Well, in my NJROTC, we've been having the PRT's.. have to run 1.5 miles in 13 mins to pass.. I always get around 15 mins. I've been practicing on a treadmill for about 2 months.. running about a mile a day.. it seemed to help alot since I finally did get my 1.5 mile down to about 13:20..

Then, I got sick.. I was sick for about 1.5 weeks... now I try running my 1.5 mile again, and back at getting 14:30 - 15:00...

My PRT is this Friday coming up, and I need to get down to 13:00 or LESS to pass.. so I'm wondering what you guys think.. on such short notice(less than a week).. how should I go about bringing down my time?

Please help! and remember, I have less than a week to practice, so those 2 week routines wouldn't help! Please HELP!

THANKS SO MUCH

run intervals... I think they are called fert laks, google it...
if you are only running a mile on the treadmill, that isn't enough... run at least 2-3. If you have healthy ankles and knees, wearing leg weights might help as long as it is short term.
Good luck

I looked up fert laks, and nothing came up. Anyone else have advice?

BTW, I have been running about 2 miles now each day outside, taking approximately 30 seconds of rest each half of a mile.

I've heard to eat ALOT of carbs the 2 nights before the run, that it'll help me alot.. is this true or a myth?

Sorry about that I mispelled it -
Unless you are running serious long distance, your don't need ALOT of carbs - just focus on good healthy nutritious food. NO SODA.
FARTLEK TRAINING
In Fartlek training, another type of CR training sometimes called speed play, the runner varies the intensity (speed) of the running during the workout. Instead of running at a constant speed, he starts with very slow jogging. When ready, he runs hard for a few minutes until he feels the need to slow down. At this time he recovers by jogging at an easy pace. This process of alternating fast and recovery running (both of varying distances) gives the same results as interval training. However, neither the running nor recovery interval is timed, and the running is not done on a track. For these reasons, many runners prefer Fartlek training to interval training.

Thanks so much, will attempt.

Good Luck - I can relate! Cross trainin helps, too - mix it up a little - and do some core strengthening exercises - I know you want to up your speed, and I think that having good overall stamina will help you.

Also- you know that old SEAL thing... set your mind to it - if you commit your mind, your body will follow!

quote:

I looked up fert laks, and nothing came up. Anyone else have advice?

BTW, I have been running about 2 miles now each day outside, taking approximately 30 seconds of rest each half of a mile.

I've heard to eat ALOT of carbs the 2 nights before the run, that it'll help me alot.. is this true or a myth?

Do NOT take any breaks during your runs! Breaks are only used for speed workouts, not distance.

I used to take breaks in the middle of my runs, and 30 seconds would turn into a minute and so on. Press your mind to run through, as running is a mental work out.

If you have access to a track, grab a stop watch and run a mile at 8:00 pace, fairly easy. Afterwards,take a break of ONE minute, timed with the stopwatch and then proceed to run 2 laps. If you have a 400 meter track this would add up to a mile and a half, and your time for the 2 laps should be around four minutes given your current status. That would put you at 13:00 and ready to go.

Think about this. I can run a mile in about 6 minutes, which is fairly weak for track standards but I am no distance runner. I also used to be able to run a 5k in 21:00, which is 3.1 miles. If someone your age can do it, so can you!

I ended up doing it in 13:37.. failing it by 37 seconds, I've talked to Col, he said he'll see what he can do.. I think he might possibly pass me considering I did outstanding on pushups and situps.. and improving my run by almost a minute and a half anyways.

Good to hear your COL may work with you.

As to some of the earlier questions, go to http://www.runnersworld.com. You can find info on training programs that should help you get your time down.

Treadmills are nice, but you also need to get outside in order to let your body learn to set a pace vice having one set for it by the treadmill. I recall seeing somewhere the body normally trains at a pace roughly two minutes slower than race pace.

Also, you will have to gradually increase the distance you run as well as the pace. You can use walk breaks for distance runs as well, so long as you work to decrease their frequency and duration. I understand what SmoothStriker is getting at, but I have been at this a lot longer than he/she has, and I am a distance runner (up to and including 10-mile races).

What's your body weight? After a certain point, you will be slowed down by excess tonnage. Get down to a healthy body weight (talk to the doc. as he/she is the one qualified to say what is right for you).

Can you get the time down? Yes. I'm retired Navy. At the age of 50 in Nov. 2006 I did the 1.5 mile run for the PRT in 8 min. 53 sec., which is an "Outstanding-High" score for my age group. I also maxed out on push-ups and came within 8 situps of maxing that out as well. I retired the next month. My CO came in about 30 seconds ahead of me, and he is only a couple of years younger than me.

Good luck.

Your focus is wrong. When trying to trim down a PT run time, don't run the PT test over and over again.

Schedule your runs with variation. Run for 30 minutes straight, regardless of speed or distance. Just keep running the whole time.

Then run a little longer the next week, say 45 minutes.

You'd be surprised how much faster you can run the 1.5 after only a few weeks.

You increase your stamina for long runs, you'll run short runs in much faster times because your body has learned to conserve energy.

Hope this helps, and good luck with the course.

What is the Push-up, Sit-up requirement?

quote:

Originally posted by wefightonmonday:
Your focus is wrong. When trying to trim down a PT run time, don't run the PT test over and over again.

Schedule your runs with variation. Run for 30 minutes straight, regardless of speed or distance. Just keep running the whole time.

Then run a little longer the next week, say 45 minutes.

You'd be surprised how much faster you can run the 1.5 after only a few weeks.

You increase your stamina for long runs, you'll run short runs in much faster times because your body has learned to conserve energy.

Hope this helps, and good luck with the course.

Most Basic Trainees (Army) run sprints after a non-interval run (last soldier-ups, a.k.a: fart leks), and this helps build up speed. Notice, they are already warmed-up when they do it. This is helpful in that last eighth of a mile for a sprint to the finish to get the best time.

They also don't do the PT test run every time they run. You need to build up strength and endurance slowly. If they were to run the same way every day, they would probably injure themselves.

As for the COL passing you just because you did well on the pushups and situps portion of it: have a little more pride in yourself. The lower enlisted of all services look down upon a leader who cannot pass the PT test. They will not respect you if they know you failed, and yet somehow, your score goes up. That is not the mark of a good leader.

For the long term check out the 12 week runing program i just posted. It will slowly help your times go down, WELL Below passing times and it gets you in overall EXCELENT shape.