Winning tips for dropping your two mile run time
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Olympic gold medalist Derrick Adkins offers up winning tips for dropping
your two-mile run time.
Of the three events that make up the Army Physical Fitness Test, the
two-mile run generally causes soldiers the most grief. That's because you
can be in great shape but still consistently fall short of your goals. If
you really want to crush your next Army Physical Fitness Test, you have to
train for the two-mile as if it were an Olympic event. Which is why we asked
Derrick Adkins to offer up some pro-level advice for soldiers looking to
drop their two-mile run time. Adkins won the gold medal for 400-meter
hurdles at the 1996 Olympics and now trains coaches and professional
athletes competing in endurance events.
"If you're running a 15-minute two-mile right now and you want to take it
down to 14 minutes, you could do that in two to three weeks," Adkins told
Task & Purpose. "But if you do this for six to eight weeks, I'd say you can
take that 15 minutes down to 13."
1. Buy good running shoes.
"Having the right shoes makes a big difference when you're trying to do
something like this," says Adkins. "I recommend going to a specialty running
shop instead of a big sports store. At these shops, the sales people are
more than sales people; they're experts who will look at your foot, your
arches, and how you walk to find the right shoe for you."
2. Don't starve yourself.
It's never a good idea to combine the goal of dropping your two-mile run
time with the goal of losing weight. Running a lot makes you hungry. So eat.
"Try to consume only healthy carbs, fruits, vegetables, salads and whole
grains," Adkins says. "And there's no need to cut down on the amount of meat
and protein your body is already used to. Just stay away from fatty cuts and
fried food. You can eat as much as you want as long as it's healthy."
3. Find a track.
A 400-meter track is the ideal venue for this because it allows you to
measure time and distance accurately. To begin, you'll want to establish a
baseline by running two miles (or eight laps) around the track. This will
give you a starting point. "If you can't find a track, a measured course
with mile markers will work, too," Adkins says. "Avoid the treadmill. That's
a last resort."
4. Do speed work.
Begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up jog followed by some stretching. Then hit
the straightaways for 10 100-meter sprints at 75% full speed. "After each
100-meter sprint, take your time walking back," says Adkins. "Only do this
once a week. You don't need any more speed work than that."
5. Do over-distance work.
Since you're training for a two-mile run, you'll want to run between three
to five miles two or three times a week. This will ultimately make the
two-mile distance feel shorter and easier. "It's okay to leave the track for
this," Adkins says.
6. Do intervals.
"Intervals or tempo runs are paced runs a tad faster than your two-mile
pace, but definitely not a sprint," Adkins explains. The ideal interval
distance is 800 meters, or two laps around the track. Run one interval at
moderate pace and then rest for four minutes. Repeat three more times for a
total of four intervals. Do this twice a week.
7. Don't overdo it.
"Remember that your body actually gets stronger while resting, not while
training," says Adkins. "Training four to six days a week should be
sufficient. Try not to train seven days a week. You need your rest."
8. Focus on form.
Contrary to what they used to teach us in the military, striking first with
the heel of your foot while running is bad form. "If you see a pro
marathoner caught in a still photo, they look flatfooted," Adkins explains.
"That's because they're striking mid-foot tending toward the front of the
foot. That's good form. On the other hand, if you see a still photo of a
runner with his leg out in front and only his heel striking the ground with
no other part of his foot touching, that's wrong." Good form also entails
keeping your torso erect and your chin up. "If you have a slight forward
lean, it should be very slight."
your two-mile run time.
Of the three events that make up the Army Physical Fitness Test, the
two-mile run generally causes soldiers the most grief. That's because you
can be in great shape but still consistently fall short of your goals. If
you really want to crush your next Army Physical Fitness Test, you have to
train for the two-mile as if it were an Olympic event. Which is why we asked
Derrick Adkins to offer up some pro-level advice for soldiers looking to
drop their two-mile run time. Adkins won the gold medal for 400-meter
hurdles at the 1996 Olympics and now trains coaches and professional
athletes competing in endurance events.
"If you're running a 15-minute two-mile right now and you want to take it
down to 14 minutes, you could do that in two to three weeks," Adkins told
Task & Purpose. "But if you do this for six to eight weeks, I'd say you can
take that 15 minutes down to 13."
1. Buy good running shoes.
"Having the right shoes makes a big difference when you're trying to do
something like this," says Adkins. "I recommend going to a specialty running
shop instead of a big sports store. At these shops, the sales people are
more than sales people; they're experts who will look at your foot, your
arches, and how you walk to find the right shoe for you."
2. Don't starve yourself.
It's never a good idea to combine the goal of dropping your two-mile run
time with the goal of losing weight. Running a lot makes you hungry. So eat.
"Try to consume only healthy carbs, fruits, vegetables, salads and whole
grains," Adkins says. "And there's no need to cut down on the amount of meat
and protein your body is already used to. Just stay away from fatty cuts and
fried food. You can eat as much as you want as long as it's healthy."
3. Find a track.
A 400-meter track is the ideal venue for this because it allows you to
measure time and distance accurately. To begin, you'll want to establish a
baseline by running two miles (or eight laps) around the track. This will
give you a starting point. "If you can't find a track, a measured course
with mile markers will work, too," Adkins says. "Avoid the treadmill. That's
a last resort."
4. Do speed work.
Begin with a 5-10 minute warm-up jog followed by some stretching. Then hit
the straightaways for 10 100-meter sprints at 75% full speed. "After each
100-meter sprint, take your time walking back," says Adkins. "Only do this
once a week. You don't need any more speed work than that."
5. Do over-distance work.
Since you're training for a two-mile run, you'll want to run between three
to five miles two or three times a week. This will ultimately make the
two-mile distance feel shorter and easier. "It's okay to leave the track for
this," Adkins says.
6. Do intervals.
"Intervals or tempo runs are paced runs a tad faster than your two-mile
pace, but definitely not a sprint," Adkins explains. The ideal interval
distance is 800 meters, or two laps around the track. Run one interval at
moderate pace and then rest for four minutes. Repeat three more times for a
total of four intervals. Do this twice a week.
7. Don't overdo it.
"Remember that your body actually gets stronger while resting, not while
training," says Adkins. "Training four to six days a week should be
sufficient. Try not to train seven days a week. You need your rest."
8. Focus on form.
Contrary to what they used to teach us in the military, striking first with
the heel of your foot while running is bad form. "If you see a pro
marathoner caught in a still photo, they look flatfooted," Adkins explains.
"That's because they're striking mid-foot tending toward the front of the
foot. That's good form. On the other hand, if you see a still photo of a
runner with his leg out in front and only his heel striking the ground with
no other part of his foot touching, that's wrong." Good form also entails
keeping your torso erect and your chin up. "If you have a slight forward
lean, it should be very slight."
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