Friend Needs to Run 1.5 miles in 13:30 in 2 weeks, and He is completely untrained. HELP!

That's just going to make him tired. You can't give an untrained person a training plan like that and expect it to work.

He's already done a time trial which will require several days of recovery.

Here you go. A 45/15 run/walk ratio should get him close enough that he can skip the last walk break and make the 13:30 time. At a 9min/mile overall run/walk pace, you don't lose as much time as you might think with a short walk break.

First, have him warm up and run a few 50m reps in 15 seconds. That's roughly an 8min/mile pace. The recovery should be long... up to two minutes if needed. The warm up is really important. He can't just stretch, toe the line, and run goal race pace without a warmup.

Then, the workout itself would be to run 50m every 15 seconds and walk ~25m during the 15sec recovery. That's a 15/15 ratio. See if he can do that for 6 laps. That should be around a 16:30 time, but the time is not important yet. Take a day off. Have him run 20/15 on the next workout... same pace. If needed, increase the walk recovery towards the end.

If he needed more recovery, have him run 20/15 again on the next workout. If not, increase it to 30/15 on the next workout. He should be at 45/15 by day 10 or so. Have him taper on the last workout before the race. IMPORTANT: Before the race, he should finish his warm up jog and strides 20 minutes or so before the race itself.

I would NOT recommend bicarb on race day for someone who hasn't tested it first, but he could try it on a workout before the race itself to see if it helps.

Run/walk is a always a great beginner program.

I am of the opinion that for this very very specific test in 2 weeks...he needs to decrease the chances his body will tie up at 4 or 5 laps. I would argue running however far he can run...IDK if that 1 mile or 3 miles witout destroying himself... do it every other day or so, he needs to introduce his body to what he will experience at 4 or 5 laps in. Add a few strides each day for more efficiency.

I am big fan of always doing strides very close to start, that's the purpose. Very easy strides in his case. For true beginner "warm up jog" should be maybe 1 or 2 laps maybe? No more.

13:30 = 9:00/mile. Bro sounds like a triathlete. Big but carrying mostly muscle is different from truly starting from 0. 2 weeks isn't nothing. Based on the 3 laps @ 7:40, I would have him stop that. Makes it sound like he's just gonna go to the track & keep trying to run the time. Just tell him to be super consistent for 2 weeks. Run at least 20-30 minutes/day. That should give him a chance. Late in the 1st week do something like 4x400. Then maybe a 10min tempo in a 25-30min run early week 2. Final 4x400 2 days later. (something like Tuesday/Thursday). Then a short taper if the race is Sunday just do 20 & 10 last 2 days.

I think biggest thing is to make sure he paces himself. Get him a pair of super shoes. Skip the bicarb because it can mess with his stomach since he never takes it. Caffeine far enough out that it helps but doesn't have him in the restroom. He can do this. But make sure he knows what 13:30 pace is. Tell him to get through 1600 in 9:00 then gently increase the effort.

A sheriff? Put a suspected illegal immigrant in as a pacemaker and tell him to chase.

Walk/run. Do it at the track with the goal of 2:10 per lap. Tell him not the be a hero and try to run it all. This is 9 minutes miles. Walk/Run that stuff and power it home the last lap.

why hasn't he prepared properly? is this the calibre of person needed in law enforcement?

this can help lol

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There's a bit of decent feedback in here already.

My .02

* stop all weight training and drop some muscle mass. It would be great to shed a few lbs w/o doing anything stupid.

* does his body even know what a 9 min pace is? get him on 200's, just slightly below goal pace as he will slow down near the end

* he should try to run near even splits...whatever watch helps him...yeah use that

* stair climber is a great way to add aerobic capacity w/o doing too much harm to the body...maybe a couple of 20/30 min sessions...something 2x his run time, ideally in zone 3/4 hr

He needs to go out and run as much as he can. At his weight, he has no endurance or speed.

He needs 6 weeks. I doctor's note for the flu should buy that. Then follow fisky's advice.

How has no one said supershoes? For a 250 lber? He probably ran his 3 lap time in vans. Throw some alphafly 3's on him.

and he needs to be pretty anaerobic over the next 2 weeks. HIIT will get him moving in the right direction.

Thanks for the suggestions.

1. No, he can't reschedule. To my understanding, this isn't a test just for him, but a general call test for 20-30 individuals.

2. I agree, he needs a full mitochondrial build cycle to really improve, but he doesn't have 6 weeks. The next test may not be for 1-2 years.

This guy is very fit, very strong, very in-shape (think almost bodybuilder physique), but doesn't do cardio, as it is catabolic.

1. That’s too bad, I agreed with fisky.
2. Your friend may be hooped at this point, but I agree with one of go dark’s points: help with pacing if your friend is to have any chance.

I helped a colleague out with a similar work fitness test and he just snuck under by 0.5s. Can’t have them blow up early when the margins are so close.

Too bad he can't delay.

I had a couple of thoughts on my recovery run this morning that might help, although I think his goal is still unreachable.

On the off days in between his quality run/walk efforts on the track, he should do a VERY EASY jog of 20-30 minutes. This will do three things.

1) It will move the muscles, which will help pump out the waste products from the previous quality workout, so he will be LESS sore for the next quality workout than if he did nothing at all.

2. He should borrow or use a HRM to keep his heart rate from getting too high. Probably keeping HR around 110 to 120 and never going over 130 would be okay. The heart doesn't know or care if it's getting a cardio workout from running or walking, but it is getting a little cardio benefit and it won't detract from his quality run/walk days IF he keeps the effort really low. Realistically, he might wind up walking some of the way or most of the uphills. That's okay. Just put in the time. The distance is unimportant.

3. The 20-30 minute jog/walk will help him acclimate to time-on-feet while continuously moving. If he's moving for 20-30 minutes, then moving constantly for the race itself shouldn't feel that long.

Also, he definitely should stop lifting. The body will have to spend some of its limited resources to recover from the lifting. He wants his body to focus all its resources on getting ready for the next quality workout.

After a couple of these run/walk workouts, ask him what is the limiting factor? Are his muscles tying up? Or, is it shortness of breath? If his muscles are tying up, he should focus on relaxing as much as possible while running/walking. If the limiting factor is shortness of breath, he should take 6 capsules of Cordyceps about an hour prior to the workout.

If the OP's friend decides to go with even pacing instead of my run/walk suggestion, he should buy a GymBoss Plus with wrist strap for $29 on Amazon. Put cones around the track every 50m and set the GymBoss for (TYPO FIXED) 16 seconds to beep at every 50m cone. 16sec per 50m equals 8:32 for 1600 or roughly 8:35/mile. He should be able to use the GymBoss during the race itself unless pacing devices are specifically prohibited.

If 16sec/50m is too hard, he could try 17sec and just remember that he's going to have to kick in the last half lap.

I routinely use a GymBoss and 50m cones in my workouts. It takes the stress of thinking about pace while you're running. Instead, he can think about relaxing while hitting each 50m cone with the beep.

Decent advice so far but people are missing out on one of the biggest difference makers at this level (and with margins so close / no time for major fitness changes):

He needs to lose weight, and realistically, cutting through some pretty extreme methods. 12 pounds at least, ideally more but that is hard in just two weeks. Especially psychologically if hes a muscle head gym bro. But if he can do that, 12 less pounds over 6 laps has got to be at least 30 sec at his weight? Idk not my field to speculate.

Careful fueling so that the extreme loss doesn't cause him to bonk during the test. Honestly wrestlers probably have the best strategies both to cut the weight and then perform at max capability while having undergone that physiological shock.

Most people on the board may view this as a crock, but it might also be worth trying a variety of breathing exercises designed to marginally impact vo2 max. I cant promise they'll do miracles, but if he practices breath control, he may be less likely to overextend his aerobic tank early on.

Right now he is way off pace, but if he can do the right things each and everyday (and recover a lot, full night's of sleep!), its possible he can at least do a mile at the right pace.

Consider buying some ethnic mannequins to help motivate him in training. You can bike alongside him while holding them out and he can try to catch you.

It's insane how low of a bar this is to clear and that someone who's "super muscular and fit" basically has no shot.

Alternate short answer: Yes, he can.

This isn't a very advanced level of running, and honestly 11 days of hard and smart work + 3 days to reset the legs can go a long way when the goal is a 13:30 1.5 mile.

Refer to some of the previous plans posted here, but mostly the ones with a focus on running. Try to adjust him to the running plan as much as possible WITHOUT risking injury.

And then let adrenaline/nerves do the rest. If there are other prospective sheriffs to race with, even better. Adrenaline can very easily carry your body to perform nearly double what it can without it. For doubters: Think of how hard a solo, unpaced 800 rep at mile pace is in training. Or a mile at 3K pace. The 7:40 indicates he is physically capable, will just need to push extremely hard after 11 smart days of training.