Running, help.

azampino1 wrote: »

my speed has still been around 9-9:30 min/mile.

Slow down.

Don't worry about speed, focus on improving distance and speed will come.

I'd suggest using an established plan like C25K to give you some challenge whilst avoiding overdoing it.

I would say your are doing great. 9 to 9:30 min. miles are good average run splits. I do 5 k runs on the treadmill and I usually do a 2:30 warmup at a slower speed than my normal race pace. So if you are running 6.5 on the treadmill, warm up would be like a 5.5 or up to 6mph. Warm up can vary per person but for me 2:30 allow me to get my breath together, get my legs fired up and get loose. Then after that, I will gradually build up to my race pace. So from 5.8 I go to 6.0 and hold that for a minute or so, then 6.2 and hold and so. I have found this slow build allows me to get control of the breath before I go faster. I would also say don't be too hard on yourself, & don't give up if results aren't coming as quick as you like. Everyday will be different and just adjust goals accordingly. If you know that day its just not going well, either do a slower pace or do something else like the elliptical, bike, take a class, yoga, something you enjoy & have fun with it. These other activities will still give you cardio benefits and work other muscles as well so when you come back to the run, you may actually notice a difference.

Honestly, don't even look at your time or speed. When I first got back into it I only left the distance visible on my watch. I just ran at what felt comfortable to me the first 2 runs. After that I went in small increments. I basically started at 1 mile. I did that for a week and then pushed to 1.25 the week after and so on. I try to get out 3 times a week and run at a decent pace on Mon/Weds and then push myself a little on Friday. I'm just getting back into this as well since I haven't run for 18yrs.

azampino1 wrote: »

Thanks for the help so far. I was looking at the c25k program.
I am training for a physical fitness test and I have a time limit. The test will probably be at the end of July or sometime in August.
I need to get to a 12:30 min 1.5 mile.

1.5 miles in 12:30 is an average pace of 8:20 per mile. Since this is a physical fitness test, your goal is to be able to sustain that pace for 1.5 miles, even if you collapse and couldn't run another 100 meters at the end. That's fine for a race or a physical fitness test, but that's not how you train to improve.

Most of the miles you run should be much, much slower than your goal race/test pace. As noted by many replies above, you should be able to hold a conversation, sing, have plenty of breath, etc. while running for distance. The purpose of this is to build stamina.

No more than once a week, try some speed intervals. If you have access to a standard track, it's pretty simple to keep track of run hard for 400m, run easy for 400m, repeat. You might start with 2x400 hard with 400 recovery between, and work your way up to 4x400 hard with 200m recovery in between. This builds your ability to run fast by letting you run more time/distance fast than you could do continually without getting so tired that you lose good form. It is supported by a base of easy running that builds your stamina. Eventually, you put 2 and 2 together and run that 1.5 miles as fast as you can for the test, even if you collapse at the end.

There are more nuanced training plans. Some will call for different or more complex interval training, some will quantify different levels of "fast" for how hard your run the speed intervals. There will be plans with differently structured intervals to support different goal distances. But all of the reputable plans will call for most miles being run easy, and a relatively small portion of your time being speed work.

Good luck!

I started with the app 5k Runner. You start out by doing walk/run cycles. Your running time increases weekly and at the end of the program you can easily run 3 miles in 30 minutes. It will help build your endurance.

I've had to deal with people under my command preparing for their annual fitness tests, I've also in the past been involved in selection to the military and new entry training. The direction I normally give is to train up to 5K. That should give you the capacity to pass a cooper test fairly easily at the pace needed.

If you're approaching a new entry date for military or law enforcement then establish what you'll need to run in training, and prepare for that. In my service you'll be running to 10K in week one, and the training team will be watching for those that have only prepared for the fitness test. Essentially I'd you can't already run for that distance it's unlikely that you're fit enough to pass the course. The mile and a half in 12 minutes is very modest.