In the Army - Improving my 2 Mile Time

by Dave
(Lincoln, NE, USA)

I am a 36 year old male who just joined the army. I have not run any long distance so I tried on my own to train and was doing ok but my times are still high.

My one mile is 8.5 min and my two mile is between 17.44 to 18 min.

I now have some injury due to I don't know what but my calf muscles are sore and my running has stopped for now.

I need some help on what to do and how I can increase my running time... I have two months to do this... help me please!

Answer by Dominique:

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your question about improving your 2 mile time. It's unclear what the goal is, i.e. how much faster you are required to get. It's also unclear what your current running looks like (times per week, total mileage, longest run, etc.). But I can provide you with some general tips. Let's break this down as follows:

1. Deal with the calf pain
2. Improve your aerobic capacity
3. Practice with faster paces as well

Deal with the Calf Pain

First things first, you need to sort out the problem with your calf.

Without resolving that, there will be very little running over the next two months. In case it is muscle related, it is very likely that one or two visits to a massage therapist or osteopath will do wonders.

As they will be able to diagnose the problem, they should also be able to advise you on the amount of running you can do at the moment. Depending on the problem, you may have to lay off running for a while.

That's not ideal, but work out with help of the massage therapist what types of exercise you can do. It is likely that cross-training alternatives like cycling or rowing are still possible.

Improve Your Aerobic Capacity

Regardless of whether it is through running or cross-training, fitness-wise, a first priority is to improve your aerobic capacity. Two miles is a long way to run fast.

There is no other way around it than through regular exercise. I like to see people with short-term aggressive goals do at least four runs per week. However, you have this injury issue, so I think that for you the safer option is a combination of cross-training and running. At least until the calf problem is resolved.

Reading in between the lines I suspect that a long run currently is 2 miles. The key way to improve your aerobic capacity is to run further. It's that simple. But not way more. Not immediately. Build up steadily. Suppose that a normal run is currently 20 minutes. Then increase that to 25 minutes. Next week, do 30 minutes. Build up in small increments. See my page about increasing mileage safely for more on this.

And keep the running at a slow, easy pace. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when preparing for these army tests is that you just run the distance of the test and not further. The funny thing about running is that you'll get faster by running slower!

It would be great if over the next two months you can get used to steady 30-45 minute runs. Eventually, more is better, but the key is to build up slowly without getting injured along the way. When you get to a point where those types of runs feel almost effortless you are in a good spot. Suddenly a 1 or 2 mile test feels quite short! Check out the base running page for more information about building a strong base.

Practice with Faster Paces as Well

Slower, longer running is a big, big part of the equation. But in addition to that you will want to bring in some running at faster pace as well.

You have many different options. Every type of running comes with its own advantages, so I'd recommend that you run faster once a week and you cycle through the following types of workouts:

Tempo Running
One of your faster efforts could be a tempo run. This is just a bit faster than easy running and helps build up your lactic acid threshold, which means you can run faster without your legs getting heavy.

Interval Running
Another faster run could be an interval run. This is again a bit faster, but it is not an all-out effort. Start easily, e.g. 1 minute hard with 2-3 minutes easy in between with limited repetitions and build up from there.

Goal Pace Running
Then lastly, a good tester is to do some goal pace running as well. This is where you run at the pace you need to meet for your test. A few tips with this last one: do this in intervals, rather than one long effort. Break it up in for example 4 x 400m with 1.5 min rest in between.

Additionally, take into account that it is very hard to run goal pace during training. When you're in a race or test, the adrenalin and the pressure of the day can often help you soar to unexpected heights. So, it's ok to be a little bit off from goal pace. Not too much clearly, you will want to be within striking distance.

All of the above combined should help get you some improvement. Sort out the calf problem, do the cross-training required in the mean time and then slowly build up your fitness and speed. Now once more, even though you are in a hurry, you need to be careful with rushing into this. Build it up carefully and consistently and you can do a whole lot in eight/nine weeks!

Hope this helps.
Best of luck.

Kind regards,
Dominique

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