D ressed in a tight white vest tucked into camouflage trousers, the sergeant who greets me at RAF High Wycombe cuts an imposing figure. Broad shoulders and a vice-like handshake cement this status. This is the man who will be overseeing my RAF fitness test. The assessment is split into three parts, with the first being the multistage fitness test – better known as the bleep test. This gruelling challenge involves running 20-metre shuttles between two cones in time with a shrill beep. The further you go, the faster the beeps become – participants continue until they cannot keep up. I’m told the score I need to pass for my age group, then I step into a sports hall and walk up to the start line. Despite a smattering of recruits watching on, the world seems to go quiet as three beeps signal the start of the test. I push off with my right foot, step forward with my left, and the test begins. What happened when I took the RAF fitness test?…