Originally Posted by
tkholck
Went from a 12 min mile down to under 8 to finish at 15:22 at 32 y/o with short legs.
Some of you guys running 10s,11s, 12, etc, hey that's awesome. But let's be realistic- when i was in my prime 8 years ago and trained 7 days a week my best was low 13s and that's while pushing myself to the edge where i was close to 25#s lighter.
Some people are gifted at running and some of us well, not so gifted.
Here's what i did to get my run time down:
swim- about 1/2 mile 2x a week. was really hard at first because i was the guy with the goofy mask and swim fins but so what, the swimming helped with cardio. i know some of you guys will think hey this is the army we're not navy, i'm not saying become a swimmer but do what it takes to get your fitness level where it needs to be. (I've been to a half dozen army bases and everyone had a pool.)
bike- got this Bell Motivator Mag Trainer as a bike mount to do stationary cycling. Amazon has it. i Bike for about 20-30 minutes 2-3 days pyramid style through the week where at least 1 day i ride with the tension against the wheel turned up. this definitely helps with toning leg muscle and also cardio.
run- after swimming and biking i've found my body much more relaxed and just overall more focused. started running around the neighborhood but since the streets around here are sloped decided to take advantage of the indoor tracks at the near by air force base. started running 1/2 milers, then the mile, and after about 6 wks or so moved up to the two miler. If you're looking for a secret here's mine for short legged people: i take short steps more quickly. most runners i see with longer legs cover 1.5m + per stride i'm lucky with 1m so i just increase my stride count. my run feels like a hyper walk and it probably looks like that but it works. Here's my biggest secret (you veterans and pro runners can laugh all you like) but when running i imagine that i'm running on water. for me ground pounding just wears me out so when i run i try to be light footed like a gecko or camelion but with a smoother candence.
I don't have to do an official test for another 3 months but after testing myself 3 times in the last week and passing each time i'm comfortable where i'm at right now mentally and physically.
PUs: I try to stay away from benching and when i do use light weights and go for reps like when doing an actual pt test. Otherwise, i keep practicing 2 min drills.
SUs: I do variations- army style and crunches max reps and timed 2 min drills.
Although my cumulative score of 210-220 is not great it's a big improvement for me from where i was just 2 months ago.
I did it and if you're in a similar situation just try mixing it up. Also, cut down on the cokes and over eating ( more meals in smaller amounts).
i did it.
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