Any Suggestions on lowering my run time for my military PT test?

Question

I'm in Marine ROTC at my university and I really need to get my run times down. I have trouble running to begin with and I have very mild athsma. I run about a 24 min. 3 mile now and I really need to get it under 20 minutes ( preferably around 19) by the time I go back to school in mid- August. Does anyone have any tips, suggestions, or workout routines that have worked for them to drop run times quickly and effectively? I would appreciate anything that you could come up with.

Answer 1

Try running Hills and stairs along with sprints of different distances 50 - 100 yards. Hills cut off 1.05 on the mile for me recently.


Vet-USAF 44MMS / 46 y/o

Answer 2

Running was never my forte. Here's what I did. Choose a course that has long straight sections. Start walking and looking ahead pick out a reference point where you will begin running. When you get there, begin running and look ahead for a reference point where you will stop and walk. Keep doing this until you've completed your course. Do this every day. After two weeks, begin to shorten the walking distance while increasing the distance of your runs. As you do this, do two more things. Sing while you're running (aloud), and work at picking up the pace at which you are running. When you hit those stretches where you are walking, put you hands on top of your head -- keeps you from crunching your ab.s. Lastly, the singing will help to increase your lung capacity.

Answer 3

You really just have to keep at it. The more you run, the better you will get. I change up the way i run so I don't get bored. Sometimes, I will go for a longer distance and a slower speed. Sometimes I run fast for a shorter distance, and then I walk for a long time. I figure doing both will make me a faster runner who can go distances as well.

Answer 4

Run faster. BAM! Very easy. ;-) J/K, life isn't that easy.

Sprints will actually help your endurance if you were looking for that, even though it doesn't make sense. Do 20 100 yard sprints, run the 3k in 24 minutes, and then do it again.

If you can do that, you will run it faster than a 20 minutes guaranteed or your money back.

Answer 5

If you have a track nearby, sprint a lap, then jog a lap, repeat. Ensure you are sprinting the same pace each time and jogging the same pace each time. It's a smoker, and you'll quickly realize that you won't be able to hold the same pace each time, but you will get a return on it.

Answer 6

Try running at normal speed for about five minutes and then sprint for about 2-3 minutes and then continue alternating like that. It helped me, but thats just me.