Truenorth101 said:
Thank you LittleBlackDevil for your insights, information. I, like you, am also of the mind that I am in better shape as a 46 year old than I was as a 26 year old. A healthy sense of mortality I guess. The big unknown is the amount of running in Infantry school - everyday, no rest days, aging bones. The last thing I want is to be the slow guy in a group of 20 somethings.
I trained with some guys in their 40s and they seemed able to keep up alright. It's true that with an older body you may be more at risk for an injury due to wear-and-tear type things.
I wouldn't worry about being the slow guy. The impression I always got was that the instructors were more interested in how much will/determination you showed than your actual results. I never saw anyone get "beasted" for not being the fastest or strongest, only for giving up. Also, there will probably be at least one or two who show up in not as good of shape as they should be. I'll confess that was me at 19 years old thinking I was invincible.
I never did basic training as an NCM. As an officer at Gagetown Infantry school, we did do running almost every morning but I don't recall it being particularly long runs although they were fast pace. You do get some rest days because you don't train every weekend plus sometimes they do obstacle courses or swimming instead of running.
I think being in the best shape you can be going in will help with the wear-and-tear issues. And maybe bring some supplements? I never used to use whey protein for example, but I do now when I workout and I find it assists greatly with recovery. I'm sure there are other options.
