Runners post

[xxForgedxx]

I have to take a PT test on the 9th. I need to run two miles in 16:36 for my age group and it will be outside in PA. The run is a straight concrete sidewalk mile, turn around and run on the same side back. Info for ref:

-I am running on a treadmill, my most recent time was 15:23 on a brand new super high tech treadmill (which I hope is accurate minus the terrain smoothness but the sidewalk is pretty smooth)

-I am wondering, to improve my two mile time FAST should I run as fast as I possibly can the last quarter mile on the treadmill to improve? I am going to run tomorrow, Sunday and Tuesday and then have a 2 day rest of everything for the run next Friday.

-I know I am beating my time by en entire minute on a treadmill but I am worried that variables such as my paranoia, the weather/running outside will force me to tack on time.

-I get very nervous for PT tests even though I have never failed one in my life (knock on wood) but I am wondering if I get into the high 14:00s (14:50) or so if I should feel confident that I can easily pass the run outside so what do you think?

I have the choice to run on an indoor track but I am told that the air is very dry and sucks more than running outside where it may be cold but the air is flowing. I am choosing to run every other day because I am nursing shin splints, if I have enough time in between runs they don't bother me much otherwise I'd be running daily until that bitch.

 

[MDgti08]

find a pace that you can hold and go a little above that. and run 4 miles. As far as shin splints go ice them 20 mins on and 20 mins off. then try and have someone rub them out. so painful but worth it. i let mine go and they turned into scar tissue. then stretch them every time i run. walk on your toes for 30 yards then walk on your heels for 30 yards then walk with your feet up and out for 30 yards.

 

[Mainline]

I just recently (with in the last month) had my PT test and ran my 1.5 mile in 9:57. What I do is run at a course that we have on base that is nothing but hills: Mostly uphill one was and downhill the other. I start running going the mostly down hill portion, stopping every half mile to do 50 4-count flutter kicks and so on to the end of the 2.5 mile course and then turning around and running as hard as i can on the uphill till I'm at the beginning.

PS I smoke almost a pack a day.

Good luck!

 

[xxForgedxx]

I just recently (with in the last month) had my PT test and ran my 1.5 mile in 9:57. What I do is run at a course that we have on base that is nothing but hills: Mostly uphill one was and downhill the other. I start running going the mostly down hill portion, stopping every half mile to do 50 4-count flutter kicks and so on to the end of the 2.5 mile course and then turning around and running as hard as i can on the uphill till I'm at the beginning.

PS I smoke almost a pack a day.

Good luck!

Sounds like Air Force or Navy, you guys do the 1.5. However I can't run outside and I am not used to our PT courses since I just got here... I'd get fuckin lost. I also can't afford to get sick, I got pneumonia a month ago and I'm that much more likely to get it again by sweating outside and running in shorts and shit, I don't have cold gear.

 

[akoni]

run outdoors, i understand that your more prone to get pneumonia since you have already had it. If you want to improve your run time "FAST" by the 9th your best bet would be to be more mentally prepared or it. i'v done night land-navigation courses with less than 4 hours of sleep in conjunction with a pt test which we ran in bdu's and changed out boots for running shoes. i was really nervous about passing but all in all i just said fuck it and told my peers all or nothing, it all ended with a huge pukeing contest. run time was 13:00 flat, pushups and situps were maxed out. my age group is 21 yrs. to whatever the cuto is...lol i forget, im on leave right now

 

[Mainline]

Sounds like Air Force or Navy, you guys do the 1.5. However I can't run outside and I am not used to our PT courses since I just got here... I'd get fuckin lost. I also can't afford to get sick, I got pneumonia a month ago and I'm that much more likely to get it again by sweating outside and running in shorts and shit, I don't have cold gear.

Yeah, AF. With the added luxury of being stationed on a tropical island.

Just rest assured that you run your 2 miles faster than 80% of the people I know run their 1.5 mile lol

 

[Remus6]

I don't think there's a need to double your running distance. My friend is a track dude (ran cross country in hs and college) and he tells me that it's actually not good to do that because you are training your muscles to do something other than what your actual purpose is. He tells me however, that you can't replace actual road work with treadmill. I've tried the same, and I found that he was correct.

Last year I had the crazy idea of trying to run the San Francisco Marathon. I started training on the treadmill, and when I started doing actual road work, I was hurting pretty bad. I actually got to running about 10 or 11 miles about 3 to 4 times a week, then I stopped training. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get passed 11 miles without getting so hungry. I even tried carb loading the night before. I would get hungry half way through my run. It was funny, I would hide power bars at bushes around my route and grab them half way through my run. I was like a crack addict.

 

[Mainline]

I don't know how you do your PT tests, but if you do the push ups/sit ups before the run, make sure you know how to do a proper sit up (using your core and not your thighs) as this will drastically increase your time.

 

[MDgti08]

I don't think there's a need to double your running distance. My friend is a track dude (ran cross country in hs and college) and he tells me that it's actually not good to do that because you are training your muscles to do something other than what your actual purpose is. He tells me however, that you can't replace actual road work with treadmill. I've tried the same, and I found that he was correct.

Last year I had the crazy idea of trying to run the San Francisco Marathon. I started training on the treadmill, and when I started doing actual road work, I was hurting pretty bad. I actually got to running about 10 or 11 miles about 3 to 4 times a week, then I stopped training. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get passed 11 miles without getting so hungry. I even tried carb loading the night before. I would get hungry half way through my run. It was funny, I would hide power bars at bushes around my route and grab them half way through my run. I was like a crack addict.

i used to train with ucla and oxy. i also ran track all through high school. and i work in a hospital. I have always been told to do that. And that's the way we trained. I run 5 miles a day to get a faster 3 mile time. When you run more then what u want you build up a greater endurance. You can hold your speed longer. and u will have a kick ass kick at the end.

 

[TheUnfadableMix]

i used to train with ucla and oxy. i also ran track all through high school. and i work in a hospital. I have always been told to do that. And that's the way we trained. I run 5 miles a day to get a faster 3 mile time. When you run more then what u want you build up a greater endurance. You can hold your speed longer. and u will have a kick ass kick at the end.

x2 on running the 5 for a better 3......It can be a bitch at times but when you run that 3 that sprint at home stretch is the shizznite!!!

 

[Remus6]

i used to train with ucla and oxy. i also ran track all through high school. and i work in a hospital. I have always been told to do that. And that's the way we trained. I run 5 miles a day to get a faster 3 mile time. When you run more then what u want you build up a greater endurance. You can hold your speed longer. and u will have a kick ass kick at the end.

I guess my friend could be wrong, however it makes damn good sense to me. If you are training to go double the distance, you are training your body to pace for a four mile. A two mile is considerably shorter, so it would be almost like a sprint compared to four miles. Your pace for a four mile would be slower than your pace with a two mile run. You are in turn training your body to pace a little slower. Unless you are a world class runner, it would be unnecessary to train in such a way.

That's what I was told by a trustworthy person, and it worked for him and it worked for me as well. Not all forms and styles work for everyone.

 

[hellafast]

^^ running 4 miles to train is perfectly fine. That way he is building his endurance and tolerance. But he just needs something more to train for his pace.
What he can do is do some interval training for pace. I suggest break it down to something like 16 x 400m intervals at the pace you want (1:45 per 400m-- that's 7min/mile) with the same amount of rest as your pace for every interval. This will help you get a better/faster time and get familiar with the pace and intensity of the time you want. It's double the distance but that's how you're supposed to get used to the pace. If you can run in an indoor track that would be better than a treadmill.