Runners - Need your help!

LOL...!!! No offense taken, i figured this might come up... i haven't always been a disgusting blob of rolling, oily human flesh... i only gained a hundred pounds in the last 6-8 years... i used to be this same height at 140-145 pounds... i was big into running before i started smoking... Even did a lot of lower body heavy weight-lifting in the gym, in high school... i still have some speed, but Samoas have slowed me down quite a bit...

Of course, Dave, you should stretch and all that good stuff; i just figured that was a given... If it were anyone else, i'd say listen to ME, but Rob's done all sorts of -athalons, so taking advise from him would probably be wiser...

 

Rob, no pain, no gain... You know that...!

 

15 mins for a mile and half is not hard at all. I can run a mile in 6:45, 2 miles in about 15:30. But to train, just run 1/2 mile today, 3/4 mile tomorrow, HARD 1/2 mile the next day, slow mile the next day, hard 3/4 mile, finish off with a standard mile or mile and a half. As rob said stretch before and after, that is essential to not being sore the next day. If you feel up to it and have the time, run up and down stairs the first and 3rd days to help maybe build some muscle.


all this talk has made me want to go run.

 

PROBLEM SOLVED:

Day of the run I'll write you a doctor's excuse saying you sprained your prostate looking at the Bikini Thread.

 

Screw running. I wouldn't even run from a bear. That's what big-bore rifles are for.

Pay someone to run in your stead.

 

Ehh, maybe you're right. I just gave him our easy week in cross country....

 

David,

I suggest this person:

Start jogging today, this will increase lung capacity, muscle memory and flexibility. After a mile jog, if he can pickup the pace for a 1/4 mile, great... then go back to a jog (semi sprints) The idea is to get those lungs working and warm up the muscles so they are more flexible. Rob is right, stretching is importantant but I recommend stretching after you have warmed up with light jog / jumping jacks, etc. I would not stretch cold... you could pull something easily (AND don't overstretch) . You'll be surprised how much you can increase in just a week if you strive for little gains.

This will help you when you have to do your run.

1.5 miles in 15 min. is a 6mph pace (math correct?). If you get on a treadmill you can see that it is a pretty good pace.

Also, I would get some gatoraide and bananas to keep the electrolytes and potassium levels good.

Good luck

 

I'd probably run a mile on day 1, then 1.5 miles on day 2-4 and maybe 2 miles on day 5.... do a walk of 1-2 miles on day 6.

Then hope to hell that you're OK on the day. Eat a banana or oats 1hr before your run and make sure you've had plenty of fluids.

Dont forget the stretching stuff too - very very important!

Good luck
Jamie

 

I've done 4 yrs of Cross Country and 3 yrs of track in high school so I have some experience in this. I dont mean to brag but I've done 2 miles in 12 minutes before. Of course I'm a lot younger than you are but you really shouldn't have to much trouble with this.

You really shouldnt have any trouble getting the time that you want(1.5 miles isn't all that far) but still run a couple miles a day and drink plenty of water, eat bananas and stretch so you dont pull anything. It also wont hurt to eat a plate of spaggeti the night before. The day of your run dont eat applesor lettuce. I'm serious. All they will do is give to gas while you are running and you dont want that. Also dont eat anything at least 3 hrs before your run because it wont be digested yet. Blood goes to your stomach when it is digesting and when you are running you want blood going to your legs and arms.

I dont want to get to technical but if you follow the above you will do just fine on your run. Good luck.

 

Are you trying to become a cop? Sounds like a police or military fitness test to me. Army reserves?

 

Is the running to be done on the beach? Are you trying out for Gulf Baywatch?

 

Rob is spot on. If you only have 6 days to get ready forget about trying to do anything to improve your endurance. But what you can do in 6 days that will really help you is increase your flexability.

As Rob pointed out do some very light warming up to get the blood flowing. Then after you are warm start to strech. The blood flow help the muscles to move easier.

The main muscles you really want to get limber are in your legs. Start buy going down as far as you can go, right before you start to feel the burning sensation. Hold that possition for about a minute. Remember to stay relaxed. Now go a little further to the point at were you feal the burn. Hold that possition for another minute. Then come up and shake out. Stay as relaxed as possible the whole time. Now go back again and this time go to the point were you feel the burn. Again hold for a minute. Then go to were you really feel it burn. Hold that possiton for 30 seconds. Then you can come up.

You will want to do this streching for your calves (pushing on a wall with one leg back and putting you heal to the ground), quads (hurdlers strech, one leg out the other bent back and then try to lay flat on the ground), hamstrings (sitting on the ground and reaching for your toes), and inner legs (the splits).

Do these every day until the day you run. Then on the day you run, warm up about 30 minutes ahead of the time you run, and strech out up until you have to actually run. You want the muscles as streched, and relaxed as they can be right before you run.

The night be for, load up on pleanty of carbohydrates, and eat a couple of energy bars. Make sure not to eat the day of the run, until after you have run. Take a walkman with you and listen to something before you run, that will make you relaxed. The more relaxed you are before the run, the better you will run and stay relaxed. When you start the run, DON'T go all out. Start with a pace that is at about 60% of your fastest. Then gradually increase it. Keep telling your self in your mind I can go just a tiny bit faster, and increase your pace about every minute. What this does is keep you relaxed and it increase your pace. Then the last 200 meters you want to really pick up the pace until you are going 100% at the 75 meter mark. Run as fast as you can all the way through the finish. When you start to feel like you are slowing down towards the end pump your arms so that you hand come to the level of your forhead on the up swing. This helps with the rotation of your legs. When you are going all out, keep your face, neck, and arms as relaxed as you can. Like wet noodles, to the point that your jaw is flapping around. This will help to keep you from tensing up. If you tense up you will slow down big time. Your gonna feel like you are ready to drop but keep going.

One last thing. Relax, relax, relax, relax, RELAX!!! But keep gradually building the pace.

 

Ok, now I'm confused. So I SHOULDN'T move my insurance?

 

Dave

I run 15-20 miles a week. If it was me having to get ready for this I would likely set up a 1.5 mile course and try and run it. Nothing too strenuous. See how you do right out of the box. If you are not even close, then nothing you can do in 6 days will make any difference. If you are just short by a bit, you can do some interval running (run, walk, run, walk) a couple of days ahead of the test. As everyone has said, you can't do much in 6 days. You really can hurt yourself trying to do too much, too soon. If you do try a bit of training before the run, I would allow at least two days of rest before the run.

If you have a bike it would be helpful to ride it a bit. Much less impact on the lower body and you can still get the heart rate elevated and the lungs working a bit.

Good luck and let us know what happens

 

Listen to Rob because he's got it spot on. After the test you should probably start doing regular runs and workouts... For me the Push Ups are the hard part...

What is the test for? All the military branches require faster times than that... In fact a quick google search shows a 1.5 mile run in 15:20 is the requirement for a police recruit in Grand Prairie Texas...