Need help on mile run.

[Full time cadet]

So many of you know that the shuttle run got taken off. Which results in alot of cadet not being able to get promoted because most of them pass CPFT running portion thanks to the shuttle run.

I am one of those people that's having this difficulty of passing the mile run

I am 18 years old. My latest time is 8:40 which does not meet my requirement of 7:35.

Any tips and tricks?

I used to run from my heel to toes before but now I have been running from my toes lately although it gets pretty painful afterwards but I kinda find it helping my time. What would make me run in a better stance?

I breath from my nose and release from my mouth. Working pretty well so far.

Push-ups and curl-ups dosen't seem to be a problem to me as I usually do the most.


I always practice my mile run every morning on my local track during weekends. Althought we dont run on a track for CPFT. We run 2 laps all the way around the huge college building on the side walk. The curve is pretty bad.

[LSThiker]

So many of you know that the shuttle run got taken off. Which results in alot of cadet not being able to get promoted because most of them pass CPFT running portion thanks to the shuttle run.

I am one of those people that's having this difficulty of passing the mile run

I am 18 years old. My latest time is 8:40 which does not meet my requirement of 7:35.

Any tips and tricks?

I used to run from my heel to toes before but now I have been running from my toes lately although it gets pretty painful afterwards but I kinda find it helping my time. What would make me run in a better stance?

I breath from my nose and release from my mouth. Working pretty well so far.

Push-ups and curl-ups dosen't seem to be a problem to me as I usually do the most.


I always practice my mile run every morning on my local track during weekends. Althought we dont run on a track for CPFT. We run 2 laps all the way around the huge college building on the side walk. The curve is pretty bad.

A few quick thoughts on this.

Search "Running form importance" and you will find about 17.9 million articles describing the perfect form.  From the fastest marathoner to people's personal opinions.  One thing to note, if you do decide to change your form, do so slowly.  Your body has adapted and compensated for specific forces.  Thus, making drastic and quick changes may cause injury.

Speed.  Again, there are about 17 million articles regarding how to increase your running speed.  The current trend in Exercise Science is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  While most people assume HIIT is for strength and muscle, it is just as beneficial for running.  There are numerous free schedules and workout plans regarding this.  May benefit you (or may not). 

Lastly, if possible, try to run at the time your will be doing your CPFT.  Your body adapts to reoccurring periods of needed energy.  Therefore, if you exercise in the morning, your body will naturally expect a period of time when extra energy is needed.  However, there is a catch.  If you are constantly working out at the same time, the efficacy of your workout will decrease.  This will cause you to benefit less and less from the work out.  You want to keep your body "guessing".  This can be accomplished by changing speed, time, distance, and time of workout.  For example, if you always run 2 miles in 16 min at 1900, your body will as greatly benefit if you were change it up.  For example, try running 2.5 miles or try to run at 15:45 min the other. 

The unfortunate thing about exercise science and fitness is, most of what you read is based on opinion, not research.  Therefore, you will find numerous official sounding websites that spew junk.  Be careful when reading the regular internet.

[Mitchell 1969]

So many of you know that the shuttle run got taken off. Which results in alot of cadet not being able to get promoted because most of them pass CPFT running portion thanks to the shuttle run.

I am one of those people that's having this difficulty of passing the mile run

I am 18 years old. My latest time is 8:40 which does not meet my requirement of 7:35.

Any tips and tricks?

I used to run from my heel to toes before but now I have been running from my toes lately although it gets pretty painful afterwards but I kinda find it helping my time. What would make me run in a better stance?

I breath from my nose and release from my mouth. Working pretty well so far.

Push-ups and curl-ups dosen't seem to be a problem to me as I usually do the most.


I always practice my mile run every morning on my local track during weekends. Althought we dont run on a track for CPFT. We run 2 laps all the way around the huge college building on the side walk. The curve is pretty bad.

Any idea if those "...two laps all the way around the huge college building..." add up to an actual mile? Did they use a measure meter, or pace it off, or just eyeball it?

[Full time cadet]

I don't know if they measured or "eyeballed" it because I never saw them calculating the distance. We always run 2 laps around the college building for the mile run.

[abdsp51]

You need to run faster and you will get there by running faster.  When you run the track is it a 1/4 mile track or a different distance?  If it's a quarter mile you need to establish a baseline for your laps to see what you can do to cut your time. 

I use to run a 12-12:30 M mile and a half but with doing a lot of running and since I have transitioned to running in the Vibram Five Fingers my time has dropped to 11:30-12:00.  Changing your running form can help but you also need to find what your baseline is for a 1/4 mile. 

Incorporating a speed workout into running will help as well. 

[jdh]

One thing that always worked well for me and for my soldiers was a running routine called 30-60s. When I would have a soldier that couldn't pass the 2 mile run I would take them to a track 4 days a week and have then do 30-60s for about 30-45mins. They way they work is you do a full out as fast and as hard as you can run sprint for 30 secs, then you walk at a brisk (almost jogging) walk for 60 secs and alternate back and forth. The first couple of times you will feel like you're dying by the time you hit the 20-30 min mark if you're doing it right. But this will not only work on you speed but also you endurance. I was running 12:30-13:00 2 miles time before I injured my knee in an accident and after my knee healed I was able to go from a 16:00 2 mile back to a 13:00 2 mile in about 2 months. The most important thing though is to get yourself to the point that you can run at a constant pace during the run, it will make it much easier.

[dwb]

I'm old, and I hit 7:35 on the 7th mile of a 10 mile run this morning (followed by a 7:31, 7:24, and 7:13). Admittedly I was aiming for negative splits and those were tempo speeds. It's not my normal easy pace.

So how did I get there?

You need to run more than a mile. If you can run three miles at an 8:30 pace, then knocking out one at 7:35 is going to be easy street.

Try running longer distances but at a slower speed. If you get shin splints or don't do a lot of regular running, you may benefit from a structured program like Couch to 5K. It's totally fine to do a run/walk mix while you build mileage, to avoid injury and let your cardiovascular system strengthen gradually.

Once you're consistently running a few times a week, then you pick one day to be speed work day, and do all the track interval training others have mentioned.

If you're far off on the mile run it may take you 2-3 months of consistent training to get there. Find a wingman who can help keep you motivated, use an app on your phone like Runkeeper or Strava (I'm on Strava) to log your workouts, etc.

Improvement on your mile speeds will come gradually with consistent training over time. A 7:35 mile is totally doable, even if you're at 8:40 today. Don't get discouraged.

[Storm Chaser]

My experience with some cadets that can't pass the mile-run is that they don't train consistently.

If you need to shave a minute of your run, try running 3-4 times a week over the next couple of months. Make sure you're eating a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet. Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. You'd be surprised how many people are dehydrated throughout the day. Finally, make sure you get enough sleep every day. Rest and good nutrition are important to recover from your workouts.

This is not a trick. If you train consistently and live a healthy lifestyle, your mile-run will improve.

[Full time cadet]

Update*

Just came back from running 1.5 miles.

Lastest mile run time: 7:49

[Flying Pig]

More than likely your answer lies in a complete lifestyle change.  To many cadets concentrate on JUST running in order to run faster. What do you eat?  How hydrated are you regularly?  There is so much more to running faster that people just overlook. 

About 2 weeks ago I began a strict goal of drinking 1 gallon of water a day.  In 14 days, I have drank approx 110 pounds of water.  However, Ive lost 4 pounds.  I weigh 205 at 6'. 
Yes, we can go into the high school students who die from over hydrating, etc etc.  But thats not anywhere near what I am doing.  You still eat healthy, you can drink other things.  In 2 weeks I feel completely different.  I feel better, I sleep so differently now that I notice a difference.  My skin has cleared up in spots.  Im 40yrs old... and I can see wrinkles around my eyes have lightened significantly.  Sure, there are drawbacks...like peeing....  but its interesting.  I dont know how that will affect your mile time.  But since you are pushing your workouts, it may be something to try out.  What I really noticed was that its really pretty easy to drink 1 gallon a day.    I never realized the state of constant dehydration I was operating in.  Something to think about. 

[Eaker Guy]

My experience with some cadets that can't pass the mile-run is that they don't train consistently.

If you need to shave a minute of your run, try running 3-4 times a week over the next couple of months. Make sure you're eating a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet. Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. You'd be surprised how many people are dehydrated throughout the day. Finally, make sure you get enough sleep every day. Rest and good nutrition are important to recover from your workouts.

This is not a trick. If you train consistently and live a healthy lifestyle, your mile-run will improve.

+1

[Full time cadet]

+1

Replies like these stands no purpose at all. I'm here to look for advices and help. Please stop.

Thank You.

[SarDragon]

+1

Replies like these stands no purpose at all. I'm here to look for advices and help. Please stop.

Thank You.

+1

[Full time cadet]

+1

Replies like these stands no purpose at all. I'm here to look for advices and help. Please stop.

Thank You.

+1

Please stop.

Thank You

[SarDragon]

PMs sent.

[LSThiker]

Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. You'd be surprised how many people are dehydrated throughout the day.

Actually that is not true.  Most people are hydrated enough (assuming you did not just exercise or walk around in the hot sun).   

Studies have really failed in this arena.  The myth that people need to have 8 cups of water daily is really outdated and was poor science, the number was really just made up by the way in 1945 (Food and Nutrition Board).  Some studies have tried to quantify just how much water we really need per day.  For adult males, that number is reported as 3.7 liters, while adult females is 2.7 liters.  However, these numbers are really misleading.  As described by Carroll (2015), a randomized study of 4,134 children (6 to 19 years) examined urine osmolality.  It was found that the average osmolality was 800mOsm/kg, this number seems to get reported as "the number" quite often.  Of the subjects that ensured drank 8 glasses of water each day, the difference was a mere 8 mOsm less, which was statistically insignificant.  The paper claimed that 800 mOsm/Kg was an indicator that children were dehydrated.  Although, most pediatricians would rarely use osmolality as an indicator of body hydration (Carroll, 2015).  In fact, there really is not any consensus on what defines dehydration other than outdated definitions (Armstrong, 2007)  It should be noted that a 24-hr urine osmolality is reported to have a normal range of 500-800, while a random osmolality normal range is about 300-900.  Further, a study in 2002 examined the average osmolality around the world and found wide ranging numbers.  Interestingly, in Kenya, the average was 392 mOsm/kg while Sweden was 964 mOsm/kg (Carroll, 2015). 

It should be noted that on average, we receive about 20% of our daily water through food.  If you eat more water-laden fruit and vegetables (lettuces, watermelon, apples), than that number is probably higher.

There are numerous myths when it comes to water, water intake, how much water we really need, etc.  They are still believed by numerous physicians and scientists today despite being already debunked or unsupported.

Another myth is, "if you are thirsty, then you are already dehydrated".  I know I have heard this plenty of times.  However, there is no evidence to support this.  Our bodies "hydration sensors" are quite sensitive and pretty fool-proof.  When you are thirsty, you may have a simple 1% reduction (depends on the person and state of condition) of the necessary water.  As long as people obey their brains and drink when they are thirsty, then a person is going to be hydrated enough (again, assuming you have not just exercised, walked in hot sun, or some other dehydrating activity).   

[Flying Pig]

Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. You'd be surprised how many people are dehydrated throughout the day.

There are numerous myths when it comes to water, water intake, how much water we really need, etc.  They are still believed by numerous physicians and scientists today despite being already debunked or unsupported.

  Next time just post the article and at least give the journalist some credit. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html?_r=1

[LSThiker]

Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water every day. You'd be surprised how many people are dehydrated throughout the day.

There are numerous myths when it comes to water, water intake, how much water we really need, etc.  They are still believed by numerous physicians and scientists today despite being already debunked or unsupported.

  Next time just post the article and at least give the journalist some credit. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/upshot/no-you-do-not-have-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day.html?_r=1

True I should have given credit to Aaron for the numbers from the studies for the 4,134 children and the world-wide osmolalities.  That is my fault for not including that reference in there, which I have now edited to include.  However, you will also notice that the rest of the material is not from that article.  Material that is rather common knowledge, such as the 1945 recommendation of 8-glasses of water.  To answer your question before you edited, I enjoy medical myths and just how persistent they are.  As such, I am well read on the myth of 8-glasses and the belief that we are all dehydrated. 

[Flying Pig]

I edited for politeness.  But Ill take your word now that you really are a student of hydration.   Next discussion..... nuclear physics..... Ready..Go!

[Flying Pig]

A heavy nucleus can contain hundreds of nucleons which means that with some approximation it can be treated as a classical system, rather than a quantum-mechanical one. In the resulting liquid-drop model[14], the nucleus has an energy which arises partly from surface tension and partly from electrical repulsion of the protons. The liquid-drop model is able to reproduce many features of nuclei, including the general trend of binding energy with respect to mass number, as well as the phenomenon of nuclear fission.

Superimposed on this classical picture, however, are quantum-mechanical effects, which can be described using the nuclear shell model, developed in large part by Maria Goeppert Mayer[15] and J. Hans D. Jensen[16]. Nuclei with certain numbers of neutrons and protons (the magic numbers 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, ...) are particularly stable, because their shells are filled.