get back and forth to the pool took about 3 days.  I still haven't exactly figured how the classrooms are laid out on floor two of building something-or-another.  Couple more days and I should be good though.

I don't think I could have asked for a better roommate; Tom D'Intino, Chief from Sea Isle City, New Jersey.  Obviously, that was one of the major worries coming here is you have no idea who you will be roomed with.  I think it worked out though.  I have overheard a few things here and there about snoring roommates but I believe overall everyone is fairly satisfied with the way things turned out.

The dorm rooms are pretty decent; kind of small, but overall not bad.  A lot of that also depends on the way you set up the room.  There are many different ways they can be set up; just walk the halls when you get here and you can see the different arrangements.  Which leads to another topic...suitemates.  Two rooms are connected with the bathroom in the middle so you have 4 guys (or girls) sharing one bathroom.  Our suitemates are great guys too; Jud from Alabama and Ralph from LA County.  Took us about a day to work out an arrangement on shower times and the rest has just fallen into place.

Upon arrival we were divided into sections; shout out to Section 4!!!  On the first Sunday evening we all met for the first time in our prospective homerooms.  Over the next couple days we met a few more times trying to get everything set up for our Session.  I happen to be the photogrpaher for Section 4.  We have several other areas that needed a rep; shirts, jewelry, social/athletic events, auction, yearbook, and I know there are a couple other areas that I am forgetting.

Anyway...it's about time to go eat lunch.  Till next time....Be Safe!