Hey guys, right now I have a fitness test coming up in 3 months. I've never started running until I got into the military and I need some advice. I can run a 11.45 minute 1.5 but I can run a mile in 6 minutes. I eventually want to get to that goal or close to it I have speed but not that much endurance, I currently don't have a running plan so anything would help! Thank you guys!
You need to avg a 6min mile pace for 6 laps, have fun & good luck. Start training now.
Good luck! What's your current mileage per week? How old are you? What is your weight and height?
I'm no coach, but here is a typical week for our XC team, which does relatively low mileage compared to other teams, so something you should be able to handle without too much issue right off the bat.
Monday: Long slow distance - 50 min (beginning of season) -> 80 min or longer (pre-end of season taper) - easy pace (build aerobic efficiency)
Tuesday: Speed work - ex: warm up 1 mi + 4x800m fast w/ 2 min rest (probably would be run in 2:45/2:50 for you) + 4 x hill repeats (sprint up, jog down) + 1 mi cooldown
Wednesday: Aquajogging/plyos - lift or whatever you normally do, you have more to worry about for the PFT than the 1.5 mi run
Thursday: Tempo run - 3-5 mi at maybe 70-75% of your effort for 2 mi
Friday: easy day - 3-4 mi easy, w/ 150m strides every mile or so
Saturday: race - might want to do another tempo run?
Sunday: rest
Given the low mileage, these workouts tend to be relatively quick and might give you enough time to fit quick lifting/calisthenics sessions in in preparation for you PFT even on days when you run. I'm hoping someone else can give you a better model plan than this, but hopefully this works as a start.
Mr Maine wrote:
Hey guys, right now I have a fitness test coming up in 3 months. I've never started running until I got into the military and I need some advice. I can run a 11.45 minute 1.5 but I can run a mile in 6 minutes. I eventually want to get to that goal or close to it I have speed but not that much endurance, I currently don't have a running plan so anything would help! Thank you guys!
I'm a civilian employee at Fort Knox, and on the treadmill I always see Army guys run exactly 2 miles (the distance of the run in their fitness test) and they do it pretty hard every time they run. Not much of a training plan, but they seem to get by with it.
If you can run a mile in 6 flat but only make 1.5 miles in 11:45 then your endurance is what you need to work on.
Im assuming you have normal life-work obligations and other fitness goals to prepare for on military fitness test so I would recommend 4 running sessions a week.
Tuesday- 30 minute run
Thursday- jog 1 mile, stretch , 400 repeats on track at 88-90 secs, 90 sec rest, jog 1 mile cooldown. Start with 4 reps, add 1 rep every week until you get to 12. Increase pace if possible after 12 reps at 88 feels easy.
Saturday- 30 minute continuous run on grass-trail, with 1 minute hard but controlled every five minutes.
Sunday- long run. Start at 40 minutes. Add five minutes every other week until you get to 75 minutes. Dont do a long run closer than ten days to official time trial.
Do a 1.5 mile time trial by yourself instead of 400 workout 1 month before military test. Pace yourself strictly at 88-90 secs-lap and see how you do.
Thank you all for the amazing advice! I'm gonna start working on this today this is just what I need!
Navy guy here.
For the Navy PFT, I train integrating sit-ups, push-ups, chin-ups and running. Pick a running course that has a loop 3 to 5 minute loop, or a hill that is 1 to 3 minutes long. Alternate doing one of the three exercises every 1 to 3 minutes. A tree branch works great for the chin-ups.
I entered the Navy at age 30, and could just barely do 25 push-ups when I started training. By the time I hit boot camp, I could do the 100 sit-ups, 70 pushups, and an 8:08 1.5 mile run. I trained just the way I'm showing you here. Back those three scores gave me 300 points, and that was always my goal... to Max the PFT.
Remember for the strength exercises to also practice doing slow ones, 6 seconds down 6 seconds up, working up to 30 seconds down 30 seconds up. That's a good way to bridge towards higher reps. By the time I was in my mid-forties I could still do 100 sit-ups, 80 pushups, and 7:40s for the run. For me it's a sense of pride, aiming for the top.
Best of luck to you. Go NAVY!
Assuming you can in fact run a 6 minute mile (and no, 6:xx is not a six minute mile unless xx is less than 5) then you've got the basic speed needed but not the endurance.
Since you only have 3 months really all you should do for the next 8 weeks should be building an anaerobic base and getting used to running. I would recommend 30 minute runs 6 days a week building to 45 to 50 minutes by week 8. Sprinkle in some strides or hills 2 days a week
Last 4 weeks you can integrate some tempos or interval work 2-3 times a week. Practice race pace. 90 seconds per lap around the track.
On race day don't go out too fast
Good luck
Hey Sir,
Air Force guy here just was curious about the running course and what exactly is it.
Thank you for your service and being in the Navy as well!
Thank you for your service but I don't believe you can run a 6 minute mile with an 11:45 mile and a half. That's a heck of a drop off. But anywho, I would just focus on speed. Three speed work outs a week, three recovery days, and a day off. Your speed workouts have to be cranked up. You could do low volume to very fast pace like a sprinter. For example 6x400 65-70 pace. Just trying to help.
I'm like captain hobby hogger (mid 40s, 2-3 years now of 10-15 mpw)
And I run a 6:06 mile, 2 miles in a smidge under 13, (6:30) 5k at 20:50 (6:44), and never do the 1.5 but I have to assume I'd be around 9:30 (6:20 pace)
IMO you just have a pacing problem. Go out on a 6:20 pace (1:27 approx 400m splits) and bust out 6 laps as a time trial, I'm sure you'd make it as your mile time is running splits at 1:15. Just use a watch and get you 200m splits twice a lap and hang on
So if I were you I'd just work on base aerobic conditioning since you obviously seem to be in shape w/o running, and some pace specific work (800 repeats probably perfect for a 1.5m target)
I'm lazy /hobbyjogger so I'd do 5 miles easy on a treadmill 4x/week r so (8:39 pace for you) and one track day where you feel your approx goal pace in 800 repeats with a warmup/down
You should run some hills
I can now run 1.5 miles in 8:40 because i practice on hills