By Maria Cramer
Boston Globe
BOSTON — When Michael Taylor was invited to join the Boston Police Academy in summer 2007, he knew he needed to do more than prove he could shoot straight.
At 5 feet 6 inches and 265 pounds, Taylor could barely run a mile without getting winded. Chasing 18-year-old suspects through city streets would be impossible.
So he traded his beloved greasy steak-and-cheese subs for turkey sandwiches. He stopped slathering mayonnaise on his fried fish and substituted water for juice.
When he started classes at the end of May, he had slimmed down to 233 pounds, but his instructors still were not impressed.
“He came in and I thought for sure he would be resigning on his own by the end of the first week,” said Officer Leanne Hurley, the fitness supervisor at the academy.
But the 33-year-old recruit persisted.
He kept a food journal to help him check his eating habits. He stayed after the morning exercises to do sprints with Hurley. After classes ended at 4 p.m., he would stick around to lift weights. On his way to classes, he would walk on tiptoe to strengthen his calf muscles.
Last Tuesday during Taylor’s graduation from the academy, he was singled out in front of hundreds of officers and their relatives for his efforts, and awarded the title of most motivated officer. He now weighs 199 pounds, can do 47 sit-ups in one minute, and easily finished the 8-mile graduation run from the police academy to headquarters.
“He is inspiring,” said Officer James Lydon, one of Taylor’s instructors. “He makes me want to be better. I’m a 40-year-old guy and not in the best shape of my life.”
The 26-week academy is grueling. Many leave because they can’t keep up with the rigid schedule, they flunk out, or they quickly become exhausted by the rigorous exercise. Recruits work out for an hour and a half every morning, running up to 4 miles and doing sit-ups, push-ups, and squat thrusts.
This year’s class began with about 64 recruits. By the end, there were only 41 officers left.
Taylor worried he might be among the departed during his first week, especially as he struggled to keep up with the more fit recruits, many of whom were Iraq war veterans.
“I saw the people who started with me, and two days afterwards they’re dropping out, and leaving for whatever reason,” Taylor said. “I’m like, `Wow, I’m going to be next.”’
He could do only four sit-ups in one minute and collapsed after 16 push-ups. During the first mile-and-a-half run, he could not keep up with the rest of the platoon.
He never complained or cursed under his breath, but Hurley could tell he was frustrated.
“You could see that he was heartbroken and he knew that he came in out of shape,” she said.
But pride and his desire to become an officer kept him going, Taylor said.
“I’m the type of person, if you doubt me, I’m going to best you the best I can and prove people wrong,” he said.
The second week, he stayed with the platoon for the entire run.
“That was the quickest I’ve ever seen anyone adapt” to the runs, Hurley said. “You could tell he was hurting. He was really struggling to keep up that second week. But once he stayed in, he stayed in. He never fell out again.”
Taylor has been assigned to the Hyde Park district, working the midnight-to-8 a.m. shift. The assignment will probably give him more exercise than did his former desk job as a disability examiner for the Department of Health and Human Services. But he knows that without the structure of the academy, he will be tempted to return to old habits.
Peeking at old pictures of himself will keep him motivated, he said.
“When I see myself now and I look at pictures of myself last year, I’m like, `Oh my goodness,”’ Taylor said, laughing. “‘What was I doing?”’
Copyright 2008 Boston Globe